January 14, 2112
James Stone
"James. James, wake up!" My eyes opened to see Valiic holding my back up and calling down to me.
I was on a street, and just about everyone was there; Valiic, Shadow-Walker, Geariic, Alabon, Frost, and even the Prime Keeper of the Treasured City, Witna.
I stood up, with Valiic's help, and said, "We did it. Jeremiah and I stopped the bomb."
"Where is he?" Witna's eyes were shiny.
I shook my head. "He gave up his life to stop it." I intentionally held back my knowledge of him being a Devisor.
Grief weighted down the air. Shadow-Walker banged his hand on the nearby wall. "Damn. That punk was beginning to grow on me."
I nodded. "He truly was the type to grow on you, with his unending supply of optimism."
Frost signed a cross over his chest and raised his hand to the air. "Rest in peace, uzzo." He comforted Witna, who was beside him.
Geariic marched past Valiic and stood before me. "You know what we have to do now, right?"
I stared back. "If you're about to suggest that we go after--"
"If what? That's exactly what I think we should do. We need to go after Airra now. It's the right thing."
"She just used a Devisor bomb. Remember how weak that made her last time. She'll never be more weakened and vulnerable than she is right now," Valiic added.
"Let's not jump straight to go," I said. "After she kicked our asses straight to hell last time, going after Airra is chewing-the-cord dumb."
Geariic held taunt in stance and smirked. "Whatever happened to the old James? The man I heard about, the man I first met, wouldn't hesitate to go after a warlord," Geariic criticized.
"What happened? I lost people, Geariic. People I cared about took their last breath because of my hotheaded carelessness. When it was just my ass on the line, that was one thing. But it isn't just my ass anymore. I got family that needs me to have their best interests at heart. And frak, I wish I had understood that sooner. Maybe then Uslar, Malcolm, Vaalima, and Beverly would be alive."
Geariic snorted at the response. "So what? I said it once before: People die."
"You wouldn't say that if it was your brother," I countered.
Geariic's face was red with ire. I could tell he wanted to rip me a new one. He took a breath.
I took his silence as a cue to speak. "Most of us here have fought Airra. We know her. This is a trap… one as obvious as the day is bright. Regardless, we nearly all bit the bullet last time we took her on alone. So let's not go starting fires where there is no wood to burn."
"James. You have us this time. Trap or not, she has no hope against four aces," Alabon added as he neared us.
As stupid as it may seem, I really hadn't seen it like that. Here these two behemoths were ready to help my unit destroy Airra once and for all. In the best case scenario, an outcome like that could go as far as to end the war. Words didn't do justice to how appealing that was to me. To top off the cake, they already had killed another warlord, Cralo, a while back. They had experience few others had. Even with all the positives banging around in my mind, I just couldn't let myself repeat mistakes I had already made. It wasn't worth risking the lives of my family.
Valiic jumped in with his input. "James, we owe it to the people. Speaking for myself, one reason I joined this war was to protect those in need. The Wersillian Legion destroys lives every day. We can't let this be another place that falls because of them."
"Think of Narrisa," I implored.
"I do every day. There's a well-known maelkii saying: Return with your shield or on it. I'd rather never return to her than to return to her harboring the heavy weight of dishonor. Honor is everything. I won't let these people die knowing I could've done something about it."
I moved past Geariic and Valiic and called the attention of the rest. "Is that it, then? Is that what you all want?"
Frost's veins popped thick in his neck, ice shelled over his arms. "Big Daddy's still got a score to settle with that ugly bitch!"
Shadow-Walker and Witna nodded in agreement. Of course, Witna wanted us to help. How could she not? Alabon was giddy and eager as ever. His body trembled with anticipation, and I knew in that moment he was on board.
I did not feel comfortable with this decision. Then again, I always preferred leading as a group over making the sole decision. If they wanted to try their hands at taking on Airra, I wasn't going to be the one to stop them.
"Fine, then. Looks like everyone's on board with Airra round two. Even still, there is still that matter of her army," I said.
"Leave that to us." Witna's expression changed from grief to anger. It was clear she wanted to avenge Jeremiah.
"Us?" asked Frost.
"Our species is quite good at coming together against a common threat. I'll send word immediately."
"Best go with her, Shadow. With your injuries, I don't want you near Airra."
"Not a problem with me." Shadow-Walker grinned. He followed Witna as she left.
The plan was set. The time to revisit our rivalry against the great head warlord Airra was about to reach another phase. My stomach was playing jump rope with my intestines at the mere thought to having do battle with her once more.
