Kamsa and Viveri took up position on a cliffside that offered a nice view of the valley below. Their personal sunlamps glowed vibrantly in the afternoon Aurrian sun, so they made sure to keep themselves as hidden as possible from the mobile village below.

  Both with a pair of binoculars, they observed the tiny, defenseless hamlet lumbering across the valley. Made up of old, rusted transportation and hauling vehicles carrying several dozen raggedy villagers, the most pronounced object they had by far was their stolen sun globe that casted a protective field around them about a quarter mile in diameter.

  “Ah, reports were right,” Viveri whispered. “Got a big one here, don’t we? Still, the two of us could probably take ‘em…”

  “Sir, I am still confused. Why are we seeking out and attacking these villages? They are of little threat to us.”

  “Got any better ideas? This is what we used to do, chickpea. Back before this whole mess started. Don’t you like it when things are simpler?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps I do not see the purpose of doing this.”

  “Look, until we get orders to do something more interesting, this is pretty much it. Besides, I’m sure the rebels could use sun globes. The less there are wandering around out there for the taking, the better.”

  “If we must… I do not wish to harm anyone.”

  “Now you know that’s something I try to do for little old you,” Viveri said jokingly. “I don’t hurt anyone that don’t need hurting.”

  “Last time, five people died and eleven were injured.”

  “They shot at us, Kamsa! Now come on—you can’t expect me not to defend myself! A pretorian can’t just go down easy like that.”

  “Sir Drides believes that the best way to show your power… is by using it to its fullest while also managing to keep the enemy alive.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s him and his, uh, virtues I guess you’d call ‘em.”

  “You seem to bring down lightning at the slightest whim.”

  “I only do what I have to—”

  “Last time you even used the hawk. Against a simple village…”

  “That was just to scare ‘em. Sometimes they forget who we are just because they can shoot back now. Are we doing this or not? That village isn’t going to stay down there forever. Course, we could just follow it until they meet another to barter with or whatever. Get two in one shot.”

  “If you are set on this, I suppose we should get it over with…”

  Viveri stared at her for a moment. “Ya know, you’ve really changed somehow over the last month. Got something on your mind, chickpea?”

  “I am not conflicted.”

  “Yeah, I think you are… I mean, you still sound like the robot you always were, but now it’s like you’re trying to fight it or something.”

  Kamsa said nothing.

  “Aw, heck. You’re probably just growing up is all.” He laughed. “Anyway, let’s move out…”

  Viveri stopped when his radio buzzed. He quickly put the headset on, listened to a few of the words, and then took it off again.

  “Looks like we’ll have to scratch this one for the time being,” he sighed and brought out his demirriage.

  “Why? What’s happening?”

  “Seems Jeryn just showed up.”

  The two arrived at the island palace, where the other pretorians were seated at a small stone table. Jeryn, the former famed pretorian, was indeed one of the seven in the grand hall. The fire adept stood silently and emotionlessly, his arms free, but with Palar lingering over him.

  Jeryn knew that he might be able to take down one—maybe two of them before Drides likely took him out, but that wasn’t why he was here.

  “It took you some time, Mr. Klowsk,” Drides began. “But I’m glad that you’ve finally decided to return to us.”

  “I’ve had a lot to think about.”

  “So where have you been for these last three weeks?”

  “Searching. Learning. Do you know where Lontonkon is?”

  “Hm, haven’t seen him in a while, I’m afraid. I think he may be avoiding me. Tell me, how is Rayna?”

  “Doing well, I suppose. Considering.”

  “Before I continue, I must ask: why it is that you’re here?”

  “There’s a life I need to take.”

  No one said anything for a few moments. Palar shifted his ax into a just slightly more attack-ready position.

  “My sentiments exactly.” Drides smiled. “I assume, of course, that you’re referring to the man who tried to, well, vaporize you near C.”

  “He wants the demon for himself, right? I think I know why.”

  “Oh?”

  “He wants to command the mythical nova elemental, made real. But why does he seek so much power? Do you know his goals?”

  “He likely desires to rule over both Aurra and Earth. Perhaps gain immortality in some way. Honestly, he is a very simple man with simple ideas. He obsesses with making himself a false apostle.”

  “And how does such a goal involve you?”

  “I am an apostle. That alone has always made our relationship dubious at best. The one thing keeping me from killing him is… No. I’d rather not to tell you just yet. Are you here because you wish to rejoin us?”

