I paced the room. All these things whirling inside my head like a tornado, impossible to single out ideas to make them out. My squad, their situation, my situation, that Grace and Qibli did something so blatenly dangerous. I couldn't. I just couldn't.
"So you're telling me... that both Goldman and Travers have animus abilities?" I looked up at them, finally taking my hands down from the splitting migraine I had.
The two dragons looked at each other.
"Yyyess."
"Oh dear Lord." I sighed.
Now they are the most powerful military unit, maybe ever. Nothing is safe, not even with what little I know about animus magic.
Okay, what's the first thing they would do? They would... probably try to cast a spell to end the war and go home. Maybe kill off all the Japanese, or open a portal or something to go home. Maybe something more short-sighted. Maybe an infinite supply box, or an endless magazine?
"Ugh, this makes my brain hurt."
I noticed Moon was gripping her temples as well, as I put my hand put up to my mouth.
"Sorry. But you're right. Travers wants to see me, he'll probably want to talk all this over." But then the realization hit me. "Oh crap, he already has. The entire camp knows?" I looked frantically cover to Moon.
"Yeah, it looks like it."
"Uhhhh," I mumbled. Putting myself in their situation. "Kish would probably keep the two in reserve, not risk getting them killed. Travers would be fine with that, but Goldman..."
"What about him?" Qibli asked.
Something cold drew over me, like a southbound wind blew in a cold front.
"He'd probably make himself invincible, immortal, undamageable, or something like that. He'd definitely want to stay in the front, that's one of the first things I would think about if I were him. He's rare, he's useful but fragile, why not make himself invincible to solve that problem?"
I noticed Moon's eyes widen.
Maybe he really does know what he is feeling... because he's like him.
I shivered. "In some ways Moon. Definitely not in every. And especially not when it comes to keeping my friends safe."
I turned to Qibli.
"Do the um ..." I motioned my finger at the hall. "Do the principals know?"
"The founders?" He canted his head toward me. "I told them that there is a way larger danger with your camp. They want to call in a RainWing army to scout it out. Maybe worse."
Probably worse. They'll put up a fight. I sighed, hanging my head. "This is probably a bad idea, but I'm gonna need to talk to Turtle before I talk with them. I need to know everything there is to know about animus magic. If it's as powerful as I think it is... shit's about to get real. Come on"
I started down the hall, running properly for the first time since before we touched down on this... I can't even say God-forsaken place. This island was like Eden. So much flora, amazing creatures that lived in peace... at least, until we discovered it.
I shook away that thought. Lives were at risk, the tally count grew with every passing second, so we had to move quickly. Late action is inaction. Following my own mental map, and maps plastered around the caves, I found my way to Turtle's cave. Coming in hot.
"Turtle!"
Trying to slide, not realizing the cave rock floor was way rougher than I expected. My boot caught a pebble, botched me, and nearly caused me to do a summersault. I barely managed to recover, and throw open the door to his cave.
"Turtle."
I found the sea foam green dragon, on his bedding, but facing away from me. Something was off about him. Something was wrong. I went silent, stepping quietly toward him. I held my hand over my pistol, prepared to engage should he become a threat.
Please don't be enchanted by Goldman.
I circled around him, so I could see from his side what he was doing. He seemed to be looking at his claws. I got a feeling he felt as if they were not his. Like I did... once I realized all the powers I had.
"Turtle?" I asked, piercing the silence of the cave.
"They're back." His low voice shook. He looked up at me. "My powers. My animus powers... they're back."
I froze. His eyes were full of fear and confusion. It paralyzed me.
What?
"Turtle!"
"Turtle!"
Moon and Qibli made their way inside. Turtle turned to face them, still looking at his claws. They stopped short off the door, spotting the both of us.
Turtle gulped, before saying, "Scroll, come to me."
I looked behind Qibli. One of the scrolls shuddered, before rising slowly into the air. It shot towards Turtle, landing in his empty claw/hand. He started down at the rolled parchment, gasping in disbelief.
"You got your powers back. That's amazing! Three Moons! That's great!" Qibli exclaimed to the whole world.
