Jon found Yuri at her gym.


    She had on a white T-shirt, baggy gray sweatpants and was barefoot. She stood in the center of several wooden dummies, and had a wooden sword gripped firmly in her hands. As with the last time he’d seen her in there, she was drenched in sweat, with strands of her clinging to the front of her face.


    She sensed him as soon as he walked in.


    “I’m busy,” she said.


    “Fine with me,” Jon answered, before placing down his gym bag. “I’m kind of here to train too.”


    Yuri turned around then, looked right at Jon with a quizzical expression on her face. “You do know this is a private gym, right? I’m the only one who uses it.”


    “Make an exception for today?” Jon asked pleadingly. “I mean, look at me, I’m already dressed for it.”


    And he was. He wore a fitted brown tank top over swamp-green pants, and a pair of worn, old sneakers that he’d gotten from Miguel. On his hands, he had fingerless gloves.


    “What do you really want?” Yuri asked, sounding slightly exhausted. “I’m not interested in talking.”


    “Like I said, I want to train.” Jon shrugged. “And maybe also apologize for my sister breaking your nose, and throwing you around an orphanage. It was—,”


    “That was three days ago.” Yuri turned back around, returning her attention to the wooden dummies. “It doesn’t matter. She was right. I lied. You got hurt because of me. In her shoes, I’d have done the same. Maybe even worse.”


    “Right.” Jon nodded.


    Yuri grunted loudly then as she struck at one of the dummies, and then another. She moved gracefully, like she weighed absolutely nothing, passing between dummies in a way that made it looked like she was gliding. And yet, when she swung, it was with incredible strength, with precision, each strike delivered at spots that would have been vital points on a living person. Or an undead one.


    Once she let the wooden sword fly out of her hand and high into the air. While the sword dropped, she unleashed a flurry of attacks on a dummy, striking at every direction with her fists and knees. And then once the sword was close enough to her, she leaped high into the air, flipped and kicked at the sword, launching it right at the head of a dummy with incredible force.


    The sword struck the dummy’s head. The impact sent the dummy sliding backward and the sword bounced right off, hurtling straight in her direction. She caught it on the spin, grabbing it in one hand before making a circular, slicing gesture, lowering herself slightly as she did. All around her, the wooden dummies fell to the ground.


    Jon let out a whistle. “You’re good.”


    “Shouldn’t you be working out?” Yuri asked as she straightened. She went to the dummies, started to right their positions.


    “You know it’s okay, right?” Jon said, raising an eyebrow over the other. “To be afraid? I mean, the experiment that made us all super soldier freaks took away much of what we consider humanity that, I don’t know if this is silly, but it just means something like fear’s a good thing. Means there’s still something left in us. We’re not just complete killing machines. We’re all children who never got a chance at life, turned into soldiers thrown into a war against things that shouldn’t exist. Fear’s the right response to that.”


    “I don’t want to talk about it,” Yuri said coldly


    “Maybe you should.” Jon walked toward her. “Talking’s gotta be easier than just putting the blame for everything that goes wrong on yourself.”


    “What would you do?!” Yuri demanded, swirling around to glare at Jon. “What would you do if your unit died and it was because of you?! If your sister died, and all you could do was stand and watch?! You wouldn’t blame yourself for it?!”


    Jon flinched, bit down hard on his lips.


    “Exactly.” Yuri’s eyes narrowed and she turned back to focus on the dummies. “So don’t tell me how I’m supposed to handle this. You’re no different than I am.”


    Jon said nothing. He simply fell silent, watched as Yuri went at the dummies again, her grunts filling the silence, along with the sound of wood thudding against wood. In only a minute, all of the dummies had again fallen to the ground. Yuri started to right their positions again.


    “You’re wrong,” Jon said softly then.


    “What?”


    “You’re wrong,” Jon repeated, louder and with more fierceness. “I am different. I wouldn’t have stood by and let the people I was responsible for get killed. Every single one of us who’s been through Pandora, who’s been through the goddamn end of the world, we’ve all lost people and gone through hell, we’ve all been scarred. Difference is the rest of us know we have a job to do, we know what’s hanging in the balance. We don’t all have the luxury of being cowards.”


    “Shut up,” Yuri growled.


