by Bryan Cohen
Chapter 9
Natalie lay awake that morning with Ted's arms wrapped around her. Her face became warm and she hoped her bedmate wouldn't notice.
It's been a week. You need this much comfort after a week? You're getting soft, Dormer.
The only problem was that she liked it. Travis was great for getting her hot and bothered, but he wasn't exactly cuddle material. There were very sporadic moments in which she had to have a little tenderness to get through. The last two times she needed that comfort, after her stabbing and when Redican took control of her mind, Ted was the one to provide it. She wondered if having him there for the trifecta meant anything.
That'd be one benefit of losing today. At least I wouldn't have to think about this anymore.
Natalie removed Ted's wrist from her midsection. It was warm to the touch. She placed it back against his body and pulled away from him. A sliver of sunlight pierced through the window and landed by her feet. With a squeeze, she cracked the knuckles of her fingers and toes.
She looked back at Ted, his mouth frozen in a neutral position. "You better be able to do this, Finley." Her nose picked up the scent of sweet pastries. "Or we've got our last meal coming up pretty quick."
When Ted glanced over to Natalie at the breakfast table, she looked away, concentrating on her plate instead. She ignored his sigh and looked across from her. Razellia looked how she felt: nervous and unsure about how today would go. Natalie had to give the woman credit, though. Whenever Vella was watching her, Razellia made it seem like the world was fair and safe. Natalie had played triple overtime basketball games, but nothing looked as exhausting as motherhood.
Razellia spooned some eggs onto her plate. "How you feeling?"
Natalie smiled. It amazed her that just one week earlier the woman feeding her breakfast had aimed a gun between her eyes. She supposed that when you live on a planet of war, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. If it weren't for Razellia, that proof might never have come.
Natalie munched on a forkful of eggs. "Ready. You think Ferrick appreciates that I have the most dangerous job?"
Razellia pursed her lips. "I'm sure he does. I wish I felt better about it."
Natalie tried to give Razellia a reassuring look, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
Natalie felt Ted's eyes on her again, and her neck heated up. She shot back a warning look. After drawing back from the ocular dagger, he relaxed his shoulders and shot back a glare of his own.
She laughed. "You are such an idiot."
He smiled back. "Why, thank you."
Out of the corner of her eye, Natalie saw Vella hopping in her seat as if she were sitting on an inflatable ball. While she was too young to know the specifics of what might happen that day, she certainly wasn't stupid.
"Mommy, can I give them their present?"
Razellia caught Natalie's eye and gave a sort of "bear with her" mom look.
Natalie nodded back. "You got us a present? That's so thoughtful of you!"
The girl beamed. "I know. That's just how I roll."
Natalie narrowed her eyes and looked at Ted. "You're teaching her slang? Dhiraj-level slang?"
Ted chewed his breakfast nonchalantly. "Don't look at me. Kids say the darndest things."
Natalie rolled her eyes and put her smile back on for Vella. "Don't keep us waiting. What is it?"
Vella hopped up off her chair and reached for her pocket. She pulled out nothing but air, though her hands left space for something that was about an inch thick. The girl marched toward Natalie, tugged at her shirt and placed an imaginary item over her heart. Then she went over to Ted and performed the same ceremony.
The girl stood at attention in between them. "Ladies and gentlemen. I've awarded Ted and Natalie with the highest honor ever. The badge of protection."
When a few moments of silence went by, Razellia began clapping. Natalie and Ted followed suit.
Vella cleared her throat to halt the applause. "This award will protect you from all harm. To make it work, all you have to do is kiss each other."
Natalie put her chin on her hand as she watched Ted blush.
Razellia chuckled. "Honey, that's very forward of you."
Vella gesticulated her confusion. "What do you mean? It says it on the instructions."
Ted's face was almost beet red when a knock came from the front door. It was Ferrick, who was there to take Ted to his post. They made him wait for two minutes while Ted said his goodbyes.
