Chapter 148 2-20 WAR
\-VALEN'S POV-
As the fighter jet climbed the sky, Dad's stealth flipped us over when he split throttle so that we landed behind the enemy. Our guns fired endlessly until his wing caught flames and he lost control.
Locking on the other aircraft, Dad lined us up properly so that the next set of bullets hit the wingbox and
central fuselage. The enemy craft exploded and we banked to the right to avoid the splash.
My heart burned painfully in my chest. All I can do is sit and watch. The
banking and roll of the craft was
making me nauseous. It was the worst rollercoaster ride of my life. Now I know why Devin hated teleporting with me. As I thought about my best friend, he must feel like shit right now.
My Dad's pretty awesome. I admit that seeing him in action mounted my respect for him. I fisted my hand and jabbed my elbow back with a gloating face in celebration when he took down another fighter jet.
All the werelion warships near the islands were already destroyed with little chance of any survivals. The werelions had their ships forming three circular rings. It was the last ring of ships that were further in the ocean that were left to be taken out. They released surface-to-air missiles to target our fighter jets.
We were winning. Although it would have been nice to be home instead of
being a mute backseater. My anxiety level was too high.
Father and our other aircraft lowered altitude and saw the necromancer on the deck of the surface combatant warship with three barakian kriplings attacking our jets as he commanded them with hand signals. Molten anger flowed through me. I glared at the arch -enemy who hurt my baby sister. I wanted to get to him but I could not act without Dad's permission. My blood boiled.
"Alpha, we are clear of air combat." Blayne radioed over the communication channel. He dogfight with the last one and his jet flew above us as I looked up at him through the canopy.
A chuckle came from Raj, who flew through a cloud of black smoke to appear at our left. "Those suckers messed with the wrong canines."
"Yeah, and today we're taking their nines. Get it." Duke joked, tilting the aircraft to the left and pulling around. "They're supposed to have nine lives."
"Jeez, Dad," Devin drawled. I could see him slapping his forehead. Then, like two caged birds, we placed our palms on the canopy and waved to each other like we hadn't seen each other for years.
"It's sad when even your kid knows how corny you are, Duke." Blayne blurted out laughing.
"Shut up," Duke bashed Blayne and said to Devin, "And you don't get the right to speak here."
With that cue, I stayed quiet before my Dad chastised me over the radio. My head was as good as gone when we got home. White puffy clouds passed us as we circled the area to assess the warships below.
"Donald, give me a report," Dad commanded, as though he wasn't a part of the conversation.
"We took out their submarine. No high -ranking men were on board. I believe that they are on the ships." Donald covered from his underwater station "
The Mer-king has soldiers on standby below us."
"Imagine that! The kitty cats are real pussies." Duke retorted. "The felines are hiding."
This time we all laughed, including the other warriors and elites who were listening.
"It's no surprise their pride is small.
How can they breed when their men have softballs?" Duke muttered.
"They probably sucked more than they fucked," Raj chipped in on the communication channel. "Alpha, they have a warship hiding in the sea stack off north."
"That's probably where Assad is." I blurted, forgetting to be quiet.
"Matt, Thomas, Levi, and Phillip, I want your jets there now," Dad ordered as the kriplings approached us. "Raj, Marlena, take out the necromancer before he destroys our jets."
I froze. My heart spasmed. I took deep breaths with plaguing thoughts about how Dad planned to get rid of these creatures.
"Copy that, Alpha." The four jets shot off north in compliance.
"Alpha, Liam, and I are attacking their rescue boats to keep them aboard the ships." Blayne conveyed while dominating the air. Surface-to-air missiles targeted them as Liam pulled to the left and Blayne pulled to the right to veer away from the attack. Pitching their noses up, both released flares that successfully exploded the missiles.
"I took out their weapons. All they have is magic to rely on." Duke asserted after swooping dangerously low towards two warships and blowing up their SAMS.
"Marlena?" Dad summoned. He kept twisting the jet to avoid the kriplings since bullets would not work on their black smoky form. Sickness pooled in my stomach. My face was downcast and I wanted to vomit.
"Alpha, I'm working on it. The necromancer has gotten stronger because of the presence of the shard. He's pulling power from Assad." Marlena sounded tired over the radio. "Dad, I can help." I offered to use my guardians.
He thought about it before saying, " Whatever you do, do not leave this aircraft."
"Okay," I affirmed. I would make that brute pay for ever messing with us.
Our aircraft flew closer to the warships in a frenzy. It was to let the enemy know that we have them cornered and we were not going anywhere. This fight will end today.
"I'm sending Nyx to deal with him," I informed Dad. Show me your abilities, son." Dad encouraged.
Closing my eyes, I conjured my guardian lion into his solid form. He materialized to the side of the aircraft.
"Attack the kriplings. Send them back to hell." I ordered. Nyx roared and sprinted in the air as he descended to the deck of the ship where the necromancer was.
"I want the lion king alive." Dad ordered over the communication channel as a reminder to all of us.
