{Enki | Cinder’s Shrine}
Torrentus, the terraforming machine, swirled its malfunctioning anguish over one massive continent in a perpetual storm. This was Kyle’s second time seeing it. His first was when he and the other modern-day Progeny came to Enki years ago for their nacres. In all those instances, the storm was a beautiful gray whirl.
Now it raged in flames, a hurricane of fire no one could survive.
“Ta—Tameka…”
Xelan, the Traitor Prince of Cinder who’d gathered the armies of the Vast Collective here to watch for Tameka’s signal, did not sound as if the storm’s transition was the signal he’d expected.
With his eyes four-times their size, Kyle stared at their leader. “Xelan. Xelan, what does that mean?”
Korac, General of the Icarean army on Xelan’s right, let his typical icy facade slip, and when Kyle saw the fear in that man’s white eyes, he knew this wasn’t part of the plan.
Tameka was gone.
Kyle stepped around a bewildered Pehton and ignored the concern on Iuo’s Lamian face to see confirmation of his assumption from Xelan. The sight made him take a step back.
In Atramentous, Xelan’s normally black eyes were swallowed by their midnight blue ring with a white slit for his pupil. Tears spilled from them, and some of them were blue, the color of Icarean blood. He was staring without seeing at the blazing storm, mouthing something.
Kyle took a step closer and then another until he made out the words. “Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.” Repeatedly.
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Beside Korac, Sagan cupped a hand to her mouth, and Andrew placed a hand on her back.
Meanwhile, around them, Tumu, Pehton, Lamassau, and Iuo checked their earpieces. Something was happening with the other Shadow. Kyle wouldn’t know since he’d elected to switch his to Rayne’s channel only. If they ever found her—
Queen F8 left her army of drones and Monarch 3 queens to approach the broken Icarean Prince. She smiled for Kyle before addressing the General, “This wasn’t intended, no? The other leaders aren’t aware of this. They’re still awaiting Fury’s signal.”
Tameka, codenamed Fury, and the galactic ambassador was killed in action, and now someone needed to tell these people that the woman they had looked to as their leader had met her end down there in that storm—
“To the Pantheon!” Korac ordered with his axe raised.
What.
The.
Fuck?!
Kyle’s eye twitched as the Icarean General continued, “Onward to ‘the tomorrow where your future begins!’”
Some armies cheered, some armies grunted, but all of them turned and looked at a distraught Sagan. Predicting this, Korac had leaned over and whispered in her ear, rubbing circles on her back. She nodded. Eyes in violet Atramentous, Sagan opened several conduits for the armies, leading into a white field. The Pantheon.
They marched while Kyle overheard Andrew and Pehton discussing their radio feed. “…Is Chris free? Is he conscious?”
Tumu muttered to them. “There it is. He’s free.”
Why was Korac continuing this campaign with Tameka dead and Xelan out of his mind? Why was Sagan helping him? And what the hell was happening in Celindria’s lab?
All this commotion swirled around Kyle like those flames swirled around Tameka and threatened to blow him away. It was too much. Kyle was one final straw from losing his mind—
“Ross, are you all right?” Korac whisper-shouted into his earpiece after stepping aside. “Stay away from Celindria. Get them out of there.”
After meeting Andrew’s eyes, Kyle rushed over to him for confirmation of his sister’s status.
Andrew calmed his fears immediately. “Ross is fine. They’re getting—”
A conduit opened, and T.a.o. stepped through, with Andrius holding Karter.
The entire time, Xelan stared at Torrentus in his personal breakdown, while the Vast Collective armies filed toward Enki and Imminent’s end.