31. P O W E R : Assistance

PROLOGUE

Dragonkeep was dark and quiet. None of the four brothers were asleep; indeed, none of them had slept a wink for the entire night. Safiya, on the other hand, was knocked out cold on Ferrus's bed, which he'd kindly given to her while he took the couch.

As the Phoenix slept, the brothers moved about the apartment in silence, doing whatever they could to keep themselves busy. Mordecai flipped through pictures of himself and the Director on his phone; Malcom read a book in braille; Defensor chewed on a freshly-killed rabbit he'd hunted; and Ferrus merely sat on the couch, staring into his room and watching Safiya sleep.

An alarm beeped.

Safiya stirred, letting out a quiet moan.

Defensor glanced at Ferrus over his shoulder.

Malcom raised his head out of his book, blinking and swiveling his head back and forth.

Mordecai raised his eyes slightly, glaring at Fitch over the top of his phone.

It was 7:30 A.M.

Ferrus exhaled through his nostrils, put his hands on his thighs, and stood up slowly. "Time to go," he said quietly.

-

P.O.V. – Cameron

Cameron fell from the sky, her skin blackened, charred, and crackling with dull orange light. Burnt feathers fluttered all around her as she plummeted to the ground far below, her bulging eyes fixated on the sun—that blazing ball of fire that had caused her demise.

As she watched, the massive head of Cthulhu appeared, blotting out the sun and leering down at her. It was joined by the heads of the Giants—the Behemoth and Leviathan—as well as what appeared to be a giant green snake with three eyes and Vision as its rider. They did not speak or emote; they simply stared at the falling Avatar with hollow, empty eyes while Fisi's cackling laugh echoed all around.

Tears leaked out of Cameron's burning eyes. She was going to fail... to die... and Safe Haven would be lost...

The sudden jolt of hitting one of the sand dunes below made every bone in Cameron's body rattle. She rolled down the dune for a while before coming to rest at its base, coughing and wheezing on the sand particles kicked up by her fall. And still the villains stared at her, with Fisi laughing all the while.

Cameron let out a raspy groan, her eyes drying up as a final tear slid down her face. "I... I'm... s-saahrrrryy..." she croaked, choking on a sob. "I'm... so... s-s-sorrrryy!"

She lay there on the sand, crying without tears, coughing and sobbing intermittently, for a long few moments that felt like years. The villains continued to stare at her, their silence condemning the fallen heroine.

Then a new face joined them, looking down at Cameron with glowing green eyes—but this one was much, much closer. This newcomer did not stare at her from high above; no, he stood on the same ground upon which she lay.

He was not how she remembered him. Instead of a massive reptile, he was a man made of stone. He reminded her greatly of his eldest son, his attire resembling that of the aforementioned even down to the vest and spectacles. However, though he appeared different, his voice was still unmistakable, distinct as the sound of a crumbling mountain.

Rise, Avatar, Petrus Draconis commanded, extending his stony hand to Cameron. This war is not over yet.

-

An alarm went off, causing Cameron's eyes to snap open.

She sat up, alone in her bed. Zechariah was still working—in fact, he'd been working all night. "No rest for the weary", Cameron recalled him saying.