F I N N

Riley and I were bloody and cut up from the less-than-seamless transition through the Imperium army, but we weaved through it now without raising suspicion, their masks covering our faces. Since we wore replicas of their uniforms, we were unnoticeable amongst the ocean of identical soldiers.

Our destination was the tents set up behind the army, no doubt filled with the war strategists who could rapidly figure out how to combat our every move. Once they were dead, the army would be weak, cut off from its leaders off the battlefield. We needed to work quickly, beginning at the tent nearest to the army and working outward, eventually looping back to join our own side when the job was accomplished.

But neither of us were stupid enough to miss how much of a suicide mission this was. Once we started killing a pathway through the tents, we would inevitably be discovered and hounded down. Even if the two of us somehow managed to kill all the leaders, we still would be stranded on the wrong side of the Imperium army.

As if she heard my thoughts, Riley said in a low voice, "I'll give it two tents before they find us out."

"Then let's make sure your bet is wrong," I muttered back, despite the negative thoughts I'd just been thinking.

The first tent wasn't guarded; they weren't expecting spies to be so close to the soldiers. That meant whoever was inside was not of upmost importance. An easier kill.

No one gave us a second glance when we entered it, lifting the desk flap to accommodate the both of us. I fidgeted with the needle-like blade shoved up my sleeve, wondering whose blood would be covering it first.

When I began training as an ONNT soldier, I always expected to defend the innocent and protect those who needed it most. In the beginning, it never occurred to me that I might be required to end lives in order to fulfill those ideals.

Everything I had been through—every fight I didn't kill my enemy in, and the time I did actually kill a good man—was building until this moment. This moment, in which I would finally have to choose.

I chose the man whose name I didn't know, whose eyes went dull under the weight of my fire. As a soldier, he never had a chance to fight Imperium. But I did.

So I whipped out my knife and rammed it into a man's chest.

I was already moving on while Riley took on a smaller Imperium woman. Slashing my blade across another's chest, I watched as Riley grabbed the woman by the throat and forced something into her mouth. In just a few moments, the black-suited woman fell to the ground, mouth foaming.

Riley caught me looking. "Impressed?" I could hear the devilish grin in her words.

"Very. What...was that?"

She pulled an identical pill from her uniform pocket. "Cyanide. Fastest acting poison in the world, and luckily for me, found in laurel bushes."

As we exited out the back of the tent, my stunned silence must have spoken enough for her, because she said, "What, you're surprised? I have about ten different types of plant-based poison on me as we speak." Through the mask, her eyes glinted in a way that reminded me of Arlo. "Watch your water glass from now on."

I nearly responded, but an officer crossed paths with us. Heads down, we kept silent. I didn't look into his empty, hard eyes. He most likely would have interrogated us as Imperium soldiers if not for the air-fight directly overhead that called his attention to the sky.

The second tent was filled with more officers than the last—three more, six in all. My stomach turned when I thought of six corpses littering the floor of the tent. It was only now, I tried to comfort myself. After this war was over, I would never lay hand against anyone.

But I knew the truth, as I began hacking at an Imperium strategist: killing would never be easy, even if it was someone evil. It wasn't meant to be. And I never wanted to feel as if I could mercilessly do it again. I admired my teammates for many reasons, but I could never emotionlessly end a life like they could.

All but one went down easily. Just as I slashed out with my knife, she ducked to the side, lessening the severity of the blow. It gave her a split second to cry out for help before Riley ended her. We shared a terrified glance, hearing other soldiers come running at the sound. I cursed myself. Being emotionally troubled by killing someone was one thing, but being just plain bad at murdering was another.

We turned for the back flap and sprinted away, knowing suspicions were high. As soon as we entered the third tent, it was clear something was wrong. Nothing was amiss about the way we marched in, but immediately all eyes were on us. I didn't dare look at Riley.

Then the dreaded thing happened: the biggest, tallest man in the room whose head nearly touched the ceiling asked us a question in Romanian. My heart skittered. I kept my eyes on the ground, trying to think of a way out.

"Forget poisoning," Riley hissed. "This is a risk we have to take. Burn them all."

Though I'd been holding them back for her own safety, I allowed the flames to well to the surface, seconds away from abandoning my morals and torching the place.

Except the flames wouldn't come.

Filling with panic, I tried to will my power forward. Nothing. A horrible, empty nothing.

Eyes wide, Riley seemed to realize it too, her own powers not springing forth. So we abandoned the plan—and the tent. Feet slamming against the ground, we were closely pursued by the inhabitants of the last tent. A few bullets fell inches short of our legs.

We just needed to get to the next tent. Maybe my power just needed time. Deep down, I knew it didn't make sense. Something else was at play here—something Orion had done. But there was no time to think about it. We were nearing the slope of the cliffs Arlo was hopefully wreaking havoc from. A trap. They would surround us—

The world exploded.

I was thrown forward through the air, flames engulfing my body. An overpowering wind. The fire didn't hurt me, but the impact did. My vision was all white with black flashes. I tried to rise, but the flames were everywhere and debris covered my broken body.

Laying there in the dirt, I struggled to keep consciousness. My lips formed the word once.

Help.

But we were alone, half-dead in the enemy's war camps. I felt the weight of the heavy truth on my aching body: no help would come.