“Maybe so,” I growled back, laboring to split my attention. “But it makes you think, doesn’t it?”
And that’s when Elise’s spear came sailing through the air to strike Frosty square in the throat. The raknoth staggered back with a disturbing wet coughing sound. I tried to telekinetically drive the spear in deeper, but she was already ripping it free with a growl, snapping the composite haft in two like a twig. I rolled out of the way as she flung one piece at my head. When I came back up, she was already leaping past me, straight for Elise.
I caught the raknoth in my mind and slammed her to the rocky ground as hard as I could, stumbling to my feet.
“Shoot her!” I yelled, keeping the pressure on.
Half a dozen legionnaires gladly opened up, having been waiting for their shot. Around us, the rest of the fighting seemed to be dying down, Frosty’s hybrids largely wiped out. Not that that meant we were at an advantage.
The first outpouring of slugs slammed into Frosty’s invisible barrier, a line of spent softsteel quickly forming on the rocks between her and the legionnaires. She tried to rise, but I slammed her back down with telekinesis, holding her firm. Her crimson gaze snapped to me, and then she really put her back into it.
I was on my knees before I knew it, head spinning with the effort of keeping her immobilized. It was too much. I’d channeled too much. Was exhausted to my bones. Couldn’t…
I felt my body lilt forward, ready to toppled to the rock.
And would that be so bad, if I just laid down and went with it?
Maybe not. I could all but feel the blessed emptiness of unconsciousness embracing me, like gentle hands lacing around my chest and shoulders from behind. A soft body pressing against my back. A daydream of Elise, inviting me to give in and—
“Hold on, Demon. Help is almost here.”
I jerked a few inches from the darkness at the sound of Siren’s voice in my mind. The hands were still there, wrapped around me.
Her hands.
What in demons’ depths was she—
But I felt it then, like plunging into a cool, clear lake on a stifling Midsummer day—a gleaming reservoir of support and relief radiating from where she touched me, right there for the taking. And I didn’t have time to ask questions.
What happened next was hard to understand by sensation alone. It wasn’t so much that my fatigue went away as that I shared some of it, diluting its effects between myself and… Siren? I didn’t know. Didn’t understand what was happening. All I knew was that when I dug deeper to keep Frosty pinned down through another frantic surge, the effort was noticeably easier.
“Alpha be sweet,” Siren groaned in my mind. “Take it easy on a girl.”
Not easier, then, I guessed. Just distributed.
I wasn’t sure whether to apologize or push harder.
More legionnaires were joining in from mopping up the hybrids now, a small mountain of slugs piling around Frosty. A few were even starting to punch through. I saw Edwards limping up with his heavy rifle. If we could just keep Frosty immobilized a little longer…
But then I felt them—two telepathic minds, howling through the sky straight for us—and my stomach fell.
More raknoth, coming to rescue their pinned ally?
I reached out, trying to investigate, and—
“No!” Siren sent. “They’re with us. Don’t let it break your—”
A low boom ended her thought as Frosty pounced on the distraction and let loose with a blast of force that sent most of the spent slugs rocketing back at the legionnaires like bomb-propelled shrapnel.
And I was too late to even try to stop it.
Slugs ripped into the ranks as legionnaires tried and failed to take cover in time. Some fell dead on the spot. Others hunkered down and returned fire, their armor taking the worst of the attack. I rose to wobbly feet, Siren slumping down behind me, apparently too exhausted to follow.
Frosty was already up, in full, monstrous raknoth form now, surveying her wreckage with a snarl from her elongating muzzle. Past her, near Elise, a gray skimmer was landing, carrying the two telepaths who’d pulled my attention a moment ago.
“—here to help,” Siren sent weakly.
Did that mean more Seekers?
Judging by Frosty’s reaction, I was guessing so.
The raknoth called my dagger to hand from the dirt and turned my way, crimson eyes flaring bright. She touched fist to chest in mocking salute and flashed a fanged smile. For a second, I thought she’d charge—try to end me before any of us could recover.
