Crusade Across Worlds (40 page)

A long moment passes.

“So what are you thinking?” Walker asks.

“I’m thinking we head to Thias. We grab the
others and drop off the Gifts there. Then we can disappear with
Sampson for awhile.”

“And go where?”

“Wherever we can.”

“And killing Reuzkimpart?” I ask. “Stopping
the Vermix?”

“Thias has the numbers to stop them.”

“He didn’t want to be involved,” Walker
reminds him.

“Well that’s tough shit. Obviously
surrounding them in the south is no longer an option. With everyone
spread out, nothing is being done. Jace is right. We need to
regroup and bring the battle to one solid playing ground. And right
now, Thias has the resources we need.”

“What about Sampson?” I ask.

“He’ll be safest if he sticks to Larupip or
even here. Believe me,” Reid says, “I don’t like it any better than
you do, but right now it’s about protecting the Gifts. This war
doesn’t have to include us.”

If only he knew.

If only Reid knew the truth—that I have
always been a part of this war, that I was destined to kill
Reuzkimpart from the beginning, a century before I was even born. I
can’t sit this one out. And I’m the only one who can claim
that.

We all look around at one another, digesting
the last few ideas exchanged.

“So we’re agreed?” Reid glances from face to
face. “Get the Gifts to Thias and disappear with Sampson?”

Before anyone can respond, the entire cavern
shakes, raining down a heavy sheet of red dust. A thunderous boom
sounds above and another great rumble vibrates through the walls.
Maddox, who has been listening, locks eyes with me. “They are
here.”

“Vermix?” Werzo tries to sit up.

Able crouches beside him. “You have to
stay—”

“We have to
move
,” the Rogue attempts
pulling himself up again, his pale face straining from obvious
pain. “If they come down here—”

“—We’ll fight them,” Walker says and in
doing so, it ignites a massive debate as everyone starts talking
over one another.

“—How are we going to—”

“—With no weapons—”

“—And Werzo can’t even—”

“—Go to Nerwolix and figure out—”

“—Tell Qippert and Jothkore to—”

Qippert and Jothkore!

Closing my eyes, I focus on the Dofinike’s
face.
Qippert?

Another loud boom and I feel the dust
sprinkling down again.

Qippert? Are you there? We’re here, on
Arosin.

Another long moment passes and the knot in
my stomach grows. Maybe he’s not on the planet. Maybe he and
Jothkore were chased from—

Fallon?
He finally responds, his
voice jittery and rushed, like he’s mid-movement.
Where are
you?

Below you. In the tunnels—

Stay there!

But you need to bring the Floating Ruby to
Thias. It’s the only way to keep it safe. I can go back and tell
Sampson that—

Fallon, we—

His voice stops abruptly and everything goes
silent. A heartbeat passes and nothing.

Nothing.

Qippert?
Another heartbeat
.
QIPPERT?

“Oh God…” I open my eyes.

The others are staring at me, reading the
horror on my face. They know it, just like I know it. Something’s
happened. I need to know. I need to find out. But before anyone can
ask the question, I close my eyes, envisioning the surface of the
desolate, red planet. Maddox and I used to do combat training in
the morning under the yellow sky. I find the place in my
memory.

And open my eyes.

Face to face with the Vermix army, I only
have a moment to take in the scene.

The Dellapalania loyalists stretch across
the horizon, covering the flat plain until it disappears into the
heated sky. Thousands. There must be thousands here. More than
thousands. Did Reuzkimpart bring his entire army after leaving
Larupip? It’s hard to tell because something has caught my eye.

Jothkore
.

Still in his human form, he’s lying in a
pool of blood, his blank eyes staring up at nothing, a red gash
carved into his neck. Dead. A hard knot forms in my stomach. I
didn’t know the Harrizel guard well, but he helped Reid secure food
for the Rogues when we were on the moon. And then, during our
rebellion, he fed us information on Beshib’s whereabouts before
taking part in orchestrating our emancipation. He did everything
Sampson asked him to, even informing Thias of our stay on Nerwolix,
knowing of the Nerwo king’s dislike of Dofinikes. Jothkore was a
true Arizal, and now he lies motionless, drenched in blood, gone
forever.

