Knowing that they were exhausted, both from the night’s traveling and from the battle, Gideon let them sleep for more than three hours. The sun was already one third of the way up the sky when Dan was pulled from sleep by Gideon shaking him.

“Get up!” he hissed. “Quick!”

Sensing that something was wrong, Dan quickly scrambled to his feet, brushing the leaves and dirt from his armor. It didn’t take long for Gideon to rouse the rest of them, simply because there weren’t very many of them left. They all gathered around Gideon.

“You remember Jandar’s distraction?” he said. “The one I told you about in Hyleran? Jandar had a huge army, ready to pour down onto Braunglayde and distract Valkrill’s forces. Well, it seems like the attack was way more successful than we intended. Jandar’s army is just south of us.”

Silence.

“What are we waiting for?” Laelia said. “We should go to them. They might not know what’s happened.”

“We’ll join them,” Gideon assured her, “but there’s something else: they’re being chased back north, towards us. There’s another army coming up from the south, and they seem to be retreating from it. I can only assume it’s Utgar or Valkrill.”

“What do we do?” Ana asked.

“We join them,” Gideon said. “Help in any way we can. And we hope they don’t kill me and Dan on sight,” he added as an afterthought.

They hurried through the forest, heading east, towards the sun. Soon Dan could hear the sounds of Jandar’s army through the trees: the squeaking of cart wheels, the shouted commands of captains, and the low rumble of the Ghidan bellowing. What if they knew about Vydar’s betrayal? Surely they would. Would they kill him and Gideon? Dan resolved to hang back until he knew it was safe. He hadn’t come this far to die at the hands of Jandar.

Soon they broke the cover of the trees. Jandar’s army was in plain sight, just a short distance away. It was large, consisting primarily of mounted knights, kyrie, and a few soulborgs. It was pitiful in size though, when compared to the force which Dan could now see on the southern horizon, rushing towards them with all the speed of a drow sword.

Utgar’s army was vast, the blue tide – it seemed to mostly consist of mounted orcs – seething northwards, eager to clash with Jandar’s army. One enormous figure dominated the orcs at its feet. It seemed humanoid, but it was tall, taller than any castle wall. Smoke seemed to billow from its very skin, and dark clouds of dust and ash followed in its wake. Dan instantly knew what had caused the dramatic change in the sky: it was this creature.

Dan spotted the dragons a moment before Jandar’s army did. He caught a glimpse of dark shadows above the clouds of smoke billowed up by the giant. Something was winging its way towards the army, something big. The smoke clouds stretched all the way, nearly to Jandar’s army, and as Dan watched, the dragons burst from the clouds and dived, opening their maws as they fell from the sky, the sun glinting off of their gray scales.

Jandar’s army fled. The soulborgs stood and fired, bringing down several dragons, but the kyrie and knights raced for the shelter of the forest, right towards Dan and the others. They never made it.

Turning sharply in the air, the dragons angled for the front of the army. Then, they opened their jaws, and spat out… shadow.

Dan had expected fire, from what Aviir had told him of dragons. But instead, the giant lizards breathed a thick, dark mist, which struck the ground between Jandar’s army and the forest like a bolt of magic, and coalesced there, frothing back and forth. It wasn’t natural. It stayed in one place, sloshing from side to side like liquid, rather than smoke. And then it rose into a great mound, and finally dissipated, allowing Dan to see the form within it.

It wasn’t a dragon, orc, drow, or any other creature Aviir had spoken of. It was… darkness. It resembled an armored insect, something like a giant centipede, with six legs, the two front ones bladed and sharp, the rear four used for walking. It turned on the spot, its long body following its head like a snake. And then it made for Jandar’s army. Overhead, another dragon spat out a mouthful of shadow, which struck nearby. After a moment, another monstrosity burst from the mist, this one more lizard-like in shape.

Then the rest of the dragons arrived, covering the ground between the forest and Jandar’s army with the shadow-beasts. They guarded the ground, keeping Jandar’s army from retreating to the forest. The orcs were growing steadily closer, and keeping pace with them due to its huge strides, was the enormous giant. Jandar’s army was trapped.

A cloud of smoke blasted into the forest. Looking to the south, Dan saw that the giant was running now, its footfalls shaking the ground. Ash and dust exploded up from its feet, and the dark clouds above it seemed to race forwards, darkening the new day. The sun grew dark, what little light got through turning red and bathing everything in a bloody glow.

“Come on!” Gideon yelled, his voice strangely muffled by the dust billowing through the air.

Dan didn’t move. He wasn’t about to charge the shadow-beasts. From what he could see, Jandar’s army was unable to touch them, soulborg energy blasts and knights’ swords alike cutting through them like smoke. Only the mages, of which there seemed to be few, were successful in felling them. The shadow-creatures, however, were having no trouble knocking their enemies to the ground and trampling them under foot. Going up against them would be suicide.

“We’ll be killed if we go in there!” Dan yelled to Gideon.

“These are our allies, Dan!” Gideon yelled back. “We’ve got to try! We’ve got to help them!”

“Dan’s right!” Ana shouted from beside Dan. “We’ll be useless to them; we’ve got to stop that giant.” She pointed to the enormous figure, which had slowed, and was now approaching the trapped army at an easy pace. The orcs were racing to catch up to it.

“How?” Dan shouted to Ana over the din of battle. “What can we do?”

Ana appeared to think for a moment. “They need time,” she called back to Dan. “The mages need time to deal with the shadow-creatures.” Then she looked at Dan.

In that look, Dan knew what she was about to do.

“Ana, no!”

Ana stepped forward. “I can give them a few minutes,” she said as the dust tore at her hair and clothes. “That will give the mages enough time.”

