Spear of Destiny by James Baldwin (little bear else holmelund minarik .TXT) 📕

of the wall, and hopped backwards to land on the parapet. “Once this thing with Bas is over, it’s grinding time for me and Karalti. We’re going to try and power level. Barring some new crisis, we’ll work hard at it—and as soon as we hit Level 32, we’ll do this.”

“As you say.” Vash stood up as well, stretching his arms behind his back. “I am grateful, Dragozin. Not many people would undertake such a difficult quest on behalf of a friend.”

“Any time, man.” I nodded. “But hey, speaking of quests: mind giving me a hand with one? I have to collect a shit-ton of herbs. We have to stock up on medicines and take them to Karhad in case that Thornlung plague spreads.”

“Of course. And if it does, I shall treat the sick. I am immune.” He also rose, stretching his arms back.

“Immune?” I was starting to head to the edge of the wall, but turned. “Wait: the plague your family got. That was thornlung?”

“The very same,” he replied. “Why, Dragozin? You look like you’ve seen a ghost of your own.”

“Yeah. It’s just…” I trailed off, not sure how to explain it to him. “In my life before Archemi—Earth—there were two back-to-back global wars between the world’s superpowers. The second war, and the world, rapidly disassembled when a virus—a disease—got out of control. The symptoms were exactly like how you describe thornlung. And I mean, exactly. There are some differences in the outcome. HEX had a 100-percent mortality rate, for one thing. It isn’t treatable, because it wasn’t a natural virus.”

Vash’s nostrils flared. “Explain.”

“I don’t think I can,” I replied, struggling for words. “It’s… uh… imagine a tiny Stranged particle riding on an artifact smaller than anything you could see with the naked eye. The artifact can drill through cloth, skin, and armor and deliver the particle into someone’s body. Then it lies dormant for two weeks, so that person goes and gives it to other people, before it activates into a disease and kills them. That’s what HEX did. It was a weapon, made to kill people with disease.”

Vash’s lips worked as he struggled to find the right thing to say. “That is hideous. Who released this weapon?”

“No one knows,” I said. “My side of the war blamed Suri’s people’s side of the war. Her side blamed mine. Europe blamed both of us. When I got sick, they’d already called an emergency armistice, because billions of people were dying.”

“Billions? Billions of people?” Vash’s brow furrowed into deep lines as he tried—and probably failed—to comprehend a number which didn’t really exist in Archemi. “It never occurred to me that Starborn could be refugees from a dying world, but I suppose it makes sense. And I am glad you have found a better place here.”

“Yeah. Me too.” I looked toward the west, the direction of Ilia and Revala. Ororgael, Lucien and Violetta were working toward their goals somewhere over there, separated by thousands of miles of mountains, plains, and ocean. “This is a good place. And as long as we fight for it, it’ll stay that way.”

Chapter 23

True to her word—and thanks to the miracle of videogame crafting—Rin had the parachute ready by the afternoon: a near-replica of the HI-5 ram air parachute used for free fall jumps, except instead of being made out of olive drab ripstop, it was made from bright blue and red silk.

Taethawn had joined us, along with three of his bloodriders, the captains who led his forces on the ground. Istvan, Wing Commander Vasoly, Captain Vilmos, Zlaslo Ul’Tiranozavir and Vash were also in attendance. They watched as Rin moved around Suri’s body, passing under her outstretched arms as she fit the parachute and harness over her armor. As it was a prototype device, the fit wasn’t automatic in the same way that armor or other gear was.

“You blokes alright?” Suri asked, smirking at Vasoly. “Wing Commander, you’re lookin’ a bit green around the gills.”

“That story I told you, about the inventor who jumped off the clocktower?” Vasoly had his arms crossed and his lips pursed. “I was in the city guard back then. My squad were the ones who had to scrape him off the cobblestones.”

“Well, I really don’t think you’ll have to do that this time,” Rin said testily. “Suri is my friend. I wouldn’t be letting her do this if I thought my design wouldn’t work.”

Sitting on Karalti’s back, I sucked on a tooth and glanced over assembled. The officer’s hookwings had been turned loose on the mesa, left to flock up and wander together as a honking, hissing pack. Cutthroat stood head and shoulders over the others. The huge black hookwing had taken pole position, tearing up the moss with her long, sword-like claws and pissing all over it to inform the others that she was, in fact, the biggest, baddest bitch of Karhad Plateau. Most of the other hookwings were sensibly avoiding her—except for one. Taethawn’s mount, a grizzled bull with dark brindled plumage and splendid red tail feathers, seemed determined to keep up. I watched, puzzled, as he bent down to sniff and lick at the moss she’d passed over. When he was done sniffing, he reared up with his jaws parted and his lips pulled back over his teeth, huffing through nose and mouth. It almost looked like he was grinning.

“OooOooh!”  Karalti sang. “Someone’s looking for a giiiiirlfriiiiend.”

“Is that what I need to do if I ever want to ask you out?” I bit my lip to keep from laughing before the punchline. “Moon around after you while you piss all over the castle?”

“Hee hee! You flirt!” My dragon’s telepathic voice danced with mirth. “Really, though. Please don’t.”

“Hey, Taethawn!” I called down to him. “Is your guy doing what I think he’s doing?”

“Ey?” The Meewfolk flicked his ear toward me, then looked over his shoulder.