Ted swooped Vella off the ground and hugged her. "Thank you for the badge, and for trying to be my wingman."
Vella's tiny hands gripped around the back of Ted's neck. "What's a wingman?"
Ted let out a big breath. "I'll tell you when I get back."
He whirled her around once or twice, and Natalie felt her uterus do a backflip. She did her best to hide her reaction to the cuteness as Ted placed Vella on the ground. He turned toward Razellia. "We'd be dead if it weren't for you. Twice."
Razellia gave a knowing smile and bridged the gap between them. She put her arms around Ted like he was her son. "Your parents raised you right. You're gonna do great today."
Ted sighed. "Thanks, Ma."
Natalie could hear the impatient tapping of Ferrick's boot against the ground.
Ted pulled away and put up his hand toward the commander. "Just one sec."
As Ferrick folded his arms, Ted approached Natalie. Each step he took seemed to last forever.
Is this gonna be the last time I see you, Ted Finley?
He stopped just one pace away. His scent floated toward her, and for a split second, she wanted to be back in that bed with him. They'd be safe, and she wouldn't feel the fear that was starting to bubble up inside her.
"I'll stick to the plan." He straightened his spine. "We'll get out of this, and then we'll find a way home. Okay?"
Natalie nodded. Ted returned the gesture and spun on his heels.
He took one step before Natalie reached for him. "Wait!"
When Ted turned back, she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Any redness that had faded since Ferrick arrived returned to Ted's face.
Her lips lingered by his cheek. "Now the badges'll work."
Ted angled his face and kissed her beside her ear. Her insides fluttered, as much as she wished they hadn't.
He grinned. "Don't worry. We've got this."
Ted pulled away, and moments later, he and the commander were gone.
Natalie stood beside Razellia and several town guards in an abandoned tavern at the corner of the town's center square. It'd been set on fire so many times, the owners had decided to let it rot. The inside would've been as dark as the walls were black if it wasn't for one of Razellia's floating lamps. Since the exterior screamed abandoned, it would serve as the perfect hiding place for the first wave of the attack. If the raiders followed their previous pattern, then they'd gather right in front of the tavern before attempting to lay waste to the village.
Ted? Are you in position?
Ted was holed up on the second floor of the next building over. Ideally, his sniper's view of the light soul raiders would give him free reign to use his powers.
I'm set. Be careful down there.
It was strange to hear Ted's thoughts rattling around in her mind, but in lieu of a walkie-talkie, the system worked quite well.
Aren't I always?
No comment.
Natalie glanced up at her cadre of troops. Two of them were familiar as the ones she'd assaulted before her apprehension just a week earlier. The one with the black eye she'd caused met her glance.
Natalie winked. "That's healing nicely."
The bruised man growled, but Razellia put her hand on his chest. "Can we please focus on the common enemy?"
Natalie and the guard both grunted their assent.
She peered out the crack in the door. At first glance, the entire town seemed to be abandoned. Nobody was on the streets, and many of the buildings were boarded up
with the lights off. It was a ghost town, and she hoped the appearance would help them get the drop on their attackers.
The noise was faint at first, like the light thumping of deep drums. The gallop grew louder as the raiders approached. Bump-bump; bump-bump; bump-bump. The dot in the distance became larger, and the men riding their Lychos came into view. As the townspeople had predicted, there were more of them now. The party was up from four to 12. The volume crescendoed as the pack passed the front of the building and pulled up in the center of the town square. Step one of the plan was in full swing.
Natalie examined the figures more closely. They were unshaven and burly. While she wasn't close enough to smell them, she figured that riding on the hairy beasts didn't exactly keep them dryer-sheet fresh. One of the Lychos snarled, and Natalie saw the crimson-eyed guard take a step back.
"Relax." She let her smile extend wide. "So far, so good."
