The six pretorians looked out over the vast desert and its ocean of dunes. It was clean and perfect, almost untouched by people. But a battle was soon to take place here. What the outcome would be, no one could be sure. The full extent of clashing alchemagi had never before been witnessed.

  “How are your men doing?” Trinqit asked Viveri, her arms folded casually inside her protective desert robes.

  “As well as could be expected,” the lanky, scruffy man answered. “Scared, mostly. They spent their lives ruling over the people they’re about to fight—and this time, they can get killed right back. And most of ‘em don’t believe it when I tell them about that Hold kingdom.”

  “So how did you convince even just some of them?”

  “I told them they come back to Aurra if they fall on the field.”

  “No mention of Escellé imprisoning them, eh?”

  “Of course not. That’d jus’ go over their heads. No idea what I’m talking about, ya’ know? Anyway, Jenera, I’ve got this handled. It’s an easy win. So…” he smiled wryly, “why doncha’ go back to I and make sure those backwater folk don’t run away?”

  “I hate the cold. I’d rather fight here. But orders are orders.”

  “Shoot… Look at all this sand. Palar was the right choice for this one. It’ll jus’ be me and him, I aspec’.”

  Palar lowered his multivision goggles and stared Viveri in the face.

  “You’re still green, and we’ve never faced combat like this before. I don’t know how much we’ll be seeing each other, but you follow my orders when they’re given. You are two ranks under me—do not forget that.”

  “Heck, I don’t even need to be here. We all know you can take care of ‘em yourself. But remember to say your summoning words out loud. Don’t work otherwise.”

  “Shin is with them,” Trinqit added. “You may end up fighting her.”

  “Yeah, too bad you won’t be around. You could go after that Millie.”

  “I’m sure we’ll meet in the future. I can be patient.”

  “The desert is not the place for war…” Breen said, his voice echoing through his heavy suit of protective armor. “I couldn’t move well in the sand… Not to mention the overheating.”

  “Don’t worry none, Axil. We’ll do fine without ya,” Viveri assured him. “So… Drides—feeling nostalgia at all? Don’t have to answer that, I know it’s a dumb question. Not like you lived in a desert.”

  “Too bad Dridesies can’t fight in this one,” Trinqit scoffed. “But I suppose we have to listen to the king and keep him out of Earth combat. Even though he could pretty much kill everyone instantly.”

  Drides looked around at his comrades but didn’t say anything. He remained completely still, his body from his chin down covered in a scarlet robe. He was the leader of the pretorians and harnessed immense power. But he was key to the king’s plans, and couldn’t be exposed to even the smallest of risks. That meant no fighting on Earth’s battlefields.

  “Um… excuse me…” Kamsa stood up from the dune. “I think I would like to earn my keep… Perhaps I could fight…”

  “Forget it,” Viveri snapped. “I don’t care how strong you are. You’re new, and you’ve still got a lot of learning to do about how we handle things. And there’s not enough moisture in the air for you to work with.”

  “Also, if Escellé saw you…” Trinqit looked at Kamsa’s flowing, silver hair, “it wouldn’t end well.”

  “But I won’t… die… I mean, I am a pretorian and…”

  “You’re at the bottom, little Kamsa. Don’t defy orders. You will go with Breen to watch over City D. Got that?”

  “Y-yes, ma’am… or, ah, s-sir.”

  Trinqit shook her head and sighed. “Come on. Lontonkon wants his claws back.” She patted the bag at her side.

  “Viveri, rejoin the men. I’ll go to the Palm,” Palar ordered. “It may be a while until our next reunion—so Breen, keep an eye on Kasma. I still don’t trust the project that produced her.”

  “Of course,” he replied.

  “Before you go…” Drides spoke, “keep in mind that Jeryn Klowsk is with them. I won’t speculate on what the king has planned, but he wants him captured or dead. As for me… I still plan to observe this battle.”

  Before anyone could reply, Drides raised three fingers from under his robes and disappeared, leaving behind only a trail of swirling sand.

  “It spoke.” Trinqit laughed. “Don’t screw this up. Either of you.”

  “Understood…” Palar replied. “I have no doubts.”

  They went their separate ways, Palar and Viveri the only two of the most powerful group in all Aurra going further into the desert.

  Around sunset, the demirriage warped in right outside the hangar on the mesa, and the group quickly poured out from it.

  They noticed the changes. The mesa had been turned into a base camp with at least a dozen large tents, soldiers occupying them. Some were resting, as others moved at a frantic pace for last minute preparations. It was a strange moment—to be battling the Guard, and on Earth, no less.