Moon just walked up to Turtle.
"Are you okay?" She gently offered.
Turtle seemed to shake his talons, shaking away evil thoughts.
"Yeah. I'm fine. What did Marvin want?" He asked, turning to meet me.
I sighed in relief. He was still a friend.
"I need your help Turtle. Maybe more so now. I have two confirmed cases of animus magic," I took a sharp breath, "in my squad."
"So. I need to sit down." All of this, laid at my feet. So much information, too much. My elbow planted in my knee, supporting my aching forehead. "Ugh, so what you're telling me... animus persons can basically do anything? Enchant stuff, enchant other living people. And, quite literally, the worst person in my squad, has this ability? Oh my God." I sighed, exhasperated. My head physically hurt.
So animus dragons lost their powers when the other dragon, Jerboa, knocked over a candle holder and destroyed it, along with their powers in it. I took a deep sigh. And now they're back, likely because either Travers or Goldman did something.
"And all they have to do, is say something?" I threw up my hand.
"Say, think, speak in aquatic." Turtle answered.
"Aquatic? Say what now?" I looked up at him.
"Uh, it's a language we speak when we're in the water." he started.
Turtle lit up. It was like he had lights all over him that he flashed. His scales glowed.
"SeaWing, remember? They can breathe underwater and swim very well. It's kind of hard to talk when underwater."
I rolled my eyes, nearly smacking myself in the face because of my stupidity.
Moon stifled a laugh, Qibli couldn't help but chuckle.
"So this is like Darkstalker." A moment of lucidity passed over me. "You're-"
"Yeah. Almost exactly like him." Moon stopped me.
I took in another breath of air, shocking myself awake. "Okay, fill me in on the way. Tell me everything, I need to know what we can do..."
Suddenly, a whisp of wind came over us. My mind seemed to come over with a fog. As if ideas were suddenly placed into my mind.
"W-where am I?"
"Marvin?"
I turned and saw this huge black dragon walking up to me.
"The hell!" I drew my pistol, aiming at the dragons "Step back, right now!" I backed myself into a corner.
I was in a cave, a strange cave. The dragons blocked the entrance. There was a green one, a yellow one, and the black one. They blocked my way, and they looked scared. Scared is dangerous. My heart raced.
Who are you? What are you? "Don't-don't come closer. Where's my squad? What have you done with them!" Where are my friends? Travers, McManis, Goldman.
"Goldman," I whispered.
He managed to pry me out of the plane when we crashed. He fixed me up, somehow. I'm feeling a lot better, he must have some freaky touch or something. I promoted him to Command Sergeant Major for his great diligence.
Wait, no, I'm in danger. They're in danger.
The Japanese, they surrendered, we're trying to help them.
And these dragons, they attacked the camp. They're the enemy. These ones specifically, they were at the camp.
"Moon?"
I swung around to face the talking yellow dragon. These dragons killed twenty soldiers, right in front of us. Twenty souls. Gone.
"Qibli, he's not okay."
"Not okay? Everything's not okay! You need to let me go, now! I would rather go peacefully, I don't want to kill any one of you any more than I have to." I did my absolute best not to pull the trigger, but they were ballanced right on that razor edge.
The dragons looked at each other, then the yellow one nodded to the green one.
"Hey! What are you-"
Suddenly, the fog lifted.
Everything that happened. The plane, Jimmy saved me.
My men, all of them. They had their own quirks and advantages.
Goldman, he was a danger, he wanted rank, fame, power. He was dangerous, not just to the enemy.
I realized I held my pistol, pointed at my friends. But one especially.
"Moon."
I promptly put away my piece, lowering the hammer and clicking on the safety by instinct.
"Wha-what the hell was that?" I exclaimed, terrified.
"He's back!" Moon exclaimed.
The SandWing intellectual passed my vision. "Qibli, what was that?" If anyone, he knew what happened. "I... I didn't feel myself. Goldman... he was... like a hero to me." I rubbed my forehead with my right, absolutely stunned.
"He put you under a spell," Qibli said promptly.
