The plaza was packed.

  Half of Virelith had turned out, spilling into the streets, rooftops, anywhere with a view. At the centre of it all, a temporary stage had been thrown together, banners snapping in the air.

  Aurex stood on it, mid?speech, arms wide.

  “…and once again, we have proven that Virelith is not something that anyone—no matter what they bring to our gates—will ever believe they can stand against.”

  The crowd roared.

  “We are a powerful alliance,” Aurex continued, voice carrying. “Each and every single person here proves time and time again that we will not stagnate. We will grow, strength to strength. And once again, can we give it up for the Revolutionary Army? This joint operation was only successful because we came together.”

  Cheers rolled across the plaza like a wave.

  On the edge of the stage, Caelan sat in a chair, slouched, looking like he would rather be literally anywhere else.

  Aurex paced, feeding off the noise. “As you are all aware, the council and I have finished our plans for the final details regarding the northern town—”

  “SHAVE THE BROWS!” someone shouted from the crowd.

  Aurex snapped. “SHUT UP, KEIRA!”

  A beat.

  “Slug?eyed bitch!” Keira yelled back.

  Aurex visibly shook, jaw clenching. He took a breath. “Fuck it. Captain of the Revolutionary Army… Caelan.”

  Keira whooped.

  Caelan stood, sighed, and walked to the front of the stage.

  “THAT’S WHAT I’M FUCKING TALKING ABOUT—OW! LIEUTENANT, WE ARE OFF DUTY!”

  “No excuse, Langston!” Solara’s voice cut through.

  “Hi, Dad!” Mynxi called.

  Caelan smiled despite himself and gave her a small wave.

  “Eh… hi. I’m Caelan. Erm… well, thanks.”

  The entire plaza went silent.

  Aurex leaned over. “Is that it?”

  “Oh.”

  Caelan raised his thumb toward the crowd.

  Lowest?effort smile imaginable.

  Then he turned and started walking off the stage.

  “Captain of the Revolutionary Army, everyone,” Aurex announced.

  A few claps started.

  Then a few more.

  Mynxi and Keira cheered loudly from somewhere in the back.

  “Tell us another joke!” Keira shouted.

  Aurex rubbed his face. “Right. Everyone—drink up. Eat your fill. And NO WRECKING THE PLACE THIS YEAR. I FUCKING MEAN IT. BRAEN, I’M LOOKING AT YOU.”

  Bottles popped.

  Laughter spread.

  The plaza dissolved into noise.

  Caelan moved through the crowd, hands in his pockets. People tried to stop him, clap him on the shoulder, thank him. He smiled, nodded, promised, “We’ll catch up later,” or when someone shoved a drink at him, thanking him for the free booze, he laughed and said, “You owe us one at Whaa Whaa’s, mate. Enjoy.”

  He reached a table where half the Army had already claimed territory.

  Keira was mid?rant. “…you should’ve seen it. He was crying for his life, and I went bang bang. You know, for someone like me, it's a piece of cake.”

  Takeshi snorted. “I’m not sure what’s worse—the fact I believe it, or the fact you might actually be good at physics.”

  Caelan slid into a seat just in time to take the beer Mynxi was about to drink. He swapped it for a juice box, then lifted her onto his knee.

  “Bitch,” Keira continued proudly, “I was top of my class in every single subject and still had time to learn that dumb Latin just to rub it in Miss Muir’s face. Who’s laughing now!”

  Aidan didn’t even look up. “Until you got kicked out of Sunday School for saying, ‘Bitch, I am the Antichrist, and I’m going to burn this whole motherfucker to the ground.’”

  Solara smiled faintly. “Huh. So it’s not completely your fault, Captain. Also—what happened up there?”

  Veyra, twirling in her dress, stopped behind Caelan and planted her hands on his shoulders. “He’s just upset that Steve wasn’t anything special.”

  Caelan laughed lightly, thumping the table once. “Oh yeah. Damn, really had my hopes up. And honestly, Lieutenant—did you even for a moment think sis would change for me? She’s a force of nature.”

  Bella smirked. “Aw. Is our Captain all shy now?”

  Hector chuckled. “You’re one to talk. Don’t you remember the dinner party last year?”

  Bella laughed.

  Elyria, sitting next to Caelan, groaned at the same time he did.

  “Hate them,” they muttered together.

  They both paused and quietly laughed.

