Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 14
News about the strike on Bergen reached Nieke as she saddled her equine in preparation to join the militia. Damian had said they needed to be ready because something could happen within a few days. It did.
Bram joined her; shaking his head. “He’s started a war now.”
Nieke frowned. “What did you expect him to do; turn the Mascots over to them?”
Bram shook his head. “No, but he’s supposed to be a peacemaker. Destroying their shuttles isn’t exactly a peaceful move.”
“He didn’t do that until they attacked Bergen. When you think about it, if he had destroyed those ships earlier, there might not have been an attack at all. I’m sure he’s thinking about that. The only way you can make peace with someone like The Fontalo is to show strength.”
Bram frowned. “This isn’t our fight. All they want is the Mascots. They don’t care about the colonists. You wouldn’t care either if you weren’t so obsessed with Donte.”
Nieke glared at him. “Anouk is a Mascot. Would you stand back and let them take her? There are lots of Mascots who live and work the way we do. They deserve to be defended, not deserted. If The Fontalo takes the Mascots because they own them, they will take the spaceships too. Then where would we be?”
Bram shrugged. “I’m not going to stand back and let them take Anouk, Donte or anyone else. I’m just saying that maybe blowing up their shuttles isn’t the best route to peace.”
Nieke shook her head. “I’m sure he didn’t do it to promote peace. He probably did it to keep them from using the shuttles against us again. Donte knows what he’s doing.”
Bram watched her adjust the saddle. “I don’t understand what it is with you and Mascots. I don’t understand why King Neirin is making a fool out of himself over you when you obviously love someone else.”
Nieke mounted and looked down at him. “I don’t understand why I love Donte or why Neirin loves me. I don’t understand why people love someone who doesn’t love them back. I only know that I would give my life for Donte – and Rianne because she makes him happy. The way I feel about Donte is shameful and humiliating. It makes no sense, but that’s the way it is. Don’t you think I want to love someone else?”
Bram looked uncertain. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Nieke. I understand why Neirin would love you. I guess if people love each other enough, they’ll overlook anything. I wish you could love Neirin the way he loves you.” He shrugged. “Maybe some day you will.”
She had tried to make it work between them. She even stayed with him for a few weeks, but pleasure with him only existed when she imagined he was Donte. She liked, respected and admired Neirin – far too much to abuse him that way.
Bram mounted his equine and they both left her farm. It crossed her mind that she might never see it again. She looked at Bram. “If I don’t make it back, will you take my farm?”
He looked startled. “Of course, you’ll be back.”
It was possible that none of them would return. She didn’t dwell on the thought. Bram knew what her wishes were. One didn’t go into battle with the idea that they would be defeated. They went into the battle with the idea that they would win.
They met most of the militia at Anouk’s home and rode to Kliffen, where they met the rest of them. Normally they would have taken the tram to Bergen, but the station had been destroyed, so there would be no way to unload the animals. When the Captain had visited Donte, he had certainly noted the best place to hurt Bergen.
When they reached the mountains, they found the passes snow-covered. At one point, when they topped out on a ridge and looked into the valley below, they saw a long column of troops in light green uniforms heading toward Bergen; the Premier Infantry.
That evening they were welcomed by a group of Bergen colonists who were camping in a cave. They said Donte had evacuated the colony of Bergen, but as far as they knew he was still there with Celyn and Kenyon. Sometimes it seemed that Donte and his brother had more courage than brains. What could they hope to accomplish on their own?
***
Celyn watched as Donte burned all his messages. He was abandoning the Groot Thuis because he thought that would be the next target. The wired message center at the station had been destroyed. The message center in the Groot Thuis was merely an extension of the one in the tram station. Their only method of communication now was the communication medallions. Donte thought those could be monitored more easily than the wires. And yet, the captain apparently couldn’t speak anything but the old language.
Donte, Beier, Celyn and Kenyon had gone from door to door, assuring that no one had been left behind in the cottages before they left. Beier had equines ready for them in the stable. He had packed supplies on the remaining two. Donte had a loyal follower in Beier. Donte rarely gave him instructions. Beier simply anticipated the need and provided. It must be comforting to have someone like that around.
When the messages were reduced to ashes, they gathered their things and followed Donte. He knew of an abandoned farm house where they could spend the night. As they left the village, snow began to fall. Celyn lifted the collar of her coat to protect her neck from the cold wind. How could Donte and Rianne stand the long cold winters in the mountains? She looked at Kenyon. He rode beside her, his attention on the mountains. He didn’t appear to mind the cold. Donte and Beier didn’t even put a coat on until it started to snow. Their coats were open, as if they needed the ventilation to keep cool. At least Kenyon had his coat buttoned and his hands covered with gloves.