    “They weren’t cowards, and they didn’t deserve to die in those tunnels,” Jon continued. “But they did and it was because of you. Your fault. Your responsibility. And what have you done about it? Spent every goddamn fucking second hitting foam and leather and goddamn wood statues? Moping about it? Somehow made yourself the victim of the entire thing? They’re the ones who are dead, you’re the one who gets to keep going. How about you do something with that?”


    “Stop talking.”


    “No.” Jon’s eyes flared. “You need to hear the hard truths that you’re avoiding. What would they have wanted you to do after they died? Spend the rest of your life moping about it? They didn’t give themselves up for you so you could stay in here, crying about it!”


    “SHUT UP!” Yuri screamed angrily, spinning around and hurling the wooden sword right at Jon.


    Jon’s hand shot up quickly, grabbing the sword, stopping it when it was just inches from his face. He scoffed, and tossed the sword aside. It clattered a few feet away from him.


    “Really?” He shook his head. “That’s the extent of your rage? You’re a goddamn Pandoran, show me some real anger. That can’t be what Liam, Daniel, Lucy, Estelle and Mason died for.”


    “Don’t say their names!”


    “Then don’t disgrace them.” Jon’s eyes narrowed coldly.


    Yuri’s lips trembled slightly and she lowered her face, staring straight down at her feet. At her sides, her hands trembled.


    “Please don’t tell me you’re about to start sobbing again,” Jon hissed.


    Yuri raised her face again, and her eyes had gone a bloodshot red. Her knuckles cracked as she balled her hands into fists, arms flexing and bulging. “No,” she growled.


    And then she surged toward Jon, and threw a powerful fist right at him. Jon reacted instinctively, moving out of the way quickly and getting behind Yuri in an instant, letting her fist find nothing but air.


    Jon grinned, his back to Yuri’s. “Finally,” he said. “That’s more like it.”


    Yuri swirled around and threw another fist. Jon leaped backward quickly enough to avoid her blow. “Faster than that,” he said. “Angrier than that.”


    “What are you doing?!” Yuri demanded angrily.


    “I told you already.” Jon shrugged. “I’m here to train. There’s children out there who’ve been brainwashed into being murderous superhumans and whoever did it’s still on the loose. Next time we’re out there, I can’t afford you freezing on us. You need to fight. I’m going to show you how.”


    “This doesn’t change anything,” Yuri hissed. “This isn’t nearly the same as what it feels like when I’m out there, when I’m in a real fight. You’re wasting your time.”


    “No.” Jon shook his head and moved toward his duffel bag. He unzipped it and pulled out a long, black sash. “Your brain freezes in the middle of battle because of what you’re seeing, right?” He asked. “So what if you couldn’t see at all?”


    “You want me to fight blind?”


    Jon walked toward her, sash in hand. “We’re Pandorans, Yuri,” he reminded her. “We can see with more than just our eyes. Sure, it might be a little trickier to get used to and there’s no guarantee it’ll work. But don’t you owe it to Mason and all of the others to try? I suppose the real question here is, do you want to avenge them or not?”


    Yuri stood in silence for a moment, staring right at the sash in his hand, outstretched to her. Jon watched her curiously.


    She looked up at him and met his eyes. “I still hate you for what you just did, what you said just now.”


    “Sorry.” Jon smiled sheepishly. “Just had to get to you somehow.”


    “Well, it worked,” Yuri said, accepting the sash from Jon. She placed it over her eyes, wrapped it around a couple times and then Jon went right behind her, grabbing onto the ends of the sash. He started to fasten it at the back of her head, leaning in slightly. The smell of her hair enveloped him—a blend of vanilla and something floral, reminiscent of the linger of a summer afternoon.


    When he finished with the sash, he lingered for a moment, his chest feeling oddly tight, his heart beating a little quicker. Then Yuri broke the silence.


    “Are you done?” she asked.


    He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. It’s done.”


    Yuri turned then to face him and aimed her face upward. “Thank you,” she said softly, and there was something about the warmth of her breath against him as she spoke that made him feel as though a knot had just been tied in his stomach.


    “Anytime,” he whispered back.


    Yuri smiled then stepped away from him. Even with the blindfold on, she moved steadily toward her wooden sword. She placed a foot just beside it and kicked it up right into her palm, catching it perfectly. Then she turned around and aimed the point of the sword at Jon, shifting her feet against the ground and lowering herself slightly, adopting a fighting stance.