  Seconds after arriving, a taller, well-uniformed African man noticed the group and quickly walked up. He took a moment to get a look at everyone before saying anything.

  “You must be Osk?” Milla greeted.

  “Yes, Captain Osk,” he replied in a light accent. “Earth adept and good friend of Rivia. He suggested I take command of this operation.”

  “You know about how alchemagi works here, right?” Garder asked.

  “Of course. We’ve been practicing all day. Saying summoning words out loud makes predicting attacks easier, but in a hectic battle, I suppose it doesn’t matter as much. Quite a group of people you’ve collected here…”

  “And do you know about the other operation?” Shin questioned.

  “Yes—the one under City A. Who is attempting that feat?”

  “These three.” Jeryn pointed them out. “If you could give them anything to help them at all, we’d appreciate it.”

  “Two children? Hm… Did Rivia select them?”

  “Yes, but one is an animalect and supposedly able to talk to rairer. The other is a mind paradigm—and a solar, too.”

  “Ah, now I see. We have some equipment we can give them, yes…”

  “When is everything going down, then?” Garder asked.

  “We believe at first light tomorrow. We’ve already spotted the Guard amassing miles away. Their numbers have steadily grown over the past few days. We think the battalion is parked at the southern wastes oasis—about the closest you can safely get to C on foot. We have no war machines, so it will be simple: knight and alchemagist versus one another. Block off C as long as possible, and hope the Guard loses providence before they get in.”

  “You know much about Hold’s kingdom, Osk?”

  “No. But I trust Rivia’s word that it exists.”

  “It does. Your men will have the chance to live again should they fall. You’ll just have to gather them up afterwards. It’s pretty… useful.”

  “Hm…” Osk looked at Garder curiously for a moment. “There are rumors that the king himself is nearby.”

  “All the way out here?” Milla replied.

  “It may be that he wishes to take over C and rule from it for some time. It’s better protected than A is, and he could easily make it into an unassailable fortress if he so desires.”

  “If that’s true, we have the chance to capture him. That’d help bring an easy victory to this whole uprising, don’t you think?”

  “Perhaps, but the extent of the king’s powers is still unknown. Whatever you do, be careful if you go after him.”

  “What should we be tending to for now?”

  “Ah, we were just about to have a dinner. Stew, of course. We could discuss tactics… though I don’t think there are many, and after all you’ve been through, I doubt you need any combat training.”

  “Sounds good,” Garder said. “We haven’t eaten in days, technically.”

  “You’re referring to the Fragmented Dimension Rivia mentioned?”

  “Yeah—you got it.”

  “I’d love to hear some of your tales. Let’s eat in my quarters.”

  They agreed, got themselves bowls of warm varied stew, and settled within Osk’s tent. It was well decorated, despite only being up for a short while. Leather chairs for everyone were on the rug, in front of a large desk with documents and maps spread about. Lechi contently took a seat on the ground with Temki and enjoyed a hearty vegetable medley.

  “It’s a good thing we’re entering winter in this hemisphere, or it’d be far too hot to fight in this desert during the day,” Osk explained from his desk. “So, why don’t you tell me your alignments?”

  “Vector,” Milla said.

  “Watairre. I know—I won’t be much use here, but I’m good with a sword. So maybe that’ll be enough.”

  “Plant. Also talented with a sword. This won’t matter much here, but I’m a tracker and animalect.”

  “Fire. Favorable location for me.”

  “Lightning. It has been some time since I’ve seen combat, but my skills with a katana are exceptional.”

  “Silver,” Xavier said. “Though I tend to lean a little towards earth… I’m not much of a fighter, though. Maybe I should be a tactician, or have some other off the field position?”

  “You got radio units?” Garder asked.

  “Sure do,” Osk replied. “Enough for everyone. But, enlighten me some about this kingdom of yours, Shin and Verim.”

  “You won’t disappear forever. That’s probably impossible,” Shin replied. “It’s a small castle with a smaller community living in Hold, outside the barriers. We go there by dying in the world in which we weren’t born, and we have the capability of bringing people back to their birthplaces.”

  “What about the others in Hold? Can you bring them to this place?”

  “No, we’ve tried. The barrier between us and the rest of the transient world is impervious. They might as well exist on two different planes.”

  “Naturally, I would be skeptical… It just seems to break all sorts of natural rules that you could keep coming back to life after dying.”

  “There is a catch,” Verim said. “Always is one.”

