Cory stepped out into the cool, misty air. Lael was sleeping peacefully, and hadn’t woken up when Cory gasped awake or quietly left the tent. The camp was relatively asleep, feeling safe and tired after the battle. As Cory tiptoed through the tents towards the middle, he saw a few sentries posted about, most preparing the hot, bitter drink he’d shared with Meln before. Two guards were still diligently at attention in front of Tane’s tent.

“Excuse me,” Cory whispered as he approached them. Both scowled at him. “May I speak with her?”

The guards just glared at him. Some of the others surrounding the tent looked at this, and exchanged confused looks with the two women. One actually smirked.

“Look, I’m sorry, but…” Cory said. “Forget this, I’m going in already, you know I won’t let her out.” Cory walked past the guards and into the tent. He caught a wide-eyed look, but no one stopped him.

Inside the warm tent, Cory was surprised to find Tane pacing around the floor. “It’s going to set us back decades. That foolish little…” Tane stopped suddenly as she saw Cory standing in her tent. She didn’t lose any composure, but Cory could tell she was upset. “I don’t like not being able to tell when people come near me, Cory. I guess for now you’ll have to whistle or something.” The loss of her abilities seemed to be wearing on her.

“How are you?” Cory asked, preparing himself for an onslaught.

“As well as expected. That girl you had me with is insufferable as a Bine. I respect her for her fighting qualities, but cannot stand her foolish nature,” Tane said, maintaining elegance despite complaining.

Cory shook off a defensive feeling about Mish. “You know she doesn’t care much about fighting. She prefers art.” Cory sat down on a nearby folding chair, trying to be nice. From the looks of the cozy tent, the Sonofs wanted to make Tane feel comfortable as well. “And singing. Would you like me to get you something, since you’re up anyway?”

“The silly nature of that woman.” Tane put her fists on her hips and did a quick pace again. “No, Cory.” Tane’s voice dropped to a low sigh. “I’m in need of aid, not sustenance. And for all my want, I know the needs I request will fall on your now deaf ears.”

Cory rolled his eyes. Then he was thankful the small lamp made the room dim enough that Tane probably couldn’t see the gesture. “I’m not here to talk about that, Tane,” Cory said. Really, he wanted to talk about his dream. Tane was good at helping people through subconscious problems, but Cory was trying to figure out how to ask for her help.

Tane stopped, and crossed her arms. “If you only knew what an absolute disaster that you’re causing you’d—”

Cory stood up, and hardened his voice. “I’m tired of everyone blaming me for what I didn’t do, Tane, so if you want to rant then I’ll leave.”

Sudden humility replaced Tane’s coldness. “No,” she said. “No, that wouldn’t be good. I guess I’ll just have to respect your neutrality on the issue. The Sonofs seem to.” She sat down on her little cot and calmly folded her hands on her slacks, watching her hands move silently. Cory had given in to this deceptive serenity before, and saw it coming. “The past is gone and we have only the future to look to.” Tane raised her eyes to bore into Cory’s brain. “It can still be salvaged, Cory. Listen to me. We may have some time if I hurry. I’ve come up with a way to—”

“Are you suggesting that I…” Cory said, and dropped his voice to a harsh whisper. “That I set you free?”

“Cory, you’re a very strong person and I respect your abilities. I have every ounce of faith that you can rectify this situation.”

“By breaking you out?” Cory asked.

Tane remained completely unfazed. She simply leaned forward and put her interlocked hands on her right knee.

“I’m going to tell you something, Cory. I suppose I should have told you this before but I didn’t know how you would take it. Jesson is about to make a great discovery in the advancement for Soul,” Tane said, and hid her pride well. “We weren’t just transporting him. We were transporting materials he needed for an experiment. That experiment is going to take place tomorrow. And if Jesson is not there then this advancement will not be made.”

“I thought you were only worried about the time because you’re impatient,” Cory said without thinking. “I’m sorry, Tane. But this is the situation we’re in. I’ll go get your breakfast.” Cory turned, and attempted to walk out the door.

“Cory.” Tane stood up.

Cory took one step more, then turned around.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“What is the mission of the Sevens Prophets?” Tane asked.

“To help the planets unite in peace and freedom,” Cory said. “But I never gave that motto much credit in—”

“It’s still our mission. As a Prophet, you have a duty to help a planet progress towards that unification. Soul is such a fertile land for brilliant minds. With Prosper and Home so wonderfully at peace, the faster we can give Soul the means to unite with them the better. If we can work together, putting aside silly differences,” Tane said, meaning the Reds whom Cory had half-heartedly aligned himself with. “So that we can achieve that goal.”

Cory bit his lip, the confusion of this dichotomy annoying him to no end. “Look, I don’t think we can just ignore the details and look at the big picture. There are people’s lives at risk, people who have given their blood to—” Cory tried, but Tane interrupted him again.

