I awakened the next morning to a still silence in the air. I couldn’t recall if I had any dreams the night before. At some point in the night, I’d closed my eyes, and now the sun’s rays were hitting me in the face.

  Great. I don’t even get to enjoy my rest. I sighed softly as I began to climb out of bed. Well, today is the day we leave. I stared up at the ceiling.

  Sitting up, I stretched and let out a squeaky yawn before scratching my chest and neck. At the window, I saw that it was drizzling outside, our front wn was caked in mud, and the dirt highway was practically a small river.

  I took a deep breath and opened my window. The smell of fresh spring air wafted into my room as I hummed and spent a moment listening to the rain. My ears twitched at an arc of lightning above, then a cp of thunder seconds ter.

  I love rain. The sound, the water, and even just the feeling of reaching out as the droplets fall onto my arms are things I enjoy deeply. Yet… not this time. As I turned away to dress myself, getting comfortable with the ambiance, I noticed that mixed with the thunder were distant sounds of battle. I distinctly made out booms like a volley of artillery fire, and the faint cracks of small arms, along with something else. Something more… surreal. Spells?

  But Mother said the border was far away. It hasn’t even been a full day. How can there be fighting so close?

  My stomach sank, and my anxiety was starting to settle in. Not wanting to waste time, I closed my window and got dressed. Today I went back to wearing a comfortable blue knee-length dress and vest, with bck stockings and my usual boots. Then I spent some time brushing my hair, debating whether I should cut it soon or not.

  All the while, I heard Varis getting up and shuffling downstairs. My parents’ room was silent, which meant they were most likely awake.

  Coming down through the living room and towards the kitchen, I found my father with this morning’s newspaper, along with the smell of bacon and eggs wafting into my nose. My mouth watered and my stomach grumbled. I shuffled into the entryway and saw Varis sitting beside our father, listening to him read the paper out loud.

  “Thunder of War: Kaiser’s Rejection Ignites Veilnd Onsught; Global Allies Convene Emergency Summit.” Father sighed.

  “Well, the news is out,” he muttered, and continued.

  “In an unprecedented and ominous turn of events, our leader, Kaiser Brikur Lirner, defiantly rejected Veilnd’s ultimatum yesterday, unleashing a furious statement that reverberated across diplomatic corridors. In his scathing response, he decred the ultimatum an affront to Heinmarr’s sovereignty and vowed that our glorious nation would never bow to Veilnd expansionism.

  “However, defiance turned to despair as, within hours, Empress Natasha Tarasovna officially decred war on Heinmarr, plunging our two nations into a conflict that threatens to reshape the geopolitical ndscape. As the ink on the decration dried, the Veillite dogs wasted no time pushing across the Stricknd Line with relentless determination.

  “Considered an impenetrable barrier since the Twilight War, the Stricknd Line is now pounded relentlessly by the thunderous guns of the Veillite forces. Border towns, including Nelina, Malreen, and Brugven, bear the brunt of the onsught, prompting immediate evacuation and a stream of refugees away from the encroaching combat zone.

  “Reports from the front lines speak of intense and chaotic cshes as our soldiers, our brave heroes, attempt to stem the Veilnd tide. The skies are filled with the acrid smell of war, and the nd quivers beneath the boots of advancing armies. The Stricknd Line, a symbol of our nation’s strength, faces its most formidable test.

  “Meanwhile, in the diplomatic chambers of the Global Allied Nations, an emergency summit has been called to address the rapidly unfolding crisis. Representatives converge in Felkier to discuss a unified response against Veilnd aggression. The world watches with bated breath as the fate of our nation hangs in the bance and the crion call of war echoes across borders.

  “I, Howard Krissler, with The World Today, will be sure to keep you all… Bh bh…”

  Father sighed, set the newspaper down, and saw me standing in the doorway. “Good morning, Luna. Take a seat; your mother is getting breakfast ready.”

  “I’m almost finished up,” Mother called over her shoulder as she worked the range.

  “So, people are actually fighting?” Varis asked softly. He yawned and then looked nervously at Father.

  “I’m afraid so.” Papa took a deep breath. “But don’t worry. When Isa gets here, we’ll be hopping in the wagon and getting out.”

  Varis nodded slowly as I gnced around. “Where’s Isa now?” I asked.

  Papa bit his lip. “I don’t know, and that’s what scares me. She took Ruby with her yesterday and was supposed to be back.”