    “Ready?” she asked.


    Jon grinned at her and nodded, then remembering she couldn’t see him, he said: “Ready. Let’s train. I’ll go easy on you.”


    “Funny.” Yuri snorted. “Took the words right out of my mouth.”


    ***


    “More,” Andre said as Chloe helped him to his feet, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. He wiped the blood off his mouth, gave Chloe a nod of gratitude then dusted himself off. He glanced at Jin. “You need to hit me harder than that. Don’t hold back.”


    “If I don’t hold back, you die,” Jin said, her tone more of amusement than of warning. “And unfortunately, that wouldn’t do much to help earn me the trust of people whose help I might need.”


    “Well, then hit me just a little harder,” Andre said. “The Helmets hit harder than that. If we’re going to be going up against them again, we need to be able to take as hard as they give.”


    “And you know for sure they weren’t holding back?” Kaia asked. She was sat on a wooden chair that’d been placed out back just for her, and Lucas was currently stood next to her, a pack of ice held over his broken nose, courtesy of Jin.


    “They’re children,” Jin said with an air of condescension. “How hard could they possibly hit?”


    “We can’t underestimate them,” Chloe warned.


    “Maybe you can’t.” Jin snorted. “I don’t see why you’re all so worked up about this. If I’m there the next time the Helmets attack, the fight will be over in an instant.”


    “So she’s the strongest one?” Kaia asked, the question directed to Lucas.


    “Uh-huh.” Lucas nodded, before lifting the pack of ice away from his already healing nose. “Evidently.”


    “How’s that work?” Kaia frowned. “How is she stronger than the rest of you? The Pandorans are all made the same way, right?”


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The others exchanged glances then. Chloe shook her head subtly at Lucas. Lucas looked at Kaia, cleared his throat before responding. “As far as we know, the procedures are similar but there’s differences in each generation of Pandoran,” he said. “Kind of like how Andre here can eat hamburgers and shawarma and whatever, and the mere smell of it makes the rest of us want to puke.”


    “So she’s like a newer model?” Kaia asked and then to Jin, she said: “No offense.”


    “None taken.” Jin said. “Newer, superior,” she added, beaming proudly as she did.


    “That’s enough,” Chloe said. She looked at Lucas. “Are you ready? We’ve got to keep going, can’t take any breaks.”


    “Where’s your brother by the way?” Kaia queried.


    “With Yuri,” Chloe answered darkly, eyes narrowing in annoyance. Kaia took that as a hint not to ask any more questions about that and simply nodded.


    Lucas rejoined the others. “Ready,” he said. “Just don’t aim for my nose this time.”


    “Sure thing.” Jin smiled. She placed a hat atop her head, a symbolic makeshift helmet that the others were required to get off of her. As soon as the hat was on her head, the others surged forward, charging right at her.


    “Remember, go on the offensive not the defensive!” Andre yelled, just before lunging right at her, taking a swipe at her face.


    Jin leaned back just enough to avoid the attack before shooting her leg out and finding Andre’s stomach. Andre went hurtling through the air, crashing into Aiden, knocking them both to the ground.


    “Get off me!” Aiden whined.


    Lucas and Chloe went at Jin simultaneously, from either side of her. Lucas was the first to her, feigning as though he was about to throw a blow before going into a slide, attempting to take Jin’s feet off the ground. Jin managed to leap enough to avoid his slide, but left herself open for Chloe who dove right into her headfirst and attempted to take her to the ground.


    Jin slammed her elbows into Chloe’s back once to get her off and then again, knocking Chloe to the ground. Chloe hit the ground hard then went flying almost immediately as Jin slammed a foot into her stomach.


    Lucas ducked, just quickly enough to avoid getting hit by Chloe who crashed instead into Andre and Aiden, both of whom had just gotten back to their feet, all three of them going down to the ground.


    “Not this again!” Aiden cried out.


    Jin went at Lucas, charging forward with blistering, distorting speed. Lucas’s hands shot up quickly enough to block the punch she threw, gritting his teeth at the strain of her strength acting upon him, the impact enough to send him sliding back a few feet.