“But what about you?” Dan shouted, running to her.

“These are my allies, Dan,” Ana said. “I’ve got to save them.”

“But at what cost?”

Ana looked at Dan. “It’s a cost I’m willing to pay,” she said calmly. “Some things are worth it.”

Dan grabbed at her arm, but he was too late: Ana raised her arms to the sky, palms outward, and closed her eyes. Instantly, a shimmering golden shield burst from her. It expanded faster than Dan could follow, racing to engulf Gideon, Francois, and the others, and then pushing forwards towards Jandar’s army. It slammed into the first few shadow-beasts, causing them to let out shrieks of agony and leap away from it. A few evaporated the instant the shield touched them. A great cheer went up from the knights as the shield quickly chased away the creations of the dragons.

Opening her eyes, Ana tilted her head. “I didn’t expect that,” she said, as calmly as if she were noting the weather.

Dan remembered the last time Ana had used her shield: she had nearly died. This time however, she appeared unharmed. Nothing had struck her shield. For a moment, Dan thought everything would be all right. That hope evaporated as the ground shook beneath his feet. Looking up, Dan saw the massive form of the giant standing at the edge of the shield, regarding Ana with smoldering eyes.

Now that he saw it up close, Dan knew the creature was no giant. Smoke leeched away from its black and red skin, and tongues of flame wreathed it, flickering up and down its scaly body. Horns protruded from its bestial head, and red eyes glowed with the light of a hundred smoldering fires. It was no giant. The only word Dan could think of to describe it was much worse: demon.

The demon opened its mouth, showing it to be full of the light of a deadly flame, and bellowed straight at Ana, the sound shaking the trees and sending shudders through the ground. Ana didn’t flinch, but stared up at the demon. Dan couldn’t say she looked calm. She looked downright terrified. But she didn’t move. She resolutely stood still, protecting Jandar’s army with her shield. Dan knew, without even knowing how he knew, that if the shield dropped, if the demon was able to reach Jandar’s army… there would be nothing left. It would obliterate everyone.

The demon cocked its head at Ana. And then it raised one hand, conjured a sphere of flame, and with the other hand drew from it, as if drawing from a sheath, a long, black sword. The sword was at least as thick as Dan. Its metal was pure black, with red lines tracing strange symbols across it. Red tongues of flame licked along its length, and as the demon drew it, an unnatural darkness seemed to cover everything. The red light of the sun grew dimmer, so that the demon’s red glowing eyes and fire wreathing its skin were the brightest lights.

Looking at the demon’s feet, Dan saw that the orcs had arrived. They were as close to Ana’s shield as they could be without touching it, and Dan knew they were waiting for it to drop. Ana seemed to know it too, judging from the way her face paled. Dan saw her glance back up at the demon.

The demon seemed to be considering her, its hideous face lit with the red glow of its flame-wreathed sword. And then it raised the sword on high, uttered one fierce bellow, and brought it down on Ana’s shield with all of its strength.

The shield exploded with energy. Golden lightning leapt from it in every direction, scorching the orcs, and flashing brightly in the darkness. The lightning concentrated where the demon’s blade met the shield, and leapt to it, running up the length of the black blade, and into the demon’s hand. The demon bellowed in pain as the lightning crackled on its skin, but it seemed unable to pull the sword from the shield. It was stuck, as if fused to the magical barrier. More and more lightning leapt to the demon, and it let out a shriek of agony.

Ana wasn’t silent either. The moment the demon’s blade had struck, she too had become enveloped in golden light. A great gash had opened up on her chest, causing her to scream in pain, and her blood was now soaking her clothes and the burnt grass beneath her, but like the demon, she seemed incapable of moving.

Dan didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do. He watched as the golden lightning from Ana’s shield ran up and down the demon, causing its frame to jerk and shudder. The demon howled in agony, its cry matched by Ana’s own cry of pain. And then the demon exploded.

It just… blew up. More and more lightning arced to it, and then, the demon simply exploded into shards of black and red. Smoke burst outwards, covering everything, and a foul stench assaulted Dan, as if he were smelling the half-rotted corpses of a hundred beasts.

Ana’s shield instantly evaporated, and those orcs who hadn’t been incinerated by lightning surged forwards, eager to attack Jandar’s army. Dan however, didn’t care about them. He raced to Ana, now free of the light which had encased her, and caught her as she fell backwards.

It couldn’t be more obvious that Ana’s wound was deadly. It was deep, cutting far past the ribs. It was spewing blood in great bursts, Ana’s heart not knowing that it was pumping away its owner’s life essence.

Dan gently knelt down, allowing Ana to slump to the ground. He supported her carefully, not wanting her to fall. Tears splashed onto the gash in her chest.

“Why?” he said, the words becoming choked. “Why, Ana? Why did you do that?”

Ana’s face was drained, almost pure white. Her eyes were wild, but they found Dan, and locked onto his face. A faint smile flickered across her pallid face. “Jandar’s army can escape now,” she whispered.

“But—”

Ana only smiled. “I gave those people a chance,” she said. Then she coughed. Blood came up, but she didn’t look away from Dan’s face. She mouthed something, coughed, and tried again. “That’s worth my life any day,” she breathed.

Dan couldn’t take it. He broke down despite himself, his head drooping to Ana’s chest as the tears fell from his eyes. He felt her hand on his head, almost stroking his hair, and then… her hand was gone. He looked up.

Ana’s eyes were locked on some far distant point, her smile still in place. The blood no longer rushed from her wound, but rather flowed slowly. Her heart had stopped.

Ana had left them.

Their strength sapped by the battle, those who remained made for the forest, moving slowly.