When they reached the crest of the hill overlooking the village, Donte stopped and looked back. It looked cold and abandoned. It was usually difficult for her to read Donte’s expression, but at the moment it was clearly tormented. His gaze lifted from the village and caressed the mountains. He turned his equine and started down the slope to the farm house.
Celyn had been riding with Donte, Rianne and Petra when they found that place. Donte and Rianne had both enthused over it. To Celyn, it was merely an old abandoned house. Frankly, she would be glad when this was all over and she could return to the palace with Kenyon. The only thing pleasant about their current situation was Kenyon.
When they got to the farmhouse, Donte and Beier put the equines in the barn and unpacked the supplies while Celyn and Kenyon cleaned out the fireplace and got a fire going. Donte went outside while they cooked the evening meal. When Celyn went out to tell him it was ready, she found him leaning against the side of the house, arms folded over his chest, staring at the mountains.
She stood beside him for a moment, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts. When he finally looked down at her, she smiled.
“The evening meal is ready. You must be cold and hungry out here.”
He shook his head. “I’m not hungry…or cold.” He unfolded his arms and moved away from the wall. He sighed. “But I’d better eat while I can and get some rest.”
Later, when she was alone with Kenyon, she told him how she found Donte and he nodded. “He misses Rianne and his children. Having to abandon their home like that must remind him that he might never see them again. He’s got to this point twice in his life and lost his family. I imagine he has a lot on his mind right now besides The Fontalo.”
That night she snuggled next to Kenyon on the floor in front of the fireplace with a couple of blankets over them. Donte and Beier lay a short distance away on either side of them. Celyn stared at Donte. His eyes were closed, but she had the feeling he wasn’t asleep. She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Kenyon. He put an arm around her waist and drew her close. Warm and comfortable in the arms of the man she loved, she fell asleep.
In the early morning before dawn, Celyn woke when someone touched her hand. She looked up to see Donte kneeling over her. He must have sensed someone outside and wanted her to help him. She sat up, focusing on the night outside. Donte sat on his heels; his eyes closed. She found a strigiformes and transferred her vision to Donte. He took her hand and placed his warm palm on hers. For the first time, he took control of the flight and guided her. He knew where he was going. They flew over the ridge and across the village, into the forest beyond. Below them was a column of men in green uniforms. They were looking at the village as if they might enter it. Donte glided down and swooped in front of the first man. When he had their attention, he came back and landed on a limb close to the man.
The man looked at them, obviously curious. Donte flew from the limb, following a trail. When the men didn’t follow, he returned and repeated the performance. Finally, the men began following him.
Donte released her hand and stood. “I’ll bring them here.”
Beier tossed his blanket to the side and stood. He couldn’t know what they had seen, but he wasn’t about to let Donte go alone.
Kenyon sat up. “I’ll get a fire going.”
After Donte and Beier left, Celyn told Kenyon what had happened.
“He’s never sensed anything that far away before, and he’s never taken control of the flight. He pressed his palm to mine, as if he knew that would give him control.”
Kenyon nodded. “He’s getting stronger.”
“I think it frightens him,” she said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. It would scare me.”
She sighed. “It frightens me.”
He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “I’m here.”
There wasn’t anything he could do about the visions, but his presence was comforting.
Donte and Beier left the house on foot. It would have taken too much time to saddle the equines. By that time, they could have been well on their way. The infantry would be approaching them, eating the distance between them twice as fast. Donte started off at a jog. The snow had stopped, but the air felt like it could start again at any time.
They alternately walked and jogged until Donte sensed the close presence of the infantry. At that point Donte called out. Someone responded and they met shortly afterward.
The leader bowed to Donte. “I am Fyfe,” he said, offering a hand.
Donte shook his hand and looked at the long column. “We don’t have accommodations for so many people in the house, but there is room in the barn. We can feed them.
Fyfe nodded. The barn will be much better than the snow-covered ground. We have food. We have been instructed to join you and follow your orders.”
Donte nodded. “Right now, we are waiting to see what The Fontalo does next. I suspect they will either make another air strike or bring troops in with shuttles. Our militia is guarding the northeast pass, which I think is the most likely direction for troops to come in. That is the closest large valley where they could land shuttles. This is the next spot. I think Damian’s militia is guarding from the Vlaktes direction. I don’t think they will come from that way because of all the mountains, though – not right now.
Donte and Beier led the troops to the farmhouse and saw that they got settled in the barn. When they returned to the house, Kenyon and Celyn had food and hot drinks ready for them.
They had a long day of waiting and the weather got worse, turning colder and snowing hard. The Fontalo might be waiting for the weather to clear. The snow would not only make combat more miserable, but would also make it impossible to travel without leaving a clear trail that could be followed by air.
Toward evening, the snow stopped and the storm moved out of their area. The skies cleared and the temperature dropped. It was going to be a cold night for all the people who had left their homes. Hopefully he had been too cautious and they would have left their warm homes for no reason.