  Mother came over to the table and set our breakfast in front of us—scrambled coocha eggs and juni strips, the closest you could get to an American breakfast in this world—which had me rushing to the table.

  “Well,” Mother said, “seeing the news here, I wouldn’t be surprised if Oren is in chaos right now.” She sighed. “Though she is a resourceful woman. I’m sure she’ll be back here shortly.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Father muttered as we all sat together and began to eat.

  Like the night before, little was said. An eerie silence intermixed with the sounds of utensils scraping our ptes and soft chewing was all there was to hear. I managed to look up from my pte and at each of my family members.

  Father’s face was steely. He barely blinked as his eyes quivered, almost as if he were in a waking dream.

  My mother seemed calm, though I could see her ears twitching at the slightest bit of noise.

  Like me, Varis looked concerned. He and I shared eye contact for a moment, his blue and green eyes shifting from our parents back to me.

  I gave him a gentle smile, hoping to reassure him, and looked back down at my food.

  It is best to try to stay calm, I said to myself. As much as leaving here stinks, it’s best to go. But we have to stay strong when we do. For now, let’s enjoy our breakfast.

  Nodding, I stabbed one of the pieces of bacon on my pte and—

  Rapid banging came from our back door. Three heavy sms sent my father up, right along with my mother. Papa gestured for Varis and me to move back.

  “Open the door, please!” Isa’s voice shouted. “I have a wounded man!”

  “What in the hells?” Father looked to Mother, who turned and ran for the healer’s kit as he went to the door. “Kids, clear the table; take your food into the living room,” he instructed.

  My heart raced in my chest. Not wanting to question him, I got up and grabbed my pte alongside Varis, and we began to take everything into the living room.

  Over my shoulder, I saw Father open the door just as Isa, with a man draped over her shoulder, spilled into the room. Colpsing onto one knee, the serelli woman panted as Father helped her and the mystery man up off the ground.

  “Who is that?” Varis whispered beside me. We’d both stopped to look. I shrugged and shook my head.

  The man was human; like the soldiers we saw, he had a drab gray and yellow uniform. Yet it was scorched and worn. I swore I could smell smoke. His left sleeve was almost entirely gone; instead, I saw his bare arm red and charred, pus-ridden, and the skin peeling away. His hair was blonde and disheveled, his skin a light tan, speckled with muck and blood.

  The sight alone made my stomach churn, and looking at my eggs, I no longer wanted to eat.

  “Help me get him on the table!” Isa said as Father nodded.

  “Varis, Luna, I said clear the table!” he ordered us again. We nodded and ran in as Isa and Papa lifted the man onto it.

  Mother ran over with a fresh scroll in hand and began to look the man over. Isa came up beside her pointing.

  “His left arm is horribly burned; he has multiple cerations on his back as well as a few bolt wounds along his right side, which thankfully look to have missed vital organs. I was able to stop most of the bleeding on the road, but it’s still bad.” She looked to Mother. “Do you think you can fix this?”

  Mother gnced at her scroll and said, “I think so. Give me some time. All of you, leave me with him, but stay close.” Mother waved us out.

  Father and Isa came into the living room with me and Varis. “What’s happening?” Varis asked me, confused as I was, and I shrugged.

  “Where did you find this guy?” Father asked Isa. “I thought you were doing something in Oren?”

  “I had a change of pn,” Isa said. “Something else came up that I needed to tend to, and I made a detour.” She ran her hand through her red hair before stuffing both of them into the pockets of her jacket.

  “To where, the front?” Papa asked sarcastically.

  Isa side-eyed him. “Not intentionally.”

  Okay, what? I thought as I came up beside Father, who simply gawked.

  “A friend of mine in town asked me to make a night run to Lichtenau, a few hours from here to the east.”

  Lichtenau—that’s the closest vilge to Oren, if I recall.

  “Why were you—”

  Isa silenced Father. “I was doing a job. Which I was unable to finish because I encountered this young man. I don’t know his name, but he has a patch that reads ‘Lochte.’ When I found him, he was riding a strider, at a dead gallop, faster than I had ever seen a man ride those things, towards me. He was shouting something, and then abruptly, his dragon gave out, and he colpsed. He hasn’t woken up since. Amazingly, he suffered no other injuries from the fall aside from a few scrapes and bruises. I tried to bring his dragon along, but the thing, like him, was heavily injured and too tired to move. Yet the beast let me take him and bring him here.”

  “Did you hear what he was screaming?” I asked.