Instead, she turned and hurled the dagger over the Legion line. Straight for Glenbark. The High General was bent over a wounded soldier, unaware. I let out a wordless yell. Reached out. All too late.
The blade rocketed forward, guided by Frosty’s telekinetic desire.
“FREYA!” someone bellowed.
Glenbark snapped around, eyes wide, the blade mere feet away.
Then Johnny slammed into her side in a rough tackle, driving them both to the ground.
I nearly fell over in relief, then forced myself to turn back to Frosty instead. But she was already sailing through the air, back for the canyon from which they’d sprung their ambush. Her transport was waiting there, rising from the canyon depths to catch her in midair on the second inhuman leap.
She turned back, crimson eyes glaring down on us. “Until next time, Haldin Raish.”
Then the transport turned and sped off into open sky, leaving behind a desolate battlefield, overflowing with dead hybrids and wounded legionnaires. Dread weighing on my chest, I looked over to check if Johnny was okay.
Bleeding a bit maybe, judging from the way Glenbark was inspecting his shoulder, but decidedly not dead. Thank Alpha. I turned to see Elise jogging my way. She was unharmed, the worry on her face solely for me and the wounded. I thanked Alpha a second time, then allowed myself to buckle to a seated heap on the ground.
“She was always a bitch,” Siren groaned beside me, “even before she went all red-eyes.”
“Frosty?” I mumbled, my thoughts not quite all there.
She raised her head to look at me, looking amused despite her light pallor. “She is, isn’t she?”
“Hal?” Elise called nearby. She took the last stretch at a run and dropped to her knees to wrap me in a tight hug. “Sweet Alpha, I can’t let you out of my sight for a minute.” She pulled back to look at me. “When your transport went down…”
“The Demon gave us quite the ride back there,” Siren agreed, sitting up.
Elise shot a dark look at her but said nothing. Had Johnny already filled her in on why my assassin was sitting within spitting distance, then?
Elise focused back on me. “Is Haven still safe with these people around?”
“Probably not, but…” I lost the thought as Elise’s words clicked. These people. Plural.
I’d nearly forgotten about our two telepathic arrivals.
They were watching us from beside the gray skimmer they’d landed in—a tall, slender man with long dark hair and the dark clothing to match, and a giantess of a woman, dressed all in dull grays and stern-faced beneath her short blond hair. Both, I noticed, wore slender collars just like Siren’s. They had their hands raised in casual surrender, but neither one seemed all that troubled by the several legionnaires aiming weapons at them. I felt a flicker of something passing between them and Siren as Dillard parted from the crowd to go inquire as to what the scud they were doing here.
“Don’t shoot them,” Siren called, rising to her feet with a wince and a languorous sigh. “Pretty please.”
At a look, Elise stood and hauled me to my weary feet to follow after her.
“—what you’re doing here,” Dillard was saying when we drew close enough to hear.
“It’s none of your concern,” said the slender dark-clad man in a voice that was deeper than I would’ve guessed. He wasn’t quite stand-offish so much as dismissive, slightly tense, like he had somewhere to be, a
nd this wasn’t it.
“If you won’t tell my ordo who you are,” Glenbark called, pushing to the front of the ranks beside Dillard, “I’m going to have to grow insistent.”
“He’s a Seeker,” I called, drawing confused looks from the legionnaires and dark scowls from the two telepaths.
“They both are.”
28
Battle Plans
“I can’t believe Glenbark agreed to this,” Elise muttered.
We were huddled together in the back of the fresh transport the closest outpost had sent to collect us from the canyon and see us back to Haven. I followed her gaze to where the three Seekers were surveying us from the opposite corner of the cabin—Siren with her sultry blond charms, and Dark Eyes and The Giantess with their brooding silence.
I wasn’t entirely sure myself why Glenbark had so forcefully suggested they come along to explain themselves back in the safety of Haven. The safety of Haven seemed a whole lot less safe with them around. That the Seekers hadn’t argued with Glenbark only increased my uneasiness. I was almost certain it would’ve been better to send them on their way.
