A week had passed since The Sage talked with the rainbow serpent, and the militia set out once more. They had gone on raids on about five smaller cult compounds and scoured the homes and buildings that had once been occupied. In the last one they did, a day prior, they found a disturbing document: a bill of sale. This bill of sale was for three dozen humans, and a sprig of cut brier and a foreman; totaling 5 Million. 4.5 in total for the brier and the foreman. Today the militia were going to rescue those people. According to The Sage’s scrying, there were nearly two hundred enemies; humans, Efrans, and brier-bound animals included.
That day The Sage had provided each of the members with three potions, and covered each with a Repel; all sixty-five or so of them. About fifteen of the animal people were going this time as well; including the Chosen, Fen. About two hundred new people had joined the Four Peaks’s Cove since the serpent incident; most were rescued and had nowhere else to go, and others had heard about what was going on and contacted someone already inside to get in through the invisible door.
By the time he was in seventh grade, he could no longer stand being indoors and thus fell asleep in all of his classes to pass the time quickly. The only reason he never failed was because he was smart as a whip, and could ace any test put in front of him. When he finally graduated high school, he immediately embraced his nature and went on a year-long hike around the country. After that, he enlisted in the US Marines where he met Seth and Ernesto. They were deployed to the sandbox together. Spent some time stationed in Djibouti, and then came back home. They had all lived in the same hometown, so they drove up from San Diego together and started the Tres Hermanos construction company with the money they made during deployment. They had worked with this quarry before; installed catwalks and made break rooms and offices, and the owner was always a hardass, but slavery? Was he really capable of that?
As Alfredo climbed into the front of the truck, he racked a round into his rifle and leaned its barrel out of the window. The Efrans were hesitant to climb into the back of the transport truck, but after seeing the humans go first, they came in. They carried more medieval weapons; guns and such didn’t really work with their hands. The deermen couldn’t fit their massive fingers through the trigger guard, and the catmen’s claws couldn’t pull them, and most of them were trained in armed combat, so they didn’t really mind.
Seth stood near the front on the right-hand side of the three truck, two transport vehicle convoy, and Fen on the other, near the middle. Fen chanted something in his native tongue, and a heavy mist fell over the entire convoy before the lead car, containing Laura, Ernesto, and Alfredo headed out. The clicking, followed by the humming of the engines, let Alfredo know that the other cars were following.
The rain began to pelt the metallic roofs of the trucks as they pulled out of the orchard and onto the dusty, sloped road. Seth once more ran alongside the lead car as they pulled down onto the road, and then onto the freeway. There was only one Marine Corps patrol searching for The Sage that day. Over the last week, the numbers slowly began to dwindle. It’ll only be a couple of days before they can attack Springville in force.
He didn’t see why they needed the Sage specifically to join the attack, how could he be stronger than Seth? Over this last week, he had seen Seth shrug off gunshots, and pick up cars with his bare hands. Perhaps he was needed to heal and provide his protective spells to the soldiers. That would make the most sense, and that’s what he assumed was the case. A medic that could instantly take care of most injuries, save for the most precious? That’d be valuable in any battlefield. Especially one where they’d be as outnumbered as they would supposedly be once they decided to take Springville. So far, thanks to those spells, they had yet to have a single death in their small skirmishes. The worst injury so far was a man who had his hand blown off when he tried to throw a grenade back on an attack on an old train graveyard tucked far along the abandoned lines that had once run through the valley. During that battle, Seth managed to split an old metal container in two with a single swing of his sword.
The lead truck turned onto the highway and followed the road down to the river. The muddy waters of the Tule brushed against the edge of the now-closed roads as the convoy blew past white and orange road closure signs and rolled down the street, following the river upstream toward the lake. Because of Fen’s spell, the convoy moved silently passed the police cars put up along the road to stop traffic. Alfredo watched the river as they passed by, and swore he saw something underneath it; a great shadow about as long as two men are tall.
It took about an hour of driving through the rain to get to the edge of the lake. It was swollen beyond all hell. The highest he had ever seen. The top of the lake nearly brushed against the top of the dam and poured through the spillway in foamy white rapids and into the valley. Though he was amazed by it; what else he was surprised at, was the fact that the military hadn’t sent anyone to guard it. They were at war, and if something like this dam were to burst, a good portion of Porterville would wind up underwater, along with a good chunk of farmland.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
As soon as they pulled over to the side of the road, about a tenth of a mile away from the quarry, they began to chat among themselves. It was difficult for so many people to stay quiet for so long, but it was necessary so they weren’t spotted on the way up there. Aside from any possible artillery, they also had the numbers advantage, so if they gave them the opportunity they would hunker down, and attacking the quarry would be very difficult; it was in a very defendable position, after all.
“Seth, after this, do you think we should send a group of people to guard the dam?” Alfredo asked as soon as the cars came to a still, and Fen began to rest so that he could fight at his best.
“Is that you volunteering?”
Alfredo shut his mouth. Life in the cove was amazing compared to what was going on out here. It was cold and rainy out here, while there it was balmy, and recently getting downright warm. He had his own little house there as well. His neighbor was a single mother with her child on one side and an elderly man, who had once been the priest of the parish that the militia had liberated during their first battle. He was the one who set up the church within the cove; an incredibly generous man who frequently gave up his rationed meals to the young children.
“It’s not like I get what you’re saying though, Alfredo. It’s a huge vulnerability. We’ll ask for volunteers once we’re back on Efra. If the Cult manages to do something to it...well, with how packed the town is currently with the movement orders from the government, well...anyways, we will need to send someone here. I’m surprised the Marines haven’t yet.” He turned to the fox thing, sitting on the fender of the lead car.
The rain soaked Myko’s red fur and dampened his deep red robes. He glanced up from the muddy ground, and toward Seth before setting the empty jar back into the crate he had pulled it from. Alfredo had tasted one of those, ‘potions,’ before, and it felt like taking a hit of a joint; it relieved anxiety and cleared mental fog like nothing else. For Chosen, however, their effects were different and were necessary for magic users in prolonged fights. Would this be a prolonged fight, with two of the Four Peaks here? While he hasn’t personally seen Fen fight, Alfredo had talked to Seth’s son Paul, and he assured the man that Fen’s strength was incredible.
“I’m fine.” The fox thing said as he pulled his rain-soaked bangs out of his face, “These are called Unwinds? They’re incredible. It would have taken me over an hour to recover without it.”
“Aren’t they?” Seth chuckled, “I’m glad we learned to make them. You know, I think this is the first time I’m going to see you fight, Fen.”
“Same here, Seth. I’ve heard you were strong, let’s see if your strength meets the tales told about you.”
Fen pushed himself off the fender; the sheathed scimitar on his waist slapping against his outer thigh in response to his movements.
“Well, I’ve heard Paul talk about how amazing you were too, I wonder how much of it was an exaggeration?”
“Oh, do you want to put that to the test?”
“Do you?”
The fox things cross its arms over its chest, and a slight grin splits its maw.
“Then a bet,” Fen says; his long, pawed foot tapping against the muddy ground. “I bet that I’ll kill more than you during this battle.”
“Sure, what’re you wagering?”
“How about...the loser is on fish gutting duty for a week?”
Seth goes quiet for a moment.
“You won’t back out?”
“Course not.”
Seth extends his arm out toward the fox, and the fox takes it. They shake once and then sprint off in the direction of the quarry.
“For fuck’s sake...” Laura muttered as she flicked the cigarette out of the car, and sped away after them; the convoy following closely behind; tires screeching as they squealed over the rain-soaked roads toward the quarry.