    Jin went at him immediately, not allowing him even a moment to recover or adjust. She threw another punch but this time, Lucas ducked beneath the blow, countering with a precise blow to her stomach. Jin flinched slightly under the attack, then proceeded to unleash a flurry of furious attacks, sending Lucas on the defensive.


    Lucas remained quick on his feet, shifting from left to right, ducking beneath blow after blow, parrying what he could. But he couldn’t keep it up for much longer. Lucas retreated, but Jin kept close to him, throwing attack after attack. Finally, Lucas decided to use her own momentum against her. He feinted, letting one of Jin’s punches sail right past him, then he went forward, pushing himself into her, grabbing her outstretched hand and turning her momentum and weight agsint her.


    He flipped her through the air, then slammed her to the ground hard. As soon as she hit the ground, he moved quickly, going for the hat atop her head. Jin, however, recovered quickly, rolling out of the way before sweeping his feet off the ground.


    Lucas hit the ground with a loud thud and a groan. Jin got back to her feet quickly but just as soon as she had, Chloe charged into her, knocking her to the ground. Jin attempted to get Chloe off of her but it was too late. Chloe had the hat in her hand now, and a wide grin on her face.


    Chloe got to her feet, putting the hat on her own head before offering a hand to Jin.


    “That was cheating,” Jin muttered, before reluctantly accepting Chloe’s hand. Chloe pulled her to her feet and helped dust her off.


    “Don’t be a sore loser,” Chloe said smugly. “You lost the hat.”


    “You came at me while I was distracted.” Jin was pouty now. “That’s not very free and fair.”


    “We won’t be trying to be free and fair out there,” Chloe reminded. “We’re trying to save lives. We have to do whatever it takes.”


    “Whatever.” Jin rolled her eyes, then looked at Andre. “You’re the one who’s encountered the Helmets. You think that was good enough?”


    “It’s an improvement.” Andre nodded.


    “And that was without your blood,” Chloe added. “With your blood, we’ll be faster, stronger and able to take a lot more from the Helmets. I think we’ll be fine.”


    “Wait, her blood?” Kaia looked confused. “What, is there something about her blood that gives you guys special boosts? Does feeding on Pandoran blood make you stronger than when you feed on regular blood?”


    “Uhhh.” Lucas scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “It’s kind of complicated,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter. All that matters is when we come across the Helmets again, we should be strong enough to stand a chance.”


    “We will be,” Chloe said confidently. “Remember, target isn’t to beat the Helmets in a fight. It’s to get the helmets off their heads, break whatever mind control rubbish is going on with them. We stick to that, and we’ll be fine.”


    “Well, sooner all of this is over, the sooner our district can get back to being like it used to,” Kaia said, before rising to her feet. “It’s getting kind of late now and my dad’s going to blow a cap if I don’t get back soon so I suppose I’ll be leaving you guys to it.”


    “Uh, hang on,” Lucas said. “I’ll walk you.”


    “Sure.” Kaia nodded, a warm smile on her face.


    “Great, everyone’s got a girlfriend now,” Aiden muttered. “Jon and Yuri, now we’ve got this going on.”


    “Shut up,” Lucas said, punching Andre playfully in the shoulder as he made his way to Kaia. Together, the two of them headed back into the orphanage, before taking the exit out onto the streets of the district, the sky tinged the purplish-gold of sunset, the air rather cool.


    “You know you don’t have to walk me, right?” Kaia asked as they started down the street. “There’s still some light out.”


    “I know.” Lucas nodded. “But I want to. Where am I walking you to exactly?”


    “Uh, the flower shop’s fine,” Kaia answered. When Lucas’s expression shifted slightly, she looked at him and sighed. “My dad’s not very pro-Pandoran, so if he saw me turn up at the house with you—,”


    “Oh. Right, understood.”


    “I’m sorry,” Kaia said, her tone both genuinely apologetic and slightly playful. She tugged at his arm. “You’re not upset about that, are you?”


    “No, of course not,” Lucas responded, shaking his head. “But just out of curiosity though, where’s he think you are every time we’re together?”


    “Helping out at the orphanage.” Kaia shrugged.


    “So you’ve been lying to him?”


    “No, I’ve been helping out at the orphanage,” she said, as if to remind him. “So, you know, I’ve sort of told him the truth.”


    “But left out a few things.”


    “There’s some things some people are better off not knowing,” she said softly. “Especially when there’s no good that could possibly come out of them knowing. Wouldn’t you agree?”