Raj, with Marlena in the back seat, circled the warship below as the necromancer waved around his hands,
sending out two of the kriplings. One targeted Blayne and the other nearby jets while one deflected the bullets from himself, saving his ass on deck multiple times. The third, was after Marlena, since she was his biggest threat. Humph. That's what he thought.
Dad was Raj's wingman. As Marlena chanted, blue lightning bolts formed in the sky and fired at the warship. Nyx descended to attack the necromancer. When the evil man saw Nyx swooping down on him, he sent a kripling to fight my lion guardian. Crawley's runic eyes looked up to realize that he had more than one foe
with magical powers to deal with. His face morphed with anger. But with an overconfident attitude, he sent the kripling that was protecting him to tackle my lion, leaving himself open. Sadly, because Assad could be on his warship, Dad would not allow anyone to blow it up. The mission was to kill everyone else but keep Assad alive. The kripling in its black smoky form wrapped around Nyx like an anaconda.
Nyx felt acid trying to burn into him. My heart panged from the effect. Defensively, my lion's body lit up like the sun. The kripling screeched in pain and released him. Nyx opened his mouth wide to emit a super-sonic roar that blasted into the kripling, sending the diabolical creature flying in the opposite direction. Nyx charged after him, going out of sight.
At the same time, the necromancer's lips moved and a blinding black mist permeated the area from his outstretched palms. I take a deep breath and strap on my oxygen mask instantly. Boom! We heard two jets crash into each other. Damn, we lost four men. Even our werewolf's vision was inadequate due to the dense darkened smoke. The tightness in my chest hinted that the explosion involved our pack members.
"Shit! That was Harry, Charlie, Adam, and Tyson." I heard Duke cursing over channel.
the communication
"I'm going to kill that bastard for taking out the damn lights."
"I can't see a thing," Blayne fussed, losing patience. "Guys, use the radar detectors. I don't want any more deaths."
Dad cut his speed, seething in a strict military tone. "We need to wrap this up.'
"Zuzu, clear the air," I commanded after swallowing down my nerves. Like fiery flames bursting out of my chest, Zuzu came out of me. Tripling in size, she maintained her flames and began soaring around so that her large tail fanned the smoke until it totally faded. The bright sun lit the skies in its radiance again. Immediate missiles went flying into the other warships, exploding them. All of the enemy's ships were down except the one that Assad was on. So, we will be on our way home soon. I liked
that. "Where is he?" Dad scanned below, yanking dramatically to the left.
"Zuzu, find the necromancer and catch him," I ordered.
I watched my eagle take a steep dive and enter the warship. The rest of our jets flew around, waiting for Dad's further instructions. The kriplings had vanished too.
"Alpha, Gamma Blayne, we've damaged the warship as instructed.
Tygart and Kodjo are trying to escape in rescue boats. Permission to engage guns." Matt spoke up in a calm voice over the radio.
"Sink the boats and let the mermaids have them," Dad said with a sinister smile.
"Copy that, Alpha." Matt signed off. Well, Asyrena will have her revenge today. She will come to realize that I was not the answer to her problems. "Liam, bandit coming in hot," Duke warned. "Smoke in the air. Watch out!"
About a mile out, an unknown fighter jet cut across the sky and shot down Liam's jet. Thankfully, he ejected and parachuted into the sea. With the wingman down, he got on Blayne's tail. He was too close for my own comfort. The enemy seemed unconcerned withmthe other jets and opened fire, engaging my Gamma in a dogfight. He blatantly targeted Blayne's as they zipped by, flying away from the combat until they were two tiny dots in the sky. "Get the scumbag off you, Blayne."
Duke dashed after them, trying to missile lock on the enemy but not getting a precise angle. The bandit twisted back and forth. They flew so far away that I could not see anything else.
"I'm out of ammo and flares." Blayne hissed, maneuvering his jet to dodge the missiles. "One of those fucking kripling is on my nose."
"I'm right behind you." Duke declared, accelerating to his fastest speed.
Dad tuned in on the communication channel. "Boys, talk to me." I was on the edge of my seat, anxious.
Simultaneously, I was trying to ensure that my guardians had their tasks under control.
"Fuck, I'm hit." Blayne's frantic tone reverberated over the radio. "My jet's spinning out of control and both of my engines are washed."
"Eject, Blayne," Duke ordered, sounding distressed. He inverted a dive and spun around in hot pursuit of the bandit.
"It's jammed. Fuck!" Blayne cursed. " The dirtball is Squiggles. Make him pay, Duke."
"Come on, Blayne. Get out of there." Dad yelled, edged with worry. My heartbeat was exhilarated, half in anticipation and half in dread.
All went quiet for three seconds until Blayne's dull voice cracked over the radio, "Guys, I'm not going to make it. Take care of my family." "What the-" Dad trailed off in
disbelief. "No," Duke muttered, voice cracking and tight.
Boom! Dad slammed his hand on the dash and cleared his throat, seemingly swallowing a sob. A prickling sensation shot up my spine.
I palmed my forehead. "It can't be." I let out a suffocated whisper. I thought about Theo and Thaines. They lost their Dad today. My soul wept for them. Grief nestled in the darkest corners of my heart.