"H-how? I know how. Why? Why would he do this to me specifically?" I rubbed feeling back into my forehead.
"Because he knows you're the leader. If he can control you, he can control your squad."
What Qibli said made me shiver. "Oh shit. He's got them. They can attack anyone nearby." The closest place they know: Jade Mountain, the Rainforest Kingdom. Maybe even the desert as well. I looked back up at the dragons. "First of all, you managed to lift his spell from me, Turtle. How? Is there any way to replicate that?" I looked back to the emerald-green SeaWing.
"Sure. I... enchanted your necklace."
"My crucifix?" I thumbed the cross around my neck. "That's it!" I faced the SandWing. "Qibli, you said you replicated it? That my crucifix was animus touched?"
"Yeah. The Gift Of Communication, I call it." He said.
"Turtle," I pointed to him. "Can you at least do the same for Travers?"
"Umm." He shrunk a little.
"Yes or no. Please Turtle. They're all I have." I pleaded.
He hesitated, then finally answered. "Sure, I mean. If it frees another animus."
A wave of relief washed over me. "Perfect, can you do it now?"
All three of us looked towards him. He shrunk under the attention.
"I um... not this far away. I'll need to be close."
"How close?" I quickly said. I know it wasn't the most gentle thing to say to a shy dragon, but lives hung in the balance. Lives of my squad. I couldn't be diplomatic in this situation. "Turtle. How close?"
He wanted to stay silent, but he finally gained the courage to speak "Close enough to see him."
"Okay." I paced a little while. "I have no authority to ask you, any of you. You are not soldiers, you have already saved the world twice over. But..." I hung my head. I'm asking for you to do it one last time.
"I'm with you." Qibli startled me. "We've done this before. We've battled Darkstalker before, and the Overmind. I think this one human shouldn't be any harder."
"Famous last words," Winter said, walking idely by.
"Ah ha. But no, seriously." I continued. "What I'm doing is incredibly risky and dangerous, but it may just change history for the better."
Turtle seemed hesitant, he didn't want to put himself out there. But Moon stepped forward.
"I'm not going to let you go alone."
"Whatever this is, I'm in." Winter joined in.
Everyone was behind me, except Turtle.
"Turtle, if you don't want to go, can you at least enchant my earrings so they can protect from Goldman as well?" Qibli approached him.
He turned away to consider it. The huskier-looking SeaWing took a sigh, closed his eyes, and hung his head, possibly referring what he was about to do.
"I won't have to. I'm going with you."
A wave of relief washed over me.
"I missed my opportunity twice before, never again. I'm not letting you guys get away from me again."
"Then it's settled." I sighed, planning for the mission ahead. "So now I have to figure out how I'm gonna get in touch with Travers."
Suddenly, Qibli spoke up.
"I might have a way."
It was strange. But then again, what here wasn't?
Qibli got Sunny to hand over her dream visitor again, and he gave it to me. I was the one Travers trusted the most. All I had to do was get him to sneak out to the forest so we could talk. Getting him on my side would be the easy part, getting him awake and away without waking up the entire camp would be more difficult. Nonetheless, I held the somewhat sizable, sharply star-shaped, sapphire stone that threw off a soft blue glow.
"So how do I use it?" I asked Moon. The other dragons gathered around.
"Put it up to your forehead and think of the person you want to talk to. If they're in deep sleep, you'll be able to talk to them." The dark, shiloeted NightWing answered. I could barely make her out in the evening under canopy cover.
From what little time I spent with him, Travers was a quick sleeper. I knew he wasn't on guard duty, Moon confirmed that. My only hope was that he had actually gone to bed, and not stayed up all night worrying about me. In the dimming sunlight, the dusk casting a warm orange, as a freezing breeze flowing over to us, I made my attempt.
"Travers," I whispered.
As if the world was sucked in from me, I appeared in a dark place. Before I could even question, I turned to try and gain my bearing. Just as quickly as I appeared in darkness, I found myself in a paratrooper plane. Sitting, as the piercing cold rushed past us. Even though I sat in the back, I made out the destroyed buildings far below us. A ruined city.