  “Yes,” Shin continued. “Dying takes a tremendous toll on your body and mind. Though I’ve been around as Shin for an equivalent of sixty years, I have spent most of them having my age all but stopped. Whenever I return after an assignment, I’m putting myself under great stress. I’ve gone to Hold and back again so many times in this body, forced my mind to rebuild it so many times, that I’ll likely not live a day past fifty now.”

  “Shin, you never told us about that…” Garder replied.

  “I didn’t? Anyway, it is the truth. But I’ve been a Holdian for several lives, so I’m used to it. I could still easily be around longer than you.”

  “What about in the next life?” Osk continued.

  “Oh, it all resets when you’re reborn, when you go through the fabric proper. There are many in our kingdom that have come and gone through multiple lifetimes. And if you’ve only gone through the process once, like Garder, there really is little harm done.”

  “I’ve gone through about nine times now,” Verim said. “Shin’s count is much higher. But we’re all aware of what it does to us and accept it.”

  “So, my men…”

  “They’ll be fine. They’ll have to be regathered, but they’ll be fine. Speaking of which, where did this army come from?” Shin wondered.

  “We’re Rivia’s personal trustees. He’s assembled us throughout many lifetimes, and we’re always on call when he needs us. We’re the ones that respond when he has a task for us, this being the first to this degree. Rivia has placed me in charge because of my experience.”

  “Been in a war before?” Garder asked.

  “America’s Civil War, the first World War, and more recently, Vietnam. Different sides each time.”

  “But I’m guessing you were killed in each?”

  “Not like some fool, but yes, that seems to be my bad luck. I hope it doesn’t follow me here. I’d share some war stories, but as you would know, you can’t recall on Earth. I don’t keep most of that in my actual memory.”

  “There’s one thing that can be said about this: it will be interesting,” Jeryn mentioned. “But I’m worried about our friends in City A… They’re going in without much direction.”

  “Right…” Osk looked at them. “I think we should send them some backup, but at the same time, their size is an advantage.”

  “I’m the mind paradigm,” Temki said. “If I use my powers correctly, I should be able to ‘use’ the people down there to find the proper area.”

  “I can supposedly keep the rairer from bothering us,” Lechi added.

  “And I can help disguise the group and reprogram the suppression device controls,” Simon explained. “It’s a risky job, sure, but I think we’re the right ones to go through with it.”

  “You’re from Earth, aren’t you?” Osk asked Simon.

  “How’d you know?”

  “I could pretty much tell. Some rumors say that one of the pretorians is actually from Earth, but it sounds too bizarre to be true.”

  “Oh, them…” Garder sighed. “I had forgotten about those guys. How many do you think we’ll see out there?”

  “With any luck, not more than one. I couldn’t be sure. They’re the wild cards in all this. But they can still be beaten. As long as we can actually attack them, I’m sure it’s possible to drop them.”

  A commotion picked up outside the tent as night fell, and music began to blare throughout the camp. Osk ended his discussion quickly.

  “Sounds like my men have decided to throw a small party. Why don’t you join and get to know them a bit? You’ll be doing some teeth cutting with them tomorrow, as the idiom goes.”

  “Okay,” Garder replied. “Guess we’ll be getting up pretty early, anyway. Might as well wear ourselves out a bit.”

  “That’s the way to do it. I’ll be in here if you need anything.”

  They parted with Osk and split up. For about an hour, they mingled with the men and women serving. They seemed to be in high spirits despite their fears. Fighting the Guard was something most of them had dreamed of for more than one lifetime. If any of them asked for reassurance about Hold, a member of the group would gladly speak with them. Within the hour, they had developed the trust of the small battalion.

  “Getting a bit tired?” Garder asked Milla as the two met again.

  “Yeah. I lost track of everyone, too.”

  “I’ve been keeping an eye on Jeryn. He really has no idea.”

  “About his real memories—whatever they are?”

  “Yeah. For some reason, I’m starting to believe those weird twins…”

  “They should’ve been able to tell us more, at least. Now I’m worried about it. Just another thing I can’t keep my mind off of.”

  “Eh, let’s forget that whole thing for now. I don’t think it’ll become a problem anytime soon, really. Hey—what’s Verim doing over there?”

  He was loitering around the hangar with Simon, having a private discussion of sorts. With nothing else to do, the twins joined them.

  “Do you go around stealing planes?” Simon asked.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “Yep. One is still in here—that one there.” He pointed at the aircraft.

  “You don’t think that’s a bit… insane? It’s fairly easy to track down missing aircraft.”

