by Charley Case
Missy was beside and slightly behind Azoth. Her cuts from the fight with Penny healed. Even the scarring was gone by this point although the empty charred eye socket remained, the dragon’s fire rendering healing potions next to useless.
On his other side and much further back was Yaminah’s robed figure. She was playing the meek and defeated slave, but the occasional look of pure hatred directed at the back of Azoth’s hood told a different story altogether.
But the thing that had them speechless wasn’t the faces of their well-known enemies, it was the endless sea of new faces fanned out before Azoth’s spread arms. As he chanted, waves of black and purple miasma rolled from his fingers and flowed over the mass of people. With each wave, the crowd swayed like prairie grass in a light breeze.
Mila tried to spot the end of the sea of people, but they sort of blended in with the green and brown plains after a while.
“That’s a lot more than a hundred and fifty thousand people.” Finn scanned the image. “I would guess twice that, maybe two-and-a-half times.” He put a gentle hand on Mila’s shoulder and pointed to the front of the crowd. “I don’t know if you noticed yet, but I don’t think you need to call Carl anymore. He’ll already be there.”
Mila looked where he was pointing and gasped. Carl was dead center in the miasma wave, still wearing his tactical gear and holding his rifle. Quickly scanning the front ranks, Mila picked out Nick, Tina, Howard, and Jenny along with at least three other full teams of G.A.E.L. troopers. Every last one of them was well and truly under Azoth’s spell.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mila dropped the cube to the deck as she stepped out of the water, not even noticing the chill anymore. The large viewing sphere flickered then died as the magic she’d supplied ran out.
What was she doing? There were people out there who needed her, and she was sitting around in a hot tub like an asshole. Her fists clenched at her sides as she walked toward the kitchen, water dripping from her in spattering trails.
She stopped before walking in, realizing she would drip all the way through the house, and looked around for a towel, but the closest thing she saw was a throw blanket over the back of a cushioned lounger beside the fire pit.
Mila clenched her teeth as she growled and turned to go back toward the tub, and the pile of towels Lance had brought and left on a lounge chair for them. She felt like a caged dog, all aggression and pent-up energy but no way to let it out. Even in sleep she couldn’t get the satisfaction of peaceful rest. Her body was changing faster than she could keep up with, and in ways she couldn’t predict.
Was she a Valkyrie, a dwarf, a Peabrain, or something else entirely? What was more frustrating was that no one had any real answers for her, only speculation and hypothesis, half of which made it sound like she should stop shaving her legs and start wearing patchouli oil in her hair.
She wasn’t looking where she was going anymore, only walking fast to get there, so when Finn wrapped her up in a towel from behind and pulled close in his big arms, she almost punched him in pure reaction.
She was shaking, her mind going a thousand miles an hour, but with nowhere to go she was only spinning her tires.
“You’re spiraling, darlin’,” Finn murmured in her ear as he held her back to his chest, his arms around her holding the towel closed.
“I know I am, and it’s driving me insane. Fucking Azoth never relents. He’s like an annoying bully that picks and picks until you’re ready to explode, but when you finally swing, you find out that he’s also bigger and stronger than you. And one of the worst parts is, the one friend you have that could come up with a half-decent plan to win the fight is in a coma-like sleep wrapped around her eggs, which makes my heart forget to beat sometimes thinking about having babies in the house. How are we going to protect them from assholes in the future? Not to mention I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant now, because I felt guilty about not wearing a fucking bathing suit.” She pressed her lips together as she grabbed the edge of the towel and wiped the water from her face. She felt like she needed to be doing something, but she didn’t know what that was.
“I know you’re upset, and feel like you need to be out there doing something. I feel that too.” Finn spoke in his maddeningly calm tone. It sometimes felt like a designer drug created to calm Mila down. “But we prepared what we could already. There’s a stack of fifty mines we made today, ready to go and charged up. You’ve put all the magic you and Victoria could into the device. If it doesn’t have enough charge by now, then it never will. We all know our part to play in the battle. Now is the hardest part.”
“The waiting.” She sighed, her nerves a few degrees less frazzled than they had been a few minutes ago.
“No, the waiting is time passing by. The hardest part is relaxing. You can’t go into battle a bundle of raw nerves. That’s a good way to get yourself killed.” As he talked, he slowly led her toward an oversized plush lounging chair Mila was pretty sure wasn’t there a few minutes ago. “You’ve had friends and allies with you every time you’ve faced Azoth, but you keep trying to fight him all on your own. This is our fight, not your fight.” He stopped beside the lounger and turned her in his arms so he was looking down into her eyes, their faces only inches apart. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, Mila. Stronger than a dwarf, a Valkyrie, or a human—you’re all of those things at once, but that’s not why you’re so strong.”
She smiled up at him and his goofy over-the-top praise, but she couldn’t help feeling like he meant every word. “Oh? So why am I so strong, my great and wise dwark?”
He smiled, his white teeth shining through his thick brown beard, and a glint in his eye that let her know he was about to hit her with the sincerest cheesy line she was likely to ever hear in her life. Her cheeks already hurt from the grin plastered on her face, and he hadn’t said anything yet.