The battle with the kyrie had been costly. There were only three knights left, not including Francois. Five of the ninjas remained, but Kaori and Sharwin had both been lost. Ana had been able to heal her injuries.

The others had survived. Many had insisted on taking the bodies with them, and burying them in the forest, but Gideon hadn’t allowed it. They were too exposed on the open plain. The kyrie would be back, and with more numbers. They had to get under cover, and as much as they all hated it, the dead had to be left.

That seemed to be the final straw for many. Dan saw them all watching him with expressions of distrust and dislike, and the three remaining knights even flanked him, escorting him as if he were a prisoner of war. Only Ana showed the faintest hint that she hadn’t completely turned her back on him.  

Once they had been walking through the forest for an hour, Gideon called for a halt. It would take any kyrie a while to find them: they could spare thirty-minutes rest.

Dan was eager to rest, but Gideon pulled him aside as the others tried to find comfortable positions on the hard ground.

“I don’t trust you,” he began, “but there’s no denying that you’ve saved us twice. That’s the only reason you’re still breathing. You’ve said you’re on our side. If that’s really true, then I want you to tell me everything: what is Vydar’s plan which Terav spoke of?”

Glancing beyond Gideon, Dan saw Ana and Francois sitting nearby, listening. They might as well know everything. It couldn’t make things any worse than they were.

Dan started with Heleer. He explained how all he wanted when he was summoned was to see her again. Both Gideon and Ana seemed to understand. Dan then told them how he had uncovered Vydar’s plan, and how he had confronted the Valkyrie.

“And he confirmed it?” Gideon said. “He actually said he meant to betray the alliance?”

Dan nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, Dan saw a look of anger flash across Francois’ face. Gideon looked as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Dan told them everything Vydar had said, including his reasoning that the alliance would never give up their amulets, and what he had said about letting the alliance destroy Utgar for him.

“At least he hasn’t completely sided with that monster then,” Gideon said. “That’s some relief. But what part did you play in all this? You said you didn’t know everything.”

“I didn’t know what Vydar was planning for us,” Dan said. “Otonashi knew; she pulled me out when the rest of you got trapped, and told me that Vydar meant for you to die. It had been part of the plan all along. Apparently Vydar had been pretending he would join Valkrill, and tricked him into setting up a trap for you.”

“But he didn’t know about your gloves,” Gideon guessed.

Dan nodded. He had explained his gloves shortly after using them in the battle. “No one did. They’re the only reason I was able to get you out.”

“So you thought we were going to get Valkrill’s amulet and return it to Vydar just like I was told, and then you would simply wait for the end of the war?” Gideon asked.

Dan shrugged. “More or less. I’m sure Vydar would have found a way to keep me isolated, just in case I did decide to tell the alliance what I knew.”

“You never did though,” Ana said, speaking for the first time. “You never told them, I mean. You kept Vydar’s secret.”

“I wasn’t loyal to him,” Dan said, guessing where she was going. “I’m not loyal to any Valkyrie. From the moment I was summoned, all I wanted was Heleer. She’s still all I want. At least… I thought so. I guess I got involved in the war after all.”

Gideon looked doubtful.

“What would you have done?” Dan said, noting the look. “What if it was Laelia who you couldn’t reach, and Vydar was the only way back? I had no choice, Gideon. I had to go along with his plan.”

“Alright,” Gideon said, throwing up his hands. “Alright. You’ve made your point. You can stay with us. Just remember: we’re still watching you.”

Satisfied for the moment, he got up. Francois still looked like he didn’t forgive Dan, but after a moment of silence, he too stood and left, leaving Dan with Ana.

“He believes you,” Ana said, after a moment of silence. “Gideon. He believes you’re on our side,” she clarified at Dan’s questioning look.

“Do you?” Dan asked.

“I believe… I believe you had an impossible choice to make, and did the only thing you could do. I can’t fault you for that. When the time came and you had to make a decision, you made the right one. That’s all that matters to me.”

“That can’t be true,” Dan said skeptically. “I knew Vydar was going to betray everyone, and I didn’t say anything. If I had been smarter, I probably would have known that he would never trust representatives of the alliance with Valkrill’s amulet. If I had said something, you or Gideon might have guessed that, even if I didn’t. That’s got to mean something to you.”

“It means you’re human,” Ana said. “It means you did exactly what I would have done in the same situation. Controlling one through the one they love is low. I knew Vydar was one for mind games and deceit, but this…”

Dan shook his head. “I should have known better,” he said. “I shouldn’t have forced him into a corner by telling him what I knew. I didn’t think. If I just hadn’t said anything, I would be off in some corner of Valhalla, and the war would be winning itself. I would be sent back at the end with everyone else. Now… I don’t know if that will ever happen.”

“It will,” Ana said confidently.

“If we survive,” Dan added, a black feeling in his stomach.

“Vydar isn’t infallible,” Ana said. “We’re living proof that his plans don’t always work.” She stood. “That’s all we have to do, Dan: interrupt a few more of his plans. Do that, and you’ve defeated him.”

She walked away, looking for a place to sleep. Dan supposed she was right. They had survived despite Vydar’s attempts to kill them. If they could just stay alive, there was still a chance Dan could see Heleer.

There was even a chance they could salvage the war.

They made good time through the night. They made it to the hills quickly, and Kaori’s ninjas, who had scouted out ahead, reported that there were no enemies in sight. They crossed the hills, passing under the pine trees, which were just as silent as the plain had been. There were no birds, no crickets, not even a breath of wind.

Many of the knights wondered what it could mean, and what had happened. In the end though, the speculation always came back to the same answer: once they got to Hyleran, they would know.

