“Andreas,” I said, turning around to face him. But as I did so, the swell of voices grew louder until I clutched my head.
A powerful pair of hands gripped my upper arms, and I peeled my eyes open to be met with Andreas’s weathered face.
“Breathe through it,” he instructed gruffly.
I did as he said, remembering all the training Archer had put me through. The way he coached me through all the rough moments. How quickly I’d forgotten the basics after a few days bound in cuffs.
“Why’s it so strong?” I asked, as everything came back into focus slowly.
“I’d ask your little lab rat friend.”
Looking up, I saw James hurrying down the steps towards us.
My aura was growing, pulsing out around me like the living entity that it was. The heat was building inside of me, making me slightly light-headed.
“You’ll be no use to anyone unless you keep yourself in check.” The way Andreas spoke to me now was not as a friend. His tone was cold and stern. “You’ve made a decision. You need to see it through.”
It was advice, or maybe more of an order, from a war general. Swallowing his words and the last of my doubts, I straightened up as James joined us.
“What did you do?” I asked him.
James grew wary of me the way he had the first time my aura unleashed itself in the patient room. “I didn’t know if we’d have enough people, so I streamed your speech.”
My eyes grew. “You did what?”
“I streamed it.” He pointed over to where he had been sitting, and I could see his phone on a small desktop tripod. “It’s still streaming.”
“To whom?”
“To friends. Family.” I opened my mouth to speak, but James continued. “Wrestling fans around the world who follow my weekly commentary on TikTok.”
“You’ve broken the NDA,” I told him. “You’ll be lucky to get a job again. The government is going to blacklist you from everything. Life.”
“Yeah, well.” James swallowed. “This seemed way more important.”
“James.”
“I told you before, I have always believed in the Gods. Do what you need to do. Keep us all safe.”
More of my colleagues rose from their seats, approaching us. Whispers of good luck. Reassurances that their prayers would continue.
“Stay safe,” Charlie told me, squeezing my hand.
“Come home,” James added.
I nodded at them slowly before Gareth stepped in front of me.
“I always knew you were capable of great things. It’s why I hired you for this job,” he told me, clapping a hand on myshoulder. “We will keep up the fight down here for you. You can rely on us.”
“Thank you,” I told them all.
Gareth dropped his hand and Andreas split the crowd of people easily with his body.
“Are you ready?” he asked me.
That was a good question.
We piled into my home, auras projected outside to stop any attacks. Memories of years ago flooded my brain. Pure chaos ensued when Gods turned their backs on each other. And just like the previous war, Hunter had disappeared, preferring to run rather than face me. He would collect everything he could before he showed his face again.