  “It seems as if my position has already been filled.”

  “For you, Jeryn, I’d gladly open a seventh slot. I’ve rarely abided by the meaningless rules an ancient Aurrian government put into place.”

  “I will likely take you up on the offer. However…”

  “Yes?”

  “It will not happen right at this moment. There are some things that I must take care of first.”

  “I see. Still have some sorting out to do, do we?”

  “I only ask one thing: I don’t want to see my friends hurt. I know that once they join the rebellion in full, that it’ll be out of your hands, but I can bring you Rayna and convince them to stop supporting Rivia—”

  “That would be more than enough to ensure their safety,” Drides assured. “I don’t like killing anyone I don’t have to. I always find people much more useful alive. Anything else that needs to be taken care of?”

  “No. But I will require some time.”

  “I have one request for you, then.”

  “Name it.”

  “It isn’t just Rayna I’m after; I also need Temki. Bring me both of these children. I will not harm them in any way, but I require their abilities.”

  Jeryn didn’t respond immediately. Palar shifted his ax again and Drides squinted with his uncovered eye as he waited for an answer.

  “Very well,” Jeryn said. “But no one else gets hurt.”

  “So long as they don’t get in my way.”

  “Right. Will that be all?”

  “You may go. But we’ll be in touch. Do not betray my trust…”

  Jeryn was led back by Palar to the fibrocator, but Trinqit had to get something out that she had been keeping to herself before he left.

  “Hey Jeryn—” she called out almost mockingly, “—don’t be sore that Drides took your place. Lontonkon just found someone else to lead us, and he didn’t want you feeling bad, so he had your memory wiped. Wait, did you know that? Well, you would’ve figured it out in time, I’m sure.”

  Jeryn sighed. “You know, I’ve always hated you, Jenera.”

  She laughed as he left the room with Palar. Drides glared at Trinqit, and she quickly returned to her prior alert position.

  “He may still be dangerous,” Breen said. “Surely he isn’t as strong as he was once, but I know that I could not stand up to him alone.”

  “Which is why you have me,” Drides replied sharply. “None of you could stand up to Jeryn if he were in his prime.”

  “So that was the former lead pretorian…” Kamsa thought aloud. “I wish that I could have been here and served under him.”

  “He was quite a powerhouse,” Viveri replied.

  “How strong was the person that I replaced?” Kamsa added.

  “Ah, he was a bum.” Viveri laughed. “Trinqit really hated him, too. Forget about him. His tenure was brief; not even worth mentioning.”

  “I’ve missed Jeryn from time to time,” Trinqit replied. “Not that I like him in any particular way. Oh well. Bired and Vadaka fried his brain, so there’s probably not too much left of the person I knew.”

  “Bired and Vadaka… Who are they?” Kamsa wondered.

  “Erasers. Supposedly the best—but not the smartest. Dumb enough to fall for a pretorian job. Realized their stupidity pretty quickly and accepted the fate Drides handed them. Kind of pathetic, really—”

  “Jenera, enough,” Drides nearly snapped. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s disrespect. That means for our allies or otherwise. If you don’t acknowledge your enemy, then there’s no meaning in fighting them.”

  “Come off it,” Trinqit groaned as Palar returned to the room. “Why should I respect scum? Erasers going around wiping out people’s memories because they had a bad life… Deal with it and move on.”

  “And I assume you’ve had plenty of good lives to share with us? I don’t care what people do with themselves, but if you have no respect for your fellow man, then you’ll have none from me.”

  She backed down. She couldn’t understand how Drides, with all of his power and ambition, retained respect for every single person who lived.

  “Everyone, finish up what you were doing and then return here,” he ordered. “No use moving around until Jeryn returns with what I want.”

  “Got it, Boss,” Viveri replied. “Kamsa, I guess we’ll go deal with the village, then…”

  “May I do it myself?” she asked. “I believe I can handle it alone. You should attend to more… vital things that require higher attention.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yes. Please allow me to prove my worth to all of you.”

  “Um, okay. So how about it, Boss?”

  Drides just shrugged and waved them off.

  “Okay, then,” Viveri said. “You need anything, just give me holler. Don’t screw anything up, Kamsa. You know where to put the prisoners.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Viveri gave Kamsa one of his demirriages, and she went off to the only well-lit room in the palace to power it. The other pretorians walked off until only Palar and Drides remained.

