Chapter 349

Luca’s head snaps up. “So that’s it, then, right? We get her out of here, now? Lock her away in a bunker somewhere until we blow that entire nation to pieces?”

“As tempting as that sounds,” dad murmurs, pressing a kiss to my hair, “we can’t risk it. Any individual truck leaving the battlefield now will be a major target. They know we’re launching an offensive tonight – they’ll be watching for changes, watching us try to sneak her out of here.”

I sigh, feeling completely out of my depth and very, very tired, my mind hardly able to turn from any thoughts except worry for my friend dying somewhere in this camp.

Alone, apparently.

Why is he alone? Why are none of our friends there with him?

I scowl, lifting my head, glaring around the room.

Ben, Jackson murmurs directly into my mind, sensing my worry. We sent for Ben. He’s there with him now.

I pause for a moment, considering this, but then I nod, mollified.

“So, what the hell do we do?” Jesse asks, glaring around the room.

“Well, none of you hot heads are going to like it,” Roger snaps, crossing his arms. “But the best move here is to make no changes.”

Rafe growls, proving Roger correct. “We are not sending Ariel out to –“

“Look, they don’t have enough firepower to blow up this entire camp, or else they would have done it,” Roger snaps. “But if this boy got orders from them to attack Ariel specifically, then we have to assume that they know the basics of what we have planned at least. Any changes to that basic plan are going to be us panicking and trying to get her out of here. Any deviations are going to be a massive target.”

“I can’t believe this,” Rafe groans, turning and tilting his head back as he covers his face with his hands. “I can’t believe you want to send Ariel to battle after this –“

I sit up straight, surprised. Seriously? Is…is that what they want to do?

Soft snarls come from both Jackson and Luca, who vehemently oppose the idea.

But Jesse just sighs, looking at me evenly, watching and waiting to see my reaction. “Ari?”

I tilt my head up and look at my father, wanting his guidance, knowing he’ll know what best to do.

He sighs and looks down at me. “You’re all grown up, Ariel, and a soldier,” he murmurs. “You make your own choices now. My instinct is to pin you to my side where you’ll be safe, but Roger is right – the safest place for you may be to blend in with the other Cadets in a nondescript part of the line.”

Luca continues to growl but everyone else goes quiet, waiting for me to make a decision.

I take a long, shaky breath, and close my eyes, forcing my sluggish mind to think.

But even as I do, I already know what I want.

I want a clear head. I want Tony alive and by my side, where he belongs, a part of my team. I want to kick Atalaxian ass for even trying to stop me.

And while I can’t have one of those things right now, I can have the other.

“I want to go out into the field,” I whisper, giving a nod.

Several protesting snarls break out in the room, but I ignore them.

“As nice as it would be to hide in dad’s shadow and stay safe right now,” I continue, opening my eyes and looking around, “I made a promise to this nation. I want to fight. Tony would fight. Tony would kick my ass if I gave up the chance to make a difference because I was crying too hard.”

Uncle Roger smirks at me, his pride clear on his face, and dad tightens his arm around me. “That’s my girl,” he whispers.

Roger comes forward quietly, offering me the battle gear under his arm.

I sigh and grimly accept it, tracing my fingers over the vest as I look down at it, noting that it’s still the wrong size. “I think I need to be out there,” I murmur. “To help defeat the people who tried to kill me. Who hurt my friend.”

Inside my chest, I feel both Jackson and Luca’s wolves growl, a mixture of worry and pride in their grumbling fury.

The battlefield is dark when our transport finally brings us to our point on the field. When the vehicle stops, Rafe and Jesse are the first out, pushing back the doors and ordering the gathered mass of our Academy Cadet troops down and quickly into place by the huge anti-aircraft guns that are already here waiting for us to operate.

Luca and Jackson are by my side, of course, refusing to be elsewhere, as we move towards the back of the truck. Rafe looks worriedly at me as he holds out a hand for me, offering to help me down.

I just swat it away, hopping down like everyone else.

“Stop fussing,” I mutter, too tired to muster real anger. “I’m fine.”

Rafe just rolls his eyes and moves on as Jesse barks out orders for where everyone should stand. I look around as I move with my mates to the center of the formation, adjusting my too-large body armor as I go, staring around at the black sky and all the stars scattered above it.

