Thrice Upon A Choice

Chapter XV

Bastian

Posey was silent as she moved forward and started to hack at the chains. I stayed still, even when she accidently hit my wrist instead of the chain.

"Shit! Sorry!" she said, automatically reaching for my hand and pulling it up to examine it.

I sat frozen as her feather-light touch looked over the bruise forming. It was like a dream having her here, looking so grown up and...real. It had been a long, long time since I had seen her. I had left for the military when I was eight, two years before Aspen had arrived. Posey had been just four years old.

Emmy had seen her when she had been seven, but I had been in the military then. And for her to now be standing in front of me, nursing a hand that was bruised because of her own clumsiness...it was surreal.

"Posey," I said, voice coming out a bare whisper.

"Mmm?" she said, massaging the tendons in my hand, feeling for the bones.

"I don't mean to hurry you or anything, but there are people out there fighting a war without me."

"Oh right," she startled, "Yes, sorry."

She swung the wrench a couple more times before the steel finally bent and the chain broke. I then took the wrench off her and broke the other side in about a quarter of the time. When I finally pushed myself to my feet, I noticed Posey stumble a little. She was short, and definitely had my hair, the long dark curls that she had tucked away into the braid she wore it in. And her eyes; Dad's eyes; Jiro's eyes. I remember that about him, but not much else.

"Your vision isn't great, is it?" I asked her, picking up on the way she squinted a little in the dark.

"No, it's not. My dad had glasses—"

"Mum."

"Pardon?"

"Your father didn't wear glasses."

"How do you--?"

"Never mind," and I stepped past her, headed for the doors of the van.

"Wait, who are you?"

"It doesn't matter," I told her, knowing it would only put her in danger.

I pushed open the doors to the battling outside. Two scans of the field and I could see her. Aspen was a flourish of green in crowds of black and blue. She was taking down soldiers left, right and center, creating a hole in the fighting. I swore under my breath as I noticed Thorne, Emmy, and Echo approaching her. I saw Otto and Lamar emerge from the crowd to back them up. Seok stood on the top of the jet, weapon in hand. I watched as she waved it at Aspen, fired one shot and then pointed a finger to my brother. Shit. Emmy was rooted to the spot as Aspen's eyes found him and started to stride toward him, pushing through the crowd. Echo leapt in between them and my heart hammered as Aspen tramped towards her. She was almost upon her when three sets of arms grabbed Echo, pulling her away. Thorne was also suddenly occupied, as though Seok's whistle had not only been a command for Aspen, but a command for Corra to take on Thorne and Echo. Now there was nothing between Emmy and Aspen, and I saw him ready himself, a dagger in his hand. But that wasn't going to be any protection.

Aspen leapt and I screamed out Emmy's name. But he kicked her off and she spun into Otto's chest and he pinned her down.

"Emmy?" Posey was beside me and her voice had been but a whisper.

I turned to see her gaze locked on Emmy, his dread locks spinning as he tried again and again to escape Aspen's fists as she had quickly escaped Otto's hold. Posey's brow was knit and her face blank in confusion. Suddenly her head snapped to look up at me, mouth agape and I saw her lips form my name.