The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy



I watch with a great deal of awe as the assault begins.

Planes and helicopters fly from some airfield behind us and over our heads, moving fast for the Atalaxian cliff. As I watch the storm clouds above the cliff begin to retreat, making space for the planes. The Atalaxian front seems almost to steel itself as little black dots begin to fall from our aircraft, drifting down towards the earth, looking almost...benign. Like little flies, or birds.

I jump when they begin to explode, surprised by the amount of light and noise when the Atalaxian front seems so far away. Jackson leans closer to me, lending his support. I glance up at Luca, who like me just stares in awe.

The bombs fail to do much at first, seeming to explode almost...above the entrenched forces on the cliffside.

"Do they...do they have some kind of barrier?" I whisper, looking up at Jacks as Rafe strides along our line of Cadets, ensuring that both people and anti-aircraft guns are ready. "Is that why the bombs aren't landing?"noveldrama

"Yes," Jackson replies, glancing down at me. "They have some kind of powerful magic that allows them to build - I don't know, the commanders keep calling it a forcefield? It's not impregnable, but it's tough. There –“

He lifts his left hand and points to the cliff. I turn my eyes back to it, peering close.

"See?" Jackson says. "There at the center - the bombs are starting to get through. It takes a great deal of firepower but...well, we're ready for that tonight."

I nod, still watching, fascinated to see that Jackson is right. The bombs were exploding above the Atalaxian forces and buildings a few moments ago, but now they're falling further and hitting the ground, leaving significant damage.

And more bombs continue to fall.

Time passes as the sky blooms orange and purple and red, but I hardly notice it, fascinated as I am by the battle unfolding before me. Jackson helps to narrate things and I notice Luca listening too as he tells us about the plan to keep up a constant assault, to overwhelm them with a barrage of firepower that we haven't used before.

"Won't this deplete our resources?" Luca murmurs, glancing over at Jacks.

"Yup," Jackson says, glancing back. “It's a little like the all-or-nothing plan you came up with when we read that first map together, Luc. The more conservative path we were taking before wasn't working either. This war is ending within the next few months either way. So, Moon Valley is going all out."

"Shit," Luca murmurs, shaking his head and turning back towards the skies.

I feel precisely the same, swallowing

through the thick lump in my throat.

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Then my eyes go wide as I see aircraft begin to move from the Atalaxian side as well, lifting into the air and beginning to engage the aerial assault – and then to move beyond it.

Towards those of us holding this outer line.

“Ready!” Rafe barks out, his voice carrying naturally over our gathered troops.

The Cadets all bark back an

affirmation and I set my shoulders, keeping my eyes carefully on the

skies as the Cadets around me

begin to man the gigantic guns to

which we've been assigned

I start when I see that. “What?” I gasp, turning half around. “Am I supposed to be – doing something?"

"Not you," Jacks murmurs, putting a hand on my shoulder and turning me back. "You weren't trained on those."

"Were you?" I sputter out, looking up at him.

He frowns at me. "What did you think we were doing all day in Warrior track?"

"Punching each other!" I reply, perfectly honest.

He laughs shortly at me and shakes his head. "We do more than that, Clark."

"Do you know how to use that thing?" I ask Luca, pointing at the closest gun which I'm shocked to see Jesse climbing all over, barking orders at his fellow Cadets.

"Sure," he says, giving a shrug as my mouth fatts open. "But tonight I've just been assigned to hang out with you." He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. "You're more powerful than any of those, anyway.

I sigh, supposing that that's true.

But a flash of light in the air ahead of us has my attention snapping back to the battle in the distance. And then up into the sky, where a pounding sound starts to echo.