middle layers making a towering arch. I figured it was the way in. I steered Arabelle to ride underneath the arch and into the city, but Luke reached out and caught hold of my arm.
“It’s just as likely to fall on you as not. Or get struck by lightning.”
I shivered and rode as far from it as possible.
He directed us into the city, while the hail pounded with a fury on the buildings, echoing all around us. A few buildings lay completely on their sides, and some were in various states of standing up, leaning against another building, or somewhat bent and arched similar to the first. The sides of a few remained attached, so they still resembled buildings. Others had their sides blown off by the bombs and looked more like building skeletons.
The farther we went, the closer the buildings got to each other, and the paler Cass’s face grew. We steered our horses single file through the narrow alleys, grateful that the tall walls blocked some of the hail. After several turns, we came to a more open space where a building lay flat on its side, its top pressed against another building that was shorter and actually standing straight up. Luke slid off his horse, walked up to a metal panel on the side of the building, and banged hard on it five times.
I didn’t know enough about metals to know what kind it was, but it must’ve been different from the others, because the door didn’t dent in and the building didn’t fall. Maybe that was why this building was standing—it was different.
We helped Cass down, and Cole sat against the building, holding her. Aaren knelt next to them, pressing the soaking-wet shirt against her wound, while Brock and I stood over her as much as we could to keep the hail from hitting her.
“It’s going to be okay,” Cole said as he brushed some of the hail out of her drenched hair. “We’ll get you to the doctor.”
“Where are Mr. Williams and Aaren’s dad?” I kept watching the alley we’d ridden through, but they weren’t there. “Did you see them behind us?”
Cole looked up at Aaren in alarm. “I didn’t. Did you?”
“I’m not sure.” Aaren bit his lip. “I thought they were behind us, but I don’t know if I looked.”
Luke beat on the panel again. And then we waited, watching the building for the people, and watching the alley for Mr. Williams and Aaren’s dad.
“Maybe the people aren’t here,” Brock said.
I looked around. Similar buildings surrounded us on three sides. Maybe this wasn’t the right one.
“They’re here.” He banged again. “This is Luke Strickland! I have an injured person with me! We need help!”
Still no one came.
Luke banged and banged on the door as the hail pinged off the metal of the buildings and splashed in the water streaming across the ground. I left Cass’s side so I could gather the reins for as many horses as possible. With the storm this bad and the alley so narrow, I was afraid they’d run off. I turned to reach for Ruben’s reins, and noticed that a man stood in an open window twenty feet up, in the building we huddled next to, and I flinched.
Then I noticed that a girl a couple of years older than me stood in the window of another building, across the alley, not quite as high up as the first. She held a bow with an arrow nocked. A half dozen archers stood at all different heights in the buildings surrounding me.
I couldn’t get any words to come out. I just pointed, and everyone spun around to look.
A man about my dad’s age, who stood on a chunk of broken concrete a few feet off the ground, jumped down, water spraying as he landed. The man walked up to Luke and slapped him on the shoulder twice. “Good to see you, old friend. It’s been a long time.”
“Good to see you, too, Jack. I wasn’t sure you heard me knock.”
“I think everyone from here to Glacier heard you knock.”
Luke smiled. “You got room for a bunch of soaked-to-the-bone travelers, including one injured?”
The man motioned to a
“It’s just as likely to fall on you as not. Or get struck by lightning.”
I shivered and rode as far from it as possible.
He directed us into the city, while the hail pounded with a fury on the buildings, echoing all around us. A few buildings lay completely on their sides, and some were in various states of standing up, leaning against another building, or somewhat bent and arched similar to the first. The sides of a few remained attached, so they still resembled buildings. Others had their sides blown off by the bombs and looked more like building skeletons.
The farther we went, the closer the buildings got to each other, and the paler Cass’s face grew. We steered our horses single file through the narrow alleys, grateful that the tall walls blocked some of the hail. After several turns, we came to a more open space where a building lay flat on its side, its top pressed against another building that was shorter and actually standing straight up. Luke slid off his horse, walked up to a metal panel on the side of the building, and banged hard on it five times.
I didn’t know enough about metals to know what kind it was, but it must’ve been different from the others, because the door didn’t dent in and the building didn’t fall. Maybe that was why this building was standing—it was different.
We helped Cass down, and Cole sat against the building, holding her. Aaren knelt next to them, pressing the soaking-wet shirt against her wound, while Brock and I stood over her as much as we could to keep the hail from hitting her.
“It’s going to be okay,” Cole said as he brushed some of the hail out of her drenched hair. “We’ll get you to the doctor.”
“Where are Mr. Williams and Aaren’s dad?” I kept watching the alley we’d ridden through, but they weren’t there. “Did you see them behind us?”
Cole looked up at Aaren in alarm. “I didn’t. Did you?”
“I’m not sure.” Aaren bit his lip. “I thought they were behind us, but I don’t know if I looked.”
Luke beat on the panel again. And then we waited, watching the building for the people, and watching the alley for Mr. Williams and Aaren’s dad.
“Maybe the people aren’t here,” Brock said.
I looked around. Similar buildings surrounded us on three sides. Maybe this wasn’t the right one.
“They’re here.” He banged again. “This is Luke Strickland! I have an injured person with me! We need help!”
Still no one came.
Luke banged and banged on the door as the hail pinged off the metal of the buildings and splashed in the water streaming across the ground. I left Cass’s side so I could gather the reins for as many horses as possible. With the storm this bad and the alley so narrow, I was afraid they’d run off. I turned to reach for Ruben’s reins, and noticed that a man stood in an open window twenty feet up, in the building we huddled next to, and I flinched.
Then I noticed that a girl a couple of years older than me stood in the window of another building, across the alley, not quite as high up as the first. She held a bow with an arrow nocked. A half dozen archers stood at all different heights in the buildings surrounding me.
I couldn’t get any words to come out. I just pointed, and everyone spun around to look.
A man about my dad’s age, who stood on a chunk of broken concrete a few feet off the ground, jumped down, water spraying as he landed. The man walked up to Luke and slapped him on the shoulder twice. “Good to see you, old friend. It’s been a long time.”
“Good to see you, too, Jack. I wasn’t sure you heard me knock.”
“I think everyone from here to Glacier heard you knock.”
Luke smiled. “You got room for a bunch of soaked-to-the-bone travelers, including one injured?”
The man motioned to a
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