Heir Ascending

War, no matter how necessary, nor justified, is a crime - Ernest Hemingway

"Shhh," Oliver whispered, the sound rolling off his tongue in a soft wind.

From where we crouched concealed by the shadow cast by the green women, it was hard to make out the exact number of Cacooey. But there's more than one. Perhaps five or six definitive outlines can be made against the backness that is ever so faintly illuminated by the stars.

"Oliver there's too many," I breathed as I took his hand in mine.

"You have to trust what I tell you," he whispers, his eyes calculating and scanning the area before us. "I'm going to lead them all away to that big pool we saw a block away."

"You're not going to make it that far," I shook my head and pulled his arm tighter to me.

"Eden, we have a window of about one minute before we lose the element of surprise and then we have no chance of coming out of this alive." I still shook my head, adamant about not letting him complete his suicide mission.

"No. That promise to not die applies to both of us. Not just me."

"I'm not going to die-"

"You can't guarantee that," I interjected softly but firmly.

"Eden we don't have time to argue about this-"

"Exactly. We're in a tense situation. You haven't thought this through," I scold him and shake my head vehemently.

"Shhh," he hisses. "Look. There are things you don't know and I promise when I come back to you I will tell you everything. But until then you need to get Drax and hide. And before you protest I'm not keeping you away from the fight. I know you can handle yourself, but that doesn't matter because if you come with me I still won't be able to focus on not dying because I'll be too focussed on you. I just can't have you in even the slightest potential of harm's way."

"Don't you think that goes both ways," I shake my head.

"Eden-" he begins but I shake my head stronger.

"So what? Once you get them away from here then what hmm. You can't-"

"I have a plan-"

"What is it?" I urge you again.

He looks over his shoulder and then back at me. His stare feels like silent words, and I hate that I can't hear them.

"I've known what I'm doing, just find Drax," he whispers, bending down and pecking me on the lips. "Thank you," he smirks before launching himself off the statue onto an awning below.

"Oliver!" I hiss, but my voice gets carried away by the already growing distance between us. "Damn you," I curse.

It was only a few seconds before what appeared to be the first half of Oliver's plan illuminated. Literally. Sparks of electricity exploded from a disturbed pond around 100 metres away, causing light water to erupt like a volcano. This was then followed by cyclical rounds of fluctuating sizzling sounds that in turn erupt the glorious Eiffel Tower in flames.

It was strange how the fire danced in the distance. It was so controlled. Like its sole purpose was distraction rather than destruction. A cacophony of choking sounds followed by the scarring of feet and clanging of body parts against metal sent the Cacooey bustling down the street. Though slightly slower, I made my way down the statue the same way Oliver had.

Looking over everything that Oliver and I had so recently been admiring together, to say that seeing the ruins left in their former glory as a result of these parasites was an aberration was an understatement. I contemplated what Oliver had asked me to do. I wanted more than anything to make sure Drax was still unharmed. But I was worried that despite Oliver's incessant reassurance that he hadn't been a safe distance away from whatever destruction he caused. I'm sure if I looked on from a distance-