Pallas whistled. "I'm impressed. It looks like your lover has his uses after all."
Graydon roared as a flood of black flames surged from his body. They obliterated everything in front of him.
When it was over, the Tsavitee were gone. As if they and the trees they'd come through were nothing but a dream.
At least a quarter of a mile of forest and hills had vanished.
"I didn't know he was capable of the islax," Pallas said with a tight expression.
Translated, that word meant 'the madness.' An interesting name considering what they'd just witnessed.
Graydon swayed.
Kira hurried forward, catching him. "I've got you."
Graydon put his hand over hers where she had placed it on his arm. "I'll be alright. I just need a little rest."
Kira glanced from him to the destruction he'd just wrought. No kidding. Something like that had to take it out of him. Her burst did and this was on a similar level.
"How long have you been able to do that?" Pallas asked as they made their way to the ship.
"Worried that your forty three missed something?"
Pallas's rigid expression made it clear Graydon's guess was on the mark.
Graydon's chuckle was tired. "You should be careful about that pride of yours. It might one day be your ruin."
Kira helped Graydon into the ship, keeping a careful eye on Pallas.
Thankfully, her brother let the subject go, turning on his heel and disappearing inside.
Kira jerked her head at Brie to get in. "You too."
Brie licked her lips as she stared at the tree line, her desire to return to her unit making her stubborn.
"You'll be dead before you make it half a mile," Kira said.
She could already hear the sound of more Tsavitee moving toward them, drawn by the explosions. Soon, this entire area would be crawling.
"That doesn't mean I shouldn't try," Brie argued.
Her loyalty would be admirable if it wasn't going to get her killed.
"This is part of Diesel's plan," Kira responded in a harsh voice. "He wouldn't have sent you with me otherwise."
It had been his way of giving Brie the best chance to survive this battle.
"Dead—you contribute nothing. Alive—and there's a chance you can make a difference down the road," Kira told her, stepping up into the ship. "Consider this adapting to the changing conditions of the battle landscape."
It was a necessary trait for a soldier who hoped to survive any length of time against what was coming.
Kira waited to see what Brie would decide. Whether she was going to throw her life away or make the smart choice.
To her relief, Brie didn't waste time. After one last look in the direction where the rest were fighting, she climbed into Pallas's ship.
Kira released the breath she was holding. Good choice. She'd have hated hitting Brie over the head after everything they'd just survived.
Twenty Two
Kira turned to find Pallas watching her with an enigmatic expression. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Just admiring your hypocrisy."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Pallas patted her on the shoulder, leaning down to speak into her ear. "Just that we both know that in her shoes, you would have gone back. Certain death or not."
Pallas straightened, reaching around her to pull the hatch shut. As he did, she thought she heard him mutter something under his breath.
Something to the effect of, "That's why I had to do what I did."
Kira couldn't be sure though.
"Lathan, let's get this ship in the air," Pallas called as he wandered in the direction of the bridge. "We don't want any more guests."
Brie glanced at Kira before taking a seat in the corner of the hold.
Everyone looked exhausted. Most especially Graydon. The journey and the losses they'd sustained along the way having taken a toll.
Like Brie, Odin had found a place to sit. She rested her head against the wall with her eyes closed as she fought to control her fast breathing.
An athlete Odin wasn't. The majority of the Sye’s time was spent in a hacker’s chair. It didn’t leave a lot of room for physical fitness.
Hearing Kira's approach, Odin cracked her eye open to look up at her. "I can't tell you how uncomfortable it makes me to be on a ship with that psycho."
"Get over it," Kira said, glancing at the J1N as it made a circuit of the room. "We don't have another choice at this stage."
The forces below weren't the only ones they had to worry about. There were still the three Tsavitee ships making their way through the solar system to consider as well. When they reached Rothchild, this place would become hell.
Putting Odin out of her mind, Kira stopped next to where Graydon leaned tiredly against the wall.
"That was quite a show you put on." Kira touched his arm. "How long have you been able to do that?"
Graydon lifted his head off the wall. "Pretty much since I woke up from the coma."
That must be nice. To receive a massive power up rather than be reduced to his weakest state. Why couldn't she get something like that?
"My efforts all these years have paid off," he told her, seeing the question on her face. "It left me with a new set of marks and a few abilities to go with them."
Kira scanned his body. "I didn't notice."
His smile was brief. "You were a tad distracted."
Kira shook her head, fighting her own smile. "You're awful."
His chuckle was husky as he pulled her into his body. "But you love me anyway."
Kira let her weight rest against him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad we survived."
It had been a little too close for comfort.
He kissed her temple. "Me too."
The ship rocked from the force of an explosion.
"What was that?" Odin asked, coming alert.
Kira didn't answer as she pulled out of Graydon's arms and started for the ship's bridge.
Pallas's whistle greeted her as she stepped through the hatch. "Looks like someone is playing for keeps."
"What happened?" Kira asked.
The giant crater where the Vega had once been made Pallas's answer unnecessary. Smoke still billowed from the rubble. The trees all around it had been flattened in the blast, leaving nothing behind.
"I think someone triggered one of my booby traps," Odin said, coming up behind her.
Kira's eyebrows climbed to her hairline as she pointed at the crater in disbelief. "This is you?"
Graydon's eyes had narrowed to slits as he took in the damage, his body going rigid with the knowledge that it could have been him and Kira caught in that blast if Pallas had decided to go exploring a few days ago.
"You didn't think I'd abandon Yggdrasil without ensuring it couldn't be used against me, did you?" Odin looked out the window with a frown. "Though the extent of damage is considerably greater than I anticipated."
Kira made a choked sound of disbelief as she stared at Odin.
"It's Diesel," Brie interrupted. "His plan was to fall back to the Vega when they were overwhelmed and lure the Tsavitee inside."
“You're saying he was in the ship when it went up?”
Brie shook her head. "I don't know."