A small group of Mechanics burst out of a street, pausing to fire a volley behind them, then bolted for all they were worth across the plaza.
Before the last of Mari’s rear guard had reached the Guild Hall’s walls, while they were still in the open, a larger group of Mechanics appeared and swung their weapons up to fire, ignoring the long-range shots of Bev and the rest of Mari’s Mechanics.
Chapter Twelve
Alain had been gathering strength to himself, preparing his spell, and now he placed the strongest heat he could on the pavement in front of the attacking Mechanics. The stones of the pavement shattered into fragments and dust, creating a boom that rivaled the sound of Mechanic Alli’s bombs.
The attackers reeled back, seeking cover.
More Mechanics appeared to the right of them.
Alain placed another ball of heat in front of that group.
The sun sank below the buildings, putting the plaza into shadow.
The first group of attackers was firing on the rear guard from the shelter of some of the buildings.
Alain, feeling his strength draining rapidly, put a third globe of heat just inside the window of the largest structure the attackers were using as cover, causing the nearest windows to blow out.
He took a faltering step, nearly falling, but Mari caught him. “This day must have taken more from me than I realized,” Alain told her, startled that his strength had given out so quickly.
The rear guard was reaching them now, racing past Bev and her force as Bev waved them onward. “We’ll form a line at the buildings,” one Mechanic yelled as he went by, his face streaked with smoke, sweat, and blood.
“Mari, you and Alain ought to get out of here, too,” Bev urged, pausing in her firing across the plaza.
“Not until the rest are clear,” Mari insisted.
“Then send Alain ahead! From the looks of him he can’t run very far!”
Mari gave Alain an anguished look, then focused on Bev again. “Make sure Alli and Calu make it past before you fall back.”
“You got it.”
Alain, angry at being so weakened, did his best to move quickly as Mari helped him toward the line of buildings ahead. “Like Marandur all over again,” Mari gasped. “Or Altis. Why do we keep ending up like this?”
Just ahead of them, one of the rear guard stumbled and fell forward, blood appearing on her back where a bullet had hit. But two other Mechanics grabbed her, one on each side, and carried her on. “Get her to the boats!” Mari ordered.
Alain looked back as they reached the shelter of a building, able to stand on his own once more. About a dozen members of the rear guard and Bev’s force were intermingled in the plaza. He saw Mechanic Alli stop, turn, aim carefully, and fire. Moments later, one of the attackers came to a sudden halt and fell as her bullet struck.
Spurts of dust and fragments were flying from the buildings around them, marking hits by the attackers’ bullets.
“Keep going! Keep going!” Calu was yelling. He jerked from a bullet hitting one arm, but kept on his feet.
Unable to see any targets worth using another fire spell, Alain could only fall back again with the others.
Alli stopped nearby, reloading her rifle. “Alain, the only thing that will keep Mari from insisting on being the last out will be if you keep her moving. Don’t you be a hero or she’ll do the same.”
“I understand,” Alain said. He felt a strong reluctance to follow Alli’s advice, but he knew it was wise. Wisdom this day seemed to involve telling someone else something that they did not want to hear. “Mari! This way!”
Without waiting for her to argue, Alain once more began moving back with the rear guard.
Mari caught up, glaring at him, but stayed at Alain’s side.
Despite the way parts of the rear guard kept halting to cover other members as they retreated, Alain found he had trouble keeping up as the Mechanics hurried down the long way they had marched through just the night before. It only slowly occurred to him how long he had been up, moving, and often fighting and casting spells. Little wonder three fire spells had exhausted him.
Fortunately, this time the journey was downhill toward the harbor, not uphill into the city, and fear lent wings to everyone heading for the boats they hoped were still waiting at the docks.
With all the commons in the city in hiding, no one had come out to light the streetlamps. The streets grew increasingly dark as the sun set, the buildings to either side dim shapes.
Alain paused in a darker patch of shadow, looking back down a long straight stretch of a wide street. Mari leaned against the wall of the building, breathing heavily, her pistol ready in one hand as she used the other to pull out the far-talker Professor S’san had given her. “Ditch the far-talkers!” she said into it. “Don’t forget that the Guild can track their locations. Get rid of them now if you haven’t already.”
Mari dropped the device onto the pavement, raised one boot, and slammed it down repeatedly on the far-talker. “That felt good.”
Several shots resounded from the far end of the street. Alain saw the shapes of Mechanics running toward him and Mari. It was obviously time to force Mari to fall back as well, but Alain paused, remembering an abandoned draft wagon they had passed at the head of the street. He could still barely make it out.
More shots as more Mechanics appeared, these firing at the rear guard. Alain measured his strength, then built heat above his hand. A moment later he placed that heat on the dimly visible form of the wagon.
The wooden wagon erupted into flames which sharply revealed the shapes of the attacking Mechanics. The rear guard fired at the clear targets, causing three to drop while the others scattered for shelter.
Calu stumbled up to them, his wounded arm dripping blood that formed tiny, dark pools on the street. “Move!”
“You, too!” Alli ordered as she joined them. She shoved Calu towards Mari and Alain. “All three of you, get to the boats!”
“Where’s Bev?” Mari demanded.
“With the other section! Get out of here, Mari! And take my idiot husband with you so the healers can patch him up!”
Alain grabbed Calu’s uninjured arm and pulled him along. Mari, muttering something angry under her breath, followed just behind, covering their back trail with her pistol.
They staggered out onto the open area along the dockfront. Alain saw three boats in the water, two of the large ones from the Pride and the largest boat from the Gray Lady. Sailors were at the oars, and Mechanics in each boat were gazing anxiously toward the sounds of battle.
“Alli…” Calu fought being handed down into a boat, but he was weak from loss of blood.
Alain turned to Mari, who was standing on the edge of the dock and staring into the city. The sound of rifle fire was coming closer, and Alain heard one bullet strike the surface of the dock not far from them. “We must go,” he told Mari.
“Not yet!” Mari cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled as loudly as she could. “Everyone in the rear guard! Fall back to the boats now! We are leaving!”
Dark shapes appeared, racing over the short remaining distance, some of them lurching with fatigue or injury.
“Get in the boat, Mari!” Alli shouted as she appeared. She turned, fired again, then came running their way.
Alain saw Bev reaching one of the other boats and helping in some of the others before kneeling and firing at other Mechanics who were darting from the buildings. He reached out, took Mari’s arm, and pulled her toward the boat as Alli came charging up.
They all got into the boat at about the same moment, Alain dropping in, pulling Mari with him, and Alli diving off the dock to land on the oar handlers as bullets tore by overhead.