  “Palar…” Drides said quietly, his head resting tiredly on his arm. “You’re not occupied, are you?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Good. Why don’t you go monitor Jeryn and make sure he doesn’t have any… difficulty getting back to us. If he decides to change his mind about the whole thing, I’m leaving it to you to take him down. Remember that he now knows the extent of his abilities—but don’t fail this time…”

  “I will not, sir.”

  The last three weeks had gone by slowly, for Garder especially. Most of his time wasn’t spent training with Milla or assisting Klayson’s men, but rather aiding in the organization and relocation of the evacuees from I. Few of them wanted to remain in a City overcome by conflict a second time, so most were sent to neighboring Cities E, N, and G—with any need for a visa waived. Either City was better than D currently.

  Some of his time was also spent with Rayna, and he explained to her the ins and outs of Aurrian life. She had more questions than Simon, but Garder always took up any chance to sound intelligent. She rarely asked about her parents, and hadn’t gone into many details about her own past.

  Updates on the rebellion steadily became a thing of frequency. Osk was building a small stronghold and raising an army on the outskirts of the Tillethian City of Q, while nothing had happened on Shiloh’s front. The surly officer posted on Point Trident even went so far as to ask Klayson for a troop reduction so that his men could assist elsewhere, in more hotly contested areas. The requests were always denied, but it remained as the sergeant’s way of saying that nothing was happening on his end, and he respectfully wanted his position changed.

  Conflicts with the Guard were becoming increasingly uncommon with every passing day, and reports of their latest retreats replaced those concerning combat. Klayson wanted scouting parties organized and spies assigned to infiltrate the Guard, to find out where they were all running and hiding. The rebellion was a month old, and there was still not one reprisal anywhere. But the Guard’s decision to condense and strengthen its forces elsewhere left an ominous cloud over the rebels, who were unsure when the enemy would resurface, and just how powerful they would come to be.

  Garder was waiting in a flattened plaza of the City, which had been turned into a heavily protected bunker and command center. He was waiting for Milla to return, hopefully for another training session, however brief it may be. His improvement was apparent, but she stayed tough on him. He felt that he would never to impress her, and his patience was running thin. He knew that he was doing better than she stated, but no matter how hard he tried, she never acknowledged it. Or, perhaps it was simply because he still wasn’t as good as she was in his own alignment.

  Despite a growing desire to get out and do something, he was getting the biggest rest he had received in a while. It felt like ages ago that Rivia had summoned him to his office to give him a “basic” assignment.

  Garder looked around lazily. Lechi, Rayna and Temki were in a bombed-out café, eating lunch together alongside Tanesh—who had grown much larger over the three weeks. With Rayna and likely Temki both still requiring constant attention, two of the team members always stayed with them wherever they went. Today Xavier and Kyler had the job.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  As Garder took in more of his surroundings idly, his eyes suddenly met someone else’s. He couldn’t believe it, but Kamsa was looking straight at him, keeping herself hidden away in an alley. He made sure that no one was watching him, and quickly got up to meet her. He was only positive that she wasn’t an illusion once he was standing right in front of her.

  “Why are you here?” he asked. “Do you want them to kill you?”

  Kamsa said nothing. She wanted to come out with it right away—to tell him that Jeryn was coming to betray his team. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t yet go against the other pretorians to such a degree. She didn’t know if she ever would be able to. And perhaps there was still some chance that… they could stop him without her help or prior warning.

  “Come on.” He grabbed her arm and led her back to a secluded apartment’s withered backyard. “I can’t believe you came here. You crazy?”

  “Garder…” she murmured.

  “Yeah?”

  “How… How are you doing in your training?”

  “Fine, I guess. What are your pretorian friends up to?” he scoffed.

  “They do not suspect anything…” she dodged an actual answer. “How is your team doing?”

  “Okay. Jeryn left to go find Lontonkon. We haven’t heard back.”

  “I see. Do you trust him?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Have any of your friends ever… doubted his intentions?”

  “I guess Shin was a little wary of him at first, but that’s all. Why are we talking about him?”

  “No reason. But… I kind of know him. The pretorians know well of who he is. He is very powerful. Should he ever attack you… You should not fight him. You should forget about him and never seek him out again.”

  “What? Why would he attack me?”

  “I am sorry. I am not making any sense, am I?”

  “Kamsa, you always keep such a straight face. Have you ever smiled, or laughed for that matter? Even a frown?”

  “I was trained to show emotion, but I… have none. As an individual, I do not have any. And if I did, I doubt that I would display it.”

