The first explosion rocks the entire building, and people are immediately scrambling to the trees for the cover. I make the mistake of breathing and cough up smoke. Stumbling to the edge of the roof, I look down, and my stomach lurches. On the ground, in full armor with weapons, is an army. And Rythe is the one leading it. Scrambling backwards, I look around to see what’s going on. Alar has disappeared, but weapons are being chucked up through the hatch to the roof, so I’m assuming he’s the one arming us. Ama is casting spells and her aura is getting more solid and blacker by the second. Klef is speaking to Mom and Dad. Flo is looking around, calling Rythe’s name. Hibiscus is trying to dodge the fires that are sprouting up from falling branches and damaged parts of the roof. I stick two fingers in my mouth and whistle the best I can. They all look to me. “It’s Rythe!” I scream. “Rythe is down there leading the attacking army! If he comes up here, do not let him ‘help’ you!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhos967rSEX
Everyone stares at me in shock. Ama is the first to recover, unleashing a primeval scream before her chants pick up speed and suddenly there are dozens upon dozens of bones flying in the air from all around us, swarming at her. She sweeps one hand toward the madness below. “Attack!” she screeches, and the bones go flying.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQS7j4IICqH
The leaders of the Crusaders are grabbing bows, pickaxes, swords, daggers, guns, whatever is being tossed up the hatch. Klef throws me a bow and a quiver of arrows, and I run to the edge of the roof, notching those suckers as fast as I can. Years of practice has made me an excellent shot, and I’m aiming to kill. One by one enemies are falling, dropping to the floor. But for every one that falls down, two are brought in to replace them. And Rythe is just standing there, a smirk on their face. “Still think you can win, do you?” he calls up, as if he’s just talking about the weather. “Give up, little Iri, you know you can’t win! You know how this ends!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ180yMbookA
I swallow. I had sort of pieced together what was about to happen, but that didn’t mean I was going to accept it. I notch another arrow and aim it straight at their eye. I release, and the arrow flies true to course, but gets smashed by a kind of magic I’ve never seen before. They smile up at me, waving their hand, where a charm is dangling from their wrist. I growl. Clearly, this is not going to be easy.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdSQbfb1xL
Something behind Rythe draws my attention, and I see a giant ball of flame in a catapult, ready to fire. “Back! EVeryone, back! They’re about to burn us all to a crisp! Get back!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcm1jcixol
Everyone who still can, runs, but Hibiscus starts sobbing. “I can’t move!” they yell. “I’m stuck!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AxyQDRXkM
My stomach drops. No. Hibiscus? After all they’ve been through, they can’t die. I run for them, but fire explodes in the corner of my eye, and suddenly we’re falling.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTelDPlE2UE
I sit up, not daring to groan. My vision is swimming. Fire. It’s all around me. It’s what I’m almost breathing in and what I’m choking on. I hear someone yell, “Shelter! We have to get to shelter!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOa7dy503c
Where is he? He has to be here, he couldn’t have been hit. “Klef!” I scream.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzDQnlk8Uz
Coughs erupt 3 feet away from me. I reach out and grab a hand. Klef’s hand. He squeezes it, and we struggle out of the immediate fire. BANG!460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlOEBOyAy9
“They’ve got guns!” I exclaim, panicked.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabpvp7oR8B
We’re sitting ducks, trapped in the base by fire. No way out this time. I look at Klef and he looks at me. There’s desperation in his eyes, and I have no doubt it’s in mine as well. And in what feels to be our final moments together…we kiss.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMLwNX36Cd
There’s footsteps running up to the now gaping opening of the base, and Klef and I break apart. “You have to hide,” Klef orders. “Go!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTogsf3Hm5
“No way I’m leaving without you!” I exclaim. “Don’t you dare tell me to go hide and be safe while you’re out here being stupid!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlSvI46GiJ
There are blurry shapes walking through the flames, approaching fast. One reaches out an appendage and slams into the back of Klef’s head, causing his eyes to widen in shock before they close and he falls face- first to the floor. I scramble backward but the same appendage grabs onto my ankle and refuses to let go. “No!” I scream, kicking wildly. “Let me go! No!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRYvIhmaLG
Someone behind me grabs my arms and twists them painfully. “A-ah! No! Nnn… no!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDZh7adIPT
There’s a prick in my neck and everything starts swimming faster. “N… no… no…”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtisPkEUCGu
The last thing I can clearly see is Klef lying there on the floor, and I can only imagine the panic he’ll feel when he wakes up, before my vision fades to black.8964 copyright protection456ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPij0KYuW0 維尼
460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZwC8Hdkvl
