CHAPTER SEVENTY
*~~~**~~~*
Kovey Walber
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30th of Decepter, 935 PC
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Kovey had been sitting with Corbin in one of the nicer pews and listening to him read The Book of The Creator for over an hour. Something about it felt like the runt was keeping any bad omens at bay. It was impressive to see how far the relentless little student had come in the last week. Put a sense of pride in Kovey’s chest even though he hadn’t helped nearly as much as he would have liked.
“... and it is those who put the well-being of others before their own that shine the brightest in the eyes of man. For those are the ind-” Corbin looked at Kovey for help.
“Individuals.”
“... the individuals that understand life means nothing without sacrifice.” He closed the book and rubbed the leather cover.
“That was incredible,” Kovey said. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
Corbin’s smile was a little less lopsided at that moment, almost confident. “We need to find capsules for Belvedere.”
Kovey was taken aback. He glanced at the hole in the roof. “It’s snowing worse than ever. Maybe when it lets up.”
“It might never let up. And we don’t know how long Belvedere has.”
Kovey twisted in the pew to look through the doorway behind him, just off the main chamber. Belvedere lay on a blood-stained blanket on the floor of the torn up, windowless room. As if on cue, she curled up in a ball as she dry heaved hard enough that it turned into a scratchy cough. She rolled onto her back and covered her face with a hand. He couldn’t see them underneath her gloves but he could imagine her purple fingernails and the image filled him with guilt. He’s right. She could start drying out at any moment.
He turned back to Corbin. “Alright. But don’t forget the damn arrows this time.”
Corbin smiled. “I won’t!” He was out of the pew and heading toward his corner of the temple right away.
“What in the three hells is he so worked up about?” Elgar asked from across the aisle. His good arm was hanging off the side of the bench as he lay on his back. His stump was lying as far across his chest as a stump could.
“We’re going to hunt some Lotus.” He turned his head to the side, presumably to see if Kovey was joking. “We need to find Belvedere some lotus capsules.”
“It don’t work like that. Lotus don’t carry capsules on them. They get one in the morning, one at night.”
“It’s our only chance. She doesn’t have much time.”
“Well, I ain’t going with you.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
Corbin came jogging back toward them, twisting enough to show he had his quiver on his back. “All set.”
Kovey put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. “Care if I take your shield?” he asked Elgar.
The blonde flicked his hand nonchalantly.
*~~~**~~~*
At this point, with the snow coming down as a wall of white, Kovey was sure The Creator had gotten bored with the process and was simply dumping buckets of the white stuff on them. One good thing was that their footprints from before were gone, one bad thing was that making any new ones was miserably difficult, but Corbin was driven by a passion to obey The Creator’s word that even Kovey’s love for Belvedere couldn’t match. They trudged and they stomped and they tripped and they fell as they set off toward what the runt had called a feeling. That was an hour ago, when Kovey had feeling in his toes. When they’d reached a spot that could only be called a dead end, Kovey stopped, slouched, then sat down in the foot of snow covering a log.
“We have to go back,” Kovey said,
“She’ll die without capsules,” Corbin said, joining him on the log.
“And we’ll die if we don’t go back.” He lifted his worn boots out of the snow. Not buying new ones from the merchant didn’t seem worth it anymore. “I’ll be lucky not to lose my toes.”
It took a few moments but Corbin finally nodded. “Hopefully her walk home isn’t like this.”
Kovey wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything.
Then, as they stood to head back, there was an unmistakable loud bang not terribly far to the east. They exchanged a stare.
“I’ll go if you will,” Corbin said.
Kovey scrunched his toes in hopes of bringing them back to life. “Let’s do it.”
*~~~**~~~*
The Creator must must have emptied her buckets because only a few minutes into their pursuit the snow let up, then stopped entirely. As many of her followers do, Corbin made a strong connection between their efforts and the lucky turn of events. The occasional explosion made following the Lotus relatively easy, it was catching up to them that was difficult. But an hour later the bangs had stopped terrifying the forest and half an hour after that, Kovey and Corbin had come up on a narrow trench-like valley where a dozen Lotus were huddling around campfires and waiting for something to do other than freeze to death.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Look over there,” Kovey said, pointing toward the far end of the trench.
The front end of a Wrecker could be seen peeking out from around the hillside. Looked like a bull sneaking up on the Lotus with its angry face and thick skin. The only thing missing were the horns.
“Think there might be some in there?” Corbin asked.
They both laid back down in the shallow hole they’d dug in the snow. Elgar’s shield did its best to separate Kovey from the cold. “I don’t know, but checking would be easier than dealing with a dozen Lotus. Three hells, we might even be able to steal the thing. If we can do that, we can get Belvedere to a village or town. Maybe someone there will be able to help her without lotus.”
“What if it’s a trap?”
It very well could be. In fact, it looked exactly like a trap. But their options were limited. “It’s not. You see them. They’re just sitting down there planning their next move. Besides, you’re going to make it perfectly safe for me.”
“How?”
“Your magic, numbskull.” He wanted to use a much stronger word since no idiot should ever forget they have magic in their soul, but the boy was trying his best. He deserved his respect.
“Right. What do you want me to do?”
Kovey thought for a moment, shifting his weight against the boulder. “Make the hillside stretch further so it covers the Wrecker more.”
“That’s it. Are you sure? I can do lots more than that.”