Past the pine forest lay the larger plain, stretching to the horizon, where, Dan knew, was the forest which would lead them back to where Hyleran lay. If they could just make it to those trees by daybreak, they would be invisible from the air.

Everyone seemed to know it, and they moved across the field at a determined speed, keeping up a brisk pace. The first hints of orange had appeared on their right when the trees finally came into view. They were just thinking that in two days’ time they would know what happened, when a kyrie landed in front of them.

The kyrie was easily visible in the predawn light, dim though it was. Dan instantly recognized him as a kyrie of Vydar; the black armor was unmistakable. A ripple of relief went through the column. And then the ripple shuddered and died, as another kyrie landed next to the first. This kyrie had red skin, and black leathery wings. He was a kyrie of Utgar.

Gideon drew his sword, as did Laelia and many of the knights. However, Vydar’s kyrie held up his hand.

“Hold!” he commanded.

“What is this?” Gideon said, the command clear in his voice. “What is he”— he pointed with his blade at Utgar’s kyrie —“doing here?”

Vydar’s kyrie approached them, hands at his sides. Dan noticed that he had no weapons. The same could not be said for Utgar’s kyrie, who sported a buckler and a massive axe.

“You don’t know the situation, Gideon,” Vydar’s kyrie said.

“Enlighten me,” Gideon said tensely.

“Alliances have shifted,” the kyrie said. “Vydar sent me to tell you what has happened.”

A tense silence followed this news. Everyone looked at each other, wondering if their Valkyrie were now enemies. Dan, already guessing what had happened, looked closer at the kyrie.

“I know you,” he said. “You’re Terav. You were there when Vydar left Montfre to deal with the orcs.”

Terav nodded, but then faced Gideon again. “Vydar has left the alliance,” he said, his voice carrying in the stillness of the air.

No one spoke.

“Vydar believes that the end of the war is near. He has joined Utgar, and together they have already claimed two amulets from the alliance.”

There was a collective intake of breath. Dan closed his eyes. That was it. Vydar had already betrayed the alliance. He hadn’t expected him to do it so soon.

“Vydar understands that many of his soldiers have formed attachments within the alliance. He knows that breaking those attachments will be difficult. That is why I am here: to offer you a choice: stay with Vydar, or choose another Valkyrie.”

If anything, the predawn grew more silent. Slowly, an orange light began illuminating the plain, coloring each stalk in fiery relief.

As he looked over the column, Dan realized that he and Gideon were the only representatives of Vydar. Everyone else served the alliance.

“No,” Gideon said. Terav looked at him. “No,” he repeated. “My loyalty is to the Vydar I know, and the Vydar I know would not betray his friends in such a way.”

Terav looked at him with an expression which came very close to pity. “Then you do not know your Valkyrie,” he said. “And you, Dan?”

All eyes turned to Dan. This was it. This was Dan’s last chance to rejoin Heleer. Otonashi knew what he had done, but if he joined Vydar now, there might still be a chance he would see Heleer. If not, and if Vydar already had two more amulets as Terav suggested, then Dan might never see her. If he joined the alliance, and if they lost, he could die in Valhalla.

Dan looked over the column. The knights’ faces were shadowed by their helmets, the ninjas’ shrouded by their masks. Gideon’s face held nothing but angry confusion. Laelia was looking down. Only Ana showed trust. In her green eyes, Dan could see that she believed he would make the right choice. It was her look which swayed him.

“I’m with Gideon,” Dan replied.

“If you stay loyal,” Terav said, “Vydar will still honor your bargain. He knows what you did, but he is willing to overlook it.”

Dan was silent. The offer was tempting.

Terav took a step towards him. “Why did you do it, Dan?” he asked. “Why did you betray Vydar?”

“I didn’t,” Dan said without thinking. His voice carried in the silence, reaching everyone. “Vydar never told me what he was planning.”

“You knew what Vydar was planning though,” Terav said. “You knew enough to expect it.”

Maybe. Maybe he should have expected there to be a double purpose to everything Vydar did. But that was before he had met Gideon, Trela, Ana, Jaseff, and all the others. That was before he had gained friends – something he never thought would happen on Valhalla.

“I wasn’t about to leave them,” Dan said. “I wasn’t going to let them die.”

“These people,” Terav gestured at the whole column, “the ones you saved – they are enemies of Vydar.”

Dan said nothing. What could he say? He had gotten in the way of Vydar’s plans. Worse, Terav had just told everyone that he had been in on it, at least to some extent. Dan risked a glance at Ana. She looked hurt and betrayed, but Dan still saw a glimmer of hope in her face. She still had faith that he wouldn’t betray them. Dan couldn’t let that down. Not even for Heleer.

“I’m not sorry,” Dan said, hoping his voice sounded more confident in the words than he felt. “I couldn’t let them die. If Vydar can’t live with that, then I can no longer serve him.”

Terav watched him for a moment. Then he sighed. “So be it,” he said. “You did not hold to your half of the bargain; Vydar will not hold to his.” Then without warning, he snapped his wings out to either side and drove them to the ground, propelling himself upwards. Instantly, twenty or so kyrie – a mix of Vydar’s and Utgar’s soldiers – dropped from the sky, surrounding the column.

“You have all chosen to side with the alliance,” Terav said as he flew still higher. “As such you are enemies of Vydar, and you shall be treated as such. Surrender to us, and you will not be harmed.”

No one looked like they wanted to surrender. Several of the knights drew their swords. Gideon’s eyes burned with a fierce light, and Laelia glared at the kyrie about her, daring them to come closer. Even Ana looked flushed, an anger flickering in her eyes Dan had only seen once before.

