25: THE END OF THE BEGINNING OF THE END
There were no knights and princesses riding off into the sunset. Just seven desolate young men and women who, for a short moment, thought they could be heroes. There was no blazing sun rising over green fields and rolling hills. Only a bloodied, war-torn land with dried up earth filled with dead and injured bodies.
There was nothing noble in battles and war. There were no real victories. Only the lingering whisper of death, defeat and destruction.
Solenn stayed where she was sprawled and closed her eyes as she felt the first beams of the sun touch her face.
How could the sun rise after such a blood-stained night? How could the world continue to spin after such devastating loss?
How many did we lose? She wondered. It was a nasty battle.
The waves of demons that got out of Gate Pandora was more vicious than anything they’d ever seen before. They attacked her men as soon as they flew out of the portal from hell while she and Solomon were out cold.
Solenn closed her hand into a fist. She knew those men. Before she brought them to this mission, she learned everything there is to know about them, from their stats to their personal details. She knew the names of their families, their significant others, and their crushes. She took them into her command with the promise that she was going to lead them back home, but she failed.
But wow, failure hurt like a son of a gun.
“Sol.” She knew that her partner was never far from where she was lying.
“Yes, ‘Lenn.”
“How many…?” She choked on her own question. She couldn’t continue, not when the air she took in got stuck somewhere in her throat. She suddenly couldn’t breathe.
“‘Lenn, don’t.”
“But…”
“Just don’t.”
Solenn took another deep breath, feeling the air move into her body, traveling faster than the speed of light into every cell, before she released it again. “OK.” and then she took another. “How’s everyone?”
“OK. The seven of us, we’re OK.”
“Good. Samson?”
“Angry, but alright.”
“Thank the Triune.” Solenn felt, rather than saw Solomon’s hand closing the gap between them. It took all of her strength to meet his hand and hold it in hers. “We did it, yeah? We closed the portals. We didn’t die and woke up as spirits?”
Solomon squeezed her hand in reassurance as he stifled a weak laugh. “We did.”
“But he got away.”
“Yes, he did.”
“The sword’s still with him?”
“Yeah.”
“We failed.”
Solomon was quiet for a moment. “Yes.” Admitting that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Solenn didn’t know if she wanted to leap up in joy for their victory, or to go on a rampage for letting their former best friend get away. After a few seconds of deliberation, she opted to just lie down on the ground, because she had strength for neither.
A thought struck her mind. Rather, somebody. “Gabriel?”
“Probably traumatized for life at the discovery of being a king, but he’ll live.”
“He’s… not a Champion,” Solenn said, remembering their confrontation with Xandros. “Xandros is.”
“Yeah.”
“But, if that were true, then why…?” Solenn’s voice hitched up a bit as she tried to grasp everything she had learned in the past few hours.
“I don’t know, Solenn. I really don’t.”
Well, if Solomon didn’t know, who would? Samson? Like he’d tell her anything. She couldn’t understand anything, anymore. It was like everything she had ever known about this mission, the siege, the battle, and this war was a lie. If Xandros was a Candidate back then, then why did he betray the Force, his family, his friends… and Solenn, to become Astana’s general? What reasons did he have to leave the one thing that kept them together throughout the years?
Didn’t they mean anything to Xandros, anymore?
Silly question, Solenn berated herself. If this battle, this destruction didn’t answer that question, nothing else would.
So many questions, no answer. Solenn sighed and closed her eyes. “Gabriel is king.”
A small laugh bubbled up Solomon’s throat. “Who would have thought, huh?”
“I know, right?” Solenn laughed along with Solomon before it faded into silence again. “You think what Xandros said was true? About the prophecy?”
“Joana and Mateo will be on it as soon as we get back home to the Citadel,” Solomon replied. “Xandros just threw them a bone they can’t wait to gnaw on.”
Solenn laughed at the visual and closed her eyes. She felt rather than heard someone drop on the ground beside Solomon and opened one eye. “How are you, Eli?”
The reply she got was a barrel to the face and a curt, “You’re cooking when we get back.”
“But Eli, aren’t you going back to your quarters in the Citadel?”
“No. I’m returning to Samson’s house.” Selina raised her head.
“Unless you have any objections?”
Solenn pushed the gun off her face with her free hand and closed her one eye again. “If it’s just you, it’s OK.”
“No. I’m staying, too,” Lukas said as he dropped beside Solenn. He sprawled his arms to his side with a long sigh. “And you can’t say no, because I saved your life by healing you. Repeatedly. And I’ve healed just about the entire troop. I want a reward.”
Solenn huffed in indignation, but she kept quiet. Well, if it’s just Lukas, it’s OK. She didn’t want to be indebted to anybody.
Gabriel walked up the growing pile of Champions on the ground and collapsed beside Lukas. He grabbed one of his friend’s sprawled arms as a pillow. “Me, too. I’ve decided to capitalize on this tragic turn of events that rendered me a victim. I’m staying where there’s food.”
“Food’s good at the Citadel,” Solomon pointed out. “You get to live in the Tower. And you get to see the cool skyline at night.”
“I’m not buying it, Solomon,” Gabriel said. “I’m the poor, misinformed kid. Make it up to me by feeding me good food.”
“Hey, if you guys are having a slumber party at Samson’s, then I want in, too,” Joana quipped. She didn’t lie down, but she sat near the circle. Mateo sat beside her, but he nudged Gabriel lightly with his foot so he could lie down next to him.
“I think life would be extremely boring without me around. So I’m staying, too.”
The nerve on Solomon’s temple had been steadily throbbing since Lukas said he’d be staying at Samson’s house, and right now it was threatening to burst. He felt Solenn squeezing his hand in irritation and felt the telltale beginnings of cracking bones.
“Solenn, remember your strength. My hand. It hurts.”
“Sorry, Sol.”
The seven lay in silence, just watching as the sun steadily rose against the sky. Around them, the Guardians picked up their dead and watched over their injured.
Their minds were filled with random recollections of the past few weeks and days.
Their mission on Earth. Looking for the other Candidates. The big commissioning. The training. The anointing. The race against time. Traveling through the puéstos. Tyriad Pass. Losing much time. Xandros. And then, the final battle.
Everything that had happened all led to this. Victory. Loss.
They didn’t know how it was possible, but it seemed as if in war, it wasn’t always one or another. Sometimes, it was both.
Heroes. Flops.
They were both, too.
They were chosen, but even they didn’t know why. Perhaps it wasn’t important to ask why, but to consider how they were going to live up to that honorable yet daunting task that was given to them.
They were supposed to be Champions, but they failed more times than they did something right. Wrong decisions that led to many failures. The fights. Their clashing tempers. Not being able to protect each other.
They were far from being heroes. Just seven young men and women, who failed and struggled to rise above those failures. And right now, they were seven young soldiers, basking in the light of the morning sun.
A new day had come.
Yesterday was a nightmare and tomorrow was a daunting dream. Today, they were awake. Alive.
That was all that mattered at the moment.
“Hey, guys?” Gabriel’s voice cut through their serene thoughts. Solenn growled. “What.”
“If I’m king, that means you’re all my underdogs,” Gabriel said. “I can’t wait to boss you guys around.”
Gabriel, king or no, yelled loudly for help as six fists punched him all over his body.