Warriors of Ryon: Bayden Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Loose Id Titles by S.K. Yule

  S. K. Yule

  Warriors of Ryon:

  BAYDEN

  S. K. Yule

  www.loose-id.com

  Warriors of Ryon: Bayden

  Copyright © February 2015 by S. K. Yule

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  eISBN 9781623008161

  Editor: Venessa Giunta

  Cover Artist: Mina Carter

  Published in the United States of America

  Loose Id LLC

  PO Box 170549

  San Francisco CA 94117-0549

  www.loose-id.com

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning

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  Chapter One

  Ellie sat upright. Her heart galloped. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed Molly’s hand, and ran for the door. Once buildings and houses began tumbling into piles of rubble, Ellie had given up staying inside and hiding under furniture. Once they were outside, she hugged the girl while the ground shook violently under their feet.

  When the shaking finally gave way to trembling, Ellie sucked in a sharp breath. Her anxiety had barely lessened even after a few months of daily tremors. “Are you okay?” She stared down into Molly’s sunken eyes.

  “Y-yeah. That was just a little one. Don’t worry.” Molly gently tapped Ellie on the nose.

  “Why don’t you go sit over there for a little while?” Ellie pointed to a small patch of grass. “We want to make sure any aftershocks have passed before we go inside.”

  “Okay,” Molly said.

  It still amazed Ellie how Molly never complained about anything even though she was so sick. Ellie looked toward the sky and noticed the big utility pole by the driveway tipped precariously sideways.

  From the people she’d come in contact with over the past few months, she’d found that power and communications had been wiped out for those who lived closest to the impact zone of the meteor. As the quakes spread across the country, the outages trickled toward both coastlines, affecting nearly the entire US.

  She’d never forget the last day she spent in normal civilization. She’d been glued to the television, just as millions of others had been, waiting for updates of the impending impact. She’d chewed every fingernail on both hands down to the quick.

  It’d been projected that those within the immediate impact zone wouldn’t survive. Though there was advanced warning and evacuation was underway in northern Illinois, no one could’ve predicted the slight turn of the meteor or that it’d hit over three hundred miles away in central Illinois instead. A knot settled low in her belly when she thought of the thousands of people who’d lost their lives that day. But even those casualties had been minor compared to the devastation caused by the following earthquakes and fires.

  Molly coughed, and Ellie went to her. She knelt beside Molly and felt her forehead. The heat from her skin nearly scorched Ellie’s hand. “I’m going to go in and get some acetaminophen.”

  Molly nodded, and Ellie went to the door of the old farmhouse. She took one step and fear gripped her insides, freezing her to the spot. Going back into any structure after a quake had become a phobia for her. Not to mention I have to take care of Molly now. What if the house crashes down on me and traps me in the rubble? What if it kills me? Molly won’t stand a chance without me. Damn. She’d never been such a pessimist before. The meteor had brought out things in her she never knew existed. Suck it up and get in there.

  She placed one shaking hand over her chest, then tiptoed to her pack on the floor by the old couch. She dug through the contents until she found the container of medicine. After getting a bottle of water, she took the items to Molly.

  They’d found the farmhouse a week earlier. Ellie thought it’d be safer than staying in the city that seemed to rain constant debris from what few buildings remained standing. Those who survived had mostly moved on, as well, in search of loved ones or more supplies. Those who’d stayed were mostly unfriendly and not willing to share.

  “I’m tired.” Molly yawned and struggled to her feet.

  “We can go inside now. You can lie back down.” Ellie leaned to the side, put her arm around Molly’s waist, and helped her inside. After Molly was comfortable on the couch, Ellie tucked a blanket around her. “Tomorrow will be a new day, filled with new adventures.”

  Molly snuggled in, and she closed her eyes. “Tomorrow will be a new day, filled with new adventures.” Her voice was scratchy, softened by impending sleep.

  Ellie pushed a limp lock of hair from Molly’s forehead and tucked it behind her ear. Ellie kissed her cheek, then sat in a chair situated in front of a window.

  Ellie stared into the black night. Her heart ached. She’d no family other than a few distant cousins, but she did have friends. She’d searched for her friends who’d lived closer, but she’d only found one. She squeezed her eyes shut as grief swamped her. Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and dabbed at the tears before they could fall.

  She thought she’d cried her lifetime quota of tears, but she’d been wrong. Biting down on her bottom lip, she went to check on their supplies. They’d been fortunate to find the farmhouse and even luckier when they discovered the old cellar out back stocked with food. She knew they needed to move on before others came across the farmhouse, but she was scared to move Molly. She’d purposefully headed toward the site of impact, hoping most others on the move would be trying to get farther away. Also, before communications had gone down, she’d learned of an emergency shelter located just outside the impact zone. She’d no idea if the shelter was still intact, but the hope that it was kept her going.