“Haven’t I given my blood?” Tane asked, somewhat threateningly, and gestured to her bandaged head as she stood. “Haven’t I sacrificed much, much more than anyone so that these people can have peace? And here, you throw it all away! Don’t do this to me, Cory. Don’t do this to Soul and to the Sevens Prophets.”

Cory stood by the door, astonished, and nearly convinced he’d really hurt her. Then she regained her composure and stepped close to Cory.

Tane whispered to him, “And don’t think that this will go unnoticed among the Prophets. Whites are not fighters, Cory. We are negotiators. Golds defend us. And Reds do the unfortunate task of dealing out death. You neglected your duty. You let a fellow Prophet nearly die and opposed one openly in a battle.”

“I wasn’t open to any side,” Cory pleaded, trying to back away and realizing he was running out of tent.

“That won’t matter with how people will perceive this,” Tane said, her stare boring a deep fear into Cory’s mind as she slowly walked toward him. “This may be the spark to ignite a civil war between the Prophets, Cory. Savine’s Reds are so passionately opposed to further development they might kill their fellow Prophet. Do you want that?”

Cory violently shook his head.

“Soul’s development and loss aside, do you want to see Prophet against Prophet for the first time ever?” Tane asked.

Cory began breathing hard. It was the killing with the drug lords all over again, but much worse because he didn’t know which side was evil.

Cory stuttered like a child, saying, “I don’t want that. But—”

“Don’t think about other options, Cory. If you get my bracer, I can fix this whole situation. I will bring Jesson to the experiment, and you and I will escape the Sonofs without harm. Not only will we aid Soul immensely, but we will stop this from becoming a disaster for the Prophets,” Tane promised.

Cory thought about it, going over each option in his head simultaneously. No matter which way he looked, or what option he thought out, he could not see the end of anything. The future was a gray mist that frightened him, and he had no choice but to trust Tane’s wisdom.

Cory looked up, into the wise and harsh eyes of the White Prophet he’d so selfishly endangered. “I’ll get your bracer,” Cory said, and turned to head out the tent.

He didn’t need to ask her how to get it. He knew he had no choice. And if the guards persisted in stopping him, well, he had ways around that. After all, like Tane said, Reds had the nasty business.

Before he exited, though, Cory faced her once again and said, “Only if you take Grick, too.”

“Yes, yes of course, just bring it here,” Tane said, and sat down on her cot, folding her hands again. “Quickly.”

Cory didn’t know where they’d be keeping the bracer, but he had a pretty good idea. Meln was the one who took it off Tane earlier. Chances were, the man still had it in his tent.

Cory made his way to the pointed tent where Meln was, hopefully, sleeping peacefully. It was a brownish-red tent, the same color as the others. The only thing that set it apart was the fluttering dark green pennant pinned to the tent post on top. The light breeze made the angled dark brown lines on it seem to move.

There were no guards around the tent. The few sentries Cory passed were easily avoided as he made his way through the camp. He crouched down next to the canvas. With a cautious glance, he scanned the surrounding area. Finding it clear, he lifted the flap and ducked inside.

He made absolutely no sound with his entrance, the soft grass deafening his steps. Meln was fast asleep as Cory approached his cot. He’d snuck in to many places as a child, and knew the signs of where to look for something valuable. Meln struck Cory as someone who would put valuables near him at all times. Cory looked around the low cot where the hairy man slept, breathing deeply.

Cory looked around softly, not making more than completely necessary movements and scanning the low boxes and portable pieces of furniture lying around. Finally, he found a folded cloth covering something on top of a stand where Meln’s unlit candle was. In the dark, he’d not seen it till he was right up against it. Cory picked up the cloth and unfolded it, seeing the silvery-white bracer inside. He smiled and tucked it into his coat pocket.

Suddenly the tent flap opened. Cory ducked to the side of the nightstand, his heart pounding and his hand on his dagger. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t hesitate if necessary to carry out this mission. He prepared himself.

The person came in quietly. What struck Cory as odd was that he was carrying someone on his shoulders.

Slowly and gently, the blackened figure deposited his load onto the ground and walked toward the cot. Cory could barely make out white bandages on the person now lying on the floor, but saw no features of the one walking toward him. Cory made no sound or movement as he watched the equally silent figure. It stopped near the cot, and Cory heard a knife being pulled out of a sheath. It was soft, no more than a whisper, but it directed Cory’s defensively attuned ears. Cory’s first impulse was to stun the man, but that would surely awaken Meln. Despite his better instincts, Cory jumped up and in one stride came behind and grabbed the man without a sound.

Cory put a hand over the intruder’s mouth and dragged him back. As he did, he drained the slightest amount of energy out of the man, just enough to limit his struggling. But he forgot about the body on the floor, and they both tripped over it, falling toward the tent flap.

Cory and the would-be assassin both tumbled out of the tent, and when Cory landed he saw Jesson’s face lighted by the pale moon.