  Caelan blinked. “Wait—where is everyone else?”

  “Milo was being sick earlier,” Aidan said. “Stayed in bed. Think he’s got a bug.”

  Caelan raised an eyebrow. “Here? You do remember we figured out people don’t get sick here, right?”

  Keira laughed. “Nah, he’ll be crying because he bet against me in the arm wrestle. Some brother he is. Wait till I beat it out of him.”

  Something tugged at the bottom of Caelan’s trousers.

  He nearly fell backwards off the chair. “Jesus Christ—what was—”

  “I’m down here, if you’re wondering.”

  Katie’s voice.

  Caelan looked down.

  A sleeping bag.

  Under the table.

  “Can you pass me a drink, please?” she asked.

  Caelan stared for a moment, then slowly took a beer from the table and handed it down. “Suuure.”

  “Thanks, Captain,” she said.

  The sleeping bag zipped shut again.

  Caelan shook his head and decided not to question it.

  A woman hesitated at the edge of the table, then leaned in. “Sorry to interrupt you all, but I thought you should know… there’s someone over there claiming to be the Captain. He’s sort of creeping some of us out.”

  Before Solara could respond, screaming tore through the plaza.

  Jett burst through the crowd at full sprint, a handful of furious women chasing after him.

  “PLEASE,” Jett shouted, weaving between tables. “I just want you all to love me too! WHEN I’M CAPTAIN YOU’LL ALL REGRET IT—AHHH—NOT THE FACE!”

  Solara watched him go with a half?broken smile. “Sorry about that. I’ll make sure to deal with it.”

  She gestured toward the stage. “Oh, but would you look at that. If it isn’t your number one fan, Captain.”

  Artimage stood on the stage, arms wide, delivering an impassioned speech to absolutely no one.

  “…and we will not falter. With the combined forces and the expertise that the Revolutionary Army has now amassed—”

  Caelan winced slightly. He glanced around.

  Not a single person was listening.

  “Well,” he muttered, “at least he’s putting his heart into it.”

  Lumi, half drunk, had her head resting on the table. She groaned. “How am I meant to resell a uniform you can’t reuse? Pre?owned uniforms… where’s the magic in that? Oh, look at Lumi—still selling those red jackets. Bluh. What a joke.”

  Keira shot upright. “Oh no. REXY?BABY—FIRE UP THE BIG GUNS!” She jabbed a finger toward Lumi. “Don’t you worry. Your one and only Keke’s got this.”

  “I don’t think there’s any coming back from this,” Lumi muttered.

  A guitar twanged.

  Then another sound joined it.

  Then another.

  Strangely shaped instruments began to appear on the stage, one by one.

  Lumi’s head snapped up. “…Bitch. Is that music?”

  Keira stood and offered her hand. “Ma lady.”

  Lumi blinked, then took it.

  They jogged over to Mynxi, both kneeling and holding out their hands.

  “Ma lady.”

  Mynxi lit up. “Let’s dance! Bye, Dad!”

  She bolted.

  Caelan smiled after her. “Bye, little one. Come find me when you want to go—”

  She was already gone.

  “And she’s not listening,” he finished.

  Elyria muttered, “Like father, like daughter.”

  Caelan smiled. “She sure is.”

  Braen arrived, brushing dust from her sleeves. “Sorry, I’m late, everyone. And I’m sorry if I missed your speech, Captain.”

  Bella snorted. “Don’t be. He totally bombed.”

  Caelan grinned. “Don’t you ever apologise for being late, big dog. You’re looking stunning tonight.”

  Braen laughed. “And you say that little smooth talker bombed? I’ll be hearing no such thing, Bella.”

  Solara glanced around. “I thought the rest were coming with you?”

  Braen shrugged. “Corwin said it was his bedtime. Apparently, he doesn’t like changing it. And the Chief—”

  “Cards,” the table said in unison.

  Aidan leaned back. “So Cap—what’s it like bringing gambling addictions across the universe?”

  Caelan laughed. “Funny thing is, I don’t actually know how to play poker. God knows what they’re playing. I made the rules up as I went along.”

  Veyra pointed accusingly. “HEY. Is that why you won every hand we played? I want my scrap bars back!”

  Hector raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? The Captain clearly said he didn’t know the rules before you all played. I was there.”

  Bella slammed her drink down, already half gone. “Why do you always defend him? You know how much work these idiotic ideas take.”