“Because you give a shit.”
Mila snorted a laugh. “What?”
“Do you have any idea how many people out there in the wide universe truly give a shit about others?”
“Lots of people give a shit, Finn. It’s called compassion. Most people have it in spades,” she argued.
He shook his head slightly. “I’m not talking about compassion. I’m talking about picking up a stranger and his dragon friend at a gas station in the middle of the night because you understood that they needed your help. I’m talking about wrestling hellhounds to the ground with your bare hands to save strangers in a bar. How about grabbing a woman bent on killing you and taking the time to fix her while standing in the middle of a war zone? Or barricading yourself in a bar and fighting off dozens of eight-foot-tall wolfmen to give people time to escape? Do I need to continue?”
Mila shook her head. “I get it. I’m willing to sacrifice myself for others.”
He laughed and shook his head. “No, dummy. You’re not willing to sacrifice yourself. If you were, then you would give Azoth the Reaper, or have killed that woman instead of fixing her, or left me at the Kum & Go—and you would’ve killed a little piece of your soul each time you did until there was nothing left. You’re strong because you’re willing to be scared out of your mind, or chased by evil witches for months, or have to fight off roving hit squads, as long as you’re doing the right thing.”
Mila swallowed, finally starting to get what he was saying.
“You’re spiraling over this battle because you can’t figure out what the right choice is. This is the classic ruler’s dilemma. You know what to do to have the best outcome, but your chances of accomplishing that best outcome are problematic. The real dilemma, however, comes when weighing the consequences. If you succeed, it saves your people. If you fail, then your people are dead and the enemy gets what they want anyway. But if you give in and give the enemy what they want, then your people are safe but others will suffer. This one is so hard to wrap your head around because the battle isn’t about your people, it’s about everyone else. Two out of those three choices mea
n your people are safe, but two out of those three choices end with everyone else dead or suffering. The only way to save them both is the largest gamble, with the highest consequences for failure.”
Mila felt her anxiety rise as he laid it all out for her. The magnitude of her choices was overwhelming. All she could think about was, what if she lost? That was the only option where everyone died, her people and everyone else.
Her heart rate shot up, and she must have gotten a panicked look in her eye because Finn spoke faster, trying to get to the point quickly.
“This is good news for someone like you, darlin’. You only have one choice. You can’t sacrifice yourself for the half win, and losing is never the option against an evil like Azoth. Your only option is to fight and win. You can let go of the choices. They don’t matter to you. Logically, you want the easy way—give him what he wants and we’re all safe—but you can’t do that because the easy way is for cowards, and you are not a coward.
“Let it all go. The choice was made the second you found out Azoth existed. It was always going to come down to this battle in a few hours. So, relax. Take some time to recover before the battle. Clear your mind of doubt so you can focus on what needs to happen. Then, when the time comes, we go to Iceland and do whatever it takes to win. If we have to make the entire island uninhabitable for the next thousand years, it will be worth it. Whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes,” she echoed, feeling the confusion and pressure fall away, leaving her feeling light and free.
He pushed her, and she let out a squeal as she lost her balance and fell into the cushioned lounge chair.
Finn straddled the end of the lounger and took her left foot in both of his large hands, massaged the stress from her with his thumbs.
Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed into the lounger. “Oh, fuck. I needed that.”
“So, you think you’re pregnant?” His voice was entirely too casual.
“Not really.” Mila laughed, then pursed her lips in thought. “Well, it has crossed my mind, but I don’t think so.” He nodded and focused on the foot rub. After half a minute, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Five percent chance.”
Finn lifted a brow, but didn’t look up from her foot. “One in twenty? Really?”
“Ten percent.”
“How about we ask Danica to do a test after this is all over? Your statistics are all over the place, and I’m not a hundred percent sure you know how they work.” He glanced up at her and cracked a smile. “See, that’s the proper way to use them. Make it sound precise while not really making a statement.”
“I am a hundred percent sure you’re a dork.”
“I’m a hundred percent sure that you like that about me.”
Mila rolled her eyes and laughed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mila finally relaxed with the help of Finn and his magic thumbs. They went back to the hot tub and laughed and talked about the future with friends. Remmy and Victoria eventually came out to join them and they made a little food and shared a last meal before it was time to get ready.
Finn double-checked that Mila had her two healing potions and that her weapons were secure in her corset holster while Mila went over how to activate the device once again. She worried that she would mess up the sequence, so she had been drilling it into her muscle memory every time she filled. She could now do the sequence by feel alone.
Once fully dressed and kitted out, they looked into one another’s eyes, enjoying a last quiet moment.
“Ready?” Finn asked.
Mila nodded and pulled him down for a kiss.
That done, she picked up the Reaper’s case and pulled the shoulder strap over her chest, securing the black case to it.
They walked down the hall and stopped at Penny’s chamber to check on her before they left. She was still in the same position, feeding her eggs a steady diet of magic while she dreamed.
Mila blew the sleeping dragon a kiss. “See you soon, Penny.”
They headed out to the deck and discovered that they were the last ones there.
