“Is it any better out here?” Summers asked.

He sat beside Asle. They’d put a few miles between themselves and the anchor in a bid to lessen its effect on her. It didn’t look to be working.

“No,” she panted. “I can still - voices.” She trailed off.

Summers put his hand back on her head, trying to keep the hamr inside her at bay.

At this point, with the battle all but finished and the fatigue setting in, they were both flagging. To make things worse, either the fact they’d severed the anchor from the elves’ world, or something about this world had caused it to go into overdrive. It was all Summers could do to keep Asle sane, the moment he let up she could feel something tearing at her mind. And it wasn’t as if they could just pop back into the other world to rest without risk.

“It’s okay, I got you,” Summers assured her.

In the distance, Pat was dealing with the lion’s share of the work. After their retreat, they’d discovered the damage was mostly to their supplies. With no civilians to evacuate, their army had managed to fall back with minimal casualties. That is, minimal, but not nonexistent.

About fifty of their people had either been infected in the chaos or been lost in the retreat. And that was with what was essentially their entire force covering their dash to the anchor. It was only dumb luck and the fact Ayra had chosen not to stubbornly hold the walls that had kept those losses so low. Something Summers was thankful for. But their food wouldn’t last forever, and their stash of weapons, while still significant, wasn’t nearly enough to take on the force Summers had seen taking the base. That was just what he’d seen as well. The samr could have an even larger force in reserve.

In short, this wasn’t an ideal situation.

“Commander!” Pat yelled over to him.

Summers looked his way. He hadn’t even noticed the man getting closer.

“What’s up?” Summers asked, rubbing at tired eyes.

Pat glanced between Summers and Asle. Summers could see the tension in the other man. Asle looked like a mess after the battle, and chances were that he wasn’t any better.

“I wanted your permission to interrogate our prisoner,” Pat said after a moment. “We’re hoping we can find out more about the samr’s operation, maybe find a place to recoup our supplies, where their presence is minimal.”

“Prisoner?” Summers asked before his brain caught up. “Oh, Elias, right.”

Summers wiped at his face, casting a glance to Roan nearby. He was speaking with a few of the other manpaks who’d wandered over. None of them looked good. From what little he’d managed to get out of Ayra, he’d learned that Roan had nearly drained himself dry trying to help. The others had followed suit, which was probably why they resembled zombies right now. It didn’t help that someone had come up with the brilliant idea of using manpak blood on bullets, for an extra kick to any of the infected samr. Hell, it might have worked for all Summers knew, but so did a bullet in the chest. That had been a strain on them.

“Pat, do we have any blood stored up, or did we use it all?”

“No,” Pat confirmed. “However, with your condition. . .” Pat trailed off. “You - we can’t stay here, Commander. We need to find somewhere that’s safe, and he’s our best chance to find that place.”

“I know,” Summers looked at Asle. “But if we tap Roan or the others right now, they’ll go into shock. I don’t want to risk that.”

Pat glanced back to the group as well.

“They’ve volunteered.”

“Because they’re helpful idiots. Give it a day, I think we can last until then.” Summers looked to Asle for confirmation, she thought about it a moment, but nodded all the same.

Pat argued a little longer, but ultimately chose to listen. That was good, because Summers didn’t have the energy to spare. Sleep was a non-starter, given that the moment he let up, Asle could very well go rogue and leave them all stranded here. Or worse, invite someone else in, much like Wendel had. She hadn’t been able to sleep either, given he was literally controlling something writhing inside her head, it probably wasn’t comfortable. Putting her to sleep was an option, if they had to. But Summers wasn’t comfortable trusting that whatever was inside her would just lay idle. As he thought on the problem, he couldn’t help but catch sight of the bandage around her ruined eye. It was filthy after the fight. He sighed.

“Sorry about all of this, Asle.” Summers hesitated. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with any of it. The army might have been the ones that kidnapped you, but it was my stupid ass that kept bringing you along.”