That was good enough for Dan. He had made his choice, and he would make it again if he could. He was tired of Vydar, tired of the deception, tired of the blackmail. Maybe he would see Heleer again, maybe he wouldn’t. But it wouldn’t be through some twisted deal with a traitor.

Dan pulled his pistol from its holster on his hip, aimed, and fired at Terav.

Terav raised his hands, as if to ward off a blow. Instantly, a blue mist swirled into existence in front of him. The energy from Dan’s gun dissipated on the mist, and the magic faded. Without waiting for any more confirmation, the kyrie surrounding the column charged.

It quickly became evident that the kyrie were elite soldiers. Despite being outnumbered nearly two to one, knights and ninjas began to fall under their onslaught almost immediately. Vydar’s kyrie used some form of magic which seemed to bypass the knights’ armor completely, felling them from a distance. Only the ninjas were a match for them, and even they were hard-pressed.

The knights formed a protective circle around Ana and Sharwin, trying to keep the kyrie from them, but their line soon buckled and broke. The ninjas dove at the kyrie, desperately trying to pull them away from the mages. None were deadlier than Kaori, who descended on Utgar’s and Vydar’s kyrie alike, ducking or blocking every blow aimed for her, and slipping her sword between the ribs of all she met. With her ninjas, she cut a swath through the kyrie, until she met up with Terav himself.

Dan leveled his gun at Terav, but he didn’t have a clear shot: there were too many knights in the way. Terav spared Kaori only one glance before summoning a frothing ball of blue mist in his hand, and flinging it towards her. The blue energy lanced from his palm like lightning, struck Kaori full in the chest before she could move, momentarily illuminating her in an eerie blue glow, and then dissipated.

Kaori crumpled to the ground like a piece of burnt cloth. The kyrie instantly surged forwards, hiding her from view.

Without their leader, the ninjas began to lose ground. The knights were all but gone; only a few were left, still fighting valiantly back to back. The kyrie surrounded them easily, and then fell upon the undefended mages. They both fought hard, Ana weakening the kyrie who approached her, Sharwin dropping them to the ground with a touch. But there were too many. Ana went down as a kyrie’s axe clipped her, dangerously close to her neck. Dan thought she might still be alive, but she was instantly trampled as the kyrie surged towards Sharwin.

For a moment Sharwin held her own, no kyrie wanting to be the first to face her. But then magic from one of Vydar’s soldiers lanced into her, she fell to one knee, and the kyrie were on her instantly.

“No!” Sharwin screamed, desperately reaching for her attackers. Dan could hear fear in her voice, and he knew why: she couldn’t die. She needed to see her son. She surged to her feet, and for a moment the red tide about her fell back. But then a minion leapt behind her where she couldn’t see him, raised his axe, and brought it down cleanly on her head.

Dan turned away as Sharwin fell. They had to win. He had to win. He had to see Heleer again; he couldn’t die like this, here, alone. Dan looked down, and saw his gloves.

Dan knew full well that if he used his gloves, and any of the kyrie escaped, the Khyta soulborgs were sure to learn of his secret weapon. And if they were ever sent back, and if Dan returned to Isadora, his advantage would be gone. But there was no time to worry about that. If Dan died, then he would certainly have no chance to see Heleer again. So he switched off the safety on both of his gloves, gritted his teeth against the pain he knew would come, and shoved his palms outwards.

The tide of the battle turned. Kyrie were blown away from Dan, the pulses of energy slamming into them repeatedly, always pushing them a little further. When they finally landed on the ground, many did not move, blood leaking from innumerable cuts on their bodies.

Once the kyrie realized what was going on, they turned on Dan, but there was nothing they could do. Utgar’s kyrie couldn’t get near him, and the magic of Vydar’s kyrie simply flickered and died against the energy pouring from Dan’s gloves.

It didn’t take the kyrie long to realize that staying would be suicide. Dan had already cut through nearly a quarter of them by the time they leapt to the air and flew away as fast as they could. Once the kyrie were out of range of his gloves, Dan lowered his hands, stopping the stream of energy, and turned the safeties back on. He winced as he moved his arms: they were throbbing in pain. Both were covered in bruises and cuts, and blood was slowly and steadily dripping from the fingers of his gloves.

Without warning, something hard crashed into Dan’s shoulder. He fell to the ground, and looked up, thinking a kyrie had snuck back. But he was wrong: it wasn’t a kyrie. It was Francois.

The knight stood over Dan, his sword point uncomfortably close to Dan’s chest, quivering inches above his heart. The rising sun painted his armor – stained red – in a golden aura of light, forcing Dan to shield his eyes from the reflected glare.

“Francois!” Ana called from beyond Dan’s range of vision. “Stop!”

“He’s a traitor!” Francois yelled back, glaring at Dan with hatred. “He knew this would happen. He knew Vydar’s plan. He’s a traitor and a coward!”

“He also saved us!” Ana cried, running up beside Francois. Blood covered her side, dripping from a wound on her collar, but she ignored it. She tugged at his arms, trying to lift the sword. It didn’t move. “Back in Valkrill’s tunnels,” she said, “and just now too, for that matter. Without him, we’d all be dead twice over.”

Francois glared at Dan. “Gideon!” he called. “What do we do?”

Gideon arrived on Francois other side and looked down at Dan. Dan had no trouble believing Gideon would let Francois execute him then and there: he was looking at him with an expression of disgust and anger which clearly said that Dan was a traitor in his mind.

“You betrayed all of us,” he said, his voice trembling with contempt. “For that, you deserve to die. But…”

Dan held his breath.

“But,” Gideon said slowly, as if each word caused him pain, “Ana speaks the truth.” He paused, watching Dan. “We won’t kill you, Dan,” he said. “Not yet. But I won’t trust you again, and I doubt anyone else here will either. Betray us a second time, and I won’t hesitate to run you through myself.”

