Book 3 Chapter 47: Homefront

Book 3 Chapter 47: Homefront

We walked for two more days, keeping a very good pace with the Entombed in their armor, Nix being a skilled undertaker, and myself able to have walked for days at a time without stopping, but in less of a rush considering what was waiting for me. The conversation had died down a bit after my brief discussion the first night, and everyones guard was up more because of it, but I found that to be more of a positive than anything. With a lack of conversation and being forced to rest at night by everyone elses pace, I wound up having an unusual amount of time for myself. Once Id utterly exhausted myself thinking of every possibility of what could be waiting for me in Potts, I had nothing left to do, but read.

I was finally able to turn my attention to Gavain and the Immortal Empire. In the course of the trip I read it cover to cover on the first night after finishing off the skewers Daisy had made. Then I read it a second time the next night, and twice more the night after that, this time focusing on certain sections more heavily and skimming through the rest. After all of my re-reads I came to a conclusion I almost couldnt believe. Gavain and the Immortal Empire was the worst piece of shit book to ever exist on the face of Earth. Everyone who read it, was almost certainly poorer for the experience, and perhaps dumber and of worse character than they had been prior to reading it. Favorite characters that had existed since book one were killed off, their roles replaced with two dimensional stand-ins that could be described in such original terms as, elf with a bow, dwarf with an axe, or halfling that steals. Old plots were left to rot, and new plots introduced and resolved out of nowhere, romance featured heavily in a way that made no sense for Gavain, and worst of all, at the end of the book, in spite of what the cover implied, Gavain whod been born and lived as a lizard man, was made human and he was happy about it. That went against the theme, character, and overall point of the books.

It was so terrible, that in a way, the failure of it, was in and of itself, incredibly fascinating. Between reads I wondered what could have possibly led to such a decline in quality and storytelling. It was truly amazing, and in a way all of the negatives about it made it impossible to put down. At the end of my last readthrough before making it back to Potts, I simply slipped it into my pack. I had been searching for that book since Id first left Potts to be on my own. It was, in many ways, the only true ambition Id had beyond survival before Id become a Marshal. Had I gotten it before, it wouldve been devastating, now it was deeply unfortunate, but livable.

The Entombed were talking excitedly about the upcoming presidential debate when the Domes of Potts began to come into view. I smelled something strange. The smell of deadmen, mint, bloodmanes, was there as usual, but there was something else. I smelled humans, and exhaust. It wasnt coming from Potts, but rather from behind us, and it was approaching quickly. I whipped around to see three shrikes flying low and fast directly toward Potts.Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

Nix! Behind us, in the air! I yelled.

She whipped around to look in the direction Id indicated. Without my sense of smell, and with the silence in which the Shrikes flew, it took her longer to pinpoint them than Id like, and by the time she saw them, it was almost too late.

Entombed, draw weapons and fire! she said, pointing at the oncoming vehicles.

I smashed my hand into the glass in front of the cockpit. It was reinforced, capable of withstanding bullets, or even small explosions. It took three hits for me to break it completely. I could feel the oxygen thinning around me as I reached into the cockpit and tore the pilot from his seat, throwing him out and hearing him scream as he plunged downward at a rapid clip. I fell into the cockpit, the Shrike still climbing into the air and pushed the controls vaguely downward. I had no idea what I was doing, but at least that control seemed vaguely intuitive.

There was a terrible moment of weightlessness, then I was moving down toward the ground, fast. Potts went from vaguely city shaped to well detailed in moments, and I started to pull up the stick, hearing the machinery involved creak in the first sounds Id ever heard in a Shrike. I saw the last one doing another pass with its laser below me, and I jerked the flight stick one last time. I could swear I saw the last pilot look up and scream, after that everything was a blur of fire, and metal as we collided and everything spun in my vision.

I blacked out, but only for a moment, then I opened my eyes and tried to get my bearings. There was a large piece of metal impaling my leg to the ground, and my arm to what remained of someones home. I saw a few deadmen approach me, one of them, a woman, came closer than the others.

Dont move. We have help on the way, Ill divert them to you.

Her voice was breaking a bit as she spoke. I pegged her as someone who likely hadnt left Potts before. I respected that shed tried to comfort me in spite of her obvious fear. She probably just thought I was a random resident.

I shook my head at her. Dont waste their time with me. I yanked my hand downward, feeling my arm tear open deeply. It re-knitted itself shortly after, and I sat up to rip the metal in my leg out with a grunt. It hurt worse than Id expected, but I didnt want any help to go to me when it could assist a deadman or woman that actually needed it. I stood up as my leg healed and wiped some of the blood from my hands while a small crowd gathered around me.

I looked left and right at them. What are you doing!? Theres fires to put out, and people to help. Get the fuck out of here!

They all scurried away quickly, surprised at my volume. With them gone I took a deep inhale, trying to scent blood, and followed the trail to see who I could help. Wouldnt do any good just standing there myself either.