    “No.” Lucas shook his head. “I don’t like being lied to.”


    “So would you rather I tell him all about you and have him forbid me from spending any more time with you?” Kaia asked, a playful smirk on her face when she did.


    Lucas’s expression changed then, as he looked slightly horrified. “Okay, maybe you can lie to him a little,” he said.


    Kaia laughed. “See? I knew you’d understand.”


    She moved closer to Lucas, their shoulders brushing, and slipped her hand into his. Lucas felt his heart skip a beat, felt his breath almost catch in his throat. He glanced sideways at her, and met her eyes. She smiled at him and squeezed hard on his hand.


    He squeezed back.


    They said nothing more to one another for the rest of the walk, simply going hand-in-hand, listening to the quieting district. It wasn’t until they arrived outside the now closed flower shop that they spoke again.


    “Guess this is as far as I walk you,” Lucas said, with Kaia standing right in front of him now, looking straight up at his face, those gentle, tender eyes locked onto him.


    “See you tomorrow?”


    “If the world doesn’t end tonight.” Lucas nodded.


    She laughed again, in the hearty manner she always did. Then she quieted and leaned in, going just slightly on tiptoes and pressing her lips against his cheek. He felt a warmth spread throughout him when she did that, and when he felt her hand start to slip from his, when he saw her start to turn to head home, he felt that warmth start to slip too.


    He held on to her hand, pulled her back toward him, pulled her closer, enough that he could feel her warm right against him. His eyes met hers, and he was the one leaning in this time, hunching slightly, bringing his lips to hers while her hands found their way around the back of his neck and his went around her waist.


    Her lips were soft against his. Her breath hitched when their lips met, and she pressed ever closer against him. His grip around her waist grew tighter as their lips moved in perfect symphony, parting and closing. In that moment, the world seemed to pause, and Lucas forgot all about the missing soldiers and the enhanced children or the shotgun-wielding Nightman. The world no longer existed outside of that space, of that moment, of the two of them.


    And then, just as quickly as it’d began, it ended. They parted, eyes wide and breath mingling in the space between them.


    She gulped. And then she whispered. “Uhm—,”


    “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, mind starting to spin then. “I—,”


    “No, no, no,” she cut him off and then giggled. “Not sorry. No, I liked it. It was good.”


    “Oh.” He felt a wave of relief sweep over him, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Okay. Then that’s good.”


    “Yeah.” She nodded in agreement. “But why?”


    “Why?” Lucas repeated, frowning slightly.


    “Yeah.” Kaia cleared her throat. “Why’d you do that?”


    “Uh, I don’t know…I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that.” Lucas shrugged. “Uhm—I guess, because I like you? Which, I mean, I guess I could understand if that sounded stupid, it kind of sounds stupid to me too because…you know, I haven’t liked anyone in a long time. But I guess I do? Like you, that is…you’re not like the others.”


    “The others?”


    Lucas nodded. “Yeah. Most people, they see Pandorans and they see monsters or weapons. Very few stop to think that we were just kids with little choice in what we became, with little choice in what we have to do. So when we met, and you know, all we spoke about was the flowers. It was nice. And the way you look at me, it’s not like others would. Not even the way my friends would. You weren’t asking about what happened to me or wondering if I was right at the edge of hurting someone else or myself or anything like that. You really just…I don’t know, it’s stupid—,”


    “No.” Kaia shook her head. “I get it.”


    “You do?”


    “Yeah,” she said softly, then raised her lips to his and kissed him again. It was a light, tender kiss and lasted for all of a moment, but it was bliss. “Can I ask you something?”


    Lucas frowned. “Sure. Of course.”


    “Do you think I’d lie to you?”


    Lucas was taken aback by the question and his eyes went a little wide while he pondered it. A few seconds passed before he answered. “I don’t know,” he said finally, and honestly. “I don’t think you would…but I think that even if you did, it would maybe be for a good reason. But you don’t seem like the kind of person who would do a bad thing for a bad reason. But why are you asking me that?”


    “No reason.” Kaia shook her head, then she pulled away from him. She tugged at her sleeves, looking a little awkward while she did so. “Uh, I have to be go—,”


    “Yeah, I know.” Lucas nodded. “See you tomorrow?”