“I followed you.” Asle replied.

“You’re a kid, you’re supposed to do stupid shit. I’m supposed to be the one that makes sure you stay out of trouble.”

The rest of the camp was still processing the loss, and what their next move would be. Still, he could see the tension there. For most, this would be the second time they lost their home, as temporary as it had been. And they still didn’t know what would come next.

Summers glanced over to her.

“You could have left, back when the army did. Only reason you stayed was because I didn’t want to spend my life under a microscope, isn’t it?”

“It would have happened to me too,” Asle responded. “I’d rather die.”

“You’re really too young to be saying things like that.”

“It’s true. I don’t regret it, you shouldn’t either.”

Summers caught sight of a crying couple in the distance. He had no idea who they were, but the scene wasn’t uncommon by the looks of it.

“Well, it’s not over yet, but it sure does feel like it.”

Asle winced as Summers let his control slip, he immediately refocused his efforts, despite his tired mind. He wasn’t about to let Asle lose herself here, not after coming this far. Maybe it would happen regardless of his best efforts, but he’d be long dead before that time came.

“Sorry,” Summers said.

Asle hesitated.

“You’ll think of something.” Asle said.” I know you will.”

“Asle, I know I don’t seem like it since I can use all the crap the army left behind, but I’m kind of dumb. I keep saying this and somehow nobody believes me.”

“You keep making plans and they keep working. You’re not dumb.”

Summers grinned at that.

“I appreciate it. Not sure I agree though.”

They lapsed into silence after that, Summers watching the camp shut down over the course of the night. Asle might have faith in him, but he sure as hell didn’t. The silence stretched on into the night. Eventually, Summers found himself looking for the growing patch of darkness in the night sky. It wasn’t here, in this dead world. But then, maybe that wasn’t something they had to worry about anymore. It was in the elves’ world now.

After a moment, he saw Asle staring blankly into the distance.

“Asle, you still with me?”

She mumbled something incoherent.

“Come on Asle, talk to me. Gotta make sure you keep your head.”

Mumbling again. Summers double checked his hold on the hamr. It was the same as ever, chances were, she was just exhausted.

“Come on, you’re the most badass kid I know. Focus.”

“This sucks,” Asle said.

Summers let out a breath, almost a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah it does.” Summers let out a breath. The sun, or rather a red, angry variant of it, was coming up now. After a moment he stood, motioning for Asle to do the same. “Come on, it should be fine for the others by now.”

Asle was shaky but managed to get to her feet with only a little help.

Summers wasn’t much better, honestly. But he let her steady herself on him all the same.

“Thank you,” Asle said.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled down at her. “We’re blood brothers, right?”

She smiled back.

“Yes.”

“Are we ready?” Summers asked.

They’d brought Elias over from the other world in their retreat, and he now lay in front of them, bound in leather straps to a table like a slab of meat, his one remaining limb tied to a piece of steel. It was not something that Summers was overly proud of, but Elias represented a major threat in several different ways, they couldn’t take any chances.

Viggo was nearby, watching over the man.

“We’re still waiting for the last of the blood, Commander,” Viggo answered. “The manpaks were having some. . . issues. The healers are caring for them.”

“Yeah, I figured they would be.” Summers looked over the man. “How’s your brother? He wake up yet?”

“He’s in some pain, but he’s doing fine.”

Summers recalled the sunburn Bard had the last time he saw him.

“Just uh, make sure to tell me if he sees any weird moles or something.”

“Why?”

“I really need to explain cancer to you guys at some point. Just keep an eye on him just in case.”

Soon, Roan walked in with a bag of his blood, more than enough for their needs. But he didn’t like the way the kid wobbled.

“Get some water,” Synel instructed, her concern for the boy showing openly. “I don’t want you doing this for another few days. No exceptions.”

“But-” Roan began, but Summers cut him off.

“Roan, I know you want