“Agreed,” Dan said. He couldn’t blame any of them for their reaction. Terav had told them he knew Vydar’s plan from the beginning.

Gideon gave him one last distrustful glare, and then turned and walked away, placing a hand on Francois’ shoulder and pulling him away too. After a moment, Ana knelt by Dan’s side, and silently began healing his arms.

Neither one of them spoke. Dan didn’t know what he could say. He had made his position clear when he attacked the kyrie. He glanced at Ana’s face as she worked, and saw a battle being waged there, clear as the new dawn shining on them. She wanted to trust Dan. He could see it. But he could also see the doubt and the hurt in her face. She couldn’t trust him. Not anymore.

None of them could.

Dan’s dreams shifted to many years ago, back when he was with Heleer, back when he was content, before he knew he could use his gloves to get out. He had been the happiest then: knowing that in time an opportunity to escape would present itself, but being content to wait, and to be with her. He remembered her face during those years. He could see her smile clearly, her light brown eyes dancing as she laughed. He remembered her skin and her hair, and the feel of both.

Somewhere in the back of his dream, Dan knew it was just a memory. He knew she was gone. He felt a wave of longing for her, or even just the sound of her voice.

The dream shifted, and Dan saw again Heleer as he had left her: disappointed, hurt, and acceptant of his fate. There was nothing, nothing at all, that Dan wanted more than to fix that face. He wanted the smiles to return, the laughter, and the joy.

But he couldn’t. He wasn’t there. He looked long and hard at Heleer’s face. “I’ll come back,” he said. He knew she couldn’t hear him, knew it was just a dream, but he didn’t care. “I’ll come back,” he promised her again. “We’ll be together again, either here or on Valhalla. I don’t care where now. We’ll be together again. I promise.”

Dan woke gently. He kept his eyes shut, trying to keep the image of Heleer in his mind, but she slowly faded into nothingness. Dan opened his eyes.

Everything was silent. Glancing about the gully, Dan saw that most everyone was still asleep. Gideon had elected to stay in the gully the rest of the day, just to make sure they weren’t detected by Valkrill. With nothing else to do, many had fallen asleep, Dan included.

The ash seemed to have stopped falling from the sky, although a thin dusting now covered everything, the gray powder giving the whole forest a bleak, dead look. Dan shivered. The sun was still up, although it was low in the horizon, but it was far colder than normal. There was an unnatural chill in the air. The light from the sun was still red, slanting into the forest and flickering on the trunks like fire.

Dan wondered what had happened to turn the sky gray and the sun red, but the question wasn’t at the forefront of his thoughts. That place was taken by a steady, almost painful longing for Heleer.

She had been so close. All Dan had needed to do was to retrieve the amulet with Otonashi. Even now, he could be on his way back to Vydar with her (Otonashi had never rejoined them; Dan was sure she had stolen the amulet and set out for Vydar on her own). He would have seen Heleer’s face again, maybe in only a few days’ time. So why hadn’t he taken the narrow tunnel with Otonashi? Why hadn’t he stolen the amulet?

Dan knew why: that would have been no kind of life. Ana had been right: a life not lived for others was no life at all. Dan couldn’t rejoin Heleer, knowing that the price had been the lives of Gideon, Ana, and the others.

Dan didn’t understand some of the things Ana had said, but he resolved to listen to her in the future. She had been right, and he had been wrong. That much was clear now.

No one had been hurt in Valkrill’s tunnels, aside from Dan (Ana had healed his arm once they were in the gully). Gideon had been the first to ask how Dan had freed them. Dan, however, hadn’t told him. If word of his gloves got out, even among people he trusted, he couldn’t be sure the Khyta soulborgs wouldn’t hear of them. He couldn’t risk that. He had said as much, telling Gideon that what he had done couldn’t be discussed with anyone. To his surprise, Gideon had accepted his excuse easily.

Looking over the group, Dan saw that they were all present: Gideon was awake, talking with Kaori and Francois at the head of the gully in low voices. Laelia was asleep not far away. All fourteen of Kaori’s ninjas were scattered throughout the gully; the only people who weren’t present were the knights Francois had lost battling the wolves (twelve still remained), and the painful absences of Trela and Jaseff. Ana and Sharwin were both still asleep, Sharwin with a frown, Ana with a peaceful smile. A thin coating of ash dusted them both.

Dan suddenly wondered if he could still salvage his deal with Vydar. He hadn’t actually betrayed him. Of course, he knew Vydar wouldn’t see it that way. And besides, Otonashi had said that the people Vydar had sent were the ones who would never join him when he betrayed the alliance, and Dan had just saved those people from the death Vydar had planned for them. No, his best chance at seeing Heleer now was to join another Valkyrie and hope they were sympathetic.

The obvious choice was the alliance. Dan could easily tell them Vydar was about to betray them. However, from there he would have to rely on their gratitude. Dan didn’t like it. He knew nothing about them. With Vydar, he felt more secure, knowing that he could ruin Vydar’s plans at any moment if he didn’t uphold his end of the deal. With the alliance, once Dan told them what he knew, his power would be gone. He would have to hope they were grateful enough to rejoin him with Heleer when the war ended. Assuming they won of course.

The other option was Utgar, but Dan still had the same problem: once he told Utgar about Vydar’s plans, his leverage was gone. And based on what he had heard of Utgar, Dan would far rather join the alliance.

That left Dan with no options but Vydar. And if Vydar didn’t honor his promise – which Dan was sure he wouldn’t do now – then Dan was stuck, with nowhere to turn. He would be reunited with Heleer. That much he knew. He just didn’t know how.

