In a Brave New World (Brave New World Book 5)

Chapter 13

Xaniban

As I flew out through the palace's front gate, my chest filled with pride at the sight of so many warriors having volunteered to join me today. The courtyard was filled with brethren of all ages and sizes and, flying to a spot high over the wall, I saw the landing area beyond was filled with warriors, too.

"Rise, my loyal subjects," I commanded, and waited for all of them to get up from one knee almost as one before I addressed them. "Come and fly by my side for a victory that all history scrolls on all homeclouds will retell! For our world amid the clouds, for the ground, for our mates found and yet to be found!... Let us fly, my brethren!"

The flapping of hundreds of wings filled the crystal-clear morning air along with growls and roars of approval. The sight of all these mighty warriors coming to fly with me made my heart swell. My father would have been proud, and my mother would have rushed to the library to write this historic moment down for the generations to come.

I flew higher and led the way to the location where the volunteers from the allied homeclouds would be waiting along with my brother. The sun was already up so those warriors had to be ready, just like the elves from the allied kingdoms and the two groups of humans under our protection.

There would be a lot of maneuvering and carrying of wingless creatures to their respective positions, but we had planned everything to the last detail: me, my anima, the Elvish Queen and kings, and the humans' leaders. Many of us might fall, but we would not fail.

The sun was nearing its peak by the time everyone had gotten in position, ready to relocate if necessary. With the warriors under my command behind me, I listened as my trusted scouts reported on the mothership's location. Relief filled me when I learned our preliminary information had been correct: the huge metal can, the biggest of them all to our knowledge, was exactly where it had been two days ago.

The time had finally come for our greatest enemy to go down.

My tail rose high before it slashed through the air behind me.

"My liege," Ris rumbled to my right in response to my command.

He took flight. The other pixie dust bearers followed him with a nod of respect my way. They spread out as they took to the air along with some of my other warriors, so that the aliens would never know who posed the biggest threat. By the time the invaders' tiny ships could identify it, the mothership's engine would already be destroyed, letting the huge metal home of our enemy fall down to the ground. And right into the armed hands of our allies.

Human lives on the mothership could be lost in the crash, as our previous attack on a smaller mothership – an exercise, really – had taught us. But some tragedies could not be helped in times of war. Once our land assault began, however, no human would be abandoned inside the fallen metal beast's belly. We would show no mercy to the enemy and would leave none of their living victims behind.

For a couple of wing flaps the sky remained peaceful, with nothing but birds crossing the cloudy sky and nothing but their songs breaking the silence. And just like that, as my precious little human would say, the shit hit the fan.

Dozens of tiny alien ships blackened the sky in pursuit of my airborne warriors. The dark outlines of the mothership appeared behind a cloud soon after. I sent a silent prayer to the Gods that the elves' magical crystals would work, preventing the enemy from sending for help. I watched for several seconds how the mothership began tilting to the side, light as bright as the sun becoming visible at the back of the metal beast, then I spread my wings.

Time to join the battle.

My warriors trailed behind me, the way the flames from the mothership's engines were trailing behind the metal can. When the ship reached the ground, we would be the first ones in, thus buying our allies time to reach the crash site.

The head of the aliens' leader would be mine and mine alone.

Sword in hand, I dived after my anima's gift.