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
The roars of battle raged on the outskirts of Pullentin, a city in-between Lamnlair and the Treasured City. At first glance, it would seem in this battle we'd lose right away, given the ability of the enemy to seemingly do as they wished. However, their being here was breaking an unwritten law that could hold severe consequences in the long run. So, they couldn't risk too many moves, and the corelinns had the weight of numbers. The battle where the corelinns took it to the Wersillian Legion today was on their terms, their land.
Using the distraction of the battle, my unit and I slipped into the city. It was Geariic, Alabon, Valiic, Frost, and myself on a mission to hopefully end the reign of terror left in the wake of Airra. We knew Airra was in the city somewhere, weakened and vulnerable. In the city streets, it became apparent fast this place was as quiet as a graveyard in a lone town. As we went deeper into the core, the screams of battle outside the city faded away. We were left with nothing but the howling wind.
As we passed the outsides of buildings, we saw they had already been scavenged, likely scavenged by the enemy in battle. Tents, restaurants, stands; all of it had been ransacked.
Deeper into the core of Pullentin we went until we found something egregious. Painted in blood on a few walls were words of a dytirc language. Translated, it read, "Did you enjoy the present I sent you? Did you enjoy that bomb? I had to clone myself so I could activate it at that other city. All that effort and the corelinns… they were sooo unappreciative. I got them back, though. Yes, I did. Even a species as weak as they are can serve a purpose. So, just follow their bodies if you want to come play with me." At the end of the last sentence was a grim smiley face painted in the same blood.
Just as she said in the message, a trail of bodies and bloody arrows told us where we needed to go.
"She's sick," Valiic gagged in disgust.
"You better believe we'll make her pay!" Frost assured Valiic.
I had no words for this massacre, this slaughter. All my instincts blared in my head and told me one thing: Airra was wicked and evil. This scene only reaffirmed that opinion.
Alabon was shaking with excitement. "Oh, oh, I wanna play. I wanna play with her." He tittered like a child seeing a pet for the first time.
Geariic was just as impatient. "Let's get a move on."
I led the way, following the bodies and keeping a firm mind of where I stepped. Those dead corelinns had already been through enough. They didn't need us stepping all over them.
As I saw more and more of the destruction that Airra had caused, I started to think about what Witna and Anighta told me. A monster of the forest will bring destruction to this planet. I was beginning to think that monster was Airra all along. Problem is, Brad was out of contact, so I had no way to confirm that thought. I was beginning to think there was never a massive shjarr monster at all and Brad was sent on a mission to kill something that didn't even exist. A real shame, too, because we sure could use him and the Blade of Wrath.
The dead took us inside a market. We passed the shattered doors and stepped inside a warehouse of food that wasn't all taken, like in the rest of the city. This warehouse wasn't ransacked. Some food was gone, but that was nothing unexpected in a market.
We found Airra sitting in the back on a chair next to a fruit cart, indulging herself. Behind her was a pile of horrors, bodies of corelinns stacked high. She was clearly drained of energy, else she wouldn't be eating as much as she was.
Beside her was someone new to me. The unknown lycargan held his weight with a cane in front of him. His eyes sagged, and age spots were all over his face. Even the sharp gleam of his claws had dulled, and the armored shell on his back had yellowed. On looks alone, he appeared to be of little threat.
"I see you got my message," Airra called to us.
I held up my hand to stop our unit and started to march forward. Geariic was of his own mind, since he followed close behind me while the others stayed put. "How much blood must be on your hands before you're satisfied?" I asked, with pumping fists.
"Killing and eating are the same for me. It's not about wanting to… it's about needing to," she retorted.
"Same monster as I remember," I growled.
She laughed with her wicked laugh that could stand hairs on end. "I'm touched you remember me."
"You nearly killed us the last time we met. None of us could forget that. You're powerful, elite even… but that's just it. The problem with being in the elite few – by definition, you are vastly outnumbered," I threatened. Then again, she was outnumbered last time, too, and still had the upper hand. But it's as Geariic said, we had the Bruising Brothers this time.
"Don't just stand there, then. Worst thing in the galaxy is a tease. Come, let's get on with it." She motioned at me with her arms.
I growled and pulled out my blade. "In your state, I wonder how many times it'll take before my blade pops its way into your brain." I started forward.
Geariic grabbed my shoulder. "James. Let's take her together." His grip was tighter than I would've been comfortable with.
I nodded to him and was just about to instruct everyone to surround her when I heard that laugh again. My spine spun in circles.