  “You’d seem more human if you did.”

  “I understand. You wish for me to seem like something I am not.”

  “No, I just want you to stop talking like that. Live a little. I dunno, pretend you’re not a clone and there were hundreds of you. If you can show emotion, then you should try to. Without it, we’re just a bunch of robots.”

  “I did not come here to discuss this, Garder.”

  “Huh?”

  “I wish to complete your training. That is why I am here.”

  “You didn’t just want to come to see me again?”

  “I did. I also want to discuss something with you.”

  “Like what?”

  “We should go elsewhere. I do not want to risk incursion.”

  “I’d like to, but if Milla or any of the others found out… Well, I already made them mad at me the first time I told them about us, I’m sure.”

  “You told them what happened?”

  “They forced it out of me. But never mind them. Everyone’s busy at the moment, so I guess we could go ahead and um, run away for a bit.”

  “Very well. I will try not to put you into any danger.” She opened up her demirriage scroll and continued talking with Garder while it formed in the dull sunlight. “Are you able to traverse elementally yet?”

  “Are you kidding? I don’t think I’ll ever be that good.”

  “What about steady water manipulation?”

  “Haven’t really been able to practice around here. But my jumps are getting higher, and I think I’m beginning to get the feel for jet streams.”

  “Good. Garder, our remaining time together may be limited. There is one last technique I wish to show you. You wouldn’t be able to use it, but I can at least make you wary of it. That is probably all I can do.”

  “Huh… Okay,” Garder muttered and stepped into the carriage.

  Kamsa pushed down on the pedestal, sending the two halfway across the world instantly. Garder exited into a land surrounded by arid desert and rock spires. Miles and miles of orange dunes formed an ocean of sand, and from his position on the mesa, he could see clear to the horizon.

  He thought of the Sahara, but easily reasoned that this place was different. The landscape was signature Aurrian, with exaggerated granite formations. This had to be the Majoris desert. Unlike the Southern Wastes, the desert was peaceful and serene—if not extremely arid and punishing. The sun was at its highest, but the desert was actually a chilly place where northernly winds sometimes brought snow.

  “Odd place for watairre training,” Garder commented.

  “The low moisture gives you a challenge to overcome,” Kamsa replied. “Also, it allows you to focus more on the air half of your alignment. We are unique in that we have two separate but similar elements within us.”

  “And of course, it’s all about balance, right?”

  “Yes. But training is not the reason I actually brought you here… I want to show you something before I talk with you.”

  “The thing I have to be scared of, right?”

  “Yes… Garder, are you aware that elements act very differently in their purest state? Pure alchemagi is a golden hue, and quickly fades when it is contaminated. But elements have absolute pure states, as well.”

  “Yeah, I know about that.”

  “They are representations of the building blocks of reality, made into a form we can manipulate. They are tied to the molecular structure.”

  “Okay…”

  “If you’re able, you can bring out the purest form of an element. Like traveling via your element, we can only do this with the alignment in which we are adept. When they take shape, they do so in a way that is linked to our minds. They become beings powered by our subconscious.”

  “What do you mean by… beings?”

  “Living, spectral animals.”

  “Seriously? I’ve never heard of anything like that…”

  “Milla—and Jeryn may have. As these creatures are a part of us, they can even behave in certain ways and act out. They are like a temporary companion. Something like a pet, I believe? But this is not actually an alchemagi technique at all. It’s something very different.”

  “How so?”

  “When we form these beings, we rip out our element completely. We cannot use other spells while the being exists, and we are vulnerable for a time after until our alchemagi returns to us. This makes the power source for these creatures different. They slowly drain our body’s energy, burning off raw, otherwise unusable alchemagi in the process. You can even kill yourself if you are unable to control your energy well.”

  “So just summoning one of these things can get you dead, huh?”

  “It’s possible. If your alchemagi burns off completely, you will die.”

  “Always been terrified of that…”

  “And if your body energy drops first, then you will collapse and be vulnerable on the battlefield. However… the summons are powerful. They cannot die, and only techniques that burn or drain an opponent’s alchemagi can harm them. We mostly use them for brute-force head on attacks and never keep them out long. But if you employ their aid, you will have an intelligent, versatile battle partner. To disband the creature, you simply stop supplying it energy. And while you can’t use spells with it out, it does not require the use of a casting hand, so you’re still combat capable.”

