Xavier turned back toward the wrecked hover and crouched beside it, ignoring the ache that still pulsed through his side. One of the panels had peeled away completely. The engine housing was split open, cables hanging loose and sparking weakly. He ripped the console free and powered it on manually, thumb sliding across cracked glass until the navigation flickered to life.
He squinted at the readout.
"About a hundred kilometers," he said.
Klatos limped closer, feathers matted with blood. "That's not walking distance."
"No," Xavier replied, straightening. "It's not."
Klatos opened his mouth to ask what the alternative was, but the answer arrived on its own.
The sound came first. Xavier looked up just in time to see shadows pass over the treeline. Three hover vans dropped into view, angular and armored, followed by two machine escorts that hovered lower, weapons already tracking.
Klatos swore. "AIL."