  It isn’t fair that a ten-year-old child is dying from leukemia. Molly’s health worsened by the day, and Ellie wasn’t sure how much longer the girl would last. An invisible elephant sat on Ellie�
��s chest, squeezing the breath from her lungs. There was nothing she could do other than try to keep Molly as comfortable as possible. Getting Molly medical attention had become the driving force behind Ellie’s sanity for the last two weeks.

  She stretched, and her back popped and cracked. After checking Molly’s forehead and finding that she felt a little cooler, Ellie decided to try to sleep for a few hours.

  * * * *

  The next morning, Molly seemed a bit better. They ate canned fruit and Spam for breakfast and headed outside. Ellie watched Molly as she sat in the dirt and drew pictures with a stick.

  “I made us standing in front of the farmhouse.” Molly pointed to the drawing.

  “That’s pretty impressive for dirt art. You’re a real da Vinci, kiddo.”

  “Who’s da Vinci?”

  “He was many things, a musician and inventor to name a couple. But he was most famous for his paintings.”

  Molly nodded and went back to drawing.

  Ellie walked to the barn situated a hundred feet or so from the house. She hadn’t bothered much with it since they’d arrived because the back and side walls were partially caved in. She pulled one large door open, and it creaked and groaned. When she looked inside, all she saw was huge piles of straw and hay. The loft was mostly destroyed, and she assumed all of the bales had fallen from there.

  She started to close the door when something metallic caught her eye. She went inside and began brushing the straw and hay away. Underneath was an old VW Bug. She hurried to the driver’s side and opened the door before climbing in. She flipped the visor down but found no keys. She opened the glove box and hit the jackpot.

  She slid the key into the ignition, but instead of trying to start the engine, she hovered her hand a scant inch over the starter. It’ll never start. She smacked the steering wheel. If she could get the old Bug going, she could drive Molly to the shelter. Ellie estimated it would take around a day to drive there, but she could make Molly comfortable in the backseat. Doesn’t matter if it starts or not. The roads will be too damaged to get there. No! When she was little her father had had a Bug, and he always swore it was impossible to get it stuck anywhere.

  Yeah, but it won’t drive across any gaping cracks in the ground caused by the earthquakes. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her thighs. She had to try. If she could make it to the shelter… She said a small prayer and pushed on the clutch and brake. She held her breath and turned the key. When the engine cranked to life on the second try, elation bubbled inside her.

  She drove the car outside and switched it off.

  “Molly! You want to go for a ride?”

  Molly stood and brushed the dirt off her blue dress. Molly was a beautiful little girl of ten, but her sickness had robbed her of a healthy glow. Her curly hair was limp, and she was underweight. Ellie often imagined what Molly would’ve looked like before she’d become ill. We’ll get you well again.

  “That’s a cute car,” Molly said.

  “You know what they call it?”

  Molly shook her head.

  “A Bug.”

  Molly giggled, and the tinkle of laughter warmed Ellie’s heart. “Let’s get everything together and get out of here.” She held her hand out to Ellie, and they returned to the farmhouse.

  Chapter Two

  Bayden sat behind the console while scanning the horizon. “Would you look at that?” The ship hovered over the devastation. Bayden glanced at each of the men. Conlan and Thad sat to his right, and Stryder his left.

  Bayden gazed at the crater the meteor had carved into Earth. He’d seen pictures of the planet, but the cracked brown ground that stretched farther than he could see bore no resemblance to a city crowded with houses and buildings or even a rural area with lush green grass. If he hadn’t known better, he’d never have believed humans once thrived on the stretch of bare wasteland laid out before him.

  “That’s a huge impact site. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Sarek said over Bayden’s shoulder.

  “The brilliant creeper, the one who oozes science from his pores, has never seen anything like that?” Conlan said. “That’s kind of scary, actually.”

  “I think it might’ve been a bit scarier for all of them.” Stryder said.

  Bayden agreed. He doubted anything could compete with the level of fear a giant piece of space debris hurtling toward everything he loved would incite.

  “I only wish we could’ve come sooner.” Thad said.

  “It was better to wait for things to settle. The quakes are starting to slow down a bit now. It’ll be safer.” Sarek squeezed the back of Bayden’s chair.