  Isa shook her head. “He was too far even for me to fully make out.”

  “He could be a messenger.” Father tapped his chin. “Though I don’t see why. Most likely the brass would have magisters capable of sending long-form communication.”

  “Perhaps. Old-form messengers are still viable; well-trained magisters can pick up on archaic communication.”

  “If that’s the case, then this is even more concerning.” Father shook his head and looked to the kitchen. “Cailynn, how is he?” he asked at a faint green fsh.

  “He’s healing, but many of these wounds will require some components. I’ll say, though, this boy is tough; I’m shocked he’s even breathing.” Mother admitted it, and both Varis and I gulped. “Give me a couple more minutes, and I can probably rouse him.”

  My father sighed and stroked his goatee as he turned away. “This doesn’t make sense, though. The border of Veilnd is about five days away, a bit less on a strider. How in the hells could he make it from there to here?”

  “Because he most likely didn’t come from the border,” Isa said gravely. “He’s probably from a base closer to here.”

  “A command center…” Father cursed under his breath. “If that’s the case, how in the hell are the Veillites moving that fast?”

  Isa shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Varis reached over and took my hand. “Are you okay, Luna?” he asked, surprising me.

  I hadn’t realized it, but my hands were shaking. I took a deep breath to calm myself and smiled at my brother. “I am now; thank you.”

  Varis returned his smile, wrapped his arm around me, and pulled me in close against his side. I blushed faintly and returned his one-armed hug.

  Despite me putting on a strong face, the pit in my stomach was growing deeper, and the anxiety was even worse. Though feeling my brother hold me so close was enough to keep it from worsening, we still had to watch Isa and Father specute.

  Until, after a few moments, my mother called to us. “He’s waking up.”

  Upon seeing the soldier, now sat up in a chair and feverishly drinking water, I confirmed that this man was not a man, but a boy. He was barely even seventeen. Then again, the start of adulthood was considered to be sixteen in Heinmarr. He was handsome, if a bit dirty due to the hell he’d been through. Like our father, he had striking green eyes. His blonde hair was short and messy, and his overall stature was well-built, most likely due to rigorous training.

  The majority of his wounds had been healed by my mother, though the scars from the burns on his arm weren’t all gone, and the way he moved and winced, I could tell he was sore all over.

  We had gathered around the kitchen table, with the boy across from us. My father began, “You’re at the Ashflow residence in the vilge of Oren. The Third Brigade has set up a forward operating base here for General Hossler.”

  “H-How long, how long was I out for?” the soldier, Lochte, sputtered, then drank more water. “I—I need to warn them.”

  “You rode with me for about four hours through the night,” Isa yawned while she scratched her neck.

  Lochte dropped his cup and gripped the sides of his head. As it shattered on the floor, we all stood up and backed away. “No! No! I don’t think I have enough time!”

  Papa stepped forward. “Time for what? What’s happening out there?”

  The soldier trembled and looked at us, his eyes vacant. “The Veillites, the Veillites are coming fast.” He bit his lip. “It happened so suddenly; we were caught off guard. I heard fighting was happening on the front, and rumor had it things were getting hairy. I—I was in Malreen helping with the evacuation. Wh-When the skyships arrived. And I’m not talking about your typical airships, Mr. Ashflow; I’m talking dreadnoughts in the sky.”

  “Flying dreadnoughts?”

  “Aye, sir. Massive fortresses that rained hell down upon all of us forced us to take shelter in the celrs as they fttened the entire vilge. When we came out, smaller ships were nding in the fields, yet those were no soldiers they were dropping off, Mr. Ashflow sir, but demons.”

  We didn’t say anything, looking at one another.

  “Speak pinly, son,” my father finally said as he turned to the boy again. “You don’t mean fiends, do you?”

  He shook his head. “Apologies, no. But they fought like demons. It was… machines. Fighting machines. Yet we saw no man piloting them. They walk like arachnids and are as tall as this house!”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” my mother mumbled.

  “The things came to life after the skyships dropped them in the field. They rose up on their legs and began to patrol the ruined streets. I tell you, mister, I ain’t lying. That’s actually what happened.”

  Both Isa and Mother looked at me; my stomach had dropped to my core by this point, and my mouth had dried.

  “Some kind of autonomous archeo machine?” my mother said. “Like a harvester?” The soldier shook his head.

  “Did you and the men try and fight back?” Father asked, and Lochte cringed.