  Elyria muttered under her breath, “Sunshine and rainbows over there.”

  Caelan burst out laughing.

  Bella tried to climb over the table, pointing. “I heard that! And you and your boyfriend—keep away from my man!”

  Elyria snorted. “What, that balding, short, insecure man-child? Pfft. I’m the one who should be insulted here.”

  Takeshi stood abruptly. “You all have fun. I’m not sitting through another episode of who-loves-who. I’m grabbing food before this mob eats everything that isn’t nailed down.”

  “I hope they have those green cubes again,” Braen said, following him.

  Veyra jogged after them. “Wait. Do you want to go dancing afterwards?”

  Takeshi groaned. “Please no.”

  “Only if I lead again,” Braen said.

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  “Absolutely not,” Veyra shot back. “You almost broke my neck last time.”

  Aidan was still sitting when something yanked him down.

  He screamed.

  Katie rolled out from under the table, half-tangled in her sleeping bag. “I’m going to dance too. Since Lyra isn’t here, he’ll do.”

  “PLEASE,” Aidan yelled. “Someone help me. Who is this weirdo?”

  Solara waved them off. “Have fun. Try not to wreck the place. Please.” She paused. “Wait—where is Lyra?”

  “She was getting dressed when we left,” Hector said. “Ow—ow—fine, fine, I’ll ask.”

  Bella elbowed him hard. “Lieutenant, we were just wondering… would it be possible to get another bath installed?”

  “Why?” Solara asked. “We have two perfectly good baths already.”

  “Well, you see—” Hector started.

  “No offence,” Bella cut in quickly, “you’re a close second to my heart, Solara, but I like my bathrooms clean. And annoyingly, the Captain’s is always getting used since—well—”

  “ARE YOU CALLING ME DIRTY?” Solara barked.

  “No! No, no, no,” Bella panicked. “You just leave it more like a laundry basket than a bathroom.”

  Solara opened her mouth. “No, you can just use—wait. Where has he gone now?”

  Elyria wiped her mouth and nodded toward the centre of the plaza. “Over there. No idea why he keeps looking at it so often.”

  Solara sighed, stood, and walked away from the table.

  The party carried on behind her.

  In the middle of the plaza, Caelan stood at the notice board.

  Hands in his pockets.

  Almost completely emotionless.

  Solara stopped beside him and bumped her shoulder against his.

  Caelan glanced sideways. “Love the bowtie, by the way. Sparkly red. You know, no one would’ve said anything if you wore something other than your uniform for once.”

  Solara smiled faintly. “Thank you. It was a present from you. I might’ve taken the money from your cut.”

  Caelan laughed under his breath. “Of course. Well, I clearly have great taste.”

  “And furthermore,” Solara added, tilting her head, “Mr ‘I don’t want to replace my jacket because of how much it means to me’—I’ll stop wearing mine when you stop wearing yours.”

  Caelan huffed a quiet laugh. “I told you that in secret,” he said, a brief smile breaking through.

  “Cael. Come on. What’s the matter? And don’t tell me it was the fight. Something’s been bugging you since we got home.”

  “It’s finally happening,” Caelan said quietly.

  The board flickered.

  The numbers shifted.

  Commanders remaining: 912,936,419,912

  Followers remaining: 912,936,419,912

  Days elapsed: 7,006

  Total eliminated: 21,348,917,420

  Solara folded her arms, watching his expression. “You need to stop worrying so much about them. Looking at that board every five minutes won’t change anything.”

  Caelan didn’t move. “We’ve made a massive mistake. And if we don’t fix it soon, we might as well be done for.”

  Solara’s voice softened. “What would you like me to do?”

  Still staring at the numbers, Caelan said, “I need a census. Every follower and every commander in the region.”

  Solara let out a small laugh. “Will you cheer up if I convince the council to start it tomorrow?”

  Caelan’s lips twitched into the faintest smile. “Well, that was the easy part. I also need eighty per cent of our stocked scrap bars—both standard and emerald. And I know, I know—”

  “Done,” Solara said immediately. “Bring it up tomorrow during morning briefing. I’ll push back, but I’ll give in. Now tell me—what’s this all about?”

  Caelan finally tore his eyes from the board and looked around the plaza. “When we went into this today, I was actually scared we’d be up against it. Throwing random things after random things just to tip the scales in our favour. The problem is… if we’d just gone against them straight, we’d have wiped them off the map without much effort. Steve and his basic-level Mach speeds… and that guy Sis defeated with the emerald armour…” He exhaled slowly. “I’ve really messed up.”

