A R L O

Slowly making our way diagonally down the cliff side was perhaps even more dangerous than the sickness that had festered within me for months. One unsteady foothold, and we would be falling down the side. If by some miracle the impact didn't immediately kill us, the Imperium army would.

Wind whipped through my hair and I let myself glance downward. The writhing sea of black-uniformed soldiers was far below. The numbers of their two armies combined made me feel the familiar pang of sickness. I hated knowing Finn was somewhere down there fighting to return to safe ground with Riley. His power was immense, but there were only two of them and thousands of enemies.

I gave a huff. I didn't think I'd worried for anything else in my entire life.

We were nearing the front lines, meaning our own army was in sight. All we had to do was make it down the bluffs alive and we could join them to avoid being massacred on both sides.

I heard the slipping of rock on rock and whipped around to make sure Gigi wasn't falling to her death. Because of my superior agility, I was able to maneuver around the unsteady surface better than her. She stood there frozen with shock for a split second, cringing as the fallen rocks sent dirt crumbling over the side.

Choosing my footing very carefully, I went on. "Wouldn't it be ironic if we survived this long only to meet our end slipping off a cliff?"

"Don't say that. You'll speak it into existence."

"It would be a more merciful death than whatever we're heading into."

"Faster, maybe. But there is no mercy in war."

"I'm counting on that," I replied, glancing over at the fortress. If everything went according to plan, it would be burning along with all of Imperium's soldiers.

There were a few more scares for the both of us in which I feared we wouldn't make it to our people alive. But we stayed together, close enough to catch the other if they began to lose balance.

After what seemed like enough climbing for a lifetime, we came to a low point that was safe to jump to the ground from. By the time our feet hit the friendly territory, Gigi's bow was out and an arrow was already nocked.

A low foghorn sounded several times across the plains. My heart skittered at the sound of it. That meant the enhanced army was close enough to charge.

We needed to find our friends. If they were in the rear of the army, they were likely trapped between our own frightened soldiers and the unknown power of Orion's.

Gigi and I wove through the chaos, our soldiers bustling either way to fend off both Imperium armies. It was somewhat easy to find the others since they were the only stationary group and Kane towered over everyone else.

There was a clearing in the mass of soldiers—they'd given our teammates room to recover from what appeared to be a trip through hell and back. Each of the four were covered in head to toe with their own blood—so much that the tangy smell of it overpowered me. Kane was leaning heavily against his brother, the remainder of his leg bleeding through a mess of makeshift bandages.

Gigi dropped her bow and began working to fix their injuries the best she could with the very limited time we had. With a hand hovering over Kane's missing limb, she tested her power. A second later, she began the slow process of knitting flesh together.

"It's working," Jaxon said, watching in awe of Gigi's healing. He then concentrated on his own power, flickering from sight a few times.

I turned away, craning my head to view the place we'd come from, the base of the sloping cliffs. If they had finished their job, Finn and Riley would be returning that same way. After all, the outskirts were where the army was weakest.

For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of bright flame. And then promptly wondered if the heat of the moment had finally gotten to me.

No, I hadn't imagined it. Jaxon made an exclamation about it behind me—that Finn and Riley were returning through flames in the nick of time, burning their way around the outskirts. Black-uniformed soldiers fell in their wake.

I couldn't help but smile wildly at the sight.

Though the enhanced army approached, some of our own men turned to see the source of the imminent bright light.

As soon as they fell behind friendly lines, the fire went out. It was only a few moments before they joined us, Riley looking ashen and leaning against Finn, who mercifully appeared better off.

We all turned toward the enhanced army, led by who I assumed were the children of Orion. Even if she had enough strength to, there wasn't time for Gigi to heal us all. All we could do was face them, beaten and weakened, injuries slowly tearing us up from the inside.

The half of our army that was ready to fight them raised their guns and began firing at will. But it did no good—there was some sort of invisible shield around them, projected by several of the enhanced soldiers.

Dressed in all gold, they marched with even more fervor then the ordinary men. Behind the line of Orion's children, the enhanced soldiers were bearing their power—some wielding tornadoes of wind and dust, some with shadows curling around their bodies, a few with gruesome-looking extra limbs, one with eyes that glowed green, poison dripping from her fingers. My heart fell through the ground.

We might have thought ourselves powerful together, but compared to them, we were nothing. Nothing.

They were all controlled by Orion's mind through the Mind Sweeper. They would kill us all in seconds.

My heart beat to the tune of their collective march. I had never felt such tangible fear before in my life. My team, the soldiers around us thrummed with it. I could hear it, smell it, taste it.