Even without my extended senses, I got the impression they were conversing telepathically at that moment. Dark Eyes scrutinized me, then shook his head as if to say No way. Siren shrugged at him as if to say Believe what you will then shot me a wink that made no pretenses. Elise’s scowl darkened. I squeezed her hand, trying to bring her attention back to our quiet corner.
“I can’t believe I grabbed her ass,” Johnny said quietly, having missed the entire interaction as he stared at his own hands in awe. It took me a few seconds to place that he too was talking about Glenbark, and the brush he’d had when he’d caught us leaping from the tumbling transport.
I looked between them. “I can’t believe either of you are thinking about anything but the fact that there’s another Zar’Faenor running around out there.” I gave Johnny a pointed look. “While we’re at it, though, I also can’t believe you stunned me in the back.”
Johnny shook himself from his reverie and scrunched his face up in half-apology. “Yeeeah. Look, you know I love you, broto…”
“Do I sense a but coming?”
“Eh, not really a but…” He cocked his head. “But, do you see how it feels now, when your broto decides to go and do things his own way without telling you?”
“Landing your friend back in the Sanctum’s sights seems kinda steep for a lesson,” Elise said.
“Yeah,” I added, “next time I have an issue with your teamwork skills, I’ll be sure to help Glenbark throw your ass on the world’s most dangerous hit list, broto.”
“Ooo…” Johnny made a face like he needed a minute. “Don’t talk to me about Glenbark and asses right now.”
Elise sighed, but I saw the trace of a smile on her lips.
“Maybe keep your voice down just a sliver, Captain Grabby Hands,” I said quietly while Johnny glanced longingly toward the head of the transport.
“Was that—” Johnny glanced furtively around the cabin, seemed to assure himself that no one had heard, then turned back to me. “Fine. I heed your point, goodfellow. I’m sorry I stunned you.”
“And lied to us?” Elise asked.
Johnny glanced between us with a look that said, That’s rich, coming from you, but finally relented. “And lied to you. But for what it’s worth, I honestly believed Glenbark’s plan was the best bet we had for your long term safety, buddy.” He glanced down at his hands, real remorse creeping over his face. “I’m sorry it went the way it did back there.”
I said nothing. Elise stroked my hand with her thumb, all of us silently contemplating the High Cleric’s new ruling. Enemy of Enochia. Part of me wanted to be angry with Johnny. It hurt, knowing my best friend had willingly conspired behind my back. But thinking of how the situation might have erupted if he hadn’t…
I wasn’t entirely sure if I would’ve done what Johnny had done. But what I was sure of, beyond the shadow of a doubt, was that Johnny was my friend.
“Hey,” I finally said, “at least Glenbark stuck around to pull me out of the transport back there. That’s something.”
“Yeah, man,” Johnny said, shaking his head. “It really was. I mean, I knew she was in good shape, but damn.” He looked between us, gauging my expression. “Oh, you meant, like, because of the betrayal and the redemption and all that. Yeah, that too.”
Elise gave me a look of conspiratorial amusement before turning to Johnny. “You seem just a touch smitten, my goodfellow.”
“What? No, I just—Lady’s strong, okay? She hauled your man there out of that transport like a little Hal doll. And besides, it’s smoten, isn’t it?”
Elise’s smile widened. “It’s not.”
“And not to sound insecure or anything,” I added, “but I was a little busy holding up the entire damn transport at the time.”
It was my turn to receive Elise’s patronizing stare. “I still can’t believe you tried that.” She shook her head in wonder. ”Or that it worked.”
Johnny waved a hand. “Well he didn’t actually lift the entire thing.” He glanced at me. “Right? I mean, granted, I’m not really sure how you… you know, do your thing. But there were, like, leverages involved and whatnot, right?”
I just watched, waiting for him to arrive at his own conclusion.
He sighed. “Okay, you’re basically the son of Alpha. Are you happy?”
I shrugged, smiling a little, and decided that—in that moment, with Johnny and Elise by my side—I was, in fact, reasonably happy. The moment only lasted until I accidentally glanced over and saw Dark Eyes still staring at me intently, but it was still nice to be reminded, if only for a moment, that there was something to be fighting for.
