2. H O L Y W A R : Target

Epilogue I

PEACE

Cameron snorted and smacked her lips before sitting up with a yawn. She stretched, then grimaced as her shoulders both popped. "Ow."

That was a... relatively uneventful sleep, she thought, rolling her neck. No nightmares at all.

...Wait... where am I?

Cameron opened her eyes and looked around blearily. It took a while before it registered in her mind that she was in her house in Safe Haven. After realizing that fact, she frowned, somewhat confused. "Home?" she said softly. I could've sworn I was... somewhere else...

Then she jumped, suddenly realizing that the light in her bathroom was on. However, her surprise was only momentary, for she noticed the silhouette of a flicking tail in the light. Relaxing, Cameron called, "Zech? Is that you?"

The tail stopped flicking, and there was a moment of silence. Cameron tensed, wondering if she was wrong.

Then, finally, Zechariah emerged from the bathroom, confirming Cameron's suspicions. "Hello, Miss Cameron," he greeted her, sitting down next to the bed. "You're looking well."

"I'm feeling well," Cameron said with a smile. "What're you doing here?"

"...Checking up on you," Zechariah replied, looking rather confused. He frowned and leaned toward Cameron. "Do you... remember anything?"

"Anything from what?" Cameron asked, equally perplexed.

"The war. The angels." Zechariah's eyes darkened. "Adina."

A cacophony of blurry memories flashed through Cameron's head, but nothing solid—nothing she could grasp. "Adina..." Her own frown deepened, and she chewed on a fingernail. "No, I... I don't remember anything," she confessed. "Not after Hatchet was..."

Suddenly, Cameron let out a gasp and leapt out of her bed, making Zechariah jump backward in surprise. "Hatchet! Is he okay?" she cried. "Those things were—they jumped on him and—I couldn't—"

"He's fine!" Zechariah interrupted in a reassuring tone, putting his tail-tip on Cameron's shoulder. "Hatchet is fine. He and the others are waiting for you downstairs."

Cameron let out a long sigh of relief and sat down on her bed, putting a hand over her heart. "Thank GOD."

Zechariah's ear twitched as he patiently waited for Cameron to get back up.

Then Cameron suddenly asked, "Wait, did you say 'war'?"

-

"Rise n' shine, Cam Caboodle!" was the first thing Cameron heard as she came downstairs behind Zechariah. "Enjoy your sleep?" Hatchet asked in an upbeat tone.

"Yeah, I did!" Cameron answered, grinning upon seeing the Draconian. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Hatch."

"Yeah, well, I got a couple bumps here, a couple scrapes there, but I'll live." Hatchet walked over and slung his arm around Cameron's shoulders, pulling her into a half-hug. "Question is, are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine," Cameron answered in a dismissive tone. "Totally okay."

"She doesn't remember anything," Zechariah told Hatchet.

"Ah." Defender gave Cameron a grin of his own. "Count yerself lucky, Camporee."

"I guess I will," Cameron replied with a shrug. She looked around at the other Peacekeepers, who were gathered in her living room and seemed totally exhausted even though it was the morning. "What's going on, guys?" she asked, frowning. "Why do you all look so... down?"

"Did he tell you about the war?" Knox inquired, motioning to Zechariah.

"He mentioned it," Cameron responded hesitantly. "What happened?"

-

As the Peacekeepers recounted the tale of the Holy War, the memories slowly resurfaced in Cameron's mind: from the point she was taken over by Adina to the moment she was freed. All she could say after hearing the story was "Wow", and she couldn't even bring herself to drink the cup of tea in her hand.

"The important thing is that you're safe, and so is the haven," Fitch concluded. "But just to be sure, the council's elected to have Carrie and Fabian watch over you for a bit."

"Council?" Cameron echoed.

"Yes. The Council of Safe Haven." Guardian waved a hand at the other Peacekeepers. "That's us, in case you didn't know."

"We're still workin' on the name," Carrie put in.

"I suggested Council of Peace, but no one wanted to hear that," Fabian muttered sullenly. "'Too cliché', they said."

"I agree," Cameron said remorselessly.

Fabian put a paw on his chest, pouting. "You wound me, Cameron."

Cameron rolled her eyes and turned to Zechariah. "So what're your plans?"

"Create a new police force—which we've been working on for a while. Perhaps add the younger Peacekeepers to our council." Zechariah shrugged and licked a paw. "Other than that, everything stays the same." He fixed an intense gaze on Cameron and told her, "Safe Haven is safe again, Miss Cameron—and we intend to keep it that way."

-

FAREWELL

P.O.V. – Zechariah

A few days later, Zechariah walked into his office to find Guardian and Defender waiting for him while Winston shuffled through a stack of papers. "Let me guess," the vice principal said with a sigh. "Leaving again?"

"You got it," Defender answered, nodding. "We're needed elsewhere."

"Aren't you always?" Zechariah gave Defender a humoured look before turning to Guardian. "Did you speak with your brother?" he asked.

"I did," Guardian confirmed. "We have an... understanding. I'll try to contact him from overseas, but we've agreed to have mutually civil conversations about our differing viewpoints."

"Excellent." Zechariah turned back to Defender. "Have you said your farewells to Salvia, Hatchet?" he asked, his tone somewhat teasing.

Defender nodded crisply. "We'll be keeping in touch," he said in a guarded tone.

Zechariah waited a beat. "And... to Miss Cameron?" he added, feeling the slightest twinge of jealousy.

However, there was no need for such feelings, for a wide grin broke out on Defender's face. "Aw, c'mon, Big Z," he said. "You should know me better'n that. I said my goodbyes, but I'm no two-timer. 'sides," he added, "I figgered Cam was off-limits anyway, get me?"

Zechariah scowled as Defender had a good laugh at his expense while Guardian merely smirked. "Yes, well, you two should hurry along," he muttered, slinking over to his desk. "Don't want to be late, now, do you?"

"As you wish, Zechariah," Guardian replied, still rather amused.

Zechariah grunted and swept some dust off his desk with his tail. "I assume this leave is temporary?"

"Of course. We'd be breaking a Pact if it weren't—and you of all people know how hard those are to clean up." Guardian's eyes twinkled with mischief, emphasizing his words. "No, we'll be back, Zechariah. You can't keep us away for long."

"Yes, I thought as much," Zechariah replied drolly. Then he gave each of the brothers a curt nod. "Farewell then, Fitch and Hatchet. We eagerly await your return."

The Draconians nodded back before promptly vanishing into the shadows.