  “Hey, I know what I’m doing. I do it all the time. And I bring them back. Eventually. I like flying, too. So relaxing. You and your thoughts.”

  “Someone might’ve followed the planes out here…”

  “Don’t worry, Simon. I took care of it all. Always do. I’ve been doing this for years. And by the way, could you give me back that sword there?”

  “Huh?” Simon turned around to see one of Verim’s swords in the hangar. “How’d that get there?”

  “That’s the one I used on Garder. I’d like it back. Hand it to me.”

  “Didn’t you go back to get that already?” Garder sighed.

  “Changed my mind. I just grabbed a duplicate from my home. I thought about it, though. I like the sword, but it would’ve taken me a week to get it back. And then I wanted to help you guys instead.”

  “Made that decision after returning from Hold?”

  “Kind of.”

  “What have you two been up to?” Milla asked.

  “Nerdy aviation stuff,” Simon replied. “Also, I hung out with the soldiers a bit. I feel like I’m suddenly young and hip or something.”

  “You are the only Earth guy around,” Garder said. “Guess you have to catch them up on everything. But they do seem pretty energized.”

  “Oh yeah—they really want to go up against the Guard. It’s like what they’ve been living for. Lechi is with Temki, introducing him to things he finds new. You know, it’s weird. Somehow… I’m enjoying life more after everything I’ve found out. It’s more than just knowing about Aurra.”

  “I think you two should talk with Shin…” Verim said suddenly.

  “Why?” Garder asked. “Something up with her?”

  “She’s been over on the cliffside, keeping to herself. I would’ve gone myself, but I know how scary she can be when she gets like that.”

  “You want her to yell at us instead…”

  “She’s probably thinking about her cousin,” Milla said. “We should see if she’ll talk to us.”

  Garder shrugged. “If you want.”

  “Get some rest after that talk, you two. See ya in the morning.”

  “Yeah,” Simon replied. “And good luck tomorrow.”

  “Same to you, Simon. I’ll bring you three to City A as soon as the light comes back up. If you don’t find a way out yourselves, we’ll come after you when we can. Be smart down there.”

  “I will. Night, you two.”

  Garder and Milla headed off, and quickly spotted Shin near C’s portal. She was waving her katana idly, the weapon electrified and giving off a faint violet hue. She was so lost in thought, and didn’t hear the two come up until they were directly behind her.

  She turned around. “Oh—Milla… Garder… Need something?”

  “Verim said you were a being a bit reclusive this evening,” Milla said with a friendly smile. “If you don’t want to talk about anything, we’ll leave you be, but that’s why we came over.”

  “N-no. It’s fine. I’m willing to share a few things.”

  “Really? If you don’t feel up to it…”

  “No. Go ahead—sit. It’s as good a time as any…”

  “Is it your cousin?” Garder asked as he took his spot on the ground.

  “That… and other things.”

  “You were really part of a clan, then?”

  “Yes. Those in our family line born a lightning served within in it.”

  “In City N? I’ve never heard of such a clan.”

  “We were a small group of people with a long, proud lineage and strict rules. Do you two know about how alchemagi is ‘programed’?”

  “What do you mean, exactly?” Milla asked.

  “Our genetic structure determines what our alignments will be. Kind of like what our chances are of having a hereditary disease on Earth.”

  “Well, yes, I know that…”

  “But the chance is never a hundred percent. My clan was bred to birth lightnings, obviously. Powerful, rare, and exclusive. I happened to be born into it this lifetime. My cousin and I are both known as successful—we reaped all the benefits our clan provided. But at most, there’s a one in six chance our line won’t produce a lightning. These people are cast aside, with some respect. It’s more like politely telling them to leave after we raise them to an independent age. After that, they rarely associate with us.

  “But… something happened sixty years ago. When Masayuki was appointed the new leader of the clan. A young man who was born a mind adept under us took out ruthless revenge on my people. If we had been able to salvage any of our clan, only our pride would’ve been tarnished forever. But he brought down the full might of the Guard against us. It was fast, and brutal. He orchestrated the assault so quickly.

  “I had spent two different Earth lifetimes as a samurai, so honor is important to me. But watching my family be so mercilessly slaughtered invoked a fear in me… And I ran away and went into hiding. I kept running, but they pursued me endlessly. Once I had finally snuck away to Earth, they followed me still. They were desperate. Exhausted, I fell in battle and returned to the safety of Hold’s kingdom.”

  “Is this man still alive?” Garder asked.