"Oohhh, Jamesssss," Airra sang. "Do you want to know how long Clover Landis lasted before telling us what we wanted to know?"
My blood ran to my head and all my muscles flexed at that name being spoken by such a foul mouth. "Shut your damn, dirty mouth!"
She continued with a glow in her eyes. "I can tell you exactly how many days and hours she lasted before giving in to Steion's hand. Would you like to hear?" Her mocking words were disguised as daggers, and the cut was deep.
I wanted to attack her right there, but Geariic held me back. "You really are the scab of the galaxy! Landis was a downright hero. Don't you dare soil her name."
"No, you're right. Her torture wouldn't interest you. But I know something about her that would. Oh… it really, really would." Airra let loose some unwholesome laughter.
"Geariic, take your hand off me. I'm going to shove my knife down her throat." I pulled forward, but he didn't relent.
"James? What are you two doing? What are we waiting for?" I heard Valiic ask as he started coming closer.
Airra stopped laughing. "Didn't you ever ask yourself how Steion knew your captain knew the location of that key?"
I felt a chill. Something was off. "What do you mean?"
"Ever find it odd that Steion knew just where your captain was when he took her?" She started to giggle. "In fact, I'm sure you feel like you have the upper hand right now. You probably feel you could kill me this very moment. I wonder what it was that has reassured you."
The old-timer next to Airra took a step forward. "I remember you, James Stone. I saw through Steion's eyes as you killed him. He warned you once that there are more warlords, some in places you'd never expect."
"You?" I asked.
"I am a warlord - Yalfari Soodo. But I'm not the answer to Airra's questions."
Airra taunted us with her brazen eyes and ear-to-ear grin. "The answer, James… the answer is right behind you."
Geariic's grip tightened on my shoulder, and like a flash of light, I realized just what was happening. My body was locked in a cage of suffocating air at the thought, unable to move a muscle. My eyes were stuck staring into Airra's eyes; so confident, so evil.
She continued. "Did you really think I would roll over and die? Did you really think you were a step ahead of me? Dearie, you've never been on my level, not physically or mentally. You… lose… James. I will enjoy watching as you're torn apart by those two warlords."
"Frost! Move away from Alabon!" I turned and yelled backward.
Frost heard me and started to shell himself in ice armor. Alabon was already prepared before Frost was. His war-glaives already had electricity running through them, and he turned it on Frost. The bolts surged through the ice and lit him up.
It was no good, Frost didn't have a chance to react. He screamed in pain before passing out.
Just like that, it was Valiic and me versus Geariic and Alabon.
I was tossed to the ground by Geariic. "You Goddamn coward!" I spat up at him. He pulled off his warhammer, and I quickly rolled away, springing back up to my feet.
Valiic had already gained ground, and now he was rushing Geariic like a train. "Traitor!" He had a look in his eye I'd never seen before. There was hatred there. As wicked as Airra was, not even she received that look from Valiic.
The next moment, Valiic collided into Geariic before he could hit him with his warhammer. Geariic was sent sliding back. "You spit on everything maelkii hold dear! How could you fall so low?!"
Geariic growled. "I was getting real sick of you in that cave, but I had to hold myself back. Now I'm going to show you just how far that maelkii spirit will carry you."
"It isn't me you should worry about!" Valiic veins bulged from his neck. Alabon was closing in, but Valiic had noticed. Airra was hysterical in the background, enjoying every moment of the show.
"Wait for me. I want to play, too," Alabon cheered.
As he came close to Valiic, weapon ready to strike, Valiic spun with his shield in hand. It crashed into the side of Alabon and forced him to the ground. Valiic almost lost his footing from Alabon's heavier weight and stronger momentum.
"No sin is worse than betrayal by our laws! It is the ultimate sin in our culture!" Valiic screamed at Geariic. "You are no kin of mine!"
"You're fraken right we aren't kin. We've never been kin! The maelkii abandoned us. They left us on the street because we were different."
"Shove that pity shivf straight up your shiny ass!" I yelled. "Plenty of other soldiers were dealt worse cards in life than you two! And where are they? Where is their betrayal? They still fight proudly for the side of right." I ran at Geariic. "You two are cowards."
Alabon was up and attacked Valiic. He blocked the electric war-glaives with his shield. Forcidion doesn't conduct electricity, so he was able to fight off Alabon for the moment. Alabon pulled back one of the blades and went for Valiic's legs, but Valiic managed to disengage and dodge.