Natalie took one last look outside the door. While she knew this gang wasn't affiliated with the light soul army, it was still strange to have to fight them. After all, weren't they supposed to be on Erica's side? On her and Ted's side?
As Natalie stepped toward the door, Razellia stopped her.
She looked more than a little concerned. "I don't like this. You should let one of the villagers do it."
Natalie took Razellia's hand. Her friend's hand.
"I aim to win. If we do, then that better prove that I'm one of you."
Razellia gave her hand a squeeze and nodded. "Good luck."
Natalie raised her eyebrows. "No such thing."
She smiled as she spun on her heels and left the cover of the hollowed-out tavern behind.
She took a step forward into the light, making sure to keep her left hand out of view. Her fingers gripped a glass jar. She could feel the liquid inside it shifting from side to side. Natalie pulled a device that was very similar to a lighter from her right pocket. With the flip of a switch, she had a flame going. Natalie lit the rag that was stuffed into the top of the jar.
It wasn't until she held the fiery bottle in front of her that the raiders took notice. The entire dozen pointed their energy weapons in her direction. She gulped as the devices powered up.
Natalie ignored her fear and puffed out her chest. "Hey, guys. We knew that you liked fire, so we got you a present."
She tossed the glass a few feet in front of her. It slammed into the dirt, which the raiders may have just noticed was much wetter than normal. As the jar burst, the alcohol-soaked dirt caught fire as well, creating a circle of flames around the entire town square. The smell of the burning booze filled Natalie's nostrils as the heat from the fire added an extra element of heat to the dry desert air. She couldn't even see the raiders through the barricade of red and orange. They were trapped.
Natalie admired the fiery prison. "Ooh, pretty."
She stood in place a little too long, as the bandits started firing their weapons in every direction. She'd have been hit for sure, if Razellia hadn't yanked her back at the last second. They ducked into the alleyway beside the tavern as pulses of energy rocked the buildings they hit. They could no longer see the action, but they could hear plenty of wild shots around the town square.
Natalie tried to catch her breath. "You saved me."
Razellia breathed hard. "You needed saving. Are you okay?"
Natalie reached for Razellia's hand and squeezed it. "I am." She smiled. "After all, I have an invisible badge of protection." Natalie poked her head around the side of the building. "And Ted does, too."
Chapter 10
In the minutes before the second phase of the plan went into action, Ted looked out at the deserted village from the second story of a two-floor apartment. He was told someone used to live in the sparse room about 30 years ago. It didn't offer him much comfort to learn the occupant had been killed in a similar raid. Natalie, Razellia and the rest of the commanders had figured out how to position their troops to keep any dark souls from looking at him. They determined that this was the best vantage point, and it gave Ted a clear view of the approaching raiders in the distance.
Even with the growing sound of Lychos paws pushing off of the dusty rocks, Ted was deep in thought about his place in all of this. He wanted to believe that Erica would say his protection of a dark soul village was the right thing to do. He just wasn't sure that's how she'd see it.
"Does she even know about these people?" Ted pictured the courthouse and the lineup of emaciated farmer after emaciated farmer. "Is Vella the enemy?"
When he clutched at the imaginary badge of protection, Ted considered the peck Natalie had given him before he'd left. He'd always thought that the last kiss he'd get from her would be the one he'd received over a year ago.
"It didn't mean anything." He saw the raiders pass through the arch at the front of the village. "We're just scared."
It didn't take long for the gang to stop in the town square as the commanders had all anticipated.
Ted's pulse quickened as he shifted to get a better view of the raiders. "Besides, we're going to stop these guys." He stretched out his hands and cracked his neck. "Then we're going to get home to Erica and Travis. And everything'll be back to normal."
As Ted sent up a silent prayer that he was right, he saw and heard the flames engulf the town square. That was his cue.
