Battle For Tristaine Part 15

Vigilance was required, however, to keep the ropes from snarling, and Brenna would rather hurtle headfi rst off the dam herself than fail another phobia test, as self-imposed as it might be.

Her gaze didn't waver, not even when sweat beaded on her forehead despite the brisk morning air. She knew Jess was in no * 120 *

immediate peril, and neither were the four other Amazons working with her, all supported by rope harnesses. Brenna was doing fairly well convincing her mind to disregard the drop looming before her, but her stomach was fi xated on it.

"Take up your slack, Brenna," Vicar reminded her. "She's steady. Just sing out if she gets snagged."

"Oh, I'll sing," Brenna muttered. She divided her attention between Jess and DeLorea, who was supervising the placement of the dynamite. Working with explosives was never routine, even for modern-day Amazons, but Tristaine's trust in their diminutive chief tradeswoman was well founded.

Camryn, Hakan, and Elodia had helped Jess secure the platform to the dam's main support post and now waited for DeLorea to fi nish wiring the detonator to the wrapped bundle.

Cam shaded her eyes and called up to the women waiting on the walkway. "Looks like Fugiera and Venore are ready below, Vicar!"

"Aye, youngster, I see."

Brenna threw a glance at the two Amazons a.s.signed to secure sticks of dynamite to the rock shelf above the opening to the silver mine far below. One small fi gure was waving some signal, which Vicar returned.

Jess tossed her hair out of her eyes to look up at Brenna and sent her an encouraging wink. She smiled back, carefully playing out line as Jess s.h.i.+fted to the far side of the platform.

The waves of vertigo that had plagued Brenna when she fi rst knelt on the walkway had largely subsided, but she'd feel better when the fi ve dangling women were safely topside again.

Besides her and Vicar, four Amazons stood on the narrow ribbon that comprised the top of the dam, anchoring the climbers.

Brenna had met them all at least once, but Amazon names were beginning to blur in her mind. They were Jess's warriors, her adanin, and those t.i.tles would serve for now.

"We're set!" DeLorea called as she snugged the canvas wrap gently around the explosives. "The leads are fi xed. Shann should consider the remote armed as of now."

* 121 *

"She does," Vicar answered matter-of-factly. "Let's bring 'em up!"

Vicar checked the lines of the fi ve climbers as their anchors took up slack, then patted Brenna gruffl y on the shoulder in pa.s.sing.

Apparently her efforts to battle her demons hadn't gone unnoticed.

But Brenna barely registered Vicar's touch. The cold air on her face faded, and the rich trilling of birdsong that had formed a constant backdrop to the pleasant morning suddenly dwindled.

"You're about to snarl Elodia, Hakan. s.p.a.ce yourself," Vicar called.

"Aye, s.p.a.ce yourself." Jess grinned at the warrior who climbed beside her. "Move yer b.u.t.tocks, Hakan!"

"Bite my macha black b.u.t.t, Jessica," Hakan said, panting.

Camryn chortled at both of them, but Brenna heard little of it.

J'heika, rise.

Jess peered upward, winding excess line around one forearm.

Brenna was looking beyond the dam toward the village. Jess whistled softly to gain her attention, but Brenna's intense gaze held on Tristaine.

The sound alerted Vicar, who turned back to Brenna, eyebrows arched. "Brenna? What's up?"

Brenna stood up. "Take Jess's line, Vicar."

Vicar moved at once, lifting the coils of rope from Brenna's extended arm.

The other Amazons anchoring the lines exchanged glances, clearly surprised to see Vicar obey anyone other than Shann or Jess without question. Brenna stood with her hands at her sides, balanced on the narrow walkway. "Caster's here."

"Vic?" Jess called.

"Just keep climbing, Jesstin!" Vicar took up the slack in Jess's line.

Hissing tension in the men's voices, small branches snapping in the wake of their swift advance. Vehicles were useless past the foothills, so the last league up the mountain was covered on foot.

The tall gates of the Amazon village were in sight.

* 122 *

Brenna watched Jess clamber over the railing of the catwalk.

"Tristaine is under attack, Jess. Right now."

"What?"

"Trust me, Jesstin."

Jess looked into Brenna's oddly serene eyes and then whirled, looking for her second. "Camryn!"

"Here!" Cam answered at once, shaking off the rope halter.

"Take Grady and Briggs and meet Venore and Fugiera at the trail to the mine. Approach the village from the west and expect attack."

Cam's eyes widened; then she moved quickly down the walkway toward the descending path without asking questions. The rest of the warriors gathered closer, watching Jess.

"Vicar, Hakan," she glanced at each in turn, "take two warriors each and approach from the north and east." Jess's hand wrapped around Brenna's arm. "Elodia, DeLorea, you're with us. The top priority is protecting Shann."

"Right, Jess." Hakan nodded at two of the warriors. "We'll listen for your signal."

They were moving fast when they fi rst heard enemy fi re.

O.

Reaching Shann was never an option.

She refused to stay hidden. Tristaine had virtually no warning of the attack, but Shann managed to launch a swift reactive defense.

At least until the canisters of gas exploded in the village square.

The vision that riveted Brenna had vanished. She remembered what she saw, though, and she still felt the certainty behind her words.

Figuring out the rest would have to wait. She focused on gripping Jess's hand and racing down a mountain path that had terrifi ed her to walk only the day before.

One moment Brenna could breathe and the next there was no air, just a cloying mist coating her face; then her throat caught fi re.