I mean, it’s a gorgeous night. Almost too gorgeous for the kind of violence that my nation is planning to rain down on our enemies. But I can’t find even an ounce of pity or regret in my heart for that – not now, not after today.

When Jackson, Luca and I find our spots, Jackson passes me a pair of binoculars from around his neck. “Check it out,” he murmurs.

I frown up at him and then do as I’m told, looking through the lenses, observing the cliff’s edge in front of me where the Atalaxians have entrenched – a spot which they’ve been defending for months and which, tonight, we plan to break. To my surprise, while the sky is bright and shining on our side, clouds hang low over the Atalaxian cliff, lightening striking every few minutes.

“Oh, holy crap,” I murmur, lowering the binoculars and passing them to Luca so he can see too. “Is that…is that Cora’s doing?”

“I think so,” Jackson says, glancing at me. “I mean, it wouldn’t do any good to spread that news widely – Cora’s powers aren’t well known. But I know I’d rather fight dry than sodden and constantly worried that I’m going to be hit from a bolt from the sky.”

“Speaking of which,” Jesse says, coming up from behind us as Rafe finishes getting our set of troops into position and sending the transport van off. “Mind juicing me up, Jacks?”

“You got it,” Jacks murmurs, reaching for my hand. Jesse places his hand on the back of my neck, knowing a little contact will do it, and I sigh in a bit of relief when Jackson’s energy hits. I’ve been so, so tired all day since Gibson’s attack – the energy feels good coursing through my veins.

I fill up my own reserves before passing some to Jesse. Then I turn to Luca with a frown. “You want to try it?”

“Try what?” he asks, frowning at me.

“Energy,” I say, tilting my head towards Jackson. “From Jacks.”

Luca hesitates but Jackson just smirks at him, which seems to rile something. “Fine,” Luca snarls, grabbing my hand. “I mean, nothing’s going to happen, but –“

His eyes go wide, his words falling short, when the energy begins to flow into him. I turn my head, interested, because honestly I wasn’t sure that that would work.

“You sure you don’t have magic, man?” Jacks asks, leaning around me to frown at Luca. “I didn’t think this would work if you don’t.”

“I…I mean, I don’t,” Luca mutters, even as he shivers at the energy now coursing through him. When I feel him filling up – faster than Rafe and Jesse do – I cut off the supply and turn to nod at Jackson, letting him know that’s enough.

Jacks nods to me and gives my hand a squeeze, even if no more energy comes through. When I turn to Luca again he’s just staring at me, shocked and confused.

“We’ll talk to Cora,” I whisper, nodding to him. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Luca exhales, long and slow, nodding. Then we all turn our eyes to Rafe as he moves to the front of the massed group of Cadets, looking every inch the commander as he stands in front of us all with his hands neatly placed behind his back, his face stern.

“The Commanders and Generals have assured me that it’s unlikely that we’ll see any part of this assault tonight,” Rafe calls out, his voice booming over us. “However, should we see any action I expect you all to perform admirably to turn the enemy. It’s imperative that we have a successful assault tonight. I expect you all to do what you can, up to and including giving your lives, if it is necessary. As I will.”

We’re all silent for a moment and I close my eyes, letting my mind drift just for a moment to Tony – to his dark sense of humor, his wry smile, his canny observations and his easy laugh. I swallow hard, loving him, praying that he’s all right, knowing that he already did what Rafe has already asked of all of us.

Even if he is still alive, he was willing to give his life for this cause – so that I could survive to fight the Atalaxians, weapon that I am.

And as I open my eyes again and focus on my brother, I know that Tony was right to do it, even as guilt pounds in every beat of my heart. Because I am powerful, and this war needs me, even if we are in a small and negligible portion of the battlefield tonight.

On the next battlefield, I will be central to the attack.

And I’m only here to do it because of Anton Davis. My father was wrong when he said tonight that it would be me that saved us all – it’s Tony that did that.

“For our Nation and our people!” Rafe barks out, raising a fist above his head.

Together, we raise our own fists. The rest of the Cadets repeat Rafe’s words, but I only say my friend’s name. Jackson glances down at me, grief in his eyes as well, and I allow myself a moment to press my shoulder against his arm. He clenches his jaw, resisting a very strong urge to pull me against him, to hold me tight.

As if on cue, an orange explosion flares in the distance, the huge boom resounding a moment later.

And I inhale a deep breath, because whether or not I’m ready for it, the attack has begun.