  Solara frowned. “What do you mean? How did you mess up? No one was hurt—well, badly. Take the win. Oh—wait. Don’t tell me.”

  Caelan nodded. “The bubble theory again. Yeah. I know. Off the top of your head—what’s the ratio of followers to commanders in the region?”

  Solara thought for a moment. “If I had to guess? Ten followers per commander. But Aurex really messes that up.”

  “We’ve affected the region,” Caelan said quietly. “I can’t tell if it’s because of Virelith being a thing or our very presence, but everyone here… they don’t even try to catch up to us anymore. If we’re not careful, a group will walk in, and no one will lift a finger because they expect us to do everything.” He took a breath. “So I have an idea…”

  Solara raised an eyebrow. “I’ll listen under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If you stop moping around and try to enjoy tonight even a little,” Solara said gently. “I’ll listen to it all day tomorrow. But stop working yourself up. Everything here isn’t your problem alone.”

  Caelan let out a soft laugh and bumped her shoulder back. “Couldn’t do it without you, Sol.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” She smirked. “Now, I need one favour from you—and you better not say a thing.”

  Caelan finally cracked a smile. “Of course. Anything.”

  “Well…” Solara cleared her throat. “The first night might’ve gone a little emerald-boozy, but Bella did tell me one thing about holding hands and dancing.”

  She angled her head toward Elyria, who was now sitting alone at the table, drinking.

  Caelan blinked. “You know we’re just friends, right?”

  “Suuuuure,” Solara said. “Just go on. Or you’ll be dancing with me—and you’re too short for leading.”

  “Great point,” Caelan admitted.

  Before either of them could move, they were interrupted.

  Keira, Lumi, and Mynxi spun in the middle of the crowd, hands linked, circling wildly as Mynxi was lifted off her feet.

  “FUUUUUCK!” Mynxi screamed joyfully.

  Solara’s soul visibly left her body. She marched forward. “MYNXI LANGSTON! One more swear word and you are going to bed, little lady—”

  She didn’t finish.

  The crowd swallowed her.

  Dragged her straight into the dance circle.

  Caelan blinked once, then snorted.

  Of course, it would go that way.

  Caelan let the moment pass, then turned back toward the tables, weaving through the crowd until he found Elyria still sitting there, nursing her drink and watching the rest of them make fools of themselves.

  “So,” he said, dropping back into the seat beside her, eyes still tracking the chaos. “You not joining in?”

  Elyria scoffed softly. “What, to this noise? You’ve got to be joking, Captain.”

  Caelan raised an eyebrow. “Captain?”

  She topped up her glass. “Well, don’t let it go to your head, but… you’re not completely wrong every time.”

  “Careful,” Caelan said. “Don’t let the rest of them hear you talking about me like that. You know what they’re like.”

  They both let out a quiet, shared laugh.

  Then Caelan stood.

  He didn’t look at her as he did it.

  Instead, he held his hand out, eyes fixed firmly on anything else. “Want to join them?”

  Elyria blinked, panic flickering across her face. “Oh—no, no, no. We don’t need to. I know it’s not your thing. Honestly, it’s fine.”

  Caelan sighed, turned fully toward her, and still held his hand out. He smiled. “Well then. Captain’s orders.”

  She hesitated, then smiled back. “Of course, Captain. But if you step on the dress, I’ll beat you to the next zone.”

  She took his hand.

  “Don’t promise me a good time,” he said.

  They moved toward the crowd together.

  Elyria gently tugged him off to the side of the dance floor, voice low and nervous. “No—over here. It’s, erm…”

  “No, totally,” Caelan said quickly. “I get it.”

  They fumbled into position, both of them clearly unsure what they were meant to be doing.

  “Geez,” Caelan muttered, shifting awkwardly. “How do they all know how to do this?”

  “Tell me about it,” Elyria said.

  They settled into a simple side-to-side sway, carefully avoiding each other’s eyes.

  “Soooo,” Elyria said at last, “is this all it is?”

  “Yeah,” Caelan replied. “I think so. Not exactly got my experience in this. Sorry if I’m doing it wrong.”

  “There’s nothing wrong,” she said softly.

