A group of giants attack a Tamarian train laboring through the mountains toward Marvic.  Garrick and Brenna join a small group of soldiers from a logistical unit, along with volunteer civilians, to defend the train.

   Garrick’s warning stirred several nearby passengers.  Soon, Brenna could hear many voices chattering with a tension clearly underscoring their rising sense of fear.  She could have run away, knowing that her superior night vision and speed would serve well to preserve her own life.  However, she loved Garrick and watching him prepare for a fight steeled her resolve.  After helping him remove the window shutter and reassemble its shaft into a rudimentary spear, Brenna stood near the back wall and strung her bow.

    The engineer, riding in the isolation of the locomotive cabin, noticed the fire on a flat section of the track ahead and began slowing in time to halt forward progress before his engine pushed the passenger cars into the blaze.  As his train came to rest, the engineer disembarked with his fireman and walked forward to inspect the tracks.

    A low whistle, followed by the crash of shattered glass and the shudder of the forward observation car deepened Garrick’s heartbeat to a strong pounding.  Passengers screamed.  Another impact rocked the train. All sense of social order disintegrated as men and women desperately sought escape through the doors and windows.  The young couple found themselves pressed against the train’s rear wall, unable to move.

    A rapid series of smaller impacts splintered west-facing windows and thudded against the train’s outer, aluminum skin.  Flying shards of glass mingled with wind-driven dust and snow as sling-propelled ice bullets and atlatl-assisted spearheads slammed into the train cars.  Wintry air flooded the passenger compartment as doors and windows opened, allowing people outside.  Instantly, the temperature within the economy class car plummeted dangerously. 

    Brenna winced, flinching as something stung her cheek.  Touching it, she felt warm, sticky liquid on her fingertips and removed a sharp shard of glass from her face.  The Lithian girl kissed her left index and middle fingers, and then pressed her hand into the injured flesh, believing that Allfather God would give her power to heal the wound.

    Garrick controlled his own sense of panic, hearing Major Gretschel repeatedly call for a calm evacuation.  Strict training and battle experience suppressed fear, until the familiar, pre combat adrenaline rush the young soldier experienced inspired focused determination for the imminent fight.  As sub-freezing air flooded the cabin, he thought of the gloves, scarf and headgear packed in his knapsack. While he waited for the cabin to clear, another pair of heavy impacts slammed into the forward train car, rocking it dangerously.  Garrick began counting.

    The cabin finally emptied.  Garrick pulled Brenna toward the door but motioned for her to stay inside and keep low.  While he counted, the young soldier slid Brenna’s backpack toward her and untied his own, reaching for winter gear to shield his skin from the extreme cold.  Brenna followed suit, then grabbed Garrick’s military field lens.

    When he reached 86, Garrick heard two more large projectiles coming and felt the train rock as they slammed into the forward car.  Picking up his makeshift weapon, Garrick led Brenna outside and found Major Gretschel organizing the civilians near the locomotive.

    The Tamarian officer sent half a dozen women and children inside the engineer’s cabin, where they would be sheltered from the cold and hidden during the upcoming battle.  He arranged injured passengers, most of them suffering glass cuts or crush-related damage trying to get out of the train, into groups on the ground, allowing the two elderly nurses to perform triage.  They began tending to wounds, but one of them shooed Brenna away with great vigor when the Lithian girl approached and offered to help.

    Since the officer seemed busy, Garrick found a sergeant named Henkelmann while Brenna crept around the train and peered westward with Garrick’s field lens.

    “It’s a small group,” Garrick told the sergeant.  “They’re firing two onagers, each of which needs a crew of four.  The rate of small projectile fire suggests half a dozen others on foot.  Brenna will scout them and let us know for sure.”

    “Ever fought giants, boy?” Sergeant Henkelmann asked in a wistful tone.

    Garrick shook his head.  “Not yet.  But that’s about to change, isn’t it?”

    Sergeant Henkelmann clasped Garrick by the shoulder.  “Let’s hope we live to fight another day.  If the giants don’t kill us, the cold certainly will.”

Above the Clouds