When I wake up, there’s something cold against my wrists and ankles. I sit up, blinking rapidly, trying to clear the swimming in my head. “Good morning, Oracle,” a voice says across from me. “You’ve been out quite a while.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywSfgQ4ceM
I frown and blink more, and slowly the blurry form of Rythe comes into view. I lunge forward, or at least try to, but the cold on my wrists is holding me back. They chuckle. “Don’t try and fight, little Iri, you know how this is going to end as well as I do. Not well for you, I’m afraid.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYOzhjMdBV
“Screw you,” I rasp, before coughing.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLq8DpRNFJ
A glass of water comes into my line of sight and I scowl at the hand offering it, which quickly retreats. Rythe waves a hand dismissively, and shrugs. “I can understand why you don’t want my help, Oracle, but I want to make sure you are in top condition.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVwiWlGmKL
I laugh. “You shouldn’t have tried to kill me, then. Or weren’t you the person who threw the grenade in the bedroom at the base?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSwivDSPyJ
“I knew you were in the ensuite, I was trying to kill that pesky little boyfriend of yours.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksNEZjjTNH
“Somehow, that’s not reassuring,” I snark.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02HDVba0QR
Rythe rolls his eyes. “Yes, well. I’m afraid we won’t be talking for much longer. You see, your Sight is rather… unusual. I suppose you now know that you were in my head in your dream? Thing is, I never even felt it. I felt heightened paranoia, perhaps. The feeling I was being watched. But I didn’t know who, or how. And I want to see if we can harness that power.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQs16HTck98
I lean back into the wall behind me, staring up at Rythe with disgust. “And how are you going to do that?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDHKRGNlPI
“Simple,” Rythe says, waving a hand. A fairy starts connecting wires to my fingers and hands, and clips glass circles to my eyes and around the back of my head. “We’re going to force your magic to conduct itself while you are awake, and see what you can see through a screen.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZemgysJd9L
Something starts buzzing and I arch my back in pain. It feels like my entire body is on fire, and that my soul is being split from it. Slowly, images start to take form.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30xXmgee56
Sharp, blackened shapes that stretch into the sky. Rubble all around, and dead bodies of people in their Deuxlives scattered about. Fresh deaths are just starting to rouse with groans and gasps. The head I’m in doesn’t stop looking around, and sighs. I know that sigh. Klef, I realize.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxEWHMMfoh
“Is everyone okay?” his voice asks.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iH3L1uVGn
Someone is crying. Another person is calling out names of people they care about. One giant shape in the rubble stands up shakily. A new dragon. They look down at themselves and smile. “Well, if I had to go some way, I’m glad I got to be a dragon.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTkAZjCv6M
Hibiscus. “Hibiscus, I am so sorry,” Klef says.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5y8BxTDYK1
The dragon smiles. “Don’t worry about it. I’m more concerned about Rides’ parents. Has anyone seen them?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMI8khRJ3Da
A lump forms in my throat. Mom might still be alive in her Deuxlife. But if Dad died… he has no way of coming back this time. “I’m here,” Dad calls.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4QXjGss8Q
Klef turns and runs over to him. “Have you seen her mother? Please tell me she’s okay!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozJoz9GdXN
Dad sighs. “Well, she’s technically still alive…”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Yv7JVrj9x
My heart skips a beat. Mom died. It’s all my fault. She walks into view, rubbing her shoulders. “Klef, I never realized how complicated it is to have wings. I’ll be making some adjustments to our house rules, to better accomodate you.” Tawny yellow wings stretch out from Mom’s back.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWnwezPcfp
“That’s not necessary, really, it just takes a bit getting used to,” Klef assures her. “Has anyone seen Rides, though?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOMfR7kw4d
Everyone turns solemn. I can feel Klef’s panic in his head. “Someone has seen her, right?! She’s not gone?!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41KPdcmiqS
Hibiscus stretches their wings. “I saw someone grab her and carry her out as I was dying. I’m sorry.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRhFYr65kO
“We have to find her!” Klef exclaims. “Form a search party! We have to find out where she’s gone.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHX5lWS63t3
“No, Klef, don’t be an idiot!” I scream. “They’ll just kill you too!”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4wUygwKij
Klef’s head whips around. “Ride?” he whispers.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E6ckxcC9W
Before I can say anything else, I’m disconnected from the wires that let me see him. I want to scream in frustration, but I refuse to give Rythe the satisfaction. “See your boyfriend, did you? How sweet,” they coo. “Hope you said goodbye.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4CTNd5Poz
