For a moment, I was at a loss for words. My instinct was to show him exactly how I felt, open disgust boiled in with a simmering rage. But when it came to Craig, my instincts were all off and I knew it. The wrong words now could see him snapping Lala’s neck with a twist of his hands.

Then again, Craig was a psychopath. He might snap the bird’s neck no matter what I said.

“What do you want?” I asked with a neutral tone.

His smile brightened as he shrugged. “Just returning this lost bird.”

Then he reached out as if to hand Lala to me. I almost grabbed her, but stopped myself at the last moment. Though I may have some resistance against his abilities, there was something off about his friendly demeanor. Maybe if I touched him, he’d find a way to inject his powers past my defenses.

“Let her go,” I said cooly. “She’ll find her way home.”

He shrugged again, then threw Lala up into the air gently. The pigeon flapped her wings fitfully, then flew into our hallway. Behind me, I could hear Amos’ voice yelling through my Personal Space door. I groaned as it flew open and Amos came sprinting out into the hallway. Lala flapped into his hands, rubbing her head against his fingers.

“Daddy’s here,” he said softly. “Daddy’s here.”

Heat crept up my neck and it took every ounce of self control not to scream at the man.

“Amos,” I said through gritted teeth. When he didn’t immediately respond, I snapped my fingers loudly. He glanced up, seeming to notice us for the first time. When he locked eyes with Kneer and Craig, he visibly wilted.

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’ll feck off now.”

Then he hurried back into my Personal Space, the door slamming shut behind him.

“I’m not one to judge,” Craig said behind me. “But we get powers that make us like the demigods of mythology and he gets…pigeons?” He shook his head and chuckled, as if we were lifelong friends having a friendly chat.

“Craig,” I said tightly. “What do you want? If you came just to steal our minds, I’ll just be on my—”

He shook his head, his smile faltering. He almost seemed pained and I had to admit, he was a great fucking actor. The slight frown at the corner of his lips, the angle of his head as if he were ashamed. It would have had me fooled if I didn’t know the bastard.

“Dirk, listen. I brought that thing as a peace offering. I don’t want to fight you—or any other humans—”

“That why you brought your pet cat?” I nodded toward Kneer, who tensed in anger.

Craig sighed. “Believe it or not, I’m not controlling the Prime in any way. Him and I have created a mutual alliance with the sole purpose of finishing this damn Tower.” He nodded toward Frank, who was at my shoulder. “Ask your friend here. I’m sure he’ll confirm there’s no link between us.”

I held up my hand to stop Frank from revealing anything and turned toward Kneer.

“Well? How about it, Kneer? This guy fucking around in your head or what?”

His nose furled, a low growl coming from his throat. “No one is in my head, meat. I am Kneer Ungr, Prime of the Jree, Chosen by the gods to lead my—”

I laughed. Couldn’t help myself, really. So many damn times I’d seen this guy bluster and self-aggrandize that it was hard to take him seriously.

Kneer’s eyes narrowed, the slightest tell before he lunged for me with his Mantle-Blades. They bounced off an invisible forcefield right at the door’s threshold.

“Put those things away before you hurt yourself,” I said gruffly. “Unless you wanna settle this right now?” I pointed at the arena in the center of the Hall, my limbs vibrating with adrenaline. With a smile, I remembered his words from so long ago. “You have my permission to scan me.”

His eyes were on fire, his legs bent and ready to lunge. But Craig stepped in front of him, a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Remember what we discussed,” Craig said in a chiding tone, like an adult telling little Kneer to share his toys with his friends. “An alliance between the two races can only strengthen your rule.”

I waited for Kneer to brush him aside or tell him off with his usual arrogance.

To my utter shock, the Jree simply took a deep breath and nodded. When Craig turned back, he had a smug look in his eye. And I couldn’t blame him—the motherfucker had actually managed to tame Kneer Ungr, Prime of the Jree, pain in my ass.

