Rising Tide Read Online Free PDF Page A

okay?”
    â€œOkay,” Tess said.
    â€œOkay,” Claudia said to me.
    â€œOkay,” I repeated.
    I set the Cherub down.

    The howls of Ferals were already echoing across the open space as we descended the Cherub ’s ramp. I held the revolver in my hand, scanning for any signs of movement. Beside me, Claudia fitted an arrow to her bow. It made me want to grab her and kiss her, but now was definitely not the time.
    Luckily for us, the field was made out of synthetic grass. I’d seen it before—unnerving that they had such things, but it meant the field wasn’t overgrown. Easy place to land, no chance of getting caught up or tripped.
    I let myself settle into a loose stance, the revolver out, and then they were there, barreling across the open space. I tracked my target, a tall, rangy Feral, male, its long, thin limbs propelling it toward me with worrying speed.
    I sighted down the barrel. Squeezed the trigger. The Feral still came.
    I inhaled, sighted, and shot again. The bullet took it in the shoulder as it was coming up from its crouch, spun it around, and threw it backward.
    I swiveled to another target.
    Part of me was calmed by the presence of the others. It wasn’t that I trusted them (except for Claudia) but they were experienced (except for Tess), and they were covering the places I couldn’t cover—and for the moment that was enough. I didn’t have to look behind me.
    I suppressed the urge to look behind me.
    I shot, then shot again, then again and again. The others covered me as I reloaded. The gunshots echoed across the expanse of the football field. Any Ferals in the area would know we were here. That moment of alarm turned to delight as I watched Feral after Feral fall. They should know we were here. Should know that we carried thunder. Should know they were coming to their deaths.
    The moment of triumph swelled, and then collapsed. Cheyenne, pulling back to reload, slipped on the wet turf and went down on one knee. Mal was also reloading, and suddenly a hole opened up. Ferals are stupid, but not so stupid that they can’t sense weakness, and a few of them curved around to come in on that side.
    And just like that, our order fell to chaos.
    I had just enough time to swerve the revolver around at a dark-skinned, female Feral that was springing toward me. The shot clipped it and stopped it for a moment, but it wasn’t down. Then there was another, then another.
    â€œFuck!” I heard behind me, but it wasn’t Claudia’s voice. I shot down a young Feral male, dancing away from where it crawled at me. Then another two shots to take the female down for good.
    Then I was dry.
    I turned my head for a split-second to see what was happening beside me. Scared, anxious faces. Lots of bullets (and arrows) in the air.
    Then it was on me. For a moment, my brain couldn’t make sense of things. This person had clothes on—a leather jacket. The tatters of a scarf. But survival instincts kicked in shortly afterward. I slammed the empty revolver into the side of its head and threw it to one side. Recently Faded. And no time to reload.
    I did something that I don’t normally do. I moved toward it, kicking out with my boot, trying to get some space. I was closer than I ever liked to be, and not armed, and I wanted this thing away. I kicked again, but it dodged my foot, and then I was tipping backward. I hit the ground with my side, and I saw the thing pressing back on its legs, about to jump, and—
    A bullet took it in the head. On an angle so that the spray went wide of where I lay. I looked back quickly to see Mal pointing his gun in my direction. I got back to my feet, took the moment to slap a few bullets into the revolver, then turned and fired at whatever Ferals I could find.
    It was loud and messy and then . . . it was over. Bodies littered the ground. My breath was loud behind my scarf. I counted five of us. All standing. Of course the bulk