Emily crawled into the front of the black Suburban and Kyle slid in next to her.
“Feels weird leading a war in a Suburban,” Emily said, looking out the heavily shaded windows.
“How else were we supposed to get there?” Kyle asked as he pulled off the ferry and set out for Nevada.
“How long?” Emily watched the terrain fly by.
“48 hours should be about right,” he said.
Emily picked up her book and began to read with her feet perched on the dashboard.
“Em,” Kyle said quietly.
She looked over at him.
“You and I, we aren't going with the rest of them.”
“What?” she asked angrily.
“No, no, we'll be there… but we're going to break off. You need to find Chevalier,” he said, watching the road.
“I am? How? You're the one with the senses,” she said, confused.
“I need you to at least try to find him. Your bond is tight, and I think if you try, you may be able to find him before we do.” Kyle was hopeful.
***
Chevalier glared at the door. He could feel Emily moving closer to him, and his mind raged. How could they let her come? What did she do to talk Kyle into this dangerous situation? He swore under his breath to make them pay if one hair on her head was harmed.
Chevalier was suddenly assaulted by the shock of electricity. His body tensed and pulled against the chains as the electricity flowed uninterrupted.
“You said this should work?” a heku said from the doorway.
“Yes, it won't kill him, but it'll keep him in enough pain he won't be able to get loose. We'll give him a few days, and then we'll see if he's willing to cooperate,” the other said, and they left, shutting the door behind him.
***
“Emily, wake up,” Kyle said, touching her shoulder lightly.
She looked up and saw sand, miles and miles of sand, “We're here?”
“Close enough… we're running the rest of the way, it's quieter.” He got out of the Suburban and the others followed suit, leaving a long line of black Suburban's and buses along the Nevada desert road.
Emily got out and moved to Kyle, “Run?”
Kyle grinned, “It's ok, I'll carry you.”
“Ugh, seriously?” she asked, embarrassed.
“You can't keep up with us, and you'd not make it the 90 miles anyway.” Kyle was adjusting a belt with odd tools around it.
“You're going to carry me, running, for 90 miles?” She doubted he was being serious.
“Yes, I am.” He left to talk to another command.
Emily looked down at her hands and flexed them slowly, her brow wrinkled. She noticed how the ache ran up her arms and into her shoulders. She knew better than to tell Kyle about the odd sensation, the tingling that had started a few days ago and was growing stronger.
“Ready, Em?” Kyle asked at her back.
She jerked and turned around quickly.
Kyle grinned, “Didn't mean to scare you.”
“You didn't,” she lied.
Emily cringed as he cradled her in his arms and began to run quickly. The darkness was full of heku in black suits all intent on going in after one lost Commander. Emily thought about the loyalty the heku showed toward each other, and then frowned at her own race. A race famous for turning on themselves, wars pitting brother against brother, deaths over things such as shoes and money. She wondered how her race considered the heku to be evil and sinister.
Emily woke up as the feeling of wind flowing past her faded. Kyle put her onto her feet and she looked around at the large encampment. They stood on a hill above it, invisible to those below. She watched as the heku went about their daily lives, some visited, some went to work, some were walking hand in hand. A sudden pang of sadness gripped her when she thought that they would have to kill them. Kill them as they went about their daily lives, unaware that their faction leaders had kidnapped a high-ranking Equites.
“Do we have to kill them all?” she asked no one in particular.
“They won't let us by. We'll have to kill them all,” a strange voice sounded behind her.
Kyle gave the order for the first team to move out, and a black shadow suddenly descended on the city. Within minutes, screams could be heard echoing from around the small valley. Emily flexed her hands and stretched her arms as she watched.
“What's wrong?” Kyle whispered to her.
“Nothing,” she lied.
“Remember what I said, try to pick anything up from him,” he whispered.
“I am, but I don't know what I'm looking for.”
“Anything at all.”
Emily nodded as Kyle gave the motion for his troops to fall to the south. Another black cloud fell on the city, and as she and Kyle drew nearer, the screams grew louder and the sound of crushing and tearing echoed through the city. Emily tried to ignore the images that came with the sounds.
She glanced up as two more swarms of black came from the mountains above and fell into the city.
Kyle frowned and hissed into the dark.
“What?” Emily asked.
He whisked her into a dark alleyway, and whispered into her ear, “They were waiting for us. It's not going well.”
He looked around cautiously as his body pressed Emily into a wall.
“Let me go, I can help,” she said.
“Not yet, you try to find Chevalier.” He kept glancing around nervously.
Kyle growled low.
“Kyle?” Emily asked, watching him.
“Team one is gone… we have to get you out of here,” he said, grabbing her arm and leading her out of the city.
She spun out from under his grasp and turned, running into the city.
“Stop, Em,” Kyle said, appearing ahead of her.
“I can stop them, Kyle, and you know it.”
“You can't stop an entire city.”
“I don't have to… I just have to even up the numbers,” she said, stomping past him.
Kyle headed after her and almost ran into her when she froze suddenly.
“Hello there, sweet girl,” the heku said, looking at her pregnant belly and grinning.
Kyle gasped as the Valle clutched at his chest, and then fell to ash. She was getting faster.
Emily didn't hesitate. She ran into the small square and stopped when eight heku ran towards her with their hands out. Within seconds, they all turned to ash and Emily continued.
Kyle followed her through the city, watching as heku after heku fell. Emily was unstoppable