  “Aye, sir, we did. We bsted the bastards with thunder spears when they got close. Kensley… I hope he’s still alive; he tripped one. Scored a shot right into one of its leg joints when it came over the rubble we were hiding behind. Yet all that did was slow it down. Those things are armed to the teeth; they have rapid-firing rifles; within seconds, they fire an entire volley’s worth like forty men, I tell you. Anyone who so much as poked their head out was turned into a red mist, and those hiding in houses…” Lochte paused. “They unleashed hell’s fire on them. Some sort of magical beam of heat that just melts and scorches everything.”

  “Like a demon,” Father muttered.

  Lochte nodded. “And the sounds they make—a scary howl. Like the sounds of the dead. It terrified us, so we ran. We ran, Mr. Ashflow.” He trembled. “I grabbed the nearest strider I could and ran. I told myself I was going to alert the superiors! Yet…”

  My father grabbed him by the shoulder. “You still have time, son. Cailynn. Grab Ruby and hitch her to the wagon. I’ll get…” He looked at the boy. “What’s your name, soldier?”

  “Peter, my name is Peter Lochte,” he said with a nod.

  Father smiled. “Well, Peter, I’m Slyran, my wife is Cailynn, and the one who saved you is Isa. These two are my children, Luna and Varis.” We both gave him a small wave as Mother took Isa outside.

  “Pleasure to meet you all and thank you for saving me.” Peter bowed slightly, but my father shook his head.

  “No, no need to bow. We should be thanking you; you have gone through hell, and what you know is very valuable—”

  “Slyran, Slyran!” Mother’s shouts from outside sounded terrified, and she threw open the back door.

  My heart sank with my stomach. Varis and I backed up as Mother stood in the doorframe, pale and wide-eyed. “Grab what you can; load it in the wagon now! We need to go now!”

  “What’s wrong?” Father straightened up, and Peter stood.

  “Dark lord... They’re here,” Peter muttered his voice trembling. “Listen.”

  I stared, and my heart raced faster.

  No, no, no, this is too fast. What does he mean? What does he mean?

  My ears twitched. Faintly, through the open door, I heard a steady thrum, underneath thumpings.

  Father turned to us. “Go outside with your mother! Get on the wagon.”

  Varis gripped my hand tight as I muttered, “But I thought we’d be leaving tomorrow.”

  “Come on, Luna!” Varis said as he pulled me towards Mother. We stepped out into the muddy yard, the rain trickling down.

  Once I stepped outside, I could hear it clearly: a low, steady thrum that sounded like dozens of pne engines. Yet when looking to the sky, I couldn’t see anything.

  Where is it? Where are they coming from?

  “They’re above the clouds,” Isa shouted as if reading my mind. She was across the yard by the cabin where the wagon was set. Pointing above at the dark clouds to the east.

  I had to squint as I looked out, and barely, just barely, I could see the shadowy shapes of rge vessels drifting amongst the clouds. There were dozens of them.

  Mother ushered Varis and me over to the wagon as Isa broke off to grab Ruby, who was hitched to the tree.

  The dragon was frantic, squawking and pulling at the reins: even she knew something was wrong. Somewhere off in the direction of town, a bell chimed, followed by the magically enhanced voices of magisters shouting out in arm.

  Varis and I rushed onto the wagon, where I saw, already packed, supplies that Mother and I had prepared yesterday. I lowered my head, sinking beneath the crates, and shivered.

  “Why is this happening?” I said it softly, but Varis looked at me. “This wasn’t supposed to happen till ter; we were supposed to leave tomorrow!”

  Fear gripped me. I tried my best to calm down, yet the thrumming engines and the shouting in the distance overtook whatever I did.

  Varis csped my hand. “I—I know it’s scary, Luna. But don’t panic.” He smiled. Then I heard Mother shout in Draconian as she and Isa wrangled Ruby.

  “Careful, be careful, now!” Isa said as they quickly fastened the beast to the wagon.

  I peeked out over the box as Father rushed from the house with Peter behind him. The men were carrying a few extra suitcases as well as Papa’s lever rifle. As he ran towards the wagon, a Kxon arm began to echo from the town of Oren.

  “Dark Lord!” Isa cursed with a shout. “They’re coming down!” She climbed into the driver’s seat as Mother hopped in behind. Looking up at the sky, I whimpered as massive zeppelins armed with cannons gradually descended from the sky, almost graceful.