Not more than a foot from him, Qippert
shakes on his knees. His human hands quiver, red liquid dripping
down his fingertips. I glance from them to the shallow slash across
his upper chest. It isn’t deep, but his face is pale and his
breathing is labored. He’s obviously in pain. Except he’s not
focused on his wound. Qippert’s eyes are fixated on the Vermix
across from him. I’m not sure why he’s staring at this particular
soldier until I notice what he has in his hands. A small ruby, no
larger than a marble.

The
Gift
.

The Vermix lifts his Traxpire to Qippert’s
head.

He pulls the trigger and I slow down
time.

An orange explosion blasts from the barrel
of the gun. It inches its way closer, crawling toward the kneeling
Dofinike. I can’t save Jothkore. He’s already gone, so in this
stretched-out-moment, I reach for whom I can. I know I should get
the Floating Ruby—it’s the smarter thing to do—but I can’t leave
Qippert behind.

Grabbing the Dofinike, I focus on the tunnel
below, on the rust-colored ceilings and surrounding cavern walls.
The Vermix vanish, replaced instantly by the others, all wide-eyed
at our sudden appearance. It must’ve only been seconds that I was
gone, and I’ve returned with the only other Arizal on the
planet.

Mae falls to her knees beside him. “What
happened?”

Hold on, Qippert
.

Dropping next to her, I place my hands over
the injured Dofinike and close my eyes. The same white glow appears
in the shape of his body with a deep red stain crippling the center
of his chest. My hands hover over the dark surface and I feel his
pain. It jolts through me, making it hard to breathe. The whip cut
into him, but not through any major arteries. Qippert will survive
this, but he’ll have a long recovery ahead.

Concentrating on the wound, I dull his
nerves like I did with Werzo and focus on regenerating his DNA,
rethreading his open muscle and flesh. The red lessens into a harsh
pink where it remains, and after a moment, I know I’ve done all I
can do.

My hands drop to my sides. Letting out an
exhausted breath, I open my eyes. And look up. Everyone is staring
but no one says a thing. They know something is wrong, something
beyond Qippert. They can see it in my face. The defeat. The
despair. Better to just tell them and get it over with.

“Jothkore’s dead.”

Mae covers her mouth and someone curses.
Silence fills the space as I force myself to share the second
part.

“They have the Floating Ruby.”

“No,” Pratt whispers.

“You’re sure?” Able asks.

I fight back tears as I look over Qippert’s
unconscious form. I want to tell them what happened, what I saw,
how there was nothing I could do for Jothkore. I want to tell them
that I could’ve tried for the Gift, but it’d mean sentencing
Qippert to death and I couldn’t let anyone else die because of me.
Not today. Not ever again. I want to tell them it all but can’t
seem to muster a single word.

A silent moment passes before Reid’s voice
breaks it. “You need to tell Sampson.”

A tear trickles down my cheek but I swipe it
away with a nod.

“Do they know we’re down here?” Werzo asks.
“You could’ve gone anywhere. They don’t know we’re right beneath
them, do they?”

“They don’t know,” I sniffle at the image of
Jothkore’s lifeless form. He’s still up there, in the middle of
that army and if I had been any later, Qippert would’ve been
next.

“We’ll wait,” Reid decides. “Once the Vermix
are gone, we’ll go back up. We can…collect Jothkore then.”

I’m still staring at Qippert when I feel
Reid crouch beside me. He watches the Dofinike’s chest rise and
fall slowly, the red gash expanding and shrinking with every
shallow breath. After a moment, Reid brushes my hand. I barely
glance his way, but feel his lips as he presses them against my
temple.

“Miss Fallon,” Maddox moves closer, “I feel
I must warn you—several of the Vermix have left the planet but
there are some that continue to explore it, searching for hiding
Arizals. They are currently on the first level but are descending
quickly.”

“How long until they get here?”

“Not long. A few minutes, perhaps.”

“How many?” Reid asks.

“A few dozen.”

“We have to leave,” Walker says. “Now.”

“This is the safest place for
them
,”
I gesture to Werzo and Qippert. “We have to redirect the Vermix to
Larupip or Nerwolix. We have to lead them off planet.”

“How?” Pratt asks.

“I can be of help,” Maddox says. “I can
create a shield, an illusion to hide you…hide
them
,” he
indicates Werzo and Qippert. “The Vermix will rush past. They won’t
even know you’re here.”

We all look to one another when a new
thought descends. I turn to Maddox. “You said a few dozen?”