If Frank confirmed there was no mind-fuckery at play…then I’d really have to give it to the guy; 200 plus Charisma was one hell of a diplomatic tool.

“Kneer doesn’t wish for the eradication of humanity, Dirk.”

“Coulda fooled me,” I replied, crossing my arms. “In fact, I’m fairly certain he’s said that exact thing to me.”

Craig pursed his lips. “In one of the alternate timelines, you mean?”

There was no point denying it, since Craig had his memories from the redos, and I was certain that had been a point of leverage in worming his way in the Jree army. But there was also no point in confirming it—especially in front of Kneer.

Craig nodded as if he had expected my silence.

“Kneer and I have both said and did some things that we regret. We’ve come to you to turn over a new leaf—”

“You killed Nikki, Craig.” The words made me angry all over again. Even though she was alive, the scars on her psyche were still very much present. “You don’t get to just gloss over that fact.”

He sighed, then nodded. “You’re right.”

I examined his face, looking for the signs of his mask, waiting for the ‘but’ to follow.

“I regret that, Dirk,” he continued. “More than you could possibly know. I was scared and I lashed out at her in an unforgivable way.” His voice hitched and I had to resist rolling my eyes. “I-I’m so sorry. For what I did to her, to you, to everyone.” An actual, Goddamned tear rolled down his cheek. I wanted to stab him in his fucking eye. “But you, me, Kneer—we’re the three strongest Climbers in this Tower.” His tone swapped on a dime, filled with passion and fire. It would have worked on most people. “If we truly hope to see our people survive this Apocalypse and make it out of this Tower, we must work together.” He looked into my eyes, a moist sheen across his pupils. “You see that…don’t you?”

My heart was pounding in my temple, my fingers clenched tight in my palms. Red quivered across my body, aching to stab into Craig’s neck with a flick of her material. On my shoulder, Lex had remained quiet, but I could feel his loathing and his nervousness. He was afraid that I’d act impulsively and reignite the feud that Craig was offering to squash.

Dirk from a few days ago would have spit in both of their eyes, then slammed the door. No, he would have burst into the Hall and challenged them both to a duel.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

But I wasn’t that Dirk anymore. I had people counting on me, a team to watch my back, and all of Earth hanging on my decisions. I had to be mature and make the prudent choices, even if it brought bile to the back of my throat.

That said, it didn’t mean I had to be fucking nice about it.

“You wanna work together?” My tone was steel, my eyes boring into him. “You wanna bring humanity through the other side of this hell?” I stepped forward, right on the edge of the Hall of Heroes threshold. “Then get the Jree to stand the fuck down!”

Craig’s expression was frozen as I spoke, but now, he pursed his lips and nodded.

“I can do that.”

My brain malfunctioned for a split second. I tried to think about how to respond to that, but nothing diplomatic came to mind.

“Oh…” I eventually said. It felt stupid, but my thoughts felt slippery with shock.

“We’re not the bad guys,” Craig said. “I know we’ve done bad things, but Kneer and I have both had our backs against the wall and reacted poorly. We lashed out around us, rather than think through our actions. We’re done with that, Dirk. That’s why we came to you—to reconcile and move forward united.”

He looked to the ceiling, his voice shaking with passion. “The real bad guys—the ones responsible for all this death and heartbreak—are those that created this Tower, and millions like it.” He looked back at me, his eyes focused and clear. “Those above think of us as ants. They’ve put us in a little formicarium to watch us bleed and struggle an kill! The only way we win, Dirk, is to team up. If we stop fighting each other, they lose.”

He was breathing heavy now, his cheeks slightly quivering as he struggled to catch his breath. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to clap or punch the fucker in the face.

Probably both.