  “Alright, alright, go! Giddyup!” Father shouted as he jumped in and flicked Ruby’s reins.

  Just as the wagon began to move, Peter came in with assistance from my mother. Then a haunting bellow erupted from the zeppelins above.

  “What’s happening?!” I cried. From the sides of the airships came these winglike appendages unfolding from the belly and extending outwards. Attached to the wings were rge containers, and it was here that it clicked, and the fear settled in.

  They’re going to fire upon the town.

  “Mr. Ashflow, keep moving! Do not stop!”

  “I know that already!” Father snapped over his shoulder as he flicked the reins once more. Ruby sprinted down the dirt road towards town.

  “What’re you doing?! They’re going to bomb the town!” Peter excimed.

  Still whimpering, I crawled towards Mother and clung to her.

  “I know that!” Father shouted. “But this wagon can’t go off-road!” The wagon bounced and groaned as we went over hard rocks jutting out of the mud. “Up ahead, there’s an offshoot we can take to the Kencha River!”

  “Citizens of Oren!” A man’s voice boomed from the town. “Seek shelter immediately. Seek shelter immediately! This is not a test!”

  I could hardly breathe. I couldn’t breathe.

  With her arms wrapped around me tight, my mother cooed, “It’ll be okay, dear. I got you—”

  Suddenly, the zeppelins were afme. Rocketing from the containers on the wings, dozens of missiles, all lit with red fire, unched forth. Screeching howls deafened all as hundreds of rockets smmed into the fields, tents, and buildings.

  The earth shook, and Ruby screamed along with all of us. The world began to rain hell down upon us. Father yanked the reins to the left, forcing Ruby to take us off the road and into the mud-caked fields as a rocket struck the highway yards ahead of us and showered us with smoldering rubble and debris.

  As we screamed and covered our heads, Mother held one hand high above and began to chant. “By Merlin’s grace, a shield to weave, in his wisdom, protection I receive. Bubble, guard us in this hour from harm’s embrace and crushing power! Bubble!” Her eyes fshed white, and glistening aura in a sphere wrapped around our wagon as it rolled across the soaked field.

  I screamed as another rocket hammered the earth just a few yards away. The force of the bst crashed into the side of our cart, making us swerve. Ruby, in all her great glory, kept herself steady and drove us forward. Yet what amazed me the most was that the spell my mother cast had deflected all the shrapnel.

  “Good, girl!” Father ughed nervously, then cheered again as the wagon bounced one final time onto the offshoot road he mentioned. From behind us, more rockets flew overhead, smashing into open fields and even the nearby forest.

  “Is it me, or can the Veillites not aim worth a grok’s shit?” Father mocked.

  “It’s not that they can’t aim, Mr. Ashflow,” Peter said, “it’s that they don’t have to!” He pointed backwards towards the town. Already, the small vilge I was reborn into was up in fmes.

  Even the town hall burned, its front half exploding before my eyes, as more rockets rained down all around us. Panicked people rushed towards their homes, some risking it through farm fields. Striders and other livestock ran in every direction. Yet we kept moving forward.

  “We can’t stop moving,” Peter said. “If this is anything like Malreen, they’ll bomb the town, and then the smaller ships will unleash the demons to clean up the rest.”

  “So, we keep moving!” Father growled. “We get to the Kencha River, and we wait for Hautchkins and Olson. It’ll be nightfall by the time we reach it.”

  “No, we keep moving through the night. If we stop and sleep, the demons—those fighting machines I mentioned—will be on us!”

  Whimpering and sniffling, I clung to my mother, gncing up to see Isa looking at me. “Luna, that vision you had,” she said. “Do these fighting machines sound like that monster?”

  I sniffed and coughed before nodding. “Yes.”

  Peter turned to me. “Have you seen these things?”

  “It’s a long story,” my mother said bluntly.

  “I understand it’ll be dangerous, corporal.” Father gnced over his shoulder at the boy’s torn uniform. “But I don’t think Ruby can make it through the night pulling this cart alone. I’d rather have a rested ride than have her colpse from exhaustion if we try to outrun these monsters you keep talking about—Watch out!”

  We all dove down in the wagon as another rocket screamed overhead and crashed into the road right beside us. The explosion blew out my eardrums and hoisted the wagon off the ground, and I felt weightless…

  Then everything went dark, and I lost consciousness...

  I do not know why you are focused on this singur echo, but know if you want them to survive, you must act soon. Until we speak again, vieil ami.