It was obvious we couldn't take them. There was no optimism. There was no hope.

We bolstered ourselves for them to hit, readied the courage to fight until all of us were gone.

They were about to hit, our soldiers raised their guns though they would be worthless—

Letting out a battle cry that could be heard over the plains, the eleven children of Orion whirled on their own army.

We watched on in shock as they moved with remarkable grace and agility, sidestepping the waves of power the soldiers threw at them surprisingly well. It was clear why Orion had kept them around for so long. Together, they caused damage where no normal untrained human would be able to stand a chance.

After returning from their meeting with them, Riley, Gigi and Delphinium had been unsure of where their loyalties lay—whether they hated Orion enough to join us.

Now we had our answer. Against all odds, they had pulled through for us. They fought an impossible battle so that we could gather our forces. So that we could have a chance.

As they continued to slaughter the surprised enhanced soldiers, the time for more of our soldiers to turn their attention to the plains-side was extended. All around us, green-clad men flocked to join the newly-formed lines.

But in the end, they were eleven soldiers with no enhanced abilities against thousands of soldiers who wielded a diverse range of powers more fearsome than our own. There was only one way it could end.

First, a male figure with a machine gun was chopped to pieces by some unseen force. Then one of the twins was brought to her knees, choking to death as shadows poured into her gaping mouth. Her sister screamed when all the blood was graphically sucked from her own body, rendering her a horribly shriveled corpse.

From the opposite side of the force field, there was nothing we could do but watch as one by one, the children of Orion fell.

The army stepped over their eleven bodies like they were nothing. They never stood a chance.

But now, thanks to their sacrifice, perhaps we would. Our men stood their ground, shoulder to shoulder as the army continued its advance.

The force field dropped and at once, guns were fired into the enhanced army. But it was no use. The two armies clashed with enough force to be heard from where we stood prepared.

But the breath was knocked from my lungs when I saw how quickly and totally the soldiers were swallowing our men whole. They met the same horrible deaths as Orion's children. The impending army moved through ours like a storm. Like it was effortless. Like it was nothing.

They cut through our men so quickly that we were nearly next in line to be destroyed. I thought I knew fear before, but this was completely a completely new level...

Every detail on their uniforms, on their gruesome faces was becoming clear. Their front fighters were covered in blood that wasn't their own—their own sanguine paradise. I actually began to stumble back a few steps, trying to delay the inevitable—

A collective shudder went over their army. Most stopped out of some unseen force. I was unsure of what it was until I saw how the soldiers' faces were going gray.

One after another, like puppets with their strings cut, the soldiers collapsed.

We stood before the dead army, stunned. Of all the outcomes of their appearance, this was the least expected.

The soldiers ventured forward to see it for themselves, making sure the enhanced army was truly dead. Confusion hung in the air, mixed with relief. There was no other explanation except...

Whispers of, "Orion is dead," began to run amongst the soldiers. I turned my gaze to the fortress, which held no answers to this miracle. But I didn't have to see to know the truth: Delphinium had killed Orion. Dark triumph bloomed within me to know she'd been successful.

"We're...alive," Finn said softly, like he couldn't believe it was true.

"She did it," Riley said, a grin on her face despite the bad shape she was in. She wrapped an arm around Kane, who no longer held enough strength to do anything more than sit on the dirty ground. And didn't let go. Though she was surveying the dead army, Kane was looking up at her like she was a figment of his imagination. Like she was too good to be real.

Out of the joy of the moment, Jaxon and Benny embraced, clapping each other on the back. Until they remembered their rivalry and instantly pulled away, wearing twin expressions of disgust.

When there was no horrible trickery that resulted in the enhanced army rising from the dead, the soldiers began to recede back to the other front. There was renewed strength in the way they returned, like whatever spared them from the powers of Imperium's enhanced army meant for them to slaughter the other one.

This felt...odd. Finn, Riley and Delphinium succeeding in their missions. Orion's children sacrificing themselves for the greater good. The enhanced army falling just in time. Having our effort pay off in only positive ways, no horrible turn of events, no deaths of anyone on our team. It felt too good to be true.

And then I heard the Scorpions heating.

Looking up, I saw the cannons mounted high up inside the fortress's walls beginning to glow white. There were too many for the anti-Scorpion weapons to target. From how they were aimed, it was clear they meant to obliterate our army, leaving Imperium's as the last one standing. Orion and the enhanced army might have been dead, but there were several army leaders still alive to take up the mantle of Imperium's emperor.