On my shoulder, Lex was less impressed. I could feel him itching to lash out, give Craig a verbal berating that would put him in his place. I sent him a calming thought and stroked his wing softly. He felt my own mood and understood that we had to play it smart. But inside, he was fuming. And to be honest, I was, too. As impressive as Craig’s performance and words were, that he had the gall to try and brush Nikki’s murder under the rug with some tears and an impassioned cry for solidarity made my blood boil.

But this was the new, smarter, Dirk. The only way to turn the tables on Kneer and Craig was to play along, then stab them in the back with no warning.

Not that I had to be all sickly-sweet about it, though.

So, I studied Craig for a moment and crafted a response that was just Dirk-like enough that he wouldn’t be suspicious, but also with enough diplomacy that we could form an alliance of sorts until it was convenient for us to go back on it.

“The tears were a nice touch, Craig. But if you think I’m gonna just forget the shit you pulled in the Hall on the first day, the Co’xatl rebellion you formed, Nikki’s coldblooded murder, or your most recent attempt on Amos, it’s gonna take a bit more than an Oscar performance.”

He pursed his lips and sighed. “I get it, Dirk. I really do. Just…give us a chance. You won’t regret it.”

My eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. Kneer was calmer now, but I could see his open distaste for me in the tension around his eyes and the way his Mantle-Blades vibrated under his skin. Craig had an open expression, inviting and conciliatory.

I pretended to go through an internal struggle, when really, I was counting to fifteen in my head. When I was done counting, I gave a terse nod.

“I won’t promise anything,” I said. “But I also won’t break the peace first.”

Craig nodded, reaching out his hand. “That’s all I ask.”

I examined it for a moment, then shook my head. It wasn’t spite—okay, maybe it was a little spite—but mostly it was precautionary. That fucker wasn’t gonna touch me or mine ever again.

“Sorry, Craig. But I’m not shaking hands with the mind controller.”

He reluctantly pulled it back, giving me an understanding nod. “Baby steps,” he said with a charming smile. “I get it.”

“Anything else?” I asked tersely, examining the two of them.

“That’s it,” he replied. “Anything to add, Kneer?”

Kneer spun on his heels without another word and Craig gave an apologetic look.

“I’ll spread the word that you and the other humans aren’t to be touched,” he said with a final nod before turning to go.

“Oh, Craig?” He turned with his brows raised in question. “The Co’xatl are off limits as well.”

He hesitated a beat, then nodded. I closed the door before he could say anything else.

Without waiting, I turned to Frank who had remained absolutely silent during the whole exchange.

“Well?”

He squinted in thought. “There was something…but no direct control as far as I could see. But their threads were so interwoven, I couldn’t really separate them.”

“What’s that mean in Karmic terms?”

He shrugged. “I’m sorry, Dirk. Th-this is still new to me.”

I clicked my tongue and nodded. “Okay, no worries. Lex, can you grab the others? I’m gonna tell Lacy and Jerome it’s safe to come out.”

Lex flew off while I knocked on Lacy’s Personal Space door.

It opened slowly, the red and black visor of Jerome’s helmet peering out at me.

“He’s gone.”

Jerome grunted and pulled open the door. Lacy was right behind him, a sheen of sweat on her face.

“How’d it go—”

Another door opened further down the hallway and I looked over in surprise as Nikki peeked her head out. I was immediately struck by the pronounced bags under her eyes, the gauntness to her cheeks, and the frantic look she gave us, her eyes sweeping the hallway like she expected danger.

“Wha-what’s going on?” she asked timidly.

It broke my heart to see this once strong, beautiful woman almost completely broken. The fire in my chest flared hot, though I kept my expression neutral.

“Nothing, Nik’. Nothing to worry—”

Amos barged into the hallway, Lala clutched gingerly in his hands.

“That Craig cunt gone?” he asked loudly.

Nikki flinched at the sudden noise, her shoulders pulling tight to her ears. I shot Amos a look from hell and he immediately cringed.

“Sorry, love,” he said softly. “Didn’t mean to frighten ye.”

