Page 45 of Princess (Marinah and the Apocalypse #5)
Beck
Our sentries reported that the enemy camp was on the move. Our children and non-combatants were relocated to the Tully Outpost. Carmen stood on my right and Landan on my left.
Carmen and her group of mayors were approached by the Federation and asked to act as spies. It enabled us to feed the Federation the wrong information. Carmen knew where the future lay and it wasn’t with the enemy.
“Is everyone ready?” I asked.
“My people are in position,” Carmen said.
“Mine too,” Landan added.
“It will take twenty minutes for the Shadow Warriors to get here after the attack begins. Can you hold out that long?”
“We don’t have a choice,” Landan said, “but we do have a few surprises.”
“Do I need to know what those are?” I asked.
“No time,” he replied then smiled. “But it’s a good plan.”
I rolled my eyes. I regarded Landan as a friend but sometimes I wanted to strangle him. I throttled the desire.
Twenty Warriors were hidden around the road the Federation would be using. Their job was to create chaos. That was more my style and I was joining them. Enough planning. I was ready to rip some heads off.
I found my men spread out on a steep incline looking down at the advancing soldiers who were roughly five hundred yards away.
We stayed in human form. If something went wrong, we didn’t want the Federation alerted that we had a large contingency of Shadow Warriors in the area.
We needed them to attack the main outpost.
“There are six semi-trucks,” the lead Warrior, Jackson, told me when I landed next to him.
“What’s the troop count?”
“A thousand, maybe a few more.”
I picked up the field glasses next to Jackson and gazed at the column of soldiers.
Their commanders rode in open top military jeeps dressed in pristine uniforms with cocky hats that made them look like fools.
The hats didn’t shade their eyes or offer more than minimal sun protection.
They were simply ornamental covers. The only way they would stay on was with glue.
My lips turned up at the corners. I would need to pull one off to find out. Hopefully it would be painful.
“They’re acting like this is some sort of military parade,” Jackson said.
“They think they made a deal with some of the outposts and they’re cocky.”
“Would the mayors turn on us?”
“No. All the children are at Carmen’s outpost and the Federation is attacking Landan.”
“Heard the Federation's new Shadow Warrior recruitment slogan?” Jackson asked.
He was known for his bad jokes but I took the bait anyway.
“No, what is it?”
“Join us, we offer free dental and manicures.”
“Can I push you down this cliff just to hear you scream?”
“You know you wanted to laugh.”
I showed him my very human teeth and clacked them twice. “If you’re done with the bullshit, you need to join your men. It’s time for me to stir up trouble.”
Jackson was leading our main group of Shadow Warriors who were purposefully lagging far enough behind the Federation troops that they wouldn’t be seen. They would attack from behind during the battle. Jackson took off with a tip of his non-existent hat.
The line of soldiers and vehicles slowly rolled past our location.
The perfect opportunity finally came. I tracked the rhythmic sway of the last semi-truck in the convoy.
My hand went up signaling to the small group of Warriors around me to hold their position.
Timing my jump with the subtle bounce of the trailer, I coiled my legs and launched from my position.
There was a soft, almost imperceptible thud when I landed.
The heavily armed soldiers marching on either side of the truck didn’t notice.
I pressed myself flat against the warm, corrugated roof.
Sixty seconds passed before I moved. My fingers found purchase on the back edge, clenching the metal until my feet found purchase on the narrow lip of the trailer's rear.
The smell of diesel and dust was obnoxious to my sensitive nose.
With one hand, I slowly reached for one of the heavy, rusted lockrods.
I felt the satisfying click as the first rod disengaged, then the second.
The large, double doors of the trailer were now unlatched.
I pushed the right door inward a few inches, just enough to confirm the cargo. Low growls rumbled from within. With a swift, powerful kick of my right foot, I sent the door slamming back against the trailer's side, opening it completely.
A torrent of snarling hellhounds tumbled out. They hit the ground with grunts and became disoriented for a split second before their predatory instincts kicked in. I scrambled back to the roof, my body going flat against the metal again.
The first screams were music to my ears.
A grim smile touched my lips. The soldiers, caught completely off guard, stumbled and cried out as the monstrous hounds tore into their ranks.
I peered over the side. Blood splattered the asphalt.
Simultaneously, my Warriors, still in their human forms, opened fire from the roadside, spitting precise bursts into the pandemonium, aiming for the soldiers who hadn't yet been overwhelmed.
One of my men launched a grenade with a practiced flick of his wrist. It landed with a dull clang amidst the struggling mass of men and monsters.
The ensuing explosion was a concussive roar followed by a shower of dirt, debris, and torn flesh. I launched myself from the truck, landing lightly on the ground amidst the swirling dust.
I scrambled up the rocks and melted back into the shadows of the cliffs and joined the Warriors.
Strike one complete.