My senses flared! I ducked under Geariic's swing. He was slower than I was, which played right into my hands. From the other side, I pulled my weapon from my back and fired. It was no use at all. The corelinn weapon did jackshivf to Geariic. Instead, I tossed it at his eye, and that caused him to flinch.
"Landis died because of you." I had a tear in my eye.
"She wasn't the only one. We killed that idiotic captain and his crew on Idor before coming here. See, we had orders to try and obtain the Weapons of Sin so they wouldn't be used against the legion. I want you to know that before I kill you."
His next hammer swing was wild, and I dodged it as it came down. The explosion sent shrapnel into me, and I took cuts to the skin. I ignored the sting and forced myself close to Geariic once more. He was still recovering, and I went directly for his eyes with my fingers. He closed them, and I hit nothing but metal.
"Stop that, you fraker!" Geariic cursed.
That move allowed me to kick his hammer-wielding wrist and dislodge his weapon. I scooped it up with straining muscles. I forgot just how heavy it was. Like a batter, I swung with all my might, weight, and ass behind it and hit Geariic dead on. Even with the explosion, he came out unharmed, barely even knocked back.
"How's the medicine taste, backstabber?" I spat at him.
Just then, Valiic came charging in and tackled Geariic, colliding with him in the gut. Alabon was right behind him.
"Think twice," I said as I spun into another swing. The warhammer hit Alabon's back. That move sent him flying into crates of food left of Geariic and Valiic.
I wasn't about to waste the chance. "Can you handle Geariic?" I asked as I passed Valiic.
"Go. This one's mine." There was an intensity in Valiic's deep voice.
Geariic growled, "Give me everything you have, Valiic. At the end of this, I want you to know, without any doubt, that I was the better warrior."
"You are no warrior!" Valiic pounded his shield into Geariic's chest.
I turned my attention back to finding Alabon. I pushed away the crates of food blocking my path and followed a trail of smeared fruit on the ground. I turned into an aisle and barely managed to dodge Alabon's attack. His blade sliced into the shelves, and he came at me again with his second war-glaive.
I blocked with the handle of the warhammer and kicked him in the gut. He didn't even flinch. And before I could react, he snagged me by the arm and tossed my body through the shelves like a rag doll.
I landed hard. "Shivf," I put my hand over my side. There was some blood and a lot of bruising. Wobbly, I barely managed to stand. And to throw more misfortune my way, I no longer had the warhammer.
Alabon was coming, with a lot of momentum. Think, think.
On reaction alone, I grabbed a piece fruit beside me and tossed it at Alabon, hitting him in the eyes. He winced and shouted with pain, clawing it away. As durable as these two were, they had one exploitable weakness: They had zero protection for their eyes. So, the strong acid of the fruit against Alabon's eyes worked, and I was able to dodge. Alabon wildly ran over the broken shelves, tripping and sliding through some more. Alabon lost one of his war-glaives at my feet.
"You don't have to do this, Alabon." I walked toward him. "Don't follow your brother's idiocy."
He pushed himself to his feet. "Where he goes, I go." Alabon was walking towards me. Excitement shone in his childlike eyes. It was no use. These two were too far gone. "It's time to play a little game, James. I've wanted to play with you for so long."
I waved him on as he picked up speed. I slid my foot just under the handle of the war-glaive. This next part was all about timing.
Alabon was getting closer, his hands raised as he prepared to strike with his blade.
Now!
I kicked up the war-glaive at my feet and snatched the handle. I activated the electric current and threw it at Alabon like a spear. All in one swift motion.
Alabon's eyes blazed, and he reacted faster than I expected. He moved just a hair, and the blade sliced into his shoulder, missing his chest where I aimed. Blood ran down him as he crashed to the floor and into shelves. But I knew it wasn't enough to kill him.
After hitting Alabon, the war-glaive ricocheted close to me, and I picked it up for another attack.
"James! Watch out!" Valiic called, with breathless words.
I turned to see the sight of Geariic only a meter away, with his warhammer in hand.
"Don't you dare touch Alabon!" His eyes nearly froze me in place.
I managed to dodge his swing, but he planted a foot and halted his momentum. I sliced my blade across his face before he could react, just missing his eye. He backhanded me, and I spun backward. He recovered, and I took a warhammer hit to the side. Luckily, I was able to brace. But wait--
Oh shivf! I thought.
The explosion blasted me through carts of fruit before I went sliding far away across the floor. I was soaked in my own blood. I couldn't stop coughing it up.