  “You going to start jumping up and down and clapping too?” Bayden turned and looked at Sarek, and he tipped his head as though contemplating doing just that. Bayden pushed several buttons, then began scanning for a place to land. “Why didn’t Rohoman come?”

  “Rohoman was more interested in drowning himself in Ryon Blue. He thinks he can drink Faylinn out of his head.” Stryder raised his lip. “That lita fucked him up.”

  “He’ll get over it,” Conlan said. “We’ve all survived worse.”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Thad said.

  “Prepare for landing,” Bayden said. Easing the control stick to the side, he guided the ship to the ground.

  “This place stinks.” After Conlan exited the ship, he scrunched his nose.

  Memories of wounded soldiers, despair-filled eyes, and hopelessness flitted through Bayden’s brain. This reminded him of a battlefield. Even a seasoned warrior couldn’t imagine an enemy capable of wiping out thousands of beings within a few minutes. These people had had little hope. None would’ve survived the impact zone. Those who were outside it probably soon found they weren’t so fortunate once the secondary disasters triggered by the impact started.

  “We can’t stay for long now that the sun is rising. If we do, we might as well paint big red targets on our bare asses, stick them up in the air, and wave them around for King Mykal to spot,” Bayden said.

  “Not to mention it’s making my skin itch.” Stryder gazed at the scorched landscape, scanning their surroundings.

  “Not to mention it’s eerie as fuck here,” Thad said.

  “Son of a bitch. Are you all babies now?” Conlan snorted.

  Stryder bared his fangs. “I fed on the soul of the last person who called me names.”

  “Bite my ass, vamp.”

  “Let me do a quick survey to find the best landing location when we come back.” Sarek set a small imager on the ground, pressed a button, and stepped back. “I need to make sure we’re close enough to get some samples of the satersine and that the ground is stable for the ship.”

  “What if there’s no satersine?” Thad rolled a smoke, lit the end, and took a long drag.

  Sarek’s cheeks reddened, and he coughed. “There will be satersine. I’ve been tracking this meteor for too long. It has all the right properties, density, size, and mostly metal with a rock mixture. Fortunately, we’re in a position to collect samples from it now. If it hadn’t crashed…”

  Bayden scanned the horizon. Even after several months, black smoke burned in various places as far as he could see. The ground was uneven and broken from the earthquakes. The population of the country had been dealt a serious blow. They’d recover and survive, but it’d take years to repair the brunt of the devastation. “Might be fortunate for us, but I’m thinking none of the remaining inhabitants will agree with you,” he said. “Get your survey, and let’s get the hell out of here. We can return in a few nights”.

  “We should be okay with the shrouds up,” Conlan said.

  “Yeah, we should be. But I’m not one who likes to tempt fate, nelo.” Bayden glanced at Sarek. “Just get on with it.”

  Stryder cocked his head to the side. “Do you hear that?”

  Bayden listened but heard nothing other than the clicking of the imager. ”There.” Stryder pointed to the east.

  “Sarek, you stay and fin
ish. Thad, watch Sarek’s back.” Thad gave a quick nod to Bayden. “Let’s go,” Bayden said to Conlan and Stryder.

  * * * *

  It’d taken Ellie and Molly three days to get close to the shelter. Ellie had found an old map in the glove box and had stuck to the back roads as much as possible, assuming that most of the highway infrastructure would be damaged. The closer they got to the shelter, the more they were detoured by abandoned vehicles, giant cracks in the ground, or smoldering fires over large charred areas that used to contain trees.

  When Ellie found a dry patch of ground leading in the desired direction, hope surged inside her once again. The gas tank was almost empty, and she’d used the last of the fuel she’d siphoned from an abandoned vehicle miles back.

  “We’re almost there, baby.”

  Molly rested her head against the passenger-side glass. She’d grown weaker and weaker, and Ellie knew the girl wouldn’t last much longer without medical attention.

  “I’m okay,” Molly said. She always said she was okay. Ellie had never seen anyone possess as much courage as Molly.

  Suddenly, the ground rumbled and a huge chunk of dirt fell away in front of them. Ellie screamed and slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The front tires went over the edge, and now they dangled over a gaping chasm. If the Bug went over, they wouldn’t survive.

  Molly began to cry, something Ellie hadn’t seen her do until now.

  “Be really still. Don’t move.” Ellie’s legs quivered, and her palms began to sweat. She started to ease her door open, but the movement caused them to wobble.

  “Ellie?”

  “Sh. I’ll figure this out.” A sharp pang stabbed her through her chest. How the hell am I going to get us out of here? And even if she did manage to get them both out, what then? There was no way she’d get Molly to the shelter now.