They bedded down in the house for another night of waiting. Around mid night, Donte’s medallion beeped. He sat up and tapped it. Everyone was awake and listening.
“Three shuttles have left the Fontalo ship. We are tracking them,” Adriaan’s voice informed them. He was silent for a few minutes. They are descending to a large valley northeast of the Bergen colony.”
Donte spoke. “Gerritt, are you hearing this?”
“We have them in sight. They are dropping troops to the ground, but not landing.”
Donte grimaced. He knew what they were going to do. They would drop the troops and move on to the village to do as much damage as possible before the troops arrived. Most of Gerritt’s troops were armed with muskets. More than likely they would be fighting troops armed with laser weapons. They knew that and had a strategy planned. The Premier Infantry was armed with laser weapons.
Donte turned to Beier. “I’m going to send some of the Infantry in that direction, but I want the main body right here. They will either have to fly high over the mountains and come in to the village or come through this corridor. I hope they will be flying low enough that we can hit the ships with enough power to bring them down.” Donte nodded at the window, indicating the nearest low peak. “I’m going to be there, waiting for them.”
Beier frowned. “That doesn’t give you much cover. Once you fire, they will know where you are.”
Donte nodded. “It’s steep and has a lot of ledges. I can leap after I fire.”
Kenyon gasped. “What if you miss the ledge below?”
Donte shrugged. “I can’t run as fast as I can fall.”
Beier groaned. “That’s sound logic.”
“I want to bring down at least one of those ships,” Donte said. “I think I have a good chance of doing it from there.” He stood and shrugged into his coat. “I’ve got to go.”
Beier started to follow him but Donte shook his head. “Not this time, Beier. I need you here to direct the troops.”
Kenyon grabbed his coat. “I’m going with you. I’ll watch your back.”
Donte didn’t argue with him. Kenyon could move faster and had better balance than Beier. Like Donte, Kenyon had the ability to see in the dark. That would give them an advantage over the enemy shuttles.
Donte looked at Celyn. “Keep in contact with me. Tell Beier where the troops are. He can’t share your vision, but he knows the country.”
Donte left the house at a run, heading for the peak. Hopefully he could get into position before the shuttles arrived. Kenyon followed him to the foot of the peak and waited while Donte climbed. He was near the top when he saw the first shuttle approaching. They were taking the route he expected – the one he would have taken if he had been planning an attack on the village with shuttles.
Donte drew his laser and set it for the farthest range. He had not seen their shuttles, but Kenyon and Quade said they were similar to the shuttles of their ships.
The shuttles were traveling slower than he expected. It was dark and mountainous and they were using no lights. He got into position so he could fire and jump down to the next ledge, putting the peak between him and the craft.
The first craft was too far away for him to effectively hit, so he waited for the second. It was closer. He waited until it was in the right position to hit the fuel tank and fired. As soon as he fired, he leaped.
A huge explosion sent debris flying over the peak. He leaped to the next level and leaned against the bluff as debris fell down the side of the peak. The third shuttle fired a beam at the peak where he had been standing when he fired. Rocks exploded from the area, creating a landslide of snow and rocks.
Donte crept around the peak until he could see the third craft. It was hovering and turning for a second shot. He glanced down at his weapon and saw it was flashing ready to fire again. Once again, he lifted it, aimed, fired and leaped. His aim was good and the second ship exploded. Donte turned and leaped again. The last leap was a lot further and when his feet hit the ledge, it crumbled. He plunged over the side, riding the snow and rocks down the side of the peak. He finally lost his balance in the last few feet and plunged headlong to the bottom.
Kenyon grabbed him and pulled him under a ledge, away from the falling rocks and snow. “We’ve got to get out of here,” Kenyon said. “The other one is coming back.”
“This way,” Donte said as he stood. “There is a cave on the other side of this bluff.”
They had barely made it into the cave when the craft came around the mountain, lights flooding the side of the mountain.
“Keep going,” Donte said. “It has another exit.”
They rounded a corner and another explosion shook the ground under their feet. Rocks and dirt began falling around them. Donte grabbed Kenyon’s arm and headed deeper into the cave. No doubt the craft had discovered the cave and intended to seal them into it.
The path through the cave came out on the other side of the peak. They crawled out a narrow exit into some trees at the same time that the shuttle rounded the mountain, headed toward the village. Donte lifted his weapon and fired again. This time there was no place to jump. He wasn’t about to crawl back into that cave, so he slid down into a ravine with Kenyon.
His last shot missed the fuel tank, but it disabled the craft to the point that it had to land. At least they had stopped the attack on the village. Hopefully the craft wasn’t full of troops.
