had planned to save him, Terror would have wanted to save her. If he was up there now, on top of the mountain, fighting for his life, she couldn’t leave him there alone.
“I guess we better save their asses.” Fay sighed and glanced at her dogs before looking back at her. “Sounds like the rescue party is pinned down up there. Gunfire. A lot of it. Plasma bursts.”
She grabbed Fay’s wrist before the other woman could climb out from under the brush. “You don’t have to go. You don’t owe me anything. Take your dogs and get back to your family.”
“I told you I’d help you. We Ryderwoods keep our promises.” Fay shifted her hand until it gripped Maisie’s. “I’m with you until I get you to safety.”
Stunned by the loyalty this near stranger was showing to her, Maisie could only nod and mouth, “Thank you.”
Together, they scrambled out of the brush. Fay took the lead, and both dogs ran alongside them, scrambling up the mountain and dodging fallen logs and patches of mud. She had pulled the radio from her pocket and was talking quickly into it, hopefully to call her family for help. The higher they climbed and the closer they got to the firefight, the more Maisie could feel the gunfight in her chest. The chemical scent of plasma filled the air. It was a strange smell and harsh against the natural scents of the forest. It was also a reminder that they were running into a fight where highly skilled soldiers were using much more advanced technology while they were using comparably ancient firearms that shot bullets.
An explosion rocked the mountain. Maisie and Fay both stumbled forward, and the dogs ran in a circle around them before taking up a defensive stance. The two women exchanged worried glances as another set of explosions shook the ground beneath them. Up ahead, a giant fireball filled the hazy, drizzling sky. A surge of black smoke followed, billowing up into the storm clouds.
“A ship crash?” Maisie asked as they clambered to their feet.
“I think so.”
“Splinters?”
“I fucking hope so,” Fay replied before running off.
Maisie dashed after her. Not for the first time, she marveled at the control Fay had over her dogs. Even though Clove had run up and licked and pawed at her before, he now was totally under his mistress’s command. Neither dog barked or made noise. They had been trained to stay quiet, probably to sneak up on prey.
Looks like the Splinters are prey now.
Fay signaled Maisie to slow down and get low as they approached the tree line. She followed the silent command and inched forward until she reached a thick tree along the edge. As she shifted her pack and retrieved the pistol and extra magazine, Maisie leaned her shoulder against the tree and peered around the side to get a better look at what was happening.
She recognized the burning ship as part of the Splinter fleet with its matte gray exterior and blood red stripes on the exposed belly. There were at least a dozen dead men around the destroyed ship. They seemed to have been ejected when the vessel crashed, scattering their broken and burning bodies on the ground. A few seemed to be moving but weakly and without much chance for survival.
Higher up behind the ship, another group of Splinter operators had taken position on one of the huge jutting rock formations. Their view of the impromptu battlefield was clear. They were using their superior position to their full advantage, and Maisie knew it was only a matter of time before they were victorious.
Sky warriors in their black uniforms had taken up cover behind the large jagged stones dotting the rocky landscape. There were only four men, and one of them was already bleeding from a leg wound. Not badly, but enough that the ground below him was turning red. She scanned the men from behind. Too tall. Too short. Too stocky.
Terror.
She would have recognized him anywhere. After all, she had washed that back and hair for weeks. Granted, his hair had been longer then, unruly and unkempt. He had cut most of it off since the last time she had seen him and had put on some weight. When he turned sideways to shout a command at his brothers-in-arms, she could see the difference in his profile. He was healthier, his skin brighter and with more color to it.
The motion of Fay reaching back to grab the stock of her bolt