Page 160 of The First Spark
“Sir, there’s a hull breach! Level two!”
Kalie’s shoulders convulsed like she was gagging, and she clapped a hand to her mouth. Cringing, she bent forward, and Zane let go of her wrist?—
Then she bolted.
“Kal—dammit!”
Zane lunged after her, but Mira’s fingers brushed his arm and he stopped. “I’ve got her,” she said, striding after Kalie.
He faltered mid-step, sighed, and let Mira go. Maybe she would be able to talk some sense into Kalie.
But that was the last time he would ever see her.
Zane opened his mouth to call Mira back, but she sprinted through the doors. A heavy weight pressed on his chest. He had to be gone by the time Kalie returned, or he would never have a chance. There would be no goodbyes for either of them. It would be cleaner that way, less tears all around.
But there hadn’t been any goodbyes with Lysa, either, and that had made everything a hundred times worse.
The Federation’s glowing red lasers streaked towards their destroyer. The weakening forcefield rippled, the ship lurched, and acloud of smoke replaced a line of cannons. As Nadar stumbled, Zane caught his scaled arm.
Blasts struck the Federation’s warplanes, but it was a futile effort. This was not at all how the battle was supposed to go. They should’ve been sending in the troop transports to storm the capital by now. The county militias raised by Kalie’s allies had probably been butchered without their backup.
“You said you have a plan, Wells. Now’s the time.”
Zane rubbed his sweaty palms together. “Yeah. There’s a duel. An ancient rite. A claimant for the throne can issue a challenge.”
Ryker’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t talking about Fallé di Azura?”
“I am.”
“You’d need Kal to put forth the challenge, and she’ll never allow it?—”
“I know. I’ll…” Cursing her stubborn refusals, Zane ran a hand through his hair. “I’m quick on my feet. I’ll think of something, tell them Kalie sent me.”
“That’s the worst plan I’ve ever heard,” Ryker muttered. “You’d never get the Speaker’s approval without Kalie, and even if you did, you’d be gambling with her life. Do you even know how to duel?”
Thunderous explosions boomed, and Zane wobbled as a jarring impact rocked the floor under his feet. Ryker’s projection flickered. As alarms wailed, the lights shorted out.
“Sir, the shields aren’t holding!”
Zane gestured at the bridge. “I have to try. We’re out of options.”
“You’re both missing the obvious.” Nadar’s chin dropped. “You can duel for the throne, get her crown, but that won’t stop Carik’s attack. Either way, my fleets are doomed.”
Static crackled across Ryker’s holo. “Dammit! Our cannons are shot!”
“We’re going down!” a woman screamed over the comms. “Evacuate!Evacuate!”
Zane nearly choked. An Aquisian destroyer folded in on itself, crumbling outwards from its broken center. Silver pods rained from the wreckage, but red lasers shattered them. Tar-black shadows zipped past the shrapnel, towards their ship.
His heart stopped.
“All warplanes, fall back!” Nadar roared, backpedaling towards his command chair. “We need backup now! Mors, divert all power to the forcefields, everything you’ve got!”
The bridge plunged into darkness. Zane held his breath as the warplanes zoomed closer, unleashing a round of crackling blasts. They were the fastest damn planes he’d ever seen. Aquisian cannons pummeled the planes as they swooped in, but there were too many in the swarm.
Mordir, he was going to die—and Mira and Kalie, and?—
Power surged into the translucent forcefield. The red blasts struck a crackling web of blue energy. Zane’s shoulders slumped as his breath rushed out of him. The planes kept coming, pounding the shields with lasers, moving so fast that they would surely collide with the forcefield—then they peeled off, veering around.
