Free Shattered Shields - eARC by Jennifer Brozek, Bryan Thomas Schmidt Page A

leaves and branches of her tree to whisper the words. “A Ravager approaches.”
    “Then leave that tree. We have to get out of here—” I began.
    “More humans follow it…gooo…I will hold them here—”
    “Damn it, Nereas, I’m ordering you to come out of there right now !” I said.
    “Gooo now…before it’s too late.”
    “She’s right, Topkir,” Rethgar said, blunt as a stone. “We gotta go, afore we’re all nicked.”
    I didn’t move, even though I could sense more footsteps behind the Ravager. “Nereas—”
    An oak branch bent down to push me, not unkindly, toward the far end of the clearing. “Nooo time…gooo!”
    Fists clenched with rage, yet knowing she was right, I stumbled to the other side of the clearing. A blue-white glow from the forest warned where the Ravager was coming from, and as I pushed into the underbrush, I glanced back to see it explode into the glade.
    A head higher than any tallest I’d ever seen, the Ravager was a cold-iron monstrosity, one of our enemy—at least I was pretty sure a tallest was inside it—that was encased entirely in iron. Some kind of unknown, fearful magic allowed the person inside to see, because there was no viewport on the blank face, only smooth metal. Its hobnailed feet sank an inch or two into the ground with each step, but it strode forward with ease. Blue-white light flashed from the joints of its arms and legs each time it moved. Several tallest trailed behind it, using the Ravager as a merciless battering ram to clear the forest before them.
    Nereas reached for it with every branch she had, entwining its arms and legs in wood. The Ravager plowed relentlessly forward, its jointed fingers grabbing oak limbs, snapping them off, and casting them aside. I knew every broken limb hurt Nereas—a dryad feels damage to the tree she inhabits as if the injury is inflicted on her—yet I still didn’t move, hoping she would flee before it was too late.
    The Ravager marched toward her oak, breaking tree limbs as thick as my body like they were brittle twigs. Reaching the trunk, it encircled hard metal arms around it and strained. Nereas screamed as the iron pressed into the tree. With a mighty heave, the Ravager ripped the mature oak from the ground and dropped it, the once majestic tree now dying—and with it, one of my best scouts.
    Hands clutched my jerkin and pulled me into the brush. Blinking tears from my eyes, I let myself be led deeper into the woods as we fled.
    * * *
    We ran for what seemed like hours, until we were sure we had left all pursuit behind. No one complained, although Bzith panted hoarsely with every step. His brother and Rethgar took turns helping him along. Although the tallest have a longer stride than us, they do not know the forest like we who have grown up in it.
    Night shrouded us when I finally called a halt. We staggered to a stop amid a cluster of elms, their leaves fluttering in the slight breeze. Normally I would have had Nereas merge with the biggest tree to sense for nearby enemies, but that wasn’t possible anymore. I merged with the earth for a moment, reaching out for anyone following us, but felt nothing. Pulling back up, I rubbed a grimy hand over my face, the strain and lack of sleep weighing on me as the rush of combat and flight faded. Even so, something about that fight bothered me.
    “What now, Top?” Fzith asked. “Tallest are pushin’ deeper in. We need t’report back, yah?”
    Still deep in thought, I didn’t reply. Then I realized what was strange. “They had a Ravager.”
    Rethgar spat on the ground. “Yeah, so? See more and more damnable things from them every day. What’s special bout this one?”
    “Intel says Ravagers don’t operate on the front lines unless there’s a tallest caster nearby—something about needing them to make the construct work. We didn’t see any caster sign, which means they’re hiding him somewhere.” I raised my head to stare at my squad. “We need to find that