  “I’ll get to him. The Guardsmen that got me knew I would disappear forever like my cousin supposedly did, taking my clan’s secrets with me, and they didn’t give it a second thought. That was it for us. Our clan was gone.

  “A thousand years to achieve a line that consistently birthed one of the lightning alignment—dead, like a delicately bred flower wilting after so much work. That is the shame I feel. Not because my clan is gone, but because I ran away that day instead of doing what was honorable.

  “To give you an idea of the power we possessed, I’ve heard that we threw so much lightning around that we overwhelmed suppression a number of times. No less than five Guardsmen fell trying to take us down.

  “So, I’ve lived my life, mostly in an environment where I age slowly, trying to make up for my moment of cowardice and bring down the Guard. They think they can do anything they want to anybody they please… And it disgusts me. So that’s my story. We all have our reasons.”

  “But who was this mind adept? Did you ever find out?”

  “I knew all along, Milla. He is now known as King Lontonkon. We were honored when his father chose a wife from our clan. At first. But all he wanted was a prince who could wield lightning, as a show of power.”

  “He did this to your people? And he killed his own mother?”

  “That bastard,” Garder grumbled. “This must’ve been covered up.”

  “So, my thoughts on your group have changed ever since I decided to tag along,” Shin continued. “Originally, I just wanted to give some aid. After seeing what we’re capable of, I want to officially join you. Whatever gives me a shot at taking down the king and his followers.”

  “I’m sorry, Shin… I can’t imagine what that was like…” Milla said.

  “He did that just because he was cast out?” Garder wondered.

  “If there was another motive, I don’t know what it would’ve been.”

  “He should be removed from the throne. That’s just sadistic what he did to you… But I’m guessing no one really knows about any of it, right?”

  “Of course not. God knows what else he’s done over the years. But tomorrow, you will see the work of my people in battle. There is nothing as fast and deadly as a blade endowed with the sky’s fire.”

  “Yeah… I dunno how much good I’ll be,” Garder groaned a bit. “I doubt I could make an icicle in this place.”

  “But you’re better with a sword than I am, Garder,” Milla replied.

  “I trained myself. I had to. I didn’t want to be totally overshadowed.”

  Milla smiled. “Shin, you should get some rest. The sun will be up in about eight hours. Tomorrow’s a big day.”

  “Yeah…” she replied. “You go on ahead. I’ll be here a little longer.”

  “Thanks for telling us about why you’re fighting, by the way.”

  “We’re going after the same goal. I think it was best you knew.”

  With nothing else to be said, the twins split off to their tents for the night. Within the hour, the grounds were as if a party had never happened, and the small battalion of ninety men was asleep under the desert sky.

  The City A group was among the first up the next morning. By the time they were ready to head out, the rest of the camp was just emerging from slumber. Milla, Temki, Lechi and Simon, carrying a ratty old backpack full of equipment, met with Osk briefly before they left the camp.

  He handed out three headsets. “Take these. Telepathy can’t always be relied upon, especially over longer distances. They could save your lives in case you get separated. Also, a few more things…”

  Osk took out three small side packs and handed them out.

  “What’s in these?” Simon asked.

  “An assortment Shin suggested. A few smoke bombs, some first aid, and one flash bang grenade each. This is a stealth mission—so try not to get put in a position where you have to use them in the first place. Simon, it’s up to you to protect the two kids. No offense, of course.”

  “None taken,” Lechi said. “I’ve never been much of a fighter, but if I can get a rairer on my side, that’d be all I need.”

  “No one can be sure what you’ll face down there… so be careful.”

  “I’ll be back soon, Captain,” Milla assured.

  Jeryn handed her the demirriage scroll without a word. She knew how to use it by now, and there was little for everyone else to do but put their trust in the secondary group.

  Milla used the claws to bring herself to one of C’s streets, where the sun was just beginning to set. The City itself had dropped into a still silence, as most everyone had been evacuated into shelters with the threat of the incoming Guard. Just over the jagged mountain ranges, there was no doubt a small army waiting to be transferred to the Sahara. If the Guard should fail in securing the portal, they could still manage to get into the City the hard way, but in doing so kept providence—unless they lost their protection in Aurra, provided that Simon’s group succeeded.

  She opened up the scroll, and the carriage took form. Tanesh at her side, Lechi went in first. After closing the door of the carriage, Milla recalled the sight of City A’s grand palace. It seemed like an insane idea to be going straight to the heart of the Guard during such a time, but they likely didn’t expect it. She thought of a very specific area she knew would work perfectly, and then activated the carriage.