“Yes.”

“What are you thinking?” Reid asks.

“We could get some Traxpires.”

“Fallon—”

“We’re sitting here defenseless. Wherever we
go, we’ll need to be armed and I doubt those Traxpires are where we
left them on Larupip.”

“You must decide quickly,” Maddox warns.
“They are nearly here.”

I glance at both ends of the cavern tunnel
and then back to the others. “When the last Vermix passes through,
I’ll work my way forward. Just follow me and I’ll leave you a trail
of Traxpires. Maddox,” I turn to him. “I need you to hide us until
the last one leaves. Then let me out. Okay?”

“Of course, Miss Fallon.”

“Help me move—”

Before I can finish, the boys are already
placing Qippert alongside Werzo, propping him up against the wall.
We gather around them as Maddox shifts closer. He starts to expand.
His body doubles in size, then triples, pebbles and rocks
multiplying off of one another, growing higher and higher until he
reaches the ceiling, his sides stretching farther and farther until
he encloses us against the wall, as if our block of space didn’t
exist.

I hold my Callix behind me, keeping the
light hidden. Everyone stands stills. And silent. We need to do
this right. We need to stay hidden long enough to keep Werzo and
Qippert safe, and if we’re lucky, to get our hands on some
Traxpires. The silent moment stretches until the tunnel starts to
vibrate. Bits of red dust fall from the cracks in the ceiling as
something thunders along the ground, rumbling it under our
feet.

They pass in a stampede. I catch glimpses of
it through the tiny crevices in Maddox’s body—green and brown and
black flashing by, rushing on all fours, some scaling the walls. I
hold my breath, waiting for the movement to speed past, waiting for
its end. I need to get to the end for this to work. But they keep
coming. Wave after wave after wave. Vermix swarm the tunnel,
flooding it like a tidal wave, flushing everything else out. One
crashes onto Maddox and digging his claws into the rocks, he
projects himself further.

…
They are here… I know it…

…
I do not see anything…

…
I can smell them…

Fewer race past and the stampede is slowing.
This must be the last of them. But if they stop altogether—if they
stick around here looking—it won’t work. They have to keep going so
I can come up from behind them.

…
They are near…I know it…

One retreats, sniffing back toward us,
roaming his snout over Maddox.

…
I can smell them…

Maddox
, I focus on him. Normally we
communicate with words but this time, I’ll have to use my Dofinike
strengths.
Maddox, listen to me.

Yes, Miss Fallon?

When I say, open up just enough to let me
out.

There are too many, Miss Fallon.

They’re going to rip you apart until they
get to us.

I do not feel pain. And I will not let them
rip me apart.

Then we’ll be stuck in here. And we need
their weapons.
I feel Mae stiffen as the Vermix runs his snout
over Maddox again, right in front of her face.
When I say, let
me out and I’ll handle the first few. If you can, help me, but only
if you can keep the others safe.

Am I to let them out?

Only when you see I have a Traxpire. Let
them out one by one but only when I have secured a weapon for them.
Do you understand?

I understand.

Thank you, Maddox.

The Vermix continues to sniff over his frame
as the tips of his black talons dig into the cracks between the
rocks. I can feel Mae shiver behind me, feel the others tense as a
second snout investigates. I wish I could tell them the plan but I
can’t communicate with them the way I can with Maddox. Hopefully
they’ll understand. They know the original plan. They should expect
something similar. I count myself down, preparing for what I’m
about to do. Gripping the whip’s handle, I close my eyes and
breathe in deeply.

Then exhale.

MADDOX—NOW!

A narrow length opens to reveal three Vermix
peering in at me. Too surprised to react in time, I dart through
them and into the pit of searching Dofinikes, Maddox closing the
opening behind me.

“Fallon!” Reid calls.

But I can’t answer him. I’m too focused, too
absorbed in slowing everything down and watching the Vermix as they
reach for their Traxpires. But I don’t give them any time. Already
throwing my hand back, I send the sharp end of the whip flying. It
catches the three ahead of me, green claws falling to the ground
followed by clunks of Traxpires and mewls of pain. Maddox opens his
wall and Reid slides through. I kick over a Traxpire and he dives
to catch it, firing on a pair of Vermix who crawl up the wall. Jace
and Walker slide out next and I do the same.