Tomas was leading the team nearest the farms, and they’d been loaded with some explosives. Melita had taken command of Uni Gardens team. They had Drayce as a sniper and a special surprise for the Empire.
The low rumble of an engine growled its way down the street, reaching above the steady patter of rainfall. Drayce shifted his position to look away from the gate to see a large truck trundling along the empty street and steadily picking up speed. His heart skipped a beat; Eno was behind the wheel of the angry monster. What the fuck was he thinking? Why the hell had he volunteered for this job?
But there was no time to contemplate Eno’s vaguely suicidal tendencies as the truck passed his position. The soldiers in front of the gate were lazily waving their arms at the truck, signaling for him to stop.
Even from atop of the building, Drayce could hear Eno downshift and accelerate. The engine roared toward the squad of Empire soldiers, their cries growing more frantic as the yards turned into feet too quickly. Oh yeah, he wasn’t going to slow.
Drayce stomped on his own flutter of nerves and braced the rifle against his shoulder. His finger moved from the guard to the trigger and he took in a deep breath, waiting for the right moment.
Tires squealed and the entire truck jerked, turning sideways. For only a heartbeat, the entire thing was balanced on two wheels as it slid into the Empire soldiers. The driver’s side door burst open and Eno was airborne, flying clear of the vehicle.
As much as Drayce wanted to follow him through the air, his gaze was locked on the underside of the truck. He’d get one opening. The second the gas tank came into view, he blew out the breath filling his lungs and smoothly squeezed the trigger.
The bullet struck its target, creating a massive ball of flames as the truck rolled into the Empire soldiers. Chaos and black smoke blanketed the area, making it hard to pick out New Rosanthe soldiers in the mess, but as soon as one surfaced, Drayce picked him off. He caught brief flashes of Eno along with the other Erya fighters as they stormed the gate.
One explosion after another rocked the early morning air as the second team attacked the other side of the gate. The wind and the rain helped to clear some of the smoke, allowing Drayce to effectively support the fighters risking their lives for Erya.
He didn’t want to think about what he was doing. A little voice in his brain wanted to argue that being a sniper was unfair. His targets never saw him, never had a chance to fight him. It was better to be in the middle of the fray, to face his target.
But what if the one he showed mercy was the one who ended up killing Eno today?
Or killing Rayne or Caelan in the future?
No, that was never going to happen. He’d kill every New Rosanthe soldier he saw to keep Caelan safe.
So, he pulled the trigger again and again. He reloaded until there were no more shells waiting for his fingers.
The battle raged back and forth for what felt like an eternity. The Erya fighters took the upper hand quickly, but the Empire steadily gained ground with superior numbers. Drayce clenched his teeth, hanging on to his last couple of shots. The Erya fighters and New Rosanthe soldiers were so mixed together now that it was hard to get a clear shot without endangering one of their own people. Should he leave his post and go down there? He wasn’t doing a damn bit of good now.
A scrap of gravel barely reached his ear. He didn’t think about it. Didn’t question it. Releasing the rifle, he rolled to his left, palming one of his handguns as he moved. The gun was up the second he landed on his back. The soldier in New Rosanthe black and gold was still blinking at where he had been a second earlier when Drayce pulled the trigger, placing the bullet right in the dead center of his forehead.
As the man collapsed to the roof like a sack of wet noodles, Drayce swore loudly. That had been too damn close. If he was going to get shot at, he was going to do it down with all the others. There was no point in staying with only two bullets for the sniper rifle and his cover blown. Might as well go play with all the other kids.
Drayce scrambled to the rifle and picked it up from its little stand to see that the scene at the gate had drastically changed. The Empire soldiers were all on their knees, their hands laced together on the tops of their heads. Surrounding them were both Erya fighters and Erya Royal Guard in all their beautiful glory. The freaking Army had finally arrived to turn the tide!