Mama G, Byron, and Athena followed with Lex a moment later. Mama saw Nikki cowering behind the door and rushed over, casting Amos a dark look.

“Come here, sweetie. You’re safe.” She wrapped her arm around Nikki and directed her back into the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

I sighed, feeling my heart tear in half at the sight of her suffering and feeling powerless to do anything about it.

Lacy and the others approached, an awkward energy in the hall after Nikki’s appearance.

“Well?” she asked. “How’d it go?”

I snorted. “He’s the slipperiest fuck I’ve ever met in my life. Shit, if he ran for president, even I’d vote for him.”

“What he want?” Jerome asked.

“A fucking alliance. Stood there with Kneer by his side and asked me to forgive him for killing Nik’ in the past redo. Even had some tears rolling down his cheeks. Leaned on our common enemy,” I said with a nod to the ceiling.

“I know he’s a douche bag,” Byron said. “But an alliance is a good thing…right?”

“Only so far as it allows us to catch him unaware. We saw what a head on assault gets us.” I pointed at Mama G’s Personal Space, where she and Nikki had retreated. “But don’t you guys ever forget that look in her eyes. That is why we can’t ever trust a fuckin’ thing out of his mouth. He’s an abuser, a manipulator, and a murderer, straight down to his core. We’ll play along, use him just like he plans to use us. And the first chance we get—” Red felt my intention, sliding down my arm and shooting forward like a spear, digging straight into the wall with a thud. “—We gut the fucker.”

***

Craig pulled up beside the Jree Prime, his expression cold and hard. He pulled a hankerchief from his Inventory and dispassionately wiped away the tears on his cheeks. Kneer whirled on the man, his face a mask of unrestrained rage.

“Why do you play these games?” he demanded. “He’s one man, with five imbeciles and a couple of birds as support. We should smash him now, before he rallies more behind him!”

Craig regarded the Jree with dead eyes and Kneer was forced to suppress a shiver. Though he was no stranger to the man’s many masks, the true face he rarely showed was more unnerving than any foe he had faced. He knew his blades and body were powerful and he didn’t fear this human in that sense. But he’d also seen the man strip a creature’s will with a single thought, turning one of his most capable soldiers into a puppet.

If he hadn’t seen the potential in such power, he would have slain the man known as Craig within the first minute of their meeting.

“You continue to underestimate him,” Craig said with a flat tone. “I’ve seen him rally the entire Instance behind him. My little birdies tell me Umndirop bent the knee without a single blow exchanged. He opened the portal to the Hold in under an hour—a feat you’ve never managed to accomplish, I might add.”

Kneer bristled, but didn’t argue.

Craig closed his eyes and sighed. “Say we do it your way, hm? We kill the worm and his party and anyone that he calls friend. We could probably even do it,” he admitted. “Then what? He resets the clock and we’ve revealed our hand. A forewarned enemy is twice as deadly as the complacent one.”

Kneer growled and began pacing the Hall.

“I know you’re right,” he reluctantly said after a full minute. “The dreams are becoming more frequent. I see them even when I’m awake!” He turned to Craig, his teeth bared. “Just promise me this: when the time comes, it is my blade that tastes his blood.”

Craig nodded, looking off toward the human side of the Hall of Heroes, his eyes seeming to bore into the door leading to Dirk’s wing.

When he turned back to Kneer, the cold emptiness in his eyes were gone. In its place, a fire burned hot.

“Trust me, my friend, there will be plenty of blood to go around. But when the time comes, I promise, you will be the one to deal the final blow.”

A frisson of pleasure passed through Kneer’s body at the thought. He had never taken joy in slaying his enemies. He had only ever felt the thrill of overcoming obstacles and bettering himself in his martial pursuits. But now, the thought of the human Prime’s broken body was the only thing in this world that gave him comfort.

He closed his eyes and basked in the image.

If his eyes were open, he might have seen the cold look of disgust cast his way.