Ruins I recognized. How can you forget the places you've jumped down to?
I knew where we were.
"Essen," I whispered over the loud droning over the engines.
I realized I was decked out in paratrooper gear, my old M1 rifle in my hands. We were at the head of the plane, the back of the line. Travers sat right in front of me, across the way.
"Travers!" I yelled, but the terrible noise of the engines drowned out my voice. "Travers!"
He was looking down, as if he knew what was going to happen.
That was it, I lept out, shaking him.
"Travers!"
"Hey! What are you doing Private!" Shouted the flight sergeant.
Travers seemed to be startled at my action. He looked at me, frightened and confused, like he didn't know who I was.
I looked at my hands. They weren't mine. Mine had been worn over callous by gripping risers and hard combat. These new hands were softer, more nieve. Like they had never seen actual combat before. I looked down on my right, a single chevron on my shoulder.
I'm a PFC?
"We're here! Stand up!"
I unconsciously obliged, clipping my carabiner behind Travers'.
"Travers! Listen! It's me! Marvin!" I patted him on the sholdure.
He shook his head. "You can't be! Marvin's hurt. He's unconscious!"
"No! You woke me up! You're an animus!" I yelled, leaning around him.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" He hung his head.
I let go of the riser, grabbing him with two hands. I turned him to face me.
"Listen, Travers! You need proof I'm alive, meet me east of camp, halfway to the river. I'll be there!"
"You can't! Goldman said he killed you!"
I looked down, and saw he held my Lieutenant's silver bar.
Goldman must've faked it, he can do that now. I looked back up at him. "He's lying! I'm still alive. Meet me east of the camp!"
Suddenly, the plane shook. An explosion rocked us almost off our feet. Chaotic voices ensured, I only made out a few.
"Are we hit?"
"Just a piece of the tail, I think it's okay!"
Suddenly, an explosion dwarfed the engines. Sunlight poured in through cracks forming in the fuselage.
"It's tearing apart!"
I looked back to see the cockpit tear away. Sparks and fuel sprayed by the rush of air that buffeted us. I held onto the risers as much as I could, but the air was sucking me out. I managed to look one last time at Travers. He was as horrified as I was.
"Trust me, Travers!"
Suddenly, I was pulled back and flung away. The wind carried me like I was a leaf in a storm. I must've tumbled five times before I caught the riser, pulling hard on it. I felt the sweet sweet jerk of my chute opening. But I didn't have a second of reprieve.
My momentum carried me forward and up. Something caught the risers and flared me up hard, drifting directly onto my chute. I fell into it, suddenly dropping like a stone again. I panicked as I tried to untangle myself, but I only saw, for a split second, the Essen Flackturum flash before me.
I hit the top, splattering into liquid.
I gasped heavily, feeling feeling enter into everything again. That ice-fire striking your nerves. My heartbeat was racing, adrenaline was being dumped into my bloodstream.
"Marvin! Are you okay?" Moon jumped up to meet me.
I took a breath, feeling myself over. "I'm fine. At least I think I'm fine physically." Sure enough. Only a few scrapes where I caught a rock while flailing about. I took a long sigh of relief, tasting the cool, humid air of evening.
"How was he?" Kinkajou asked first, everyone knew I was fine.
"He's... scared. He had a nightmare." I said.
"What about?" She pushed. Stripes of light blue contrasting with her raspberry pink and gold self.
"About... about our last mission." I fought back tears polling in my eyes. Either because I was still stressed, or recalling the memory. I know, I was also there. I saw his plane break up, I didn't realize that was him."
"Wait! Is he okay?" The RainWing shot up with streaks of white.
"He's fine. They all are." I talked her down. "But Goldman has managed to convince them that I'm dead. And I wasn't necessarily myself in his nightmare either."
"So what are you thinking Marvin?" Qibli asked with concern.
I sighed. "I don't know. I'm not about to kidnap my friend, or anger an animus. Hopefully, he's curious enough to go and investigate at least."
"That means we'll have to stand out in the open. Great." Winter grumbled, huffing out a small cloud.