She coughed spasmodically and stumbled.

Jess staggered when the gas. .h.i.t her lungs but kept her grasp on Brenna's hand, and they kept running. Behind them, Elodia * 123 *

clenched DeLorea's sleeve and hauled her bodily along, both of them gasping and coughing.

Rapid volleys of gunfi re splintered the air. Brenna heard cries of shock and men's voices shouting commands. Jess fl attened her against a broad pine, then looked around it. She sent a piercing whistle through two fi ngers, loud enough to make Brenna fl inch.

"Stay beside me!" Jess ordered, her voice ragged from the fumes. She gestured to Elodia, who nodded. She pulled a retching DeLorea toward a nearby bank of trees.

Another burst of gunfi re pressed them back against the pine.

When it stopped, Jess squeezed Brenna's hand, and they ran for Tristaine's southern gates.

Clouds of the noxious gas were billowing through the village square. Through streaming eyes, Brenna saw green-clad soldiers wearing heavy masks that gave them a malignant and insectile appearance. They shoved staggering Amazons toward the stadium.

Other women-unconscious-were being dragged along the ground.

Brenna's throat constricted with a rage she had never known, and when Jess bolted for the square, she matched her pace. When the heaviest concentration of the gas. .h.i.t them, the scene grew surreal in her blurring vision, grainy and shadowed.

She saw Jess duck under a swinging rifl e, then dropkick one soldier where he stood. As another spate of bullets tore into the lower branches of nearby trees, Brenna realized that the soldiers were fi ring into the air. The world grayed out, and she lunged toward Jess, groping for her as her senses faded.

O.

There were things Brenna hated more than throwing up, and as soon as she could stop doing it, she would try to remember them.

She felt Jess's arms around her and she sat up, snarling her hands in the soft fabric of Jess's vest.

"Easy." Jess's voice was reduced to a croak. "Water's coming, Bren."

* 124 *

The mention of water made her aware of a raging thirst, and Brenna blinked hard, trying to clear the tears from her eyes. A sudden and sharp series of hacking coughs bent her double, and she joined the rasping chorus all around her.

Black-booted soldiers moved among the Amazons sprawled in the center of the arena. There were easily seventy mercenaries- of mixed gender and age-encircling the stadium fl oor. All of them carried rifl es, which they used to push the women aside if they fell into their path.

Soldiers had removed the protective masks that had s.h.i.+elded them from the gas, and Brenna saw that the smoke and fumes had cleared. She realized with a queasy start that she'd been unconscious for hours. The weak sun overhead was already coasting down toward the western peaks.

"Here, Brenna. Sip it."

Brenna felt Jess's cold fi ngers brush her brow, and she accepted the canteen. She held herself to the few swallows Jess would allow, but it took restraint. Her throat was coated with a nasty chemical slime.

"What happened?" she managed.

"The village is taken, Bren." Jess took the canteen and lifted it to her lips.

"What about K-Kyla and Shann?" Brenna asked anxiously.

"Stay here," Jess croaked calmly. She brushed Brenna's hair off her forehead and checked her red eyes. "I'll fi nd out what I can."

Brenna knew an order when she heard one, and she didn't try to stop Jess as she climbed to her feet. Her fi erce eyes streamed tears that had nothing to do with sentiment and everything with chemicals, but she seemed to be recovering quickly.

"Hey!" A soldier at the periphery of the group raised his rifl e.

"Get down, over there!"

Jess ignored him "Hey!"

"Hold your water, boy." Jess coughed and spat on the ground.

"You've taken our weapons. You're safe enough."

* 125 *

Not necessarily true, Brenna thought, but now that she could see, she realized how badly Tristaine's warriors were outnumbered.

Three dozen Amazons were scattered separately and in small groups on the hard-packed ground of the arena. Brenna didn't see Shann or Kyla, or any of Tristaine's high council. The retching sounds around her were starting to fade.

Jess walked stiffl y over to three of her warriors and crouched to speak to them. Then she rose, her hand on the shoulder of the youngest in the group, and scanned the open stadium.

"Sit down, you big pendeja b.i.t.c.h!" the soldier barked.

Brenna saw several rifl es rising toward Jess.

"If you were allowed to fi re on us, cabron, I'd see wounded."

Jess scrubbed her forearm across her face. She surveyed her troops.

"My sisters look whole enough."

"I said sit down!" The man's voice cracked, which scared Brenna.

"Go fi nd your witch doctor, mercenary." Jess spied Camryn and gave her a hand up. She looked her over, brus.h.i.+ng off her leggings. "Tell her we want to see our queen."

The soldier tossed his rifl e to the woman next to him. "Dana, this is your f.u.c.king squad. Speak the f.u.c.k up!" He stalked toward Jess.

Brenna threw herself far enough to wrap her arms around one khaki-clad leg as he strode past. He yelled in alarm, fl ailing, and the Amazons immediately cheered.

Brenna ground her teeth at the embarra.s.sment of being dragged across the dusty arena by the kicking, staggering soldier, but it gave her enough time to crawl up his leg. Her well-placed fi st, midstride, brought both his cursing and his momentum to an abrupt halt. The mercenary toppled like a sack of laundry and lay curled on his side, cupping his t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es.

"Two," Camryn crowed, and the Amazons' laughter, choked and sputtering as it was, heartened Brenna. But more soldiers were moving now, and rifl es were coming up fast.

"Stand down, militia!" Theryn's command rang across the open stadium.