I ignore Rythe in favor of looking around where I’m being held. It’s a carriage, but it’s one of the ones usually reserved for escorting prisoners. No ammount of yelling for help is going to get me anywhere, but I do recognize the rock patterns outside on the hills from pictures I’ve seen of places in west Argentor. “Do you want to see your hometown?” Rythe asks casually. “I’m sure all your friends would love to see you carted away like the criminal that you are. But then again, someone such as yourself probably doesn’t have any friends, am I right?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8lPzOBAId
They’re trying to rile me up, but I stay silent. I’m not willing to give them the satisfaction of interacting with me anymore than they force me to. They sigh. “This is going to be a long ride,” they sigh.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmm7VAM1EY2
“‘I was angry at my friend,460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ602xEOKeNE
“‘I told my wrath, my wrath did end.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy1uLVFtSA
“‘I was angry at my foe,460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfudH3GTJzF
“‘I told it not, my wrath did grow,” I mutter.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96Y2fwJqT8
“‘And I watered it in fears,460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8mdiDC2aR
“‘Night and morning with my tears.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKGNqvHYUh
“‘And I sunned it with smiles,460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5VT2IP1me
“‘And with soft, deceitful wiles.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyCBWHeoTx
“‘And it grew both day and night.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82ZBVvK5yD
“‘Till it bore an apple bright.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZqq37cWwL
“‘And my foe beheld it shine,460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlL7zuazEC3
“‘And he knew that it was mine.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLXFn0C572
“‘And into my garden stole,460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrupHR5Qq8Q
“‘When the night had veild the pole;460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LCpCeVXQL
“‘In the morning glad I see;460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3F4D23KEGR
“‘My foe outstretched beneath the tree.’ Nice poem,” Rythe finishes. “One of our founders was fond of it as well. She actually used that to motivate herself to get things done, a lot like you.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSY8hKxozsf
I feel a little sick at the comparison. “You don’t get to say who I am and am not like. I’m my own person, and expect to be treated as such.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYSit1m75h
Rythe smirks. “Feisty like her, too.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOoztYkUoi
I stand as best I can with the shackles on me and spit in their face. Rythe blinks, before laughing. “Definitely fiesty,” they say. “I really like you. If we weren’t on opposing sides I’d like you to be my partner in crime.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLuGvrA7xT
“You had Flo,” I point out. “Wasn’t she enough for you?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4Pdb6mg8L
Rythe shrugs. “She was nice, true, but she was a means to an end. We needed a Crusader base in the Werewolf Territory. And she was the most likely to start it. Shame what happened to her last night.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmF0SVgoLX
I swallow and drop my eyes.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjo3tOIqOyX
“‘Course, I would never have anyone but myself kill her. Only the best for my love,” he sighs.460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4JQgNYX8W
“You’re a monster,” I growl. “Nothing more than a monster.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zRzfMwLct
“Want to know how she died? With honor, maybe? It was pathetic, I’ll tell you that much. Told me that if I stopped now we could still have a chance. I smiled and shot her. Never saw it coming, dropped to the ground. I would have laughed, if it weren’t so tragic.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHxz3SBlAC
My eyes sting. “Shut up,” I growl. “You don’t talk about the dead like that.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGljz1kC9fe
“Maybe you don’t, but I do,” Rythe says with a satisfied grin. “Oh, you’re stuck here, my dear. May as well get used to my brand of humor.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2ifoI4PDg
“I’m going to die anyway, what’s the point?”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXI4ICsfCD
“Die? No, no, no, no. You’re not going to die. The machine we need you for won’t kill you, we’ve made sure of that,” Rythe laughs. “You’re simply going to destroy the humans. And the grief will drive you mad when we kill the Crusaders who aren’t with us, starting with your precious boyfriend. But we need your dreams. We’re not going to kill you. We’re going to break you.”460Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08HV8gjnLx
I bite my lip and look at the outside world. It wouldn’t take that much to break me at this point, to be honest. Flo is dead. Hibiscus died. Mom died. Klef is stranded without me. And I’m going to be instrumental in genocide. I sit back sullenly and watch the scenery go by. For all I know, it could be my last time seeing it.8964 copyright protection456ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FT1gQ75FA 維尼