"He'll recognize us." Moon motioned to Qibli. "He'll come to us at least."
"What about me and Winter? I mean, I'd like to see what a human animus looks like. I mean, animus powers are just AWESOME!"
"Careful! We don't want to wake up the whole forest!" Qibli tried to hush her.
"Oops. Sorry. I'm just so excited!" Kinkajou trotted away.
I noticed Turtle looking over towards the camp, barely in view. I decided to make my way over to him. Running my hand on his side, I startled him for a minute.
"Oh, it's you." He exhaled in relief.
"Yeah, I walk a little too quietly. I've been told."
"Yeah, same here."
I stopped and we both looked on at the camp. Some things never change, two soldiers pulling fire watch patrolled the camp. This time, it was Towne and Gossing on watch. I checked my watch, it was only two minutes before eight, the next watch should be starting any minute now.
Sure enough, after what seemed like an annoyingly long time, McManis and Travers made their ways outside of their tents. Not daring to risk the setting sun reflecting off my glasses, I kept them stashed away in one of my pockets.
Instead, I fell back to using the standard Mk-1 eyeball set to focus. I listened attentively, but the birds and crickets spinning up drowned out any useful sounds. I did see them exchange info though, responsibilities. And just as seamlessly as they were trained, Travers and McManis set out, while Towne and Gossing retired to their tents. They marched out towards the edge of camp as if they were going to patrol, until Travers spun around to McManus. He pulled him down into one of the trenches, whispering something to him. They seemed to be arguing about something until McManis threw up his hands and said something. Travers asked him one last time. McManis pointed towards my arranged meeting place. Just as Travers began to walk away, he caught him. He muttered one last thing to him, before letting him go. McManis looked on as Travers left camp. He himself took one last look, as if it may be the last time he might see Travers. It might very well be.
I nodded, pulling back on Turtle.
"The fish is biting at the bait, let's move to phase two."
I stood in the middle of the clearing, admist the double-edged sword that was the droning of crickets. For one, they provided security; if anything disturbed them, they would go quiet. But on the other hand, they were loud enough to obscure softer sounds that may be closer to my proximity than to theirs, drowning them out without anyone's knowledge.
Well. I'll guess we'll have to hope and see.
Someone's coming. Moon suddenly said.
All the dragons had gone to ground in the meantime, but if you looked closely, you would see some very light grey and tan-ish figures crouched low in the trees.
Suddenly, I heard the crunch of leaves, and the crickets stopped. That only amplified my focus to the leaves, I heard footsteps coming closer.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
I could do nothing but hold fast, waiting. Trying to pierce through the dim vegitation.
I left my rifle with Moon, I was only armed with my pistol. He could pick me off like a fly if I presented myself as a threat.
Oh, man. Please don't kill me, Travers.
But I had no guarantee. If Goldman put a spell on him, who knows what he might do? What he might have brought with him?
Suddenly, I saw movement in the shadows. I squinted and focused onto the dark, a moving shadow.
"Travers?" I dared to speak.
The shadow stopped.
"Marvin?" A hesitant voice answered.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's me. Thunder." I smiled.
"Flash." He said, with an almost sinister tone that made my face change so fast.
My friend emerged from the trees, rifle on me, bayonet fixed.
"Travers, you're okay." Mixed between seeing him as a friend or an enemy.
"Cut the crap, Marvin. What have you been doing this whole time?" He motioned his rifle.
Should Turtle go now?
Not yet, let me talk to him first. "I've been around. You know, trying to stay alive. At least mangos are plentiful in the rainforest, and if I get cholera from the river... well tough beans."
"Why are you so close to camp? We have an order to shoot you on sight." Travers pressed.
"Well, that would be rude." Trying to play him down. "Who, if I may ask, assigned you that order?"
"Command Sergeant Major Goldman."
Really now. "Humor me for a moment Travers: how in God's great earth did Goldman get promoted to Sergeant Major?
He kind of scrunched his eyes together, making a scowl.
"You did sir. Just before the attack. You said you trusted him, that he saved you. He should get a Medal of Honor."