  He swallowed. “Can I ask a favour? I know I busted your balls about the whole Captain thing, but… if it’s cool with you, would you mind calling me Caelan? Or Cael. Whatever you prefer.”

  She laughed. “Alright. But two conditions. First, I want a voice this time—so could you—erm—actually, never mind.”

  “I’ve already spoken to Solara,” Caelan said. “After the event, we’re moving you up to Sergeant. It’s always been the plan.”

  Elyria blinked. “What? Even if I’m a pacifist?”

  Caelan smiled. “I’ve got a room full of broken chairs that would argue against that. And you know that’s not what this is based on. Come on—what was the other condition?”

  She leaned in slightly as they continued to sway. “You call me Elyria. Or Ely.”

  They both smiled.

  “You drive a hard bargain,” Caelan said.

  “You have no idea,” she replied.

  He looked away again, then quietly said, “Oh… and you look nice tonight.”

  Elyria mirrored him, eyes averted. “It’s all Lumi’s hard work. Honestly, I just put it on.”

  “Well,” he added, “your hair’s nice too.”

  She turned back to him, eyebrow raised. “Really, Caelan. My hair?”

  “Yeah. Really. I’ve no idea how to do that to mine. Ponytails are about my limit.”

  She smirked. “Is that your way of asking me to do your hair?”

  He snorted. “Hell no. You lot already take too long getting ready. I’ve not got the time for that.”

  Elyria was quiet for a moment, the movement between them slowing.

  Then, almost deflated, she said softly, “I lied to Solara today. And honestly… I don’t know why I did.”

  Caelan glanced at her, then back toward the crowd. “If you want to keep up this secret little club you and Linda have,” Elyria continued, “you’d better keep me in the loop. And if you go too far… I’ll have to tell her.”

  Caelan smiled and leaned in slightly. “Why do you think the letter was addressed to you? But yeah… I’ve got a little update to tell you later.”

  She hesitated, then said, “You know… if you asked me those questions again, I’d answer them honestly.”

  Caelan gently pulled her closer. Elyria leaned her head against his chest.

  “We’re both adults, Elyria,” he said quietly. “We have secrets. That’s just a fact of life. So no—I’m not going to ask you again. But if you ever feel ready to tell me whatever you want… I’ll listen first. Act second.”

  She huffed softly. “Solara’s really got you house-trained now, doesn’t she?”

  “Just don’t tell her that,” Caelan murmured.

  “Oh, that’s the one thing that’s not a secret,” Elyria said.

  They both laughed.

  Something tugged at Elyria’s dress and Caelan’s jacket.

  They looked down.

  Mynxi stood there, rubbing her eyes. “Dad… can we go home now? I’m tired.”

  Caelan’s expression softened immediately. “Sure, little one. You want to go now?”

  She nodded, yawning.

  They slowed to a stop. Caelan took Mynxi’s hand.

  “I’ll let everyone else know,” Elyria said gently.

  Mynxi reached out and grabbed Elyria’s hand, too, saying nothing.

  Elyria knelt down, smiling. “You’re just like your dad, aren’t you?”

  “I’m not silly like Dad,” Mynxi said with a small laugh.

  “Nope,” Caelan said, smiling. “I’ve got the smartest little princess, don’t I?”

  Mynxi didn’t answer.

  She just started dragging them both toward the exit before either of them could respond.

  The Beech & Ember garden was quiet compared to the plaza, the noise reduced to a distant hum carried on the wind.

  Caelan and Elyria swung Mynxi between them as they crossed the grass, her feet leaving the ground as she laughed.

  “Again! Again!” Mynxi shouted.

  “I thought you wanted to go to bed,” Elyria said, smiling.

  Mynxi pulled her hand free and bolted ahead. “Dad! Dad! Can we sit at the fire?”

  Caelan shook his head. “Oh, I don’t know. Someone was pretty tired just a few minutes ago.”

  “Pleeeease, Dad.”

  Elyria sighed fondly. “I’ll get the blankets.”

  Caelan crouched near the fire pit. “Alright, little one. Want to help Dad set it up?”

  Mynxi grinned.

  Then vanished.

  Wood began piling itself onto the pit at ridiculous speed. She reappeared beside it a second later, beaming, thumb up.

  Caelan laughed. “Alright, show-off. Go grab some snacks, and I’ll get it lit.”

  “Can I get the ones from the top cupboard?” she asked.

  “Just don’t tell your aunties you know that’s their favourite,” he said.

