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Grabbing my laser rifle, I tugged the door open and scrambled out into the cavern corridor. Racopian soldiers filed, lining up to go deeper into the cavern space. I passed by the section of rear guard and found Lerun on the side.
"Those boots don’t sound like they belong here." He jested with a smile.
I tossed one right back. "They may not be Racopian standard issue, but I have orders to join your platoon."
"Head towards the middle. You should find Maagda behind the ground defense division."
"On my way."
"Sergeant Jordan."
I looked back at him, surprised to hear him address me by my military rank.
"Welcome to the Racopian forces."
Chapter Sixteen
HARPER
The next several hourspassed as we made our way through the cavern tunnel network and emerged on the other side of the canyon. The caverns took us underground, below the foothills and into the mountains. I felt the interior grow colder as the ground sloped upward.
Lerun positioned himself in the front. The fighting from above could be heard throughout our rocky space, bouncing and echoing from the stalactite-filled ceiling. One of our scouts met him at the entrance and talked privately. Lerun returned to give us the report. I held onto my rifle and knapsack of med supplies, waiting for orders.
"Our infantry took out the defenses at the base of the citadel. Dremos and Varus have their teams going in."
The soldiers cheered. Lerun quieted them. "Those teams are going to need backup. Take up reinforcements to the east and west. Harper, Maagda, there are already a few injured in the citadel’s west hall. I’ll go with you to help set up a clinic there."
I readied myself to depart from the cavern. Maagda gave me a nod of solidarity as she hoisted her weapon and field bag of supplies. Lerun gave the signal and the troops marched from out of the cavern.
I didn’t see Varus among the soldiers fighting everywhere around us.
The towering citadel loomed. The western staircase was battered by aerial trajectory and multiple shots from laser rifles. Our reinforcements flanked us on both sides as Maagda, Lerun, and I ran up the stairs. In the distance, I heard the shouts and cheers of civilians as Varus’s forces gained ground. Flyers covered me from overhead as Isath’s forces fought back.
The western hall of the citadel was littered with debris and broken statues that had fallen from their bases during the breach. Our squad formed a barrier to the western hall once we were all inside. We reached the section of the hall that widened out into a fifteen-foot rectangular space. There, our injured were gathered on the floor, waiting to be treated.
"I remember these halls." Lerun felt along the wall for a panel and pressed his hand against it. A section in the rear of the room opened up to reveal an added thirteen feet of space. "We need this space secured for the medics. Use the statues, anything you can find to form a barrier to buy them time."