Oh Jeez. Moon, be ready with Turtle.
He's ready.
"Travers... I didn't give him that promotion."
He blinked, shaking his head slowly.
"No... you did. You promoted him in front of everybody- Jeez, he's as crazy as we thought." He mumbled that last bit.
"Travers..." I started with both hands up. "I think you might be under a spell."
"Now's not the time to get wizards and ghosts with me, Marvin." He griped his rifle tighter.
"I wouldn't bring it up if I knew it wasn't true. Answer this then: is, or is not... Goldman... an animus?"
He took a second to ponder that question. Then again, I didn't word it in the most clearest of ways either. I could already see the answer on his face, but he instead adjusted his grip, shouldering his rifle into low ready.
"Why should I answer you? You trust Goldman, I trust him."
"Travers..." I was running out of favor with him. "Name one thing that Goldman has done for you to earn your trust."
I saw him look away, looking deep into his mind. His emotions changed from defensive and strong, to one of confusion and maybe slight horror. I could see he couldn't recall a single positive deed Goldman for him specifically.
"Okay. Now tell me: when did you suddenly consider him a friend?"
He didn't pause for too long, but that sense of revelation started drifting onto him.
"This... noon. Yeah, a little before noon, after..." He trailed off.
"After what Travers?" I pressed, a little too far.
He violently shook his head, leaning into his rifle. A look of rage and utter confusion erupted from him, screaming.
"No! No! No! You're just a dream! Goldman saved you, how dare you disrespect the man who saved you? I have orders to shoot you on sight!"
Moon, now, please.
"Why, I oughta-" He raised his rifle.
Suddenly Travers was cut off. He collapsed, as if he took a round to the chest. But the wound was internal, there was no bleeding. He dropped his weapon, feeling himself over
"I'm... okay. What was that- Marvin!"
The man ran over to me as soon as he saw me, grasping me in an embrace. His speech muffled by my uniform.
"Oh my God Marvin, you're alive, you're okay!" He pulled me back in. "Oh my God Marvin! Why did you leave? We would've stayed for you, I don't give a flying fuck what Goldman said."
Suddenly, he looked like he had a flashback to what just conspired.
"Oh my God, Marvin. I'm so sorry. Goldman put a spell on me, on all of us. I nearly shot you, I nearly killed you. You wouldn't believe. And also that dragon told me I'm an animus, I made a stick into a cigarette, and a rock into a coconut-"
"Easy, easy Travers. You're okay, you're safe now." I patted his back.
He cried into my shoulder.
"Ohhh my God!" He finally parted, and I could breathe. "Marvin, you know I'm going to stay by you."
"Didn't have a single doubt." I smiled.
"But... I might have also brought somebody else."
Suddenly, I heard a yell, a muffled growl. Winter emerged from a thicket, pushing a grizzled soldier with a rifle.
"McManis. Turtle, can you-"
"Already done."
The sea foam green dragon stepped up with me, dwarfing both of us. The soldier got back up on his feet, his eyes stared at me as if the wool over his eyes had been uncovered.
"Lieutenant." His eyes reflected the setting sun.
"McManis."
He stepped up, offering a salute. I reciprocated, but he remained standing at attention.
"I'm sorry sir. I only advised what was best for the squad, sir."
"At ease McManis." I waved him down, knowing what he was referring to. "You're forgiven. I would've done the same in your situation."
I really wouldn't've, but I'm just saying to calm him down.
Moon looked at me sideways from my peripheral.
"Sir." He said, panting heavily. "I'm requesting a court-martial upon me. I plead guilty to conspiracy to kill a lawfully appointed officer of the United States."
He stood up as straight as he could, hands interlaced behind him, feet at shoulder width. He breathed fast, and he looked ahead perfectly straight, looking past me. He was utterly terrified, and that scared me as well.
I stuttered silently, then walked up to him. I heard him sick air when I laid my hand on him.
"McManis," I said softly, looking up to the man older than me. "I am acquitting you of all charges, legitimate or otherwise, on the bases of blackmail and extortion."
He dared look at me, still holding his breath. "Sir?"