“Dan.” The whisper was Gideon’s.

Dan turned. Gideon had approached him, his feet silent in the ash.

“What do you think?” Gideon whispered. “Are we safe? Should we move out?”

“I’ll check,” Dan said. He rose, being careful not to wake Ana – who was nearby – and went to the embankment. He peeked over the ridge.

The forest was silent. Even the stream nearby seemed quieter than it had been that morning. Dan secured his goggles over his eyes and switched them to scan for arcane residue. Immediately, a brilliant dome of purple appeared over the whole of the gully: evidence that Jandar’s enchantments were still in place. Aside from a few faint wisps though, the rest of the forest was devoid of magic.

Dan scanned for heat signatures. The forest was full of them, but none were large enough to be an enemy. In fact, most of them seemed to be underground, huddled closely together. Dan found that odd. It was still an hour or two from dusk. It was almost as if all the animals were hiding.

“There’s no one out there,” Dan reported, returning to Gideon.

“That’s not right,” Gideon said, looking troubled. “He should be searching for us. We’re assuming Otonashi stole the amulet, but even if she didn’t, Valkrill knows we were in there. Why on earth wouldn’t he be scouring the forest for us?”

Dan thought for a moment. “Otonashi,” he said quietly, realizing something.

“What?” Gideon asked.

“If Valkrill knows she took his amulet, he wouldn’t be wasting any men on us. He must have every available soldier out looking for her. He probably doesn’t care if we escape or not.”

Gideon was silent for a moment. “That’s the only thing that makes sense,” he finally said.

“What do we do?” Dan asked. “Do we wait?”

Gideon thought for a moment. “No,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of going out there, but all this ash… Something’s wrong here. We’ve got to find out what’s happened.”

Dan agreed. He didn’t like sitting still and waiting for something to happen. He and Gideon spread out, waking the others up one by one. Everyone was silent, casting fearful glances to the dark sky and the red sun. Ana, whom Dan had expected to be the least affected, seemed the most afraid of their new surroundings. She kept glancing at the red light about them, and jumped whenever someone spoke to her.

Soon everyone was lined up. Warning everyone to stay quiet until they got out of the forest, Gideon clambered up the embankment. The others followed, and together, they wound their way through the silent woods.

They saw no one save for a few crows perched high overhead in the trees. The whole forest was unnaturally still, the twilight feeling oddly hot and dry. Once they made it out of the forest, they struck out across the open plain. If they hurried, they would be able to cross the hills during the night and arrive in the forest by daybreak. From there, they would be sheltered by trees all the way to Hyleran.

The unnatural stillness, the starless sky overhead, and the sudden unrelenting dusty heat of the baked ground began to get to Dan after only a few minutes. There was no wind, no sound of any kind except for the muted tramp of their feet on the weathered ground. Dan wasn’t alone. Many of the knights looked about them as they walked, squinting up at the dark sky, hoping to see a star or feel a breath of wind. Even the chirp of a cricket would be welcome. Francois decided to deal with the ominous atmosphere with levity.

Gideon and Laelia were at the front of the line, arguing again, and, walking close to Dan, Francois began to speculate on what they were saying. It wasn’t much of a mystery, since the dark sky overhead seemed to magnify their voices, allowing Dan and Francois to hear virtually every word.

“You know what I want,” Laelia was saying. “Don’t pretend you don’t. You know I wanted to kill Caius myself.”

“She’s still on that?” Francois muttered to Dan. Dan agreed, though he said nothing. He thought that given the current circumstances, it was definitely time Laelia learned to forgive and forget. She apparently had other ideas.

“If you would just apologize, I would move on like you want,” she said, speaking to Gideon.

“I won’t,” Gideon said.

“But—”

“No,” Gideon interrupted her. “I know you wanted to kill him yourself, and you know I had every intention of letting you. But I had no choice. I won’t apologize for what I did. I won’t apologize for protecting you.”

“Why not?” Laelia exclaimed. “It’s a simple thing!”

“See,” Francois said to Dan, “this right here,” he motioned towards Laelia and Gideon, “is why I stay away from long-term relationships.”

They heard a ‘tuh’ of disgust behind them. Turning, they saw Ana.

“What?” Francois said. “Do you think this is normal?”

“They’re in love,” Ana said, her tone suggesting this was the most obvious thing in the world. “There’s no ‘normal’ for love.”

Francois glanced back at Laelia and Gideon. “Yeah… I can see that,” he said. “They aren’t exactly head over heels right now.”

Ana shook her head. “What?” she said. “If you have a disagreement you can’t be in love?”

Francois gestured to Laelia. “Look at her!” he said. “Does it look like she loves him to you?”

Ana looked politely at Laelia for a moment. “Yes,” she said firmly.

Francois threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. Dan was on his side. He glanced at Laelia and Gideon, who were arguing again. “Are… Are you serious?” he asked Ana.

Ana let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Dan,” she said.

“Well,” Dan said. He watched Laelia and Gideon critically. If anything, they looked like they were about to come to blows. “I mean, they’ve been fighting ever since Caius. Isn’t that… kind of the opposite of love?”

“No,” Ana said, speaking so quickly and so firmly that Dan was momentarily startled. “Fighting is something you do,” she said. “Love is something you are.”

Francois burst out laughing. “Looks like they really are love at the moment,” he said. He walked away, shaking his head. Dan knew he was just saying it to avoid focusing on everything around them.

“He’ll figure it out,” Ana said, watching Francois go. “When he meets the right person, it will hit him like a ton of bricks.”

There it was again. Something Dan didn’t understand. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Ana sighed, as if resigning herself to teaching Dan something extremely basic. “When you love someone,” she said, “you love them for who they are. Francois doesn’t get that yet.” She shook her head at Francois back. “I’ve seen people like him before. They think love is all about what people do, how they look, where they live.”