  He took a few moments to take in what she had told him before asking, “So what’s the reason I can’t bring out some watairre beasty?”

  “Only pretorians have the proper implants to siphon a singular element out. Experienced paradigms can also do it with sufficient training. But since it is a well-kept secret that the unaware see as just another strong spell, Temki, under normal circumstances… is not likely able to pull it off.”

  “Well, at least I’ll be wary of them,” Garder sighed. “So, what are these things, exactly? I mean, what do they all look like?”

  “Lightning’s is a hawk that fires bolts of electricity. Fire has a dragon consumed in flames. Iron is represented by a metal scorpion covered in sharpened blades. Plant has a wolf made of entangling vines, while earth has a centipede made of rock. Mind’s is an owl that can pierce any mental defense, and vector has a wireframe serpent. No one is certain what solar has, and silvers cannot create any creature at all.”

  “And what does that make ours?”

  Kamsa closed her eyes, found the familiar deep inside her mind, and brought it out without lifting a finger.

  A thick mist shrouded the two, and then quickly condensed into a single spot. Out of the vapor formed a four-legged being made entirely of what looked like dry ice. Tiny water droplets dripped from every part of its translucent body, while a thick white haze covered it and bellowed outward like smoke. The creature had two glowing yellow eyes, a tail, large claws, and altogether, it was four times the size of Garder.

  “A giant snow leopard?” he murmured. “Uh… does it bite?”

  “It won’t. It’s under my complete control.”

  “What do you do with it?” he asked as he looked over the beast.

  “Slam it into something, or fight alongside of it. It can’t use any spells, but its body is very flexible. Anything that breaks off will quickly regrow, and it can turn into mist and reform quickly.”

  “Yeah, but can it roar to scare its prey?”

  Kamsa sighed lightly and released her grip on the creature. It faded away into the air, and the cloud it left behind was gone in a few seconds.

  “Its emotions are strongly based on your own when you summon it. If you’re angry, it will be as well. I am calm, so that’s how it appears.”

  “How do I know if someone is trying to summon one? If I’m going to tell the others to be cautious of these things… What’s the sign?”

  “If they seek protection or distance as if trying to prepare a large technique, but don’t move their fingers, that’s a clear sign. Of course, we pretorians are professionals and will try to fool you, so it really comes down to personal judgment. They do take time to appear, so you can set up a defense or attempt to retreat. Once it’s out… your only real option is to go after the weakened user. But the elemental will naturally defend its owner, so you’ll have to do everything in your power to disable them.”

  “How long have these creatures been around?”

  “They’ve existed as long as pretorians have. Aside from a second dominance gene in our Guard implants that allows us to command those below us, the filters are the only other things that make us pretorians.”

  “Then I guess that’s why a paradigm is still capable of making these too? Well, thank you, Kamsa. I’ll certainly by watchful for the elemental bad boys. What was it that you wanted to show me way out here?”

  “Come over here,” she replied and went over the cliffside.

  Garder followed and looked down in the valley below. He didn’t believe his eyes at first, but there was a small village encompassed by a light field. It was much smaller than what a City’s sphere could produce, but far larger than a sunlamp’s capability. Judging by the surrounding vehicle tracks and the condition of the ground, it hadn’t been in the valley for very long.

  “Is—is that a roaming village?” Garder questioned.

  “Indeed. There are likely fewer than a dozen at any given time, but they’ve been sprouting up continuously for centuries. One of the original tasks pretorians performed was seeking out and destroying these villages.”

  “What are they, exactly? Pretty much just their namesake?”

  “A group of rogue Aurrians traveling the world, following complex trade routes so they can eventually meet with others and barter. Aurra is a large, mostly unoccupied world. It is not difficult to avoid the twenty-six Cities and other pockets of civilization, like Guard bases and outposts.”

  “How do they get new villagers? They can’t do transfers, right?”

  “Procreation is controlled and a punishable thing for them. If a birth is actually approved, then one of the villagers must find a City and ‘steal’ a transfer. They often take several other transferred babies with them, as well. Outsiders joining—or even finding a village is a rare occurrence.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine. But stealing transfers and babies… I don’t think I can agree with that, even if it’s necessary for them to do it. And that’s got to break a whole bunch of laws, right?”

  “Yes. They are treated as criminals. And not only in that regard. They do not comply with the system set up for the rest of the population. They believe that they are freeing themselves of Aurra’s framework.”