From his bird's eye view, Ted focused on the energy blasters the men were shooting all over the place. Their wild discharges actually made tracking the locations of the guns quite easy for him. He felt himself lock on tight, and he yanked the weapons clean out of their hands and holsters. He could barely hear the screams of the raiders as the guns lifted over the fire and skidded onto the ground. They landed at the feet of Natalie's battalion.
Ted watched as one of the men emerged from the flames. His Lychos took most of the impact from the fire, and despite being badly burned, the creature looked ready as ever to take a bite out of anyone who stood in its way.
"As you wish." Ted put two fingers to his temple and used his powers to leap into the creature's brain.
While inside, he left one simple command and pulled himself out before any damage could be done. He didn't want to relive the Washington, D.C. bridge incident all over again. Ted watched as the Lychos shook off its rider. Before the bandit even reached the ground, the wolf-like creature clamped down its teeth on the man's body. The light soul's cries for help reached the windows above while his blood spilled out on the dirt below. Ted winced at the sight of it, but he knew his job wasn't done.
One by one, he turned the Lychos against their masters, and one by one he heard the screams of agony. He'd taken down at least eight men by his count when a shockwave of sound rattled his eardrums. When he covered his ears, he saw a blast of energy as wide as a tidal wave crash through the fire and tear into the dark soul guards below.
Half of the fire barrier had been extinguished by the blast, whatever it was. Several troops writhed in agony below him, their skin sizzling. That's when Ted saw it. A weapon the size of a rocket launcher sat atop one raider's shoulder, and when his Lychos trotted away from the formerly closed trap, the man pointed the weapon directly at Ted.
His eyes grew wide. "Uh oh."
The sound was twice as bone-chilling as the first had been, but Ted did his best to fly through the fear. As he zipped back through the room and onto the stairwell, a thick lightning bolt of energy slammed into the building. Ted braced himself, putting his arms in front of his eyes as he raced against the explosion. Wood shattered behind him as he flew downward in a diagonal direction. He slammed through one wall first, and then another. His arms stung from the impact as he crash-landed on the charred floor of the abandoned tavern. Ted skidded along the ground and heard the sound of weapons being drawn.
"Hold your fire!"
Ted pushed himself up with his battered arms and saw Commander Ferrick keeping his men at bay.
Ted felt his arm twitch with pain, though his legs seemed to be relatively unfaze
d. "Thanks."
He looked back through the hole he'd punched in the side of the tavern. Sure enough, the building he'd just left had completely collapsed behind him. He'd gotten out just in time. Another sound of a shockwave blasted through the air, followed by screams and moaning. Ted steeled himself against the pain and walked to the commander's side. He looked left and right. Ted's heart sunk.
"Where's Natalie?"
As Ferrick gestured outside, the front door to the tavern came ripping off. The Lychos had torn it right off its hinges and tossed it away. It slammed hard on the dirt outside. The leader of the bandits powered up his weapon once again.
Ted put all his strength into his voice. "Wait! I'm the living soul!"
The raider's laugh started with a chuckle and morphed into an all out guffaw. "You think we care about this war? About you?" The man stared right into Ted's eyes. "You must not be from around here."
With the dark souls surrounding him, there'd be no flying out of this one. Ted shut his eyes and thought of home. The sound of a small energy blast and the impact of animal flesh made Ted open his eyes. The Lychos in front of the door growled and turned away, running in a full on sprint in the direction of the town's exit. The raider nearly lost his balance in the shift, but he maintained his hold on the animal's fur.
Ferrick gave Ted a sideways glance. "What the heck was that?"
Ted shrugged and ran outside. That's when he saw her.
"Catch me if you can, sucker!"
Natalie sat atop one of the Lychos, which was hightailing it away from the town square. Ted realized that she'd distracted the assailant's steed with a shot in the posterior and she was drawing his fire. He had to admit that whether or not he still had feelings for Natalie, he kind of loved her right now. Ted heard the raider's heavy artillery power up again. He instinctively tried to throw him off the Lychos with his powers, but it was no use; there were too many dark souls looking in his direction.