Dan glanced at Laelia. “Doesn’t that have something to do with it though? I mean, not everything, obviously… but something?”

“No,” said Ana, in such a deprecating voice that Dan was momentarily offended. “All that matters in love is who the people truly are. It doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, as long as you know what’s on the inside.” Ana watched Laelia and Gideon for a moment. “It shouldn’t matter, anyway. It usually does though.”

Ana continued to watch Laelia and Gideon bickering, and watching her, Dan had the sudden impression that she wasn’t just saying things. She was speaking from experience. “What do you mean?” he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Ana took her time in replying. When she did speak, she didn’t look at Dan, but rather remained focused on Laelia and Gideon.

“I used to love someone,” she said slowly. “A gladiator, summoned by Einar.” She paused. “He was an idiot,” she said. “Got himself wounded in battle because of it. That’s how I met him: I had to heal him. He couldn’t move for a month. I had to stay with him because the wound would never fully heal. We… We fell in love. It was… I had never loved anyone that way before.”

She fell silent, watching Laelia and Gideon.

“What happened to him?” Dan prompted.

“He—” Ana paused. She took a deep breath. “He got better. He was able to sit up – and realize that his entire right side was disfigured. I hadn’t told him. I… I knew how he would take it, and I guess… I guess I hoped by the time he found out he would…” she stopped talking.

Dan waited.

After a moment Ana sighed again. “He couldn’t stand it,” she said, still not looking at Dan. “He said I… didn’t deserve to be with someone who looked that way. He told me to… to forget about him, and rejoined his regiment.” Ana seemed to be breathing carefully. “He was killed two weeks later. The reports said he… disregarded orders and… ran straight into the enemy. He was killed instantly.”

Ana took a breath. “He hadn’t changed though. Not really. Not on the inside. I didn’t care what he looked like. All I cared about was who he was.”

Dan felt a sudden surge of sympathy for Ana as he watched her. “I’m sorry,” he said. He meant it, too, and tried to convey some of his sympathy into the words.

“It was two years ago,” Ana sighed. “I’ve gotten over it.” She took a breath and finally looked at him. “But what about you?” she said. “Is there someone waiting for you?”

“Yes,” Dan said, “… I think.”

“You think?” Ana repeated.

“Well… there is someone,” Dan said. He hadn’t mentioned Heleer to anyone on Valhalla save for Vydar, but somehow talking about her to Ana felt natural. After what they had said to each other, and what Dan had done in Valkrill’s tunnels… they were friends. At least that was how Dan felt.

“Back on Isadora,” he said. “Her name is Heleer. I’ve known her for,”— he counted up the years — “eleven years.” He paused. Somehow, talking about Heleer after what Ana had told him, didn’t seem to fit. Dan saw Ana watching him, waiting for more. “I guess I never really—” he paused. “I guess the word ‘love’ was never actually there. I mean,” he added hastily, “I know I need her. I know I can’t go back to life without her. It’s just…” He floundered for a moment. “I never thought beyond that,” he finished.

Ana merely smiled. “What about now?” she asked. “Do you love her?”

“Yes!” Dan said quickly. Of course he did. Even as he said the word though, he wondered. He had never actually told himself he loved Heleer. He had said he needed her, yes, but had he ever actually said he loved her? Had he even ever asked himself the question?

Ana seemed to be following his thoughts.

“Well,” Dan said, “I mean, I… I don’t really… know who she is though. Back on Isadora, we were kept apart most of the day. We only spoke at meal times.”

“You seem to care about her, though,” Ana said.

“I do.” For the first time in the conversation, Dan felt sure about what he was saying. “I can’t live without her.”

Ana smiled. “Well,” she said, “it seems to me that this Heleer is someone you would really want to get to know then. Someone you would really want to understand.”

“I would,” Dan said. Up until now, he hadn’t thought about himself as not understanding Heleer. He knew plenty about her, after all. And yet, even as he thought that, he realized he barely knew her. He knew what she was like on the outside, and he had caught glimpses of what was on the inside, but did he know who she was? What really made her the way she was? Not really. He had thought he did, but apparently he had been wrong.

“I would like to get to know her better,” he said, almost to himself. But then a familiar sense of despair dropped into his stomach. “But I’m here,” he added. “About as far from her as possible.

“You might see her again,” Ana reasoned. “Anything can happen once this war is over.”

“Maybe,” Dan said. He wasn’t convinced.

“You’ll see her again, Dan,” Ana said. Dan looked up at her. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned on Valhalla,” Ana said, “it’s that nothing, nothing can keep two people apart who want to be together. It might take a long time, and the journey might be difficult, but they always see each other again.”

The momentary ray of light Dan had felt at Ana’s words went dark. “If the war ever ends,” he muttered.

“It will end,” Ana said confidently.

“How do you know?” Dan asked.

“It can’t last much longer,” Ana said. “We’ve all been promised we’ll be sent back home at some point. There are too many of us. Eventually the armies of Valhalla will grow tired of waiting. It might take some time, and I’m sure it won’t be easy, but the war will eventually end. Someone will get all of the amulets in the end. And at that point… well, like I said: there are too many of us. Whoever wins this war won’t have a choice. They’ll have to send us back. All we have to do is win the war, Dan. Then you can see Heleer again. Then you can get to know her.”

After a moment, Dan realized Ana had a point. The war couldn’t last forever. All he had to do was survive until it ended, and then simply join the armies clamoring to be sent home. And once he was sent home… he knew what he would do.

He would make every effort to discover who Heleer truly was. He wanted to know.