“We need to be subtle. If they notice your illusion then they’ll know we’re around. Just lengthen the hillside bit by bit so no one spots the changes until it’s too late.”
For a moment, Kovey thought the runt might object but then he said, “I can do that.”
“Good. Now, come on, let’s get closer.”
“Wait, what if it’s locked?” Corbin asked.
“It won’t be,” Kovey said as he slid down the hillside.
“Are you sure?” Corbin asked but by now Kovey was on the move.
*~~~**~~~*
“What’s wrong?” Kovey whispered.
“Give me a minute. I have to think about what I want it to look like.”
Kovey sighed in exasperation. “It doesn’t matter what it looks like. It’s just a hill covered in snow.”
“Have it your way.” Corbin moved his hand across his chest slowly.
When Kovey looked down the hillside was a foot longer. Took a moment to remind himself that it was an illusion but once his mind had wrapped itself around what it was looking at, the land vanished. He went back to watching the Lotus. Besides a few that were standing and discussing something a little ways from the others, most of them were dug into their misery by the fires.
“Should be good,” Corbin said.
“Should be?”
“It is. Go.” Corbin took off.
Kovey followed, clambering through the deep snow as quickly as he could.
He placed his hands on the cold metal as if the vehicle was somehow fragile then glanced around the forest, wondering if any eyes had just watched them run directly into a hillside. They searched for any kind of way in; a latch, a handle, anything. Sadly, there was nothing. Which meant only one thing. They’d have to climb on top and go through the hatch up there. The grooves in the iron wheels made footing a breeze. However, finding anything to grab on the smooth armor plates was anything but simple. Come on. I can do this. I have to do this. Kovey hopped on one foot as he tried to create enough momentum to launch himself up to a bar that would be well out of reach otherwise. One. Two. Three. Up he went, as high as he could. His fingertips grazed the bar. As they did on the next two attempts. Then Corbin appeared on top of the Wrecker, extending a hand. He caught Kovey’s hand and helped get it wrapped around the bar. Kovey was examining a metal wheel that would crank open the hatch a moment later while Corbin stared at the valley.
“Hurry, Kovey, hurry.”
“I’m trying.” He turned and turned until his arms burned. One big yank with both hands and finally the wheel rose enough to open the hatch. A ray of sunshine sliced through the darkness that awaited them inside. If there was a moment when he considered turning back, choosing instead to run into the woods and hide, it was now. For Belvedere.
A second later, he was dropping feet first into the Wrecker. The wooden floor thumped beneath his boots.
The hull, if that’s what the interior of a Wrecker could be called, was mostly barren and empty. A few levers and cranks on the walls and a couple lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Useless without matches. All that alchemy and they’re still using lanterns for light.
A thin metal panel extended from the front wall of the hull, attached just beneath the tinted glass window. A wooden wheel like those on ships, but a third of the size, stood in the middle. A short lever beside it. He sat down in an uncomfortable chair at the panel and pulled two drawers out from beneath it, believing if there were lotus capsules here, they’d surely be there. And there was, but only one. Still, a beauty to behold. He shoved it in his pocket as Corbin dropped into the vehicle.
“Go!”
“What’s wrong?” Kovey asked.
“They saw me! Go!”
Suddenly, crackling and sizzling could be heard soaring through the air outside.
“Close the hatch!” Kovey said and tried to figure out what to do with the levers and wheel.
A loud thump turned into a sizzling explosion as a lotus blast smashed into the Wrecker. Oh shit, oh shit!
“Go Kovey!”
Several more blasts banged and crashed into the Wrecker. The vehicle held firm.
Kovey frantically flipped the lever near the wooden wheel. An explosive bang blew out the back of the Wrecker, so loud he covered his ears in pain, and suddenly the trees outside were moving. No. He was moving! The Wrecker was moving! Rolling. Slowly but surely. Right into the valley and their pursuers. His hands did a little dance before he finally gripped the steering wheel.
“Oh, lords be good! Fucking lords be good!” Kovey yelled, staring through the glass at the lotus blasts coming straight at him. He ducked and covered his head as one smashed into the tinted glass and deflected up its gradual slope.
When he looked back up he realized they were moving so slowly that the oncoming Lotus were moving quicker on foot.
“Faster!” Corbin yelled.
“I don’t know how!”
“Just push it all the way!” Corbin said and shoved the smaller lever forward all the way. They took off. Explosions bursting out the back of the Wrecker. Bang! Bang! Bang!
They bounced and rattled, Kovey holding the wheel, Corbin holding his shoulders. The gap between them and Lotus closed instantly. The tinted window became a bright purple for several seconds as they crashed through the wall of Lotus trying to stop them. One man found himself standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. He disappeared beneath the charging bull. Then another. And another.
They barreled over the campfires and through the snow at a pace much quicker than Kovey felt comfortable controlling but he wasn’t about to slow down. The sloped end of the trench approached rapidly and with bad intentions.
“Hold on!” Kovey yelled.
A moment later they were speeding up the hillside. Kovey had visions of the Wrecker catapulting through the air, but instead, the hefty vehicle crested the hill and plunged straight down the other side. Straight toward a tree. The steering wheel wasn’t confusing as much as it was incredibly difficult to turn. It took every muscle in Kovey’s arms and a lean of his upper body to turn the thing. The side of the Wrecker grinded against the tree, scraping and screaming something awful but the beast didn’t stop. He righted the wheel and off they went, Corbin patting his shoulder appreciatively and thanking The Creator.