Kenyon grabbed Donte’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
Donte turned and started to go with him. He stopped, turning back toward the ship. He sensed no animosity – nothing at all
“What are you doing?” Kenyon asked.
“I’m going to check inside to see if anyone needs our help.” Donte climbed out of the ravine and started toward the shuttle. Behind him, he heard Kenyon scramble out of the ravine, muttering under his breath about saving people who would kill him. He understood Kenyon’s concern, but these people were only following the captain’s orders.
Donte stopped near the craft to check for any signs of danger. He still sensed nothing – as if no one was in the craft. He circled around to the door, but it was jammed shut. He went to the back where the emergency door was and opened it without effort. Inside, the seats were empty, so they went to the cockpit. There they found the pilot and co-pilot. The pilot was dead, but the co-pilot was still breathing. Kenyon examined him.
“Help me get him out of here,” he said to Donte.
They carried the man out of the craft and laid him out on the snow. Kenyon continued his examination and finally stood. “We need to get him to the house.”
“Can he be transported by equine?”
Kenyon nodded. “I think so.”
Donte tapped his medallion. “Beier, can you bring a couple of equines?”
“Yes, Monomi.”
Beier arrived on one equine, leading two more.
Donte looked up at him. “How is the battle going?”
“We’re holding our ground so far, but The Fontalo has a lot of casualties. Gerritt said they don’t act like they are trained to fight.”
That was likely the case. The Fontalo ship probably wasn’t a military ship.
Donte mounted one of the equines and Beier and Kenyon lifted the injured man to him. The three of them rode back to the farmhouse.
When they had the man inside where Kenyon could work on him, Donte tapped his medallion. “Can you connect me with Adriaan?”
Moments later Adriaan answered.
Donte informed Adriaan of the circumstances. “Can you connect me to the Fontalo ship?
When Donte reached the captain, he explained the situation. “I will permit one shuttle to land and pick up your men. If any more are sent, I will shoot them down.”
The captain was silent for a few minutes. “If you shoot down any more of my shuttles, I’ll fire on your spaceships.”
Donte silently acknowledged the term “your spaceships.” The captain wasn’t as confident now. “Cadha, are you listening to this?”
Cadha answered immediately. “We are in position to fire on your command.”
The captain swore. “This is mutiny!”
Donte sighed. “No, this is defense. Any more hostility from you will result in destruction of your spaceship.”
“You wouldn’t dare. You’re bluffing.”
“Try me.” Donte said.
The captain was silent again for a while. Finally, he spoke in a controlled tone. “One shuttle won’t be enough to get all the men.”
“One shuttle at a time – and it lands where I designate.”
Another long silence. “Where is that?”
Donte gave the coordinates. “My troops will cease firing when yours retreat.”
When Adriaan confirmed that one shuttle was on the way, Donte made his final demand. “Turn your ship away from Purlieu.”
The captain didn’t verbally respond, but Adriaan confirmed it was turning away.
Donte spoke to the captain. “If you begin turning your ship back toward Purlieu without notification, I will assume hostilities and fire on you. Do you understand?”
“I understand, but this is a temporary situation until Oriel sends assistance.”
Donte sensed he was lying again. It occurred to him that Oriel had no idea what he was doing.
Donte tapped his medallion again. “Connect me to Gerritt.”
“Gerritt, here, Monomi.”
“Fire in defense only. The Fontalo is sending a shuttle down to retrieve its men. They should be retreating soon. Advise me when the shuttle lands.”
“Yes, Monomi.”
Donte disconnected his communication and looked at Kenyon. “How is he?”
“He has a lump on his head, but he’ll recover.”
Donte leaned against the fireplace and watched out the window as the day began. It was difficult to believe it had only been a few hours since the attack had begun. He was suddenly and thoroughly exhausted. It seemed more like months than weeks since he had seen Rianne and his children. He hadn’t slept well since they left. The lack of sleep had taken its toll, but more so, the activity. Having super powers didn’t give him super energy.
“Kenyon?”
Celyn’s soft voice interrupted Donte’s thoughts. He glanced at her and found her watching him with a concerned expression.
Kenyon glanced at Celyn and followed her gaze to Donte. His gaze examined Donte’s face. “You’d better get some rest, Donte. We’ll wake you if anything happens.”
Donte wasn’t certain that he could make it to his bedroll. The muscles in his legs were trembling. He stood and turned toward the blankets. At that point Beier grabbed his arm and led him to his blankets. Donte was sure he could have made it to the floor without Beier’s help, but it wouldn’t have been a soft landing.
As he sank to the blankets, his medallion beeped. He tapped it, hoping it wasn’t Adriaan saying that The Fontalo had launched another shuttle. It was Gerritt informing him that the shuttle had landed and was taking on troops. The battle was over.
Only seconds after concluding the call, Donte fell asleep.
Soft Science Fiction
