Lord of the Inferno - Chapter Fourteen

This week’s episode features a chapter from Lord of the Inferno, Volume Two of War of the Fathers. War of the Fathers is available as a free ebook if you sign up for the Dan Decker Newsletter. Here is an excerpt from the show:  

Adar scooped up his blaster from where he had dropped it on the ground as he splashed through a mud puddle. The mud hit with a shock of cold, causing him to shiver. It was funny how some things seemed less important in the face of death and destruction. He would have taken care to avoid the mud on a normal day. His pants were already soaked through anyway and caked with dirt and grime. A black streak came down the front of his wet shirt, and it had torn in several places.

At least the rain had let up some during the last few minutes.

The wreckage and everything in its path were a terrible sight. A building that had been there one moment had been demolished the next. The ship had left a path of destruction all along the rest of the way. The alley where he'd been before the crash was blocked with rubble from the building. If he and Kura had been a few seconds slower, they would have been in the middle of that.

Kura was several houses down from all the damage, squatting at the side of the road beside a tree while clutching Lars to her chest. Adar frowned when he thought of all the children that couldn't be shielded from the brutal reality that was enveloping them all.

Lars won’t remember what life had been like before all this. Melyah, if we can't find Donni he won't even remember his own mother. He studied Kura, wondering if she would pick up the role if Donni couldn’t be found. She didn't seem the mothering type, but he'd learned over the years never to underestimate a woman's maternal instincts.

Adar was almost to Kura when a rushing sound from overhead broke into his thoughts. He came to a halt and located another ship that came from the opposite direction of the first. It too looked as if it were falling out of the sky. A streak of fire and smoke came from behind it. It would hit on the far side of the city. They weren’t in any danger.

He hadn't had the right angle on the first ship to see the smoke trailing behind it but he looked back and could now see a line that rose into the clouds from the direction the first ship had come. None of the other Hunwei ships had left behind the smoke. He hoped it meant these had been damaged.

“You’re covered in mud,” Kura said. He had heard her approach but hadn’t turned. “And you smell.” Lars peeked his head out from under her coat using his hand to push it away while the rain pelted his face. He gave Adar a smile that split his face in two.

Adar returned it and patted Lars on the head. “How’s the boy?”

“He’ll take sick if he’s out in this much longer. Didn’t you say we were getting close?”

Adar barely heard her response as he examined the rest of the sky looking for other ships. So far, there was nothing else. He wouldn't mind if they all crashed, he just didn't want to be dodging the things while trying to assess whether or not he could reach the Arches.

“You should take shelter while I go on alone.” Adar motioned towards the crash and the trail of wreckage the ship had left behind. “That’s where we were headed. I'll scout ahead and see if the way is blocked.”