Cloud Riders(145)

She opened her eyes and nodded. He could only just see her through the haze. She was glowing like the brightest star in the sky and when he called out, she threw her arms up towards the Supernova. At the same time, there was an explosion. Cassie was so busy concentrating on moving the Supernova, she never noticed it as it was not in her vision. Kayden spotted it and tensed.

Cassie! Break left! he ordered, at the same time instructing Zoltan to move Starburst for her if she was unable to do it quick enough. She hadn’t seen the piece of the outer casing that had exploded from the nova but could see it now, hurtling towards her at the speed of thousands of kilometres an hour.

Cassie did as she’d been instructed. However, the shard still sliced her arm and the impact caused her power source to waver. She screamed out with pain as it bit through her skin and even though hurting, she still kept her concentration on the nova and tossed it out to the intended destination, the force of her reaction breaking the wound open that she thought had been sealed by the heat of the offending object.

Kayden sent the boys off after the Supernova.

Cassie, will you be okay for a few minutes? We have to get this.

She nodded, holding on to where the shrapnel had sliced into her and stopping the pain to a certain degree.

That’s right, Cassie, keep pressure on it. Just give me five.

She gave him a signal to get going. He knew his little brave soldier would hold strong until she felt his arms around her and he shot off after the team. Zoltan picked up speed, taking control, enabling him to take a second to look back to check on her. The hot shard that sliced her should have cauterised the wound. He wondered if it must have cooled a bit before it hit her, unless she had overused her powers and opened it up, as she was bleeding profusely, blood floating in the nothingness around her. She had the most sensitive skin he had ever known and he felt for her as he watched her rip the string from her corset top. As she did a new one appeared making her smile, and him too, as she quickly wrapped it around her arm to try and control the bleeding. As he returned his vision to his men, he saw there were more steel chards flinging from the nova in all directions, and his horse carefully navigated around the danger. Worried they were in the thick of it he picked up speed to get free, his senses picking up before he heard the explosions around him. A quick glance back towards Cassie again, saw her using her other hand to blow them into powder before they could reach him or do any damage.

Cassie, no commander could be any more proud of you than I am right now, he communicated to her as she fought bravely. He reached the Supernova, the boys already positioned, as they waited for him to slide onto the northern tip. His second in command had linked the boys and Kayden felt the force of Woody’s power connect to him, dragging from them the magical force that was needed. Kayden felt the pull of the energy field from deep within him as Woody took what he needed from their powers to put this one out quickly before it did any more damage. At the same time an explosion blasted on the south side where Jase was and a huge chunk hurtled off.

We have to persist in our quest to defuse the situation before we can clean it up or we’ll end up with a bigger mess than we already have. Kayden commanded Woody to continue as they spun with the out-of-control Supernova. He worried Cassie was battling one-handed but knew they would be there to help her any minute now.

There was a loud gushing sound as the remains of the Supernova stopped dead in the sky, floating with no energy left to hurt a soul. Kayden put his men in a spin, the team rotating at cyclone speed around the dead missile, blasting the remains into translucent powder. The threat of the core alleviated, Kayden sent them out to clean up the remnants.

They were like mini-tornados, rotating so fast you could only see a blur of brightness crackling with lightning that destroyed anything they touched. They had become more powerful since Cassie had joined them, somehow tapping into her powers as well. The massive speed they travelled, picked up the iron shards and obliterated them on their way down to her. It was quite a picture to see them work.

We’re coming now! Hang in there, Cassie.

It was then that Kayden spotted yet another chunk hurtling towards her with such speed none of them could stop. The damned Supernova had almost detonated before Kayden and his men could put it out. Fractured casings from it were what hurtled towards her from all directions.

She was battling other remnants and maybe due to the pain she was in, had not detected the largest of them all.

Cassie, break right ! Kayden called down and even though she and her horse immediately did as he instructed, it was just too late. The shard was on top of her and even her hand was not quick enough to blast it. Her right arm was so badly damaged it was slowing her reaction time. She ducked and screamed as it sliced into her shoulder. Kayden swore, feeling the blood rush from his face as he saw the trouble she was in. He growled at his men to hurry. Stopping what he was doing, he made a beeline towards her. Being further from her than the rest, he was relying on at least Woody to reach her in time.