"I'm saying, you're forgiven. I'm not going to hurt you." I nodded, letting him see I was telling the truth.
He hesitated for a moment, then let out the biggest sigh I have ever heard.
"Oh thank the Lord. Thank the heavens! Sir." He promptly collected himself.
"Come on, let's all find a decent place to talk."
I guided him away, walking everyone back. At least until I heard a twig snap.
Everyone wheeled around to see a man, dressed in what looked to be a black trench coat. No, black couldn't be the word to describe it. It literally absorbed all light, almost like the jacket was hollow inside, any light that entered it would never be found again. His Stinger hung low ready, now coated in frog chamo and spray painted carbon black. He so perfectly matched the night, I worried he might disappear as easily as Moon did, vanishing so quickly and completely into the shadows.
"So." He started. "These are the three traitors of the United States." He said, as if he was all high and mighty and it was his responsibility for his men to see what was right and wrong.
"We're not traitors," McManis interjected, "If even that, we're just trying to make the world a better place."
"Aww, yes you are, yes I am, yes aren't we all!" Goldman growled with venom behind those words. "The problem with you guys is that you're still trying to fix something with a cracked foundation. Have any of you all thought of that? Years of violence, war, rape, torture, and now these fuckers just say they want to end all that? Without acknowledging the most fundamental fact that all humans possess."
The people behind me looked amongst each other.
"And what would that be?" I dared to ask.
Goldman chuckled.
"Why, evolution, of course."
Nyyyuhhh. I'm such an idiot.
Moon couldn't even laugh, the situation wouldn't permit it.
"Nothing was made perfect, we all had to start, bumbling around, trying to find ways to stay alive. Better, faster, stronger."
"You're point being?"
"Humans aren't perfect-"
"Something we can agree upon." I interrupted, just to at least show him he still has a person who might be willing to help him claw his way back to us. To God.
But instead, his face morphed into a sea of rage, he began to walk fast, closing the ground between us.
"You..." He stopped as soon as Qibli and Winter came at my sides and growled. Only now did I realize, Moon was whispering to Turtle and Kinkajou, maybe even Qibli and Winter. They were all listening.
"You of all people should understand that... Marvin. You with all this "high and mighty" God-like crap! What has a god even done for you?"
A lot really. I really wanted to say, but Goldman was about to sink his teeth into me.
"Zilch, nada. Jack right shit nothing. At least, that's what he did for me." He looked around at our small merry band.
"All of you. We could've been something great. Something better, something more... perfect. And I for one would still like to see it happen, with or without your help."
Suddenly, he was sucked away by a dark purple light.
Everyone seemed to tense up and release at the same time. I immediately started back on.
"Okay, we need to move. Goldman knows we're here, an attack will soon follow."
"Marvin."
"We need to find a place where we can hide, somewhere we can collect."
"Marvin!" Moon stomped her foot, the vibrations traveling up from the ground, rocking my chest. "There's a lot more to him than you might have realized."
Only now did I register the shakyness of herbvoicel Then I noticed, she was looking faint.
"Moon?"
She didn't collapse per se, but she controlled her fall onto the soft grass.
"No. No-no-no-no-no. Moon! No! Don't give up!"
I rushed to her, trying to push and pull her awake. She was big, too heavy to shake. At her maw, with her labored breathing, I noticed dark blood running down the edge of her mouth. I tried to wipe it away, but then I got a tremendous feeling that shook me. An awful feeling grew in my stomach.
"You're enchanted." I realized. "Goldman enchanted you."
I spun around, pointing to Travers. "Quick! I need a spell that can dislodge Goldman's!"
Travers stammered on. "I-I-I don't know what to say!"
"Say something like dislodge the damn spell!" McManis yelled, unpacking his medical kit.
"I don't think I can say it like that!"
As they argued. I kept trying to keep her awake, caressing her head, and running my hand down her smooth scales.
"Stay alive Moon. Stay alive. You have to tell me what you saw."
I stopped when she tried to lift her head, giving me a faint smile.
You already know.
She let her head down with a quiet thud on the grass. Her eyes shut.