Remmy was in her leathers, her hair up in the intricate braids Danica had done for her and her daggers strapped across the small of her back. Victoria wore a pair of jeans and a gray long-sleeved t-shirt with her longsword strapped to her back, the pommel sticking up over her shoulder. Danica had gone for black leggings and a matching black compression shirt, keeping her clothing tight so it wouldn’t interfere with her bow.
Everyone had a determined look on their face and stood tall, ready to face what came.
Rebecca came out, struggling to carry a large duffel bag. Finn quickly stepped forward and took it from her.
“Thanks.” She brushed off the lap of her white leggings and matching compression shirt. She looked like Danica, but in reverse. Mila saw that she had strapped a thin white sheath to each thigh and the handles of three wands poked out of each.
“What are you doing?” Mila asked when it became clear Rebecca wasn’t coming over to say goodbye.
“Lance and I drew straws, and I’m the one who gets to go with you,” she answered matter-of-factly.
“You’re doing nothing of the sort. You have Grimm. I can’t let you go out there and risk not coming home,” Mila argued.
“Because I have a child does not mean that I sit by when my friends are in need.”
“I understand that, but there’s no need. We have a plan, and you don’t have to get in the line of fire to accomplish it. You’re not coming.”
Rebecca drew a deep breath. “You can’t stop me from helping you. Lance and I made our choice, and I was chosen. This is as much our fight as it is yours.”
Mila opened her mouth to retort but Finn beat her to it, his voice commanding and firm but still kind. “Rebecca, we have our plan to defeat Azoth. You’re part of it, but, your role isn’t on the front line. We need you here. You’re the last line of defense if this all goes to shit. We’ll need you to let the world know what’s happening. More importantly, though, I need you to watch over Penny. She is one of the few faerie dragons left, and right now she’s more vulnerable than she’s ever been. I promised her I would watch over her when she laid her eggs. I need you to stand that guard for me. Can you do that?”
Rebecca swallowed, obviously affected by the words, but to Mila it seemed like she was a little too affected by them. Mila would have sworn that Rebecca was fighting to not bow as she backed away.
“I can do that. Sorry. I hadn’t realized how important it was for me to stay. We’ll see you when you get back. Penny will be safe in our care, I promise.”
Mila raised an eyebrow at Finn, who shrugged. “Everyone ready?”
There were nods all around and they gathered in close. Danica fed her spell, then they disappeared with a light popping sound.
As soon as they left, whatever Finn had done to Rebecca lifted and she shook her head in confusion. Then her face narrowed as she stared through the spot they’d departed from.
“You conniving dwarf. That’s the last time your royal mantle works on me.” She was half-pissed and half-impressed, but ultimately she saw the point of him telling her to stay. Either that, or his mantle of authority was far subtler than she thought.
She narrowed her eyes and looked over her shoulder at Lance standing in the kitchen with a big grin on his face. He had said Finn would make her stay, but she didn’t think he would be so powerful.
Good thing they were friends. She would hate to see how he handled his enemies.
The first thing Mila noticed about Iceland was how wet it was. While it wasn’t currently raining where they stood, she saw a cloud dumping a hefty shower across the sand fields less than half a mile away. The air was thick with moisture in a completely different way than at Rebecca’s house in the bayou. While the swamp was sticky wet, on the sand fields it was more of a lubricating feel.
The second thing Mila noticed was the location’s eerie beauty. It truly was like no other place on E
arth. Fine black sand stretched as far as the eye could see, broken only by miniature mountains covered in vibrant green moss, or maybe they were full-sized mountains covered in grass—Mila couldn’t find a familiar reference to tell the difference. There were no trees. There were no animals. It was only endless black sands, mountains, and a lake that was either massive and surrounded by mountains, or was fairly small and surrounded by hundred-foot-tall pointy hills. The entire place made her feel off-balance in some unexplainable way.
“How does a place like this happen? And then to have it only happen once across the entire planet?” Mila slowly spun in a circle while taking in the oddly mesmerizing view.
“It was a custom berth.” Victoria squinted into the sudden daylight after the near pitch-black of the bayou, although thick cloud cover tempered the sun.
The statement was a sharp reminder to Mila that Earth was in fact a ship. She knew it was, but she freely admitted that she didn’t understand it.
“I thought you said it was one of the few empty places to have the first battle with Azoth. If someone had this made…”
Finn looked around at what they had to work with, then set the duffel on the ground and unzipped it, revealing stacks of heavily modified hockey pucks.
“It was empty,” Victoria continued the story as she took the half-dozen mines Finn handed her, “but only because when the Huldu found out what she intended to transport, they freaked the fuck out. They even gave her a full refund, which is insane, if you know any Huldu.”
Finn passed out a stack to each of them, then pointed to five places in a circle around them and assigned each of them a spot. “Once you’re in the general area, I can better direct you where to place them. Set them on the ground and I’ll bury them all at once.”
They all headed to their assigned places, and Finn had them place their first mine then walk to the right about fifteen steps and place the next, adjusting as necessary. When they ran out of mines, they came back to the duffel and restocked. They had the mines placed to Finn’s satisfaction in less than twenty minutes.