Christ! Christ almighty, I think that explosion damaged one of my lungs among other things.
I could barely see past the blood covering my eyes. I had no idea where I was in the market. Before I was sent there, I saw Valiic barely standing. Geariic must've done a number on him. Even as intense as Valiic was, he couldn't overcome an ace as strong as Geariic; correction, a traitorous warlord as strong as him.
The half-destroyed crate of food in front of me exploded in a barrage of splinters and wood chips. Geariic had made his way over to me. In the end, I knew this would be the outcome. We were far too outclassed by the Bruising Brothers. I smiled, with blood soaking my teeth. "Suck my balls, you traitor," I cursed him.
Geariic hovered over me, lifting his warhammer and preparing to land the final blow.
All of a sudden, a massive blast of light and heat came from Valiic's direction. My heart throbbed, and I wondered if he was okay. Just then, Geariic bolted and left me there. Why? That was his chance to finish me.
"Alabon!" I heard a screech of pain in Geariic voice.
There was only a second of silence.
"You've seen better days," said a voice. Wait a damn second. I knew that voice.
I felt a prick in my side, and my wounds started to recover at a hyper-accelerated rate. The pain eased up, and I could breathe much easier.
I was helped up by Ghost, who had spoken just a moment before. "It's you," I said. I could feel my veins begin to pop. "You here to kick my lily-white ass again?"
"You were a target. Nothing more. And now you're not."
"Don't go thinking we no longer have a score to settle. You still need to answer for Uslar's death."
His eyes held nothing back. They showed me that he accepted my words and even gave me a sense of calm. "Agreed. Given the current situation, it can wait. You'd best come with me."
Ghost led me over to the scene. Airra was no longer laughing. Her face was full of something I had yet to see in her - fear. And about time she felt that. Behind her was a human woman with two sidearms pointed - one at Airra, and one at the elderly lycargan with the cane. Her eyes met mine for a second, and she gave me a glare. My heart rejoiced when I saw Valiic leaning on his shield; injured, but alive.
Geariic had arrived only a few seconds before me. He fell to his knees next to a pile of ash and melted liquid. I was clueless as to what was happening.
"Alabon," he sobbed. Rivers of tears were flowing down his cheeks. Next to Geariic was one other omelic I'd never seen before. "All we wanted was to be great. That's what we were promised," Geariic whined. "When the war was all over, we were going to mean something… warlords leading over a united galaxy." Geariic ran his fingers through the ash like grains of sand.
The unknown omelic marched up to Geariic and put her hand outward and close to his forehead. "You're a warlord, too?" she asked.
Geariic cried, "You killed my brother. Why?"
The omelic unleashed an intense beam of fire meters thick. I turned away so as not to burn my eyes, and, when I looked back, I saw Geariic was nothing but ash and melted metal. I was stunned. More so when I now realized his brother must've met the same fate.
"That's Sunfire. She's a brotherhood knight, as I am," Ghost informed.
Sunfire made her way over to Airra, who didn't move. I don't think she could've, even if she wanted to. Her eyes fell low when she couldn't match the gaze of Sunfire.
"You look just as Ghost described you, head warlord Airra," Sunfire said.
"I've never seen you before," Airra responded.
"I'm called Sunfire. I'm here for a single purpose, a destiny entrusted to me to fulfill. I'm driven only to accomplish this goal. No adversary nor any obstacle will deny me my destiny. By this promise I live, and for it my resolve is unrelenting."
"Calm down. All I said was, I didn't know who you were. No need to tell me your life story," Airra mocked. Her tone was lower, and she wasn't in the mood to laugh anymore.
"Fitting final words, I suppose." Sunfire raised her hand to Airra.
"Final words?"Airra's eyes flared, and she started to shift on her seat. "Wait, wait. Don't!" She realized in that moment Sunfire was no being of mercy.
Just then, my mind and body were overrun by a sudden, overwhelming pain. There was a ringing in my head, and I couldn't move. It hurt, but I couldn't scream. I wasn't the only one. All of us were stunned in place, save Airra and the old--
Wait! It was that old lycargan. The one called Yalfari. His hands were up, and he was focused on all of us.
"Run, Airra!" Yalfari shouted. Airra fell out of her chair before getting up. She was still weakened and could hardly move on her own accord. "This one is very strong! I can't hold her long!" His eyes were locked on Sunfire.
Airra picked up the pace and rushed out of sight. The nose and ears of the lycargan started to leak blood. Just then, I could see Sunfire take a step forward. But I couldn't move a centimeter.
