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

her jawbone over my chest. As I smooched her on the top of her head, I glimpsed Suri look up from her work and watch us for a minute, an expression unreadable.

There was a bell chime over the ship’s ‘intercom’—comm tubes that carried orders from the command center to the deck. “All personnel, move to handholds or retreat to cabin. I repeat, all personnel, move to handholds or retreat to cabin. RVN Campbell is taking evasive maneuvers on approach to Solonovka.”

Suri joined us at the railing, peering almost intently as Karalti had. The city was in view, a bright blaze ring of walls and towers against the blackness of the mountains. My HUD matched up the details of the maps with the features of the landscape, including the defense towers—and their searchlights. The bright blue-white columns scanned the skies, strong enough that they lit the low-hanging clouds and reflected back.

“I think we found what they’re using the Ix’tamo for,” I muttered. “Shit.”

“Don’t worry. The crew is on it. I think it’s real unlikely we’ll be spotted.” Suri pushed back, even as another chime sounded over comms. “Captain to all personnel, we are flying dark. Prepare for ascent to 17 thousand.”

“Twenty minutes,” she said, as all of the lights on the ship faded to a dull orange glow. “You ready to run the check?”

“Yes ma’am.” I stepped back from Karalti and steered her into the line as she tried to lean over the side again.

Suri’s eyes hooded. “Do I get a kiss?”

“You get an extra one. Mwah. Mwah!” I leaned in as she did and caught her mouth with mine, kissing her until she smiled, then broke away and fell into position.

First check: weather. It was windy and bitterly cold, but the clouds were thin and the sky was free of rain. Thanks to their natural insulation and trained hardiness, the Orphans were basically immune to all but the worst extremes of cold weather. Second check was target visibility. Hussar Manor was a small uneven septagon visible on my battle map overlay. As I’d hoped, the keep and grounds were almost dark—considerably darker than the rest of the city.

I checked the line and signaled Suri from across the deck. Karalti winked at me, and drew herself up straight, puffing her chest out.

“Alright, fleabags!” I hollered over the roar of the engines, stalking down the line to make sure everyone was following instructions: standing roughly arm’s length apart, checking the gear of the man in front of them. “Fifteen minutes to contact! Until the Commander gives the order, you will hold position! Do not jump until instructed! When we touch ground, do not—and I repeat—do NOT try and gather your parachute! Cut that fucker, find the nearest target, and give them hell! Orphaaaans Compaaaany!”

“Orphans Company!” The lines shouted back.

Suri yelled out the same set of orders as she marched down the second line of jumpers, checking ziplines and correcting spacing. We did it again on the way back. Karalti was buzzing with nervous energy as we checked our harnesses and made sure we had the flares Rin had crafted for us.

“Ten minutes!” Suri bellowed, projecting her voice as well as any drill instructor.

I stepped to Taethawn, and we both saluted one another. “All i’s dotted and all t’s crossed, commander. How are you feeling?”

“Like I need to take a second leak after all that battle tea.” He flashed me a wicked grin. “All over this robber baron’s corpse, m’rai?”

“You better get to him before Kitti does.” I grinned back.

“Hah!” He flicked his ears, tail lashing with amusement. His pupils were so large that his eyes were black. “Speaking of Lady Hussar, she is looking pleasantly green.”

He was right. The girl was clutching the railing of the airship in a white-knuckled hand. She seemed pale and very small between Letho and Gruna. Both of the huge men were also nervous, struggling not to fidget with their harnesses as Suri marched down and corrected the distance between the countess and her bodyguards.

“Five minutes!” I shouted, showing the sign. Then I nodded to Taethawn. “I’ll go pep her up.”

“Good man.” Taethawn winked. “ORPHANSSSS!”

“ORPHANS COMPANY!” The Meewfolk yelled back, tails lashing, claws out. The hum of excitement was intense, like the energy before a big concert, but when I pulled up beside Kitti, I saw she was shivering and fit to puke.

“How’re you doing?” I gave her a nod.

“Not so great,” she admitted. “The air hurts to breathe. Suri didn’t have time to run me through a practice jump, just the ground training. She had to take care of the soldiers.”

“It’ll be the most fun you’ve ever had while falling. You’ll be in the air for about five minutes,” I said to her. “But I get it. The wait before your first jump is always the worst.”

The Lady’s eyes darted between me and the roaring Meewfolk as Suri let out the three-minute call. “What if the parachute doesn’t work?”

“It will. Just think about the landing.” I gave her a nod, then smiled. “And imagine Zoltan’s face when we bust into his bedchamber and drag him out in his underpants.”

She giggled, and that helped. I clapped her on the shoulder, inclined my head to her men, and went to assume position at the head of my line.

“Twenty seconds!” Suri and I called back together. She was on the other gate, ready to lead her row into the air.

I pulled the sides of the gate in against the wind and locked it, grasping the sides of the railing and leaning out. With the ship’s lights off, I could see my target far below: a dark rectangle of bare stone.

“One, one, one! See you down there, boys and girls!” I called back to my line. “Let’s fuck ‘em up!”

With a glance to Suri, I braced on either