    Kaia nodded. “Sure, tomorrow.”


    The two of them exchanged a hug before both going in their separate directions. While Kaia walked in the direction of home, she kept her hands in her pockets, kept her face aimed at the ground as she went, not even having to look up to know which turns to take. After all, she knew the entire district like the back of her hands.


    She walked briskly and in no time at all, she was right outside the Bridge mansion. She didn’t stop. She continued forward, right up to the entrance where the guards simply nodded at her and parted for her to make her way in. Inside, she went straight for the stairs, taking it up and going straight in the direction of the library.


    The door was open. She walked right in, came to a stop at Bridge’s desk, staring at the Chancellor.


    “You’re late,” he said impatiently and with a tone of frustration.


    “I know,” she said flatly.


    “And?” Bridge raised one eyebrow over the other. “I suppose you have a good reason for that? Have you learned anything noteworthy?”


    “You were right about the girl. Crowman. She’s the one who poses the greatest threat amongst them. She’s strong…stronger even than the Newbreed,” Kaia said, her tone dark. “And I don’t know what but there’s something about her, about her blood…it gives them more strength.”


    “So that’s how they managed to escape the Newbreed in the tunnels,” Bridge leaned forward onto the desk, placing his hands together. “So she could be the key then?”


    “Possibly.”


    “Then we move on the o—,”


    “No!” Kaia said quickly, taking an instinctive step closer to Bridge.


    Bridge’s eyes went a little wide, and he raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon? Please do not irritate me by telling me this little task I assigned you has somehow clouded your judgement.”


    Kaia bit her lips. “There’s children there. Innocents. We send the Newbreed there, they won’t stand a chance, it’ll be a massacre.”


    “A small price to pay, and one I’m certain you knew about already so that cannot possibly be the reason for this change of heart. Is it the boy with the heartache? What was his name again? Lucien?”


    “Lucas,” Kaia said sharply, clenching her fists firmly, her nostrils flaring.


    Bridge chuckled. “Ah, so it is him.” Despite the lightness of his tone, his irritation was evident. “I take it he’s also the reason behind your delay tonight?”


    “Leave him out of it.” Kaia met Bridge’s eyes. “I can deliver the Crowman girl right into your hands, just leave him out of it.”


    “If the Crowman is stronger than the Newbreed then she will surely be stronger than you, my sweet, sentimental princess.” Bridge rose to his feet. “And despite what ill-conceived feelings you might have for the—,”


    “It’s not about feelings, it’s—,”


    “Do not interrupt me again!” Bridge roared, slamming his fists down against his desk. Kaia flinched and took two instinctive steps backward, as Bridge glowered at her, his eyes twitching slightly.


    Kaia bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”


    Bridge cleared his throat. “As I was. Regardless of how you might feel about the boy or the children or whatever…I cannot risk the jeopardization of everything I’ve been working toward. The work I’m doing here, the work we’ve been doing, it’s going to save the world. And I’ll be damned if I let it all burn because of a juvenile crush.”


    “I’m an adult.”


    “Then act like one,” Bridge growled. He took a deep breath then sighed, raising a hand to his head, an exasperated look on his face. “How about a compromise? You want to play the hero? I’ll give you a chance to mitigate the bloodshed.”


    Kaia looked straight at Bridge, her eyes attentive.


    “Ideally, I would have the Newbreed move on the orphanage tonight. This instant, even. But for you, I will wait. Until the stroke of midnight tomorrow.” Bridge took his seat again. “If you have not delivered Crowman to me by then, then I will have the Newbreed move on the orphanage.”


    Kaia’s expression lightened a little, some relief evident in her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so—,”


    “I wasn’t done yet,” Bridge growled, shooting Kaia a glare that silenced her immediately. “As I said, if I do not have the girl by next midnight, the Newbreed will move on the orphanage. And Kaia, believe me when I say, I have absolutely no interest in taking any prisoners. Should you fail in your task, my army will decimate that orphanage and lay waste to everyone and everything inside of it. That, my precious daughter, will be the price of your failure. So do not fail me.”


    Outside of the room, thunder rumbled and past the library windows, Kaia could see storm clouds gathering in the night sky, could see the flashes of light passing through the clouds. She focused her attention on Bridge, bowing her head slightly.


    “I will not fail you. Jin Crowman will be yours.”