I Believe in you - A GWH Story

I Believe in You - Chapter 7

"Fall back?" Lib suggested quietly.

"Fall back." Amaya concurred.

Picking up the communicator device, the group quickly made their way back into the relative safety of the temple, even though being closer to Moon Snake's altar made them feel even worse about their predicament. It would be a matter of minutes before the Imperial soldiers made it to the front stairs, and from there, it would take them almost no effort to breach the feeble automated Rebel defenses. A decision would have to be made as soon as possible.

"Alright, I know none of us is particularly in the mood right now," The Muician declared, to which his team mates rolled their eyes, "but we have to give the divine power business one last chance, even though our guardian angels up above are busy fighting."

"But, Lib..." The girl moaned, disheartened and sad. "Without the faith of many followers, gods have no power. I can't do anything now that I lack their support, and I can't force them to channel their faith; it doesn't work that way. What am I supposed to do?"

"You stop whining and give it a try." The alien was starting to be stern, something unusual for him but understandable given the circumstances. "You still have the two of us; that has to count for something, at least. If you fail, no matter, we run."

"I have one of you, that's for sure." The goddess replied, shooting a resentful glance at Darreek. The demon had his arms crossed and his head bowed, his white bangs obscuring his face. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind; he had blocked his emotions from the woman's heightened perception. However, she didn't get a chance to try and go deeper into the man's heart, because a sudden outburst from Lib's direction yanked her out of her thoughts.

"Well, screw him, then! And you know what? Screw the rest of the Rebellion too! I say you don't need a ton of people licking your feet just so you can get on the same level as Moon Snake! I'll just believe in you harder than they could ever hope to combined! Unless, of course, you still wanna turn your back on your precious halfling Commander and let the Empire win."

The Muician's impatient, exasperated demeanor even made Darreek look in his direction. The blue-skinned alien's words struck Amaya hard, leaving her stunned and speechless. It hadn't occurred to her that it was the intention and strength behind faith, not the amount of followers that gave a god its powers. Macha had passed away because she didn't have anyone left to believe in her... but what if that wasn't the real reason? Could Lib be right? If he was, it was worth a shot. Yet, it was still hard to be encouraged right after realizing her love interest wasn't as devoted as he claimed, after realizing her divine guardian could have possibly been saved if she had just been more faithful. Amaya would just have to force herself to keep moving forward, for everyone's sake, even though she felt emotionally exhausted.

"...Let's try it." The woman muttered.

"Great." The alien grabbed his friend by the wrist and started walking towards a nearby stairwell with her in tow. "Now, let's not waste any more of our precious time, pretty please? We'll have a better vantage point from the third floor balc-"

"Wait."

Both of them stopped and turned around. Darreek was done sulking, apparent by his now upright stance, arms to his sides, fists balled up. His fiery violet eyes met Amaya's soft blue ones, and she witnessed an indescribable blend of emotions in them. There was some regret, but determination was also present. The goddess couldn't quite work out what else was in there, but one thing was for certain, much to her relief.

Those eyes were honest.

"I'll go with you." The man claimed.

"As if you had a choice!" Lib blurted out, still sounding very impatient. "We're all in this together! Now move your hell-born ass and get to the third floor!"