  They appeared in a small guest room with large, arching windows. Sunlight was pouring through, illuminating the floating dust of the old room. The bed hadn’t been used in ages, and the small, lonely door was boarded up from the inside. Everyone stepped out, the carriage remaining as there was just enough light to keep it solid.

  “This is the palace?” Lechi asked. “We’re in City A?”

  “I knew this room would be empty…” Milla murmured. “I used to come here as a child to hide. The palace used to invite guests long ago. This was a guest room. It’s too good for maids and servants, not fancy enough for royalty. So, they hid them away and forgot about them. I… wouldn’t mind seeing this beautiful old City again… But that’s for another day.”

  “How do we get to the underground from here?” Simon questioned.

  “We can’t force our way down. It would set off alarms and such. I wonder where we are on Earth. I’ll check.”

  She took out the claws and opened a tear in the center of the room. The ocean was just inches below, and a few waves splashed through before she could close the opening again.

  “Right… the middle of the Pacific,” Milla grumbled a bit as she wrung out the soaked spot of her cloak. “I don’t know… This is going to be tough, isn’t it? It certainly won’t make getting you out any easier.”

  “Well. How did Rivia get down there so easily?”

  “He never told us.”

  “Great…” Lechi sighed. “We could spend all day figuring this out.”

  “I… have an idea,” Temki spoke up.

  “Hm?”

  “I can look through a person’s mind. If we can find someone who has been down in the facility, even just briefly, I could probably see enough about it to pilot the demirriage straight down into it.”

  “Seems a bit crazy. Would that really work, though?”

  “It should.”

  “This palace is huge and filled with soldiers,” Milla said. “Finding someone would be tough. And the place has probably changed a bit over the years… I may not know my way around anymore.”

  “Let me try…”

  Temki gripped his staff and closed his eyes to concentrate. The very air around him buzzed and turned heavy as it had back in the tunnel, but returned to normal again within seconds.

  “I sense someone nearby. In the hall. Should we try my idea?”

  “I don’t know what else to do…” Milla sighed. “Okay, here goes.”

  She summoned vector lines to quietly cut a smooth opening in the door to pass through. It turned out that the door had been covered on the other side with a bookcase, and now sliced paper was fluttering about.

  Milla leapt through the large hole and looked around the hall—quickly finding the person Temki had detected.

  “You!” Delqua snapped and dropped his book to the ground. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Milla didn’t consider Delqua’s presence; she just acted.

  In seconds, he was trapped in a vector cage. She brought the brilliant lines in close enough to keep him from moving an inch, or able to summon any spells. Milla couldn’t bring the lines in any further, but he also couldn’t force himself to move into any of them. The suppression snared him in.

  “Well, hello again,” Milla said. “What have you been up to?”

  “What are you doing here, Ms. Nolland? Do have any idea—”

  “Yeah, I do. We’re looking for the king,” she lied. “We’ve come to capture him. As a former queen, I believe I’m in the position to do so.”

  “You’re completely insane! And guess what? He’s not even here!”

  All the while, Milla had communicated via mind with Temki. She would keep Delqua trapped while Temki looked through his memories. With any luck, he’d have gone to at least the upper levels of the facility.

  Delqua barked at Simon, “You’re that Earth boy! I know about you—plenty of punishment coming your way, boy. You’ll be fearing death quite unlike any regular Earthen.”

  Simon didn’t bother to respond.

  “Oh, and Temki, as well?” Delqua scoffed. “You steal him, and then are nice enough to bring him here? Don’t think it makes up for anything!”

  “Shut up please,” Lechi said. “You’re annoying even for a politician.”

  “Fiery little brat, aren’t you? Let me out of this thing!”

  “Nah,” Milla said coyly. “Why are you in the palace anyway? Didn’t you screw up your last mission?”

  “Not at all! The king was rather pleased with me! I brought him those claws, and he’s going to use them to crush your followers and kill that demon! There have been rebellions since the dawn of the Guard. What—you think yours would be any different? You aren’t special.”

  “If the king isn’t here, we’ll just capture you instead. We’ll bring you back to Earth and pull information from you. It will be painful. Sound like a good time to you? You’re just a little coward, really. Not much more.”

  “Got it!” Temki’s voice popped up in Milla’s subconscious. “He’s been there plenty of times, Milla! I got a real clear image, too.”

  “Good work. We’d better get out of here now…”

  “Guards! Come quickly!” Delqua shouted out desperately. “Traitors! Traitors in the palace! Come quickly!”