  “You seem to know a lot about these places…”

  Kamsa took a seat on the ridge. Garder followed suit, and the two eyed the tents and transport vehicles below quietly.

  “Orders have been few as of late. Sir Viveri and I have spent the last three weeks wiping out three other villages. It is something that we had been too busy to do recently, but for the time being, we had returned to the previous typical assignment given to lower rank pretorians.”

  “Wiping out? As in just killing them all? You can’t mean that…”

  She shook her head solemnly. “I must follow orders. With that said, I try to save as many as I can. Fortunately, Viveri often respects my wishes, and we imprison the majority. The children are always returned to the Cities they were assigned to. The adults are sent to City Z for the rest of their lifetimes. There is no hope for them to abide by Aurrian law.”

  “But that’s… overly cruel…”

  “I suppose it is. But I do not know how I feel on the matter. I will follow orders, but I am conflicted on whether or not we are acting in the correct way. The villagers live their lives expecting and knowing what could happen to them, and we’ve been chasing them down since their earliest years. But more always come to replace those we destroy.”

  “Is this why you took me out here? To show me this—to tell me that you were conflicted? Do you think I have all the answers?”

  “Viveri and I were sent here earlier to deal with this village, but we were called away. I am supposed to be here now, to see the job through.”

  “And… are you going to?”

  “I don’t know. For the first time in my life, I’m having a debate within myself. Because of what you told me. Perhaps I have no obligation to the pretorians at all. I did not ask to join them. But if I continue acting like this, it will only be a matter of time before they suspect me.”

  “Then forget all of them. Come help us instead. When Rivia comes back, he’s going to have an army of angry former Guardsmen with him. The line between sides is blurry in this world, you know? Help us instead. I’m sure that if you spoke to Milla in a civil matter, she’d—”

  “Even if your friends trusted me, I would never earn it from the rebellion as a whole. It would only be a matter of time before someone turned against me.”

  Neither of them spoke for a while. Garder could easily see just how much Kamsa was troubled, but didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to stop talking, either, so he continued on a different, but relative subject.

  “Does the security council or senate even function anymore?” he asked her. “And what about the Administration? Somehow, I feel that the Guard isn’t going to be invulnerable again in a week or so like we had thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lontonkon was just using all of this to his advantage. He can wipe out his own men more efficiently, and now has a perfectly good reason to weed out those who go against him…”

  “No. They are barely functioning,” she replied. “In fact, City A is a shadow of what it once was. Pretorians once attended meetings frequently. Now we are hardly called in at all. Whenever we are, the politicians don’t know what to do. Barely a third of the chamber is ever filled. Members are leaving or have gone missing. Aurra could very well be falling apart, Garder. And all Lontonkon can do is hide and build up an army.”

  “That’s a scary prospect. What if this reached the Administration, too? There could be troubles with transfers all over—not just C. Or the Guard could just take the Administration over completely… I don’t want to think about where this is heading. If Rivia doesn’t get back soon and help fix everything… then there might not be much of an Aurra left to save.”

  “Do you think that it could really be that bad?”

  “I dunno. I’m about as far from an optimist as you can get. I can tell you one thing… A war in Aurra, no matter who’s fighting and why, is not natural. It’s foolish—wars belong on Earth, where most people don’t care about what things will be like in fifty years. If Aurra dies, the system collapses. We’d all wind up stuck in a white, featureless realm. At that point, the kind of death most people are scared of would feel like the best option. But we could never achieve ‘nothingness.’ I wish I knew what Hold is…”

  “You think often, don’t you?”

  “Hm?”

  “You’re always wondering and thinking and trying to discover the truth… You see beyond what’s there. That’s the mark of someone of vast intellect. You likely share something with ancients in this way.”

  “Intellect? Me?” Garder laughed. “And I’m a bit far from sixty life times, Kamsa. Heck, I’m little more than a confused kid bewildered by the grandness, bizarre behaviors, and ironies of everything. I can’t even begin to comprehend the worldview the ancients possess, or how they still have any emotion at all. To live that long, to have seen so much… I dunno.”

  Kamsa felt herself smile. It was a very odd feeling, nothing like she expected. Unfortunately, it was so small that Garder didn’t pick up on it, and it disappeared within seconds.

  “All right—up you two!” shouted a voice from behind.

  Garder jumped, fearing the worst; a pretorian had sought Kamsa out, and now both of them were about to suffer for it.