  Mynxi bolted back into the inn.

  Caelan knelt, spinning a stick once through the kindling. Fire caught immediately, the flames crackling to life.

  The garden was empty.

  “You can stop hiding,” Caelan said casually.

  “I’m not hiding,” Elyria replied, walking back with blankets.

  “Not you.”

  Linda stepped out from the tree line. “I heard everything went well today, Captain.”

  Mynxi came bounding back, arms full of snacks, juice boxes, paper, and a pencil wrapped around her tail. She dumped everything beside the benches and immediately hugged Linda’s leg.

  “Thank you for the star?veil… erm—”

  “Star?veil thistle,” Linda said. “And you’re welcome.”

  Caelan nodded to the bench. “Pull up a seat, bud. What’s on your mind?”

  Caelan and Elyria sat down. Mynxi squeezed herself between them and was immediately wrapped in a blanket by Elyria.

  Linda glanced at the fire, then at Caelan. “You going to offer me a drink, or do I need to steal one?”

  Linda accepted a beer that Caelan tossed her. “A little late to ask,” he said. “Since you’ve clearly helped yourself already.”

  She took a long drink. “Fuck me, what a day. You should’ve seen those idiots crying for their mums. Waste of fucking space.”

  Elyria froze. “What is going on right now?”

  Caelan shrugged. “Like I told you—she’s a banger of a spy. Please don’t tell me you thought she was still goody?two?shoes.”

  Linda smirked. “Which brings me to you, bitch. You owe me a new lock. Money better be in my hands by tomorrow, or I make people disappear in their sleep.”

  Elyria smiled sweetly. “Maybe watch who you’re swearing at, or I’ll tell everyone you own trousers.”

  Mynxi looked up. “Dad… does she know now?”

  Elyria blinked. “Wait—Mynxi knows? What in the stars is going on?”

  Caelan sighed. “Ladies, please. And Linda—send me the bill for whatever she broke.” He muttered, “Going to need to scam some more money again. Jesus.”

  Linda leaned back. “The group stationed at the inn fell for it. Empty streets pushed them down the second path just like you predicted. No one saw me. No one saw the fight.”

  Elyria snorted. “What, did you bore them to elimination with flower facts?”

  Linda buried a dagger into the bench beside her. “Elyria, just because I’m nice in public doesn’t mean I won’t skin you.”

  “Right—fuck—stepping in,” Caelan said. “Please. Two minutes. This is actually important.”

  Linda and Elyria both took long drinks, staring anywhere but at each other.

  Mynxi kicked her feet, drawing with one hand while feeding herself snacks with her tail.

  “Little one,” Caelan said, noticing, “clean your tail before bed, okay?”

  “Okay, Dad,” she replied. “You should get a tail too.”

  “That would be very cool,” Caelan admitted. He cleared his throat. “Right. Since you three are the only ones in the loop—small update. Staff Sergeant, your squad’s growing. I found you a new recruit today. They’ve agreed to help us going forward.”

  Elyria smirked. “Better make sure they’re a slob like her or they might run away.”

  Linda planted her boot near the fire pit. “Want to say that to my face, sneaky bitch?”

  Elyria started to stand.

  “Seriously,” Caelan said sharply. “Two minutes. Please.”

  They sat back down, glaring daggers at each other.

  Footsteps approached from the far side of the inn.

  “Ow. Ow. Ow.”

  Caelan whistled.

  Linda and Elyria turned on him at the same time. “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?”

  Renn limped into the firelight. “I asked him the same question,” he said, glaring at Caelan. “For the record—fuck you, Caelan. Totally uncalled for.”

  Caelan lazily flipped his hand toward Renn. “And here is our newest member of the Hidden Blade division. Renn, thank you for considering my offer. Going forward, you’ll be operating further afield—for obvious reasons, given that everyone believes I eliminated you. Linda, task him with whatever you don’t have time for. He’ll relay through you to me.”

  “Not like I really had a choice,” Renn muttered. “This or be eliminated by the system in a few hours.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Caelan said. “You hated that piece of shit as well.”

  Renn hesitated. “He wasn’t always like that. He was actually really nice in the early years of the war.”

  “And that,” Caelan replied, “is where our problem lies. People look good on the surface until power goes to their heads. That’s why we need this network running.”

  From somewhere beyond the garden, Keira’s voice rang out. “I’M OFF DUTY! I CAN SWEAR IF I WANT, LIEUTENANT!”