  Milla shrugged. “Guess we’d better retreat.”

  Simon took out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. Thick, gray vapors filled the hall, and Milla’s lines disappeared. The footsteps of dozens of guards were now echoing throughout the halls. The group acted during the confusion and ran back into the closed off guest room.

  The carriage had remained steady in the dimming light, and the four hopped aboard as Delqua shouted and coughed outside.

  “Take us to the brightest spot you saw, Temki,” Milla said.

  “I’ll try.” Temki slammed his palm on the center button.

  They were pulled downward this time, through the floor and foundation. The journey was longer than usual—a sign that the demirriage had many solid layers to pass through. A few seconds had passed before the four reformed again, deep under City A.

  The area Temki had brought them was indeed well lit. After they stepped out from behind a pillar, Milla realized where they were.

  “Looks like a central substation…” she said quietly, noticing the crowds of Guardsmen and politicians. “It’s so white and sterile, like the Administration prison. It probably wasn’t here when I was Queen.”

  “Place looks like Grand Central,” Simon noticed. “Look at that—they’ve got trains running off directly to ten different Cities. They can probably go to most of them from here.”

  Two triple-deckers pulled in at that moment with loud, grinding halts. Hundreds of people went either in or out of both, filling the large, open station with the sounds of dull thunder against marble floor.

  “Looks like this is it,” Milla said. “They could extend the search for you out of the palace, but they likely consider me as the most dangerous. Use your headsets to keep in touch. Consider this station an exit point—this is where I’ll come when my battle is done. If something goes wrong on either end, take a train out. We’ll find each other. And if there isn’t a way out of the control room, then we’ll come looking for you.”

  “Good luck,” Simon replied. “I think… I think we can do this.”

  “Yeah,” Lechi added. “You take care. We’ll be fine.”

  “You should hurry,” Temki finished the goodbyes. “They need you.”

  Milla gave a farewell nod, and then headed back into the carriage to depart. Left alone, the three looked at each other for a moment, and promptly snuck off before they had a chance of being noticed by someone in the crowds, with small Tanesh tagging along behind them.

  Milla reappeared at the camp just before the sun hit its peak. Everyone seemed to have been up for a while now, but there was no sign of any coming attack yet. She looked around and saw that Pangs was talking with Osk. She then noticed that the portal to C was currently active, and a small group of uniformed soldiers were coming out of it.

  “Hey.” Garder strode up. “How’d it go?”

  “Could’ve been worse,” she replied. “I dropped them off at what must’ve been the central transportation hub. Something’s been going on under City A. Place looked… pretty busy. Anyway, I thought I would’ve reappeared in the midst of a full-scale battle.”

  “Nah, hasn’t begun yet. We’re waiting for them to make the first move. The soldiers were all really pumped an hour ago. Now they’re just mostly sitting around.”

  “I see that Pangs is here.”

  “Oh, yeah—he’s bringing in a few of his personal guards to help us a bit. Apparently, most of City C is supporting this call to arms and will try to hold off the Guard now if they get there.”

  “Is C still in the same shape?”

  “Yeah, still no transfers, demon is still attacking… I’m not liking this idea that we’re actually protecting that creature for the time being. But I guess we gotta be the ones to kill it.”

  “Radar’s working again!” an engineer shouted happily.

  A small tower with an old, swirling transmitter atop resided in the middle of the camp, powered by several generators and solar panels.

  “Good, good!” Osk yelled back. “We’re getting a little Earth tech on our side now.”

  “It’s weird,” Garder said. “They’re all stoked, but it’s not being taken as seriously as a real war. Maybe it’s because there isn’t much at stake for them? I mean, really, no one’s going to die on that field. Just either captured or brought back to Aurra. It’s like a war game to them. A warmup.”

  “But it is serious,” Milla replied. “We really mustn’t let them kill that demon before we do. We need its claws.”

  “Yeah, I know. But we speak like we can just go kill it, hunt it down. That’s going to be an epic undertaking on its own.”

  Verim, Jeryn, and Shin spotted the two and came up. Each was now outfitted for combat. Shin even had on light armor akin to what a samurai would bring into battle, and a long, black bow kept her hair tied back.

  “Where’s that bum Xavier?” Garder asked. “Off making himself useless again?”

  “He’ll handle comms, apparently,” Shin explained. “We can’t really force him to do anything as he isn’t part of this army. But he did want to help, so… we gave him a job. Still nothing from the other side, though.”