From where we were situated on the outskirts of the army, it was easy to see the first Scorpion's white ray hit the ground and begin cutting down soldiers in its path. Then a second. And a third. The screaming began.

It was only a matter of time before the center of the army was weakened enough that the attention would turn to us. I heard the flames scorching skin and bone from where we were standing.

Eyes wide, I turned to Finn at my side. If we were about to die, at least it was together.

But he didn't look at me. At least, not at first. And when he did, his eyes were hard with determination.

The next thing I knew, he was pulling me in by the collar to kiss me. Despite my confusion, despite the urgency of the situation, I let myself reciprocate the gesture for a moment. He tasted of salt and blood. The warmth of his body, the pounding of his heart ran through me as he embraced me tightly. I felt his shaky exhale on my own parted lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, the words too loud in my own ears.

He said nothing, just pulled away from me as if it was the last thing he wanted to do. "No..." I said, getting an inking of what he was planning. "Don't—"

But he was already gone, making his way to the center of the army. Into the flames.

There was no time to go after him, to talk him out of the plan I suspected he had. In the center of the flames, I could barely make out him raising his arms to take the full force of it.

Every beam of plasma suddenly fixed onto him in the glowing epicenter. The noise was deafening. I couldn't be sure if I was screaming or or cursing or if I was even breathing.

He was going to burn alive. It was going to consume him until there was nothing left. Even with his power, there was only so much he could take.

Suddenly, the Scorpions in the fortress walls shut off, sending smoke into the blue sky. Finn had taken all their firepower. He was no longer visible, hidden inside a white ball of light that contained his own power mixed with the Scorpions' plasma.

And then, as the earth seemed to shake under his power, he went supernova.

With beams of white-hot light ejecting out, the fortress was blasted. Windows broke, walls crumbled.

When the blinding light subsided, the fortress began to burn.

I was already running to him, soldiers all around watching with awe. A garbled noise escaped me when I saw he no longer stood, but kneeled on the ground, skin smoking.

Kneeling at his side, I desperately called his name once, twice. Doing anything I could to ensure he was still here. As I clumsily brushed his hair off his sweat-soaked forehead, his eyes raised to me, pupils nothing but pinpricks. He clearly couldn't see me well, still recovering from being enveloped in that blinding inferno.

Gigi was suddenly at his other side, helping him lay on his back to assess his damage. The way his skin still burned at the touch, the way it still faintly smoked worried me. No, worried was too weak a word.

While Gigi was working her power, I said frantically to Finn, "Why would you do that?"

It took him a moment to summon the strength for words. "To save you. I was the only one...who could stop them." His voice sounded terrible, like he'd inhaled razorblades. "My only hope...is that Delphinium is out of there." He then fell into a fit of coughing that racked through his body. I didn't miss the flecks of blood on his lips.

"You can heal him," I said to Gigi, feeling frantic. "You can make him better, right?" But Gigi's dark eyes were wet.

Finn answered for her, weakly grasping my hand. "It's okay, Arlo..."

I flinched away. "No." The word was torn from me. "No, nothing about this is fucking okay. You can be healed. You can be healed." The same thing he'd said to me about my sickness.

"I can only keep his vitals alive for a few more minutes." Gigi's voice broke and I knew she was trying to hold herself together for my sake.

A few more minutes... "I can't—I feel too much for it all to just disappear when you—"

"I know," Finn said again, eyes shuttering for a moment. "But Delphinium was right...you're unbreakable." He took in a ragged breath. "I knew the consequences as soon as I took on the Scorpions' power. And...I'm not afraid."

"I know you're not, but I am," I nearly shouted. "What the hell am I supposed to do without you? What are any of us supposed to do without you?"

He gave as much of a smile as he could. "You'll get into trouble, just like always." A pause. "I'll always be with you. You know that. And I will see all of you again."

He didn't say it, but I knew he was thinking of the friendly soldier he'd killed—the crime he'd never quite gotten over. How they'd both died the same way. How this death evened them.

I couldn't accept it. I wondered if I ever could. "You can't go. Please stay. Please stay." Like Gigi's, my voice broke for the first time. "You're good. You've always been good. You deserve the fucking world. Not...this."

He squeezed my hand. "I have you. And that's enough."

I held him until that bright light in his eyes went out. That light that I always loved, always craved, was suddenly gone for good.

When that happened, something inside me broke. I thought I was screaming, but the world was still too silent. And for the first time in my life, I felt enough emotion to make tears stream down my face.