Eight of Hearts: The Rift Blade - Book 1

Chapter 14

Darril was a simple man. He had met many men who defied logic and reason, so he was used to feeling baffled at the antics of his fellow humans. But Isaac took this to a whole new level.

Darril ran through the streets carrying the limp girl, casting occasional glances upward to make sure he was still following the boy. Isaac sprinted along the rooftops, leaping between gaps without slowing.

"Master Isaac!" Darril called. "Ya sure we should be goin' this way?! Not that I don' trust ye."

"Yep!" Isaac called back. He sailed overhead, springing over to the rooftop on the opposite side of the street.

"Yipes!" Isaac crashed through the roof as he landed, disappearing from view.

Darril slid to a stop. "Master Isaac! Are ye hurt?!"

Crashing and smashing could still be heard from inside the building. Even if he was unharmed, the residents would no doubt be dismayed by the intrusion.

"Hold on, Master Isaac: ah'm comin' in after ye!" Darril called.

He took two steps, then gasped and doubled over in pain, losing his grip on the girl as a knife was suddenly thrust between the ribs in his side. He turned in shock to see the face of his attacker, who was hovering in empty space and dripping with red paint.

"K-k-k-k-shhhh..."

Flora stood in the doorway to witness Bryce's moment of heroism. The explosion from the mech sent a shockwave through the small village. She clung to the door frame as the wind whipped up dust around her, lashing her skirt around her knees. She stood her ground, gazing in admiration at the sight of Bryce standing proudly, silhouetted in the morning sun.

She felt a small hand grab her arm, breaking her trance. She looked down to see a young boy standing beside her, and his older brother behind him. They stared in awe at Bryce, their hero. The back of her head still throbbed, but she found herself smiling in spite of this.

"He's an 'ehyeruou', isn't he?" she asked. She had picked up a couple words of the Weufouru language. While she wasn't confident of the translation, she knew that ehyeruou was always used to address the seven heroes of the prophecy. It even sounded similar to "hero", which she assumed meant it was probably adopted from English.

The younger of the two brothers looked up at her, eyes wide with wonder.

We did it, Flora thought to herself. Relief flooded through her as the realization sunk in: they had protected this small village. They had protected these small children. She smiled down at the face gazing up at her, happy that she could be a small part of these lives.

The older boy pointed suddenly away from the scene, shouting something in the Weufouru language. Flora turned and saw Shyla's mech collapsed on its side near the statue of the goddess. She felt a sickening dread as she remembered her conversation with Shyla last night, and the risk she put herself in by piloting the machine.

Flora left the brothers and rushed over to the toppled machine. Shyla's limp form hung slack in the harness in the open cockpit. Blood ran from her forehead, but a quick inspection showed only a small gash where she had hit her head on the instruments as the mech fell.

Flora struggled with the straps, trying to free the girl. But her hands were trembling and slick with sweat. She found herself fighting back tears again as her hands slipped over and over, unable to free her...friend.

Bryce appeared suddenly by her side, and he reached in to brace Shyla's body to give Flora the slack she needed to free her from the restraints. Together they carefully lifted her out of the cockpit and laid her on the ground.