Fury and Flame | 3

6 | 8

A R L O

      I was surprised I was even still alive. Between the brutal loss of the last battle and the illness raging through my body, I fully expected to be dead by now. If I would have known we'd lose so badly, perhaps I should have let myself succumb to my sickness to save myself from the futile effort.

      We were miles from the battlefield in a series of tents that had been set up to accommodate what remained of our army. The outcome of the battle was always uncertain, but no one expected us to be so totally decimated. All the strategists and generals had convened here to plan our next move.

      Bored with the talk of war tactics, I fixed my eyes on the high canvas ceiling above. Though this was the largest tent on the field, it was crammed full of people, including our entire team. However, as crowded as it was, there was a gaping hole that should have been filled with one of our own.

      Neve.

      Benton broke the news to us while we were retreating back to the planes; Gigi had apparently watched the entire thing, but she couldn't get out a single word about it. The rest of us hadn't known Neve as well as Gigi—and perhaps Benton—but she'd been a powerful presence in our group. She'd helped us break Delphinium out of the ONNT headquarters. And she had been a lethal fighter on the battlefield.

      I didn't have to look at Gigi to know she was crying. I could smell the salt of her tears and hear how she tried to stifle the sobs with a hand over her mouth. While she'd done her best to heal us, her full power was dimmed by her loss. Most of us still bled freely.

      "We'll avenge her," I heard Finn whisper to Gigi through the loud chattering in the tent. "Her loss won't be in vain." Gigi didn't say anything back.

       I thought about how Finn comforted her even as our fates were uncertain. He always had something to give, even if we were in the darkest of times. Like wielding the might of his power against the Imperium army, even when he feared his own capacity for destruction.

      My eyes closed of their own accord. I was getting tired. I was tired all the time now. And in pain that seemed to radiate from my very bones. Faster than the doctors had predicted, the end was coming for me.

       Somehow, I knew another battle would kill me.

       Good, thought some part of me that still found humor. I always hated waiting.

       Perhaps I would have the glorious, spectacular death I always wanted. It was all I could hope for now.

      I tried not to think of Finn's comforting Gigi and how he would need to be comforted when I finally died. I'd thought I should be with him while I still could, but that would only make the pain greater. Regret slashed through me. I should have stayed away...

       "There's a message from Damien Hunt," someone said and my eyes opened again. It was one of the ONNT soldiers that had volunteered.

       "Say it," Jaxon said, head cocked in interest. Would this be good news?

      "It's for Arlo Damari," she said, uncertain eyes finding mine. "Mr. Hunt thinks it's necessary that you come back to New York as soon as possible. He wants to find a way to cure you before you succumb to your illness." Finn sucked in a breath beside me.

      Shit. This was not good news. Well, it was...just horribly timed. Did she really have to say it in front of everyone?

      "Before you succumb to what?" Jaxon's heart was pounding with dread, but his voice was a hiss.