Struggling, she was able to inch forward again. Then again, and again. Some blood now leaked from Yalfari's eyes. After fifteen minutes of pain-induced ringing in my head, the lycargan fell over, coughing up blood.
Sunfire picked him up and sat him in Airra's old chair. "You must be a warlord, too."
The old lycargan looked to be barely alive. His eyes were completely lost of color. "I am," he muttered in a voice that was hardly audible.
"Tell me what that was that you did just now," Sunfire pressed.
"My ability… I can link my mind to others. I did this to the other warlords so that we could always keep tabs on everyone." His head slowly turned to me. "That's how--" He coughed and his words were getting slower, "--I knew you killed Steion. But I had to sever those links… to buy Airra time to escape… from you." More blood poured out of his mouth as he coughed again. "I really hope… she does. Otherwise… all this… stalling I've done is meaningless--" His head fell down, and the words stopped coming. He was dead.
"Well, that's just fraken great. Airra's probably leaving the planet this very moment," I spat.
Sunfire turned to me, with confidence on her face. "Nothing could be better for us. You see, Castle was tasked with planting a tracking device on her starship. With luck, she'll fly back to wherever it is she goes and gather the other warlords to face me. It is then we will track them down and end the war."
End the war. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did the Brotherhood of Relics really intend on killing all the warlords? What does that mean for the ARW? I had so many questions, and I didn't know what to ask first.
I felt a shove at my side, and I took a step backward. "You're James Stone, aren't you? I could tell the moment I saw you." It was that human girl from earlier who gave me a glare. "What are you doing here? No, never mind. That isn't important. Where's my sister?"
"Your sister? I don't even know who you are."
"Catharine Darcrose," she said.
My eyes went black at the mention of her last name. She was Beverly's sister, and she was here in my face. How could I begin to tell her what happened? How could I tell her that her sister was dead and it was my fault?
I was silent. She shoved me harder. "Where's my sister?"
I gulped and couldn't bear to speak. A tear fell from my eye. No doubt she saw.
"James, where is my sister?" She punched me in the chest and sniffled. I felt water on her fist. "Where is she, James? Where is my sister?" Her voice went quieter with each word. She punched me again, only softer. Her face fell on my chest, and I could feel the water soak through my shirt as she cried.
The others seemed to pick up on what was happening.
Her expression changed. There was anger, a lot of it. "You let her die, didn't you?!"
"It was my fault," I choked.
Using her leg, she tripped me as she pushed me. "You're the captain. How could you let her die? It was your responsibility to bring her back!"
On the ground, she had me pinned, and she pounded punch after punch into my face. She was strong, and I took them all. My body screamed in pain, and my brain begged me to stop her. But I didn't. Who was I to take that away from her?
It wasn't long before Ghost caught her arm mid-strike. She looked up at him, tears and hate in her eyes.
"Enough," Ghost said. "Enough," he repeated, softer. Cathy fell into him and sobbed. Ghost held her but had a look of discomfort on his face.
Sunfire was now over me. "James Stone. Ghost mentioned you on the way here."
I was massaging my face. "He did?"
"I'm told you have experience with warlords. Come with me, and help me put an end to them."
I nodded. "One condition: Make sure my unit gets back to the ARW safely. There are four left in my unit."
Sunfire gave a slight tip of her head. "It's a deal. Tell Ghost the specifics." She left my view.
After helping Cathy find a spot to grieve, Ghost came over and helped me to my feet again. "You're on the ground often." His humor was not apparent by his tone. "Four left, you say?"
"Valiic over there." I pointed. "Shadow-Walker and Brad Swift are currently elsewhere on the planet."
"I remember Damon. You'll have to elaborate on the other."
I nodded. "Lastly, Frost over there." I pointed to him. He was still passed out and looked badly injured. "And please help him. Use that stuff you used on me."
"It won't work on him as well as it did on you."
Sunfire was back to interject herself in the conversation. "Castle reported back. He was successful." She looked at me, then at Ghost again. "Continue your conversation as we move. It's time to leave."
Sunfire started to leave.
"James--" Valiic called to me, his voice weak. He was still bent over his shield and hadn't moved at all.
"Valiic, go be with Narrisa. I'll be fine with these two as allies," I commanded.
He gave a hesitant nod, and I could tell he understood. That was it. It was time to put an end to the war, to the warlords, everything. I felt like this was a dream, like this entire moment could be pulled out from under me. After all we had been through, was this really the beginning of the end?