Having finished whatever damage control she was coordinating, a grim-faced Glenbark descended from the front cabin, eliciting rapt attention from all the legionnaires present—particularly Johnny. She spotted me, indicated she wanted to talk above, and turned to ascend without a word. Once she was gone, the curious eyes turned our way.
“Shall we?” I asked quietly.
Elise and Johnny rose to lead the way. Across the isle, Franco rose from his place with James and Phineas to follow us. After the near riotous stares I’d experienced back in Haven, I was sticking to my new practice of keeping my eyes front and center when, only a few steps in, something extended into my periphery. A legionnaire’s fist, I realized, held out to me in a gesture of friendly camaraderie.
For a second, I could only stare, not quite understanding. I stared long enough that the woman started to abashedly lower her fist. I hurriedly raised mine and leaned in to touch my knuckles to her with a muttered, “I, uh—Thanks.”
Thanks?
I wasn’t really sure why I said it, but she smiled and nodded. I turned to find another fist waiting. And another. I moved all the way down the line, every single legionnaire touching their fist to mine—some reserved and respectful, a few openly smiling.
I went with it, not really understanding what had suddenly changed but grateful for the building sense of acceptance with each fist I touched. As we reached the front of the cabin, Siren extended her closed fist on the left with a mischievous grin. I ignored it, too caught up in the legionnaires’ sincere gesture to heed her silly little game.
Elise, on the other hand, looked like she would’ve been all too happy to lend Siren the use of her clenched fist.
“I don’t get it,” I said quietly to Johnny when we’d reached the more isolated upper cabin. “What did I do?”
“You fought yourself half unconscious twice over to save the legionnaires who’d just helped deliver you to your unsuspecting trial,” Glenbark said, turning in her seat to face us. “It shouldn’t surprise you that we care about that kind of thing, Haldin.”
It didn’t surprise me when she put it that way. It just hadn’t occurred to me to even see things from that angle.
Glenbark’s eyes flicked from Franco to Elis
e to Johnny, not so much protesting their presence as merely documenting it, then she waved for us to join her. Elise and I took the two empty seats opposite her, Franco settling in the next row over. Johnny, having no other convenient option, chose the seat directly beside Glenbark. That seemed to amuse Elise, which in turn seemed to turn Johnny’s cheeks roughly the same color as his hair.
If Glenbark noticed, she didn’t say anything. Which was understandable, given the stellar levels of gropped up our day had already reached and handily surpassed.
“That… thing,” she started.
“We call her Frosty,” Johnny provided.
Glenbark pursed her lips, considering, and seemed to decide now wasn’t the time to start rejecting odd ideas. “Fine. Frosty. You said she was a Seeker.”
I nodded. “She was at the White Tower the night of… the massacre.” Elise squeezed my hand, and I pushed on. “She escaped with the raknoth posing as the last High Cleric, along with another of her colleagues.”
“Smirks,” Johnny added.
A pang of guilt moved through me at the memory of Smirks. Bastard that he’d been, he’d tried to do the right thing in the end. He’d helped me break free of Al’Kundesha’s telepathic hold. And I’d failed to repay the favor when Frosty and her raknoth master had snatched him up and fled into the night.
“Well,” Glenbark said, “at least we have no shortage of cute nicknames for our enemies. So I’m to understand that this Frosty has been… taken by one of the remaining raknoth? And that this raknoth now possesses abilities like yours?”
I nodded.
“How powerful does that make her?”
I looked around the quiet space, pretty sure they all already instinctively knew the gist of the answer. “I’m not sure. I think she’s playing by the same rules I am, at least. As in, she’s limited by how much energy she can channel before she passes out or hurts herself.
“But?”
“But raknoth bodies can handle a lot of abuse.”
Glenbark glanced at her empty scabbard, all too aware of just how much punishment a raknoth could give and take. “And what of the fallen raknoth, Zar’Faenor? Your reports indicated he was similarly capable. Had he also claimed a Seeker for a host?”
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