  “What else do we got that’ll be useful?”

  “Just the crude radar and a radio system. That’s about it. Though Verim here wanted to attach machine guns to his airplane.”

  “But we didn’t have any,” he sighed. “Just a bunch of Aurrian rifles. It probably wouldn’t have worked, anyway.”

  “Right…” Garder shook his head.

  “Everyone, listen up!” Osk called out through the speakers set up around camp. “Our spotters have reported that the enemy is finally on the move, so it looks like this is it. That means it’s inspirational speech time.”

  A few claps jokingly went through the camp.

  “Yeah, yeah—I know what you’re all thinking. This one doesn’t matter, right? Well, we have something to prove out there. I know you want to see what you’d consider real combat in Aurra, but the truth is, this does matter. If anything, we need to stall the enemy until we can really fight them in our own world. Once that is done, the real uprising will begin. You get a second chance today. You won’t have that starting tomorrow.

  “Some of you are may still not be quite aware what we’re fighting for. You want to fight the Guard, but you still need a reason. So here it is. Rivia knows, as we all do, that they are a corrupted power that has a stranglehold on an entire world. There’s even a chance they wish to extend their reach onto Earth. We can’t allow that. Pangs here is the leader of City C, and though he must get back to it very soon, he would like to say a few things and clear up any confusion.”

  Osk handed the microphone to Pangs, who cleared his throat before speaking in his gruff tone.

  “Well, this is certainly odd, isn’t it? What a motley group you all are. You don’t look like you belong on Earth at all, really,”

  Some laughter went through the camp. Pangs straightened, cleared his throat a second time, and spoke in a serious tone.

  “The Guard forced us to create this demon for them. They wanted a creature with the ability to freely go through both the haze and the dimensions. The beast has twelves claws on either hand, and when paired, they tear open a gateway similar to our portals. So, if the Guard gets their hands on this creature, they’d become nearly unstoppable. They’d be able to go in and out of both worlds, anywhere. With power like that, it’d be easy to topple governments even here, on Earth, and make this rebellion look like just another failed uprising. But that’s not what this is—this time, we’ve got a few wild cards, and a bigger idea than just some coup.

  “Ah, over there is Rivia’s group.” He pointed them out. “They’re going to help us today, as are some of my men. I think most of you have met them by now. They were each dragged into this mess, but have decided to go along with us today. Like them, what you all need to let go of is fear. Fear of punishment, death, and capture. None of that matters anymore. We don’t know what we’re heading into, but it could very well be fought for generations to come. We are only the beginning. This battle today is a mere prelude, I assure you. We will be the first ones to step into, and invent, a new kind of warfare. Let’s make sure that our voices are loud and strong. Let’s make sure it carries us into the years ahead. Thank you.”

  The camp went into a small uproar and quickly fell silent again. Osk took to the microphone once more.

  “Today is one of discovery. It is the first time Aurrians have gone into a full-scale field of battle. We’re all going to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s important to simply do your best, with that said. Try your hardest, and try something new. We don’t mean to only save Aurra—we’re trying to save both worlds. And that’s it. That’s all I can say on this, our outset. It’s time to take combat positions. Let’s go, people!”

  The soldiers let out another series of shouts before they scattered.

  Pangs was quickly escorted back into the portal for his safety, after which point it deactivated. The group of five walked over to the cliff and looked out at the approaching army. Soon there would be a clash of alchemagi and Aurrian weaponry, in the middle of Earth’s largest desert.

  “Well, this oughtta be interesting…” Garder said.

  “Life should only be as such,” Shin replied, taking out her katana. “If any of us fall, we’ll meet with Escellé and work on the next step. Whether we fail here or not.”

  “I thought that if we failed here, it would all be over.”

  “No,” Milla replied. “Our plans just change. All that matters is that the Guard loses providence today. That will be enough of a victory.”

  “But winning this is insult upon injury,” Jeryn added, raising three fingers to prepare his first attack. “Give it your all, everyone.”

  Verim unstrapped the large sword on his back, swapping it with his smaller backup blade. The twins prepared for an alchemagi assault along with Jeryn. And Shin remained still and silent. She had grown to like the people she had met, but the truth was, her one goal was to take down the king. As long as she could do that, she’d have no regrets spending the rest of the time during the upcoming war in her quiet, peaceful kingdom.

  Osk led his men over the first dune below, the group staying behind as reinforcements. They would intercept the approaching army within the minute, and once they did, the Sahara was going to turn into the greatest spectacle in anyone’s recent memory.