  But when he stood up and turned around, all he saw was an older man, about his height. Thick stubble covered his dirty face. His hair had gray spots and was so messy and stained that Garder couldn’t tell what the original color may have been. The man had on a heavy, raggedy bomber jacket—something far from the Aurrian clothing norm—and a pair of tattered, faded jeans. Brown leather boots and torn gloves complemented the rest of his appearance. A sunlamp was dangling off a loose belt, and to top it all off, he was puffing on a crumpled cigarette.

  Normally, Garder couldn’t begin to conceive the guy as a possible threat, but the large rifle he had in his hands shifted the thought away some. The weapon he was brandishing was something unfamiliar. Unsure of just what the man was capable of, Garder held his ground cautiously.

  “You again…” He coughed and looked at Kamsa. “Figure you’d return. Spotted you earlier. I know you’re a pretorian.”

  His voice was deep and crackling. His tone was almost depressing, and he didn’t seem to have to try hard to maintain his frown.

  “So now you’ve brought a friend, eh? Doesn’t look like a pretorian, but then again, you guys haven’t exactly been consistent as of late.”

  “Sir? Are you with the village below?” Kamsa asked calmly.

  “Damn right. I heard what you’ve done to our brothers elsewhere. Don’t think it’ll be the same here. I protect my people like no one else.”

  “I wasn’t planning on attacking—”

  “Then why’d you return?” he asked angrily and flicked the cigarette to the ground. “You pretorians are all alike. Kill, kill, kill. That’s all you do. And don’t think I’m being fooled by some innocent looking child. I know you’re capable. Saw you make an elemental. That tells me everything.”

  “Please let me return. I will make a report stating your village’s destruction. As long as you flee this area quickly, you will—”

  “I’m not interested in what you have to offer me, darling. Way I see it, one less pretorian in this world, the better. And you don’t scare us. You don’t have so-called ‘God’s protection’ anymore. So, there’s nothing to fear. Bunch of alchemagi-wielding warmongers is all you amount to now.”

  “Please…” Kamsa tried to continue, but was suddenly silenced.

  Garder watched as the man took aim with his rifle and fired something at Kamsa from his weapon’s spring-loaded mechanism. A disc with several attached claws launched outward and hit her with enough force to send her tumbling downward.

  He reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back in time—but noticed that she was suddenly very weak. The disc was attached firmly to her lower right shoulder, and was having a pronounced effect. He held her in his arms as she passed out, and Garder had no idea what to do next.

  “What did you do to her?” he demanded.

  “Little something we’ve developed for dealing with pretorians,” the man replied. “Pumps the blood full of that nasty sealant stuff. Her reserves have been thrown into chaos, and she won’t be able to use any alchemagi for, I’d wager a guess, the next week or so.”

  “Why did you do that? Why not just kill her?”

  “Pretorian’s worth a lot more alive than dead, kid. Think of the bargaining opportunities. Now hand her over, and I’ll let you go home.”

  Garder looked at Kamsa, out cold in his arms. He already knew and accepted that he couldn’t just give her up.

  “Come on, kid…” He hacked and lowered the rifle. “Just hand her over and be on your way. I don’t want any more trouble.”

  “You don’t know a thing about her!” Garder shouted. “She’s a good person! She’s not like the others!”

  “I bet. If she’s so good and all, then we’ll treat her kindly.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Don’t be stupid, boy. Just hand her over.”

  Garder backed away and took a defensive stance. The man just stared at him blankly.

  “Careful, kid, getting close to the edge there…”

  “You can’t have her,” he repeated. “And it’s for your sake, anyway. They won’t bargain. They’ll just kill all of you, destroy your village.”

  “Kid, you might want to take a few steps forward…”

  Garder ignored him and continued, “Back off and let us go! I’m with the rebellion—we can protect your village, but I’ll only see to it if you let me take the pretorian with me.”

  “We don’t need help from a bunch of upstarts. And stop moving backwards already. You’re going to kill yourself, you damned idiot.”

  “Don’t insult the rebellion. We have plans, we—”

  Garder felt the ground under him give way, and gravity quickly took over. With Kamsa still in his arms, he could do nothing to stop himself from falling off the cliff. He hit something on the way down almost as soon as he started dropping, and although he tried to overcome it, he soon blacked out and continued his fall helplessly.

  “Idiot kid,” the man sighed. “Guess it’s got to be me, then…”

  He grumbled as he tapped into his reserves and went after the two.

  Nothing could ever be nice and simple for Leovyn.