  “WELL, IF YOU’RE OFF DUTY,” Solara shouted back, “WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME LIEUTENANT, SMARTY PANTS?”

  Caelan sighed. “Crap. We’ll wrap this up later. Renn—North Town. Two weeks.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Renn said, backing toward the trees. “Don’t keep me waiting. And don’t expect me to do anything until this heals.”

  He disappeared into the tree line, fading into the night.

  “Are you sure about him?” Elyria asked quietly.

  “I agree,” Linda added. “He’s a risk.”

  “I know,” Caelan said. “But what do we lose? If he’s not on board, I drop him as a follower, and the system finishes it. He knows it. I know it.”

  The rest of the group began filtering back in.

  “Look, my love,” Bella said, holding something up. “Would you look at this.”

  “Just you wait until I tell you what I saw back there,” Hector replied.

  “HEY!” Caelan and Elyria said together.

  Garron stomped in carrying a massive bag. “Captain, you should’ve seen Whaa Whaa’s tonight. Free drinks equals more scrap bars out of those losers.”

  Solara followed a few steps behind. “Master Chief, I expect all of that logged in your weekly report. Every bar gets taxed. No exceptions.”

  Keira laughed loudly. “Sure. You tell yourself that, Lieutenant.”

  Aidan shoved her. “Move, sis. Stop stirring. Come on before we miss it.”

  Most of the group headed inside.

  Lumi, completely gone with the fairies, flopped down beside Linda. “Hey, beautiful. When are you coming to the shop? I’ve got big plans for you.”

  Linda smiled. “That would be lovely. Whenever you’re free. I’ll bring lunch sometime.”

  “AHHH! Tomorrow, midday. You’re all mine!” Lumi squealed.

  Elyria muttered, “Oh, so now she’s nice to everyone.”

  Linda glanced at her. “Says you.”

  Solara looked back. “Are you lot coming, or are you sitting there until we’re back?”

  “What’s happening?” Caelan asked.

  “Party’s tame as fuck,” Keira replied. “And that pathetic excuse for music—nope.”

  A voice chimed in behind them. “We are…”

  Caelan and Elyria both yelped.

  “…going to see if there are any good monsters spawning tonight, Captain,” Katie finished, completely ignoring them.

  Caelan broke into a grin. “Fuck yeah. Now that’s a party I can get behind. What do you girls say?”

  Mynxi didn’t answer.

  She just pulled her folded death scythe.

  Elyria sighed. “Do you see why I told you not to get her a foldable one? She’s never without it.”

  “It was my birthday present,” Mynxi protested.

  “And you know when to use it,” Caelan said gently. “Don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “Right,” he said. “Let’s get you changed.”

  Solara clapped her hands. “Everyone move. We’re out in ten minutes. I want at least five white-deaths from each of you tonight. Linda, joining us?”

  “That would be lovely,” Linda replied. “I’ve always wanted to watch you all fight.”

  “I think I’ll just—” Elyria started.

  Mynxi grabbed her hand. “Please! I want to show you the super-duper move I learned!”

  “I can walk myself,” Elyria protested as she was dragged toward the inn, banging lightly off every step.

  Solara stepped up and took Caelan’s drink, finishing it in one go. “Figured this kind of party might make you smile.”

  Caelan stood. “Lieutenant, I’m going to start charging you rent for living in my head. I’ll grab my sword in a second.”

  Inside, the common room had devolved into chaos. Weapons and gear were piled everywhere.

  Braen set her warhammer down hard enough to split the table with a crack.

  “Will you all stop destroying my pride and joy?” Joss shouted. “You’ll all hear about it when Solara gets the bill!”

  A door further down the hall burst open.

  Jett came flying out, dragging Corwin by the arm.

  “Come on!” Jett shouted. “I need my right?hand man so we can show them what real power looks like!”

  Corwin clung desperately to the doorframe, tears welling. “PLEASE! I just want my ten hours! Please!”

  Caelan laughed quietly as he walked through the hall.

  Keira bumped into him. “Loser buys the winner drinks for the next month!”

  “Like hell,” Caelan shot back. “I’ll bankrupt you.”

  He slowed.

  Stopped at Lyra’s door.

  He knocked once, gently, then pushed it open.

  “Lyra, are you—”

  “OH MY GOOOOOOOD!”