Chương 80: Flight to Sea

When morning came and the mucks burned out, Naytor pulled his hood back and cast his eyes over his staff. They were exhausted, as was he, and he had no doubt that the damage to his defenses would exceed his ability to have them repaired in time for the next wave. Particularly since the sky hadn't cleared up, only thinned, leaving behind a chance of another early attack. To make matters worse, he'd received a message in the night that Merchant Town had been attacked.

His concerns weren't only for the threat to his supply lines, but the strategic consequences of the mucks assaulting the mainland. The peninsula risked being isolated. He waited for reports of the damage to come in before making a final decision. Soon his fears were confirmed—they didn't have the resources to make all the necessary repairs. It was time to set into motion his contingency plan. He called his adjutant over.

"Lieutenant, order a full evacuation of the peninsula. I want every civilian out of the city by noon. We'll pull the bayside forces back to the secondary positions in the hills. Get the message out to all the farms and villages." It would take more than a day to get everyone to the Indy Way Pass. But the hillside positions, with their many cliffs and bluffs, would be easier to hold. All the routes and logistics had been mapped out and planned beforehand, and the commanders knew their jobs.

The necessary towers had been constructed ahead of time for precisely this eventuality. He'd always known it would come down to this. It had only been a question of when. Crowley, however, objected.

"Isn't this a little premature, governor? We still have a chance to turn everything around with the summoning of the saint."

"I'm not going to risk the lives of my people on an unknown, Crowley."

"The ritual is almost ready. You'll see." He didn't have the time to spare for the messenger. While his adjutant went off to relay the evacuation order, Naytor headed over to his other staff. It was going to be another difficult day.

Whe morning came, Amberlin stopped by the McRorys to check on her friends. Boots was there, and so were Dory and Remore. They told her that Maelle was also fine. Havlo had left a note letting her know that he would be out by the Indy Way Pass. She took this to mean that his investigation was going well. And it meant she didn't have to worry about him so much, as the pass was surely safer than the city was at the moment.

Noticing that someone was following her again, she found a place to change into the Hooded Winker before heading to the animal shelter. There she saw Maelle helping to load the animals and supplies onto wagons. It looked like the stray rescue squad were preparing to leave the peninsula. But how did they plan to get past the checkpoints? While she pondered the question, a sergeant came down the avenue with an announcement. The governor had declared an official evacuation order.

Considering how badly the city had fared in last night's surprise attack, she could understand Arnold's decision to throw in the towel. Looking around at the faces of the people in the street, it seemed that everyone else felt the same one. They'd all seen this coming. The signs were there every morning for any who wanted to see, the damage suffered in the militarized zones. Since she was in her costume, Amberlin didn't stop by the shelter to say hi. She'd only come by to see with her own eye that Maelle was okay.

And she was glad she did, as it reaffirmed her decision to accept Maelle into her party, seeing how devoted the junior adventurer was to helping others. This did leave her with the question of whether to have Maelle evacuate with the civilians. In the end she decided that being stationed up in a tower was possibly safer. On the ground, there was a chance of getting attacked by mucks that made it past the defensive line. It would only be for one night, she was sure.

Then the governor would allow the soldiers to withdraw. Or maybe Havlo would have found a way to stop the invasion. Otherwise she would step in herself to make sure Maelle got out safely. These thoughts and more stirred through her mind while she wandered through the city. She decided that her time was best spent helping people to load their handwagons and wheelbarrows.

Her first stop was the McRorys, who amusingly didn't recognize her even though all she'd done was put on new clothes, hid her face, wore an eyepatch, and changed her voice. They were just about done when she spotted Maelle returning along the street. Amberlin quickly made extra sure that her face was hidden inside her hood. By this time she had a convenient excuse in the rain that had started again. There was one last problem to be solved before the McRorys were ready to depart.

"What should we do about Amberlin's cakes?" Mr McRory asked shortly after Maelle joined them. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Forget the cakes," Maelle replied, being more blunt than usual in her tiredness. He dithered uncertainly.

"Is that really all right?" Dory piped up, "Dad, if Maelle says we can leave them, then it's fine." Amberlin didn't understand why the McRorys were placing so much importance in perishable baked goods. The extra weight would only slow them down, and in this weather the cakes would go bad quick. Had the prolonged rationing made them that desperate for any semblance of luxury? But that didn't mean they had to go to waste.

"Why don't you set up a table on your porch and let anyone take one?" she suggested, using the Winker's deep voice when she spoke. Dory smiled.

"I think Amberlin would approve. She does say that cakes are meant to be shared, after all." Mr McRory nodded.

"Dory, could you come help me move the kitchen table out here? Remore, can you pen the note?" When Maelle, who's such a dear, began to wonder if anyone had seen Amberlin, Amberlin reassured her with a little white lie about having seen herself in a meeting with the governor. This was enough to set Maelle at ease. Amberlin stayed to see the McRorys off. After some arguing, Remore left with his parents, and they also took Boots with them.

But Dory stayed behind, joining Maelle in resting up before the final night of fighting. Afterward Amberlin went around the city, assisting anyone who needed it. By noon only a few stragglers remained, and after she helped the last of them on their way, she had the empty streets all to herself. It was eerie, wandering these neighborhoods alone after witnessing them a few hours ago, full of activity and life. The soldiers were all indoors resting up for tonight.

By now the rain was getting heavy again, and the clouds above rumbled ominously. With the day quickly darkening, she hoped that the evacuees had enough lanterns to light their way. It turned out that not everyone was asleep, and she almost bumped into a man around a corner. He was ravenkin, with fine feathers black as night. The near-collision really shook him, as he jumped back and shouted.

"It's you!"

"The one and only!" she replied before adding, "But how do you know me?" A look of horror descended on his face like he'd been caught out, and he turned around to flee. Naturally this made her want to chase after him. Only villains had anything to fear from her, and nothing this man had done helped to repel that label. Was he a looter, perhaps, come to take advantage of the city's desertion? Or could he be aligned with the ghosts? The answers were sure to come once he was caught.

When he glanced back and saw her hot on his heels, his terror turned to panic and the wings that had been folded on his back spread out, flapping once, twice, sending down a powerful gust and lifted him off the ground. But Amberlin wasn't about to allow a second villain to fly away from her. She kicked off the ground, landing on a rooftop, and from there launched herself up into the air. This sent her just high enough to grab a hold of his leg.

This sent them both spiraling, the man flapping desperately to regain altitude while he tried to kick her off.

"Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me!" the man gibbered.

"Why would I kill you?" she yelled above the wind. In the struggle, they were getting blown out to sea.

"You're the Hooded Winker, aren't you?" he yelled back.

"It's what you do!"

"I'm a hero!"

"You're a wanted criminal! There's a bounty out for you!"

"That can't be!"

"I have proof!" He pulled something out of his inventory and handed it down to her.

"Here's a wanted poster!" The drawing looked nothing like her except for the hood and eyepatch. But the name was definitely hers. Hooded Winker. The reward was a staggering ten gold—enough to buy two entire textbooks for Havlo and Maelle.

"There has to be some sort of mistake!" Then she had a thought.

"It's the eyepatch, isn't it?" Instead of replying, the man coughed up blood. The fear must have really gotten to him because he was weeping blood out of his eyes. And nose. And ears.

"Hey, are you all right?" she asked with genuine concern.

"You look like you're dying."

"It's the decay field!" he replied, trying unsuccessfully to wipe it off his face.

"My magic resistance isn't as good as yours." They were miles off the coast now and only getting farther. With the way the man's feathers were starting to come off, she didn't think he'd be able to fly for much longer.

"If being out here is hurting you, why don't you take us back?" she suggested.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" It looked like he was struggling in two directions at once—to get back to shore, while also trying to gain more height. It was only now that she realized they must be close to the source of the decay field if it could affect someone out of the water like this. Glancing down, she saw that they were above the ghost fleet. The spooky ships were sailing about in some complicated formation. There was no doubt about it, then.

"It's my weight, isn't it?" she said.

"All your energy is going into fighting gravity, leaving nothing left to fight against the wind."

"I can't afford to get any lower," he agreed.

"So if I let go, you'll be able to get back to shore?" There was a moment of silence before he replied.

"Where are you going with this?" It wasn't that she was afraid of getting hurt. She was immortal, after all. But with the storm and the waves, she risked getting swept out to sea. Maelle would get upset if she disappeared again. But what was the alternative?

"Hey, let's think about this!" the man cried.

"You're not seriously—" She let go of his leg. The waves came up to meet her. One of the ships was sailing in the way. It tried to turn. She braced herself. The surprised faces of the ghosts flashed past a split moment before impact. The wooden deck gave way like cardboard. She crashed through several layers of cabins, what looked like a cargo hold, and then out the bottom through the hull and into the water. She quickly surfaced and struggled to find her bearings in the stormy sea.

Something bright shot past her head and she grabbed at it instinctively. It turned out to be a ghostly life preserver. She held while the waves tossed her about and the rope was pulled tight and lifted her out of the water. Up on the deck, she was met by a young woman about her own age, dressed in a frilly petticoat. A ghost, of course, glowing faintly and with her colors washed out. The woman helped her to her feet and then turned her gaze toward something behind Amberlin.

She spun around to see the vessel that she'd crashed through. It was listed unnaturally, like it was sinking, except it never went below the surface of the water. Instead it was like watching a simulation of how the sinking would look, but projected in place. A couple of other vessels had moved up alongside, extending their planks and throwing over ropes on which the occupants of the sinking ship used to evacuate.

When Amberlin turned back, the woman gave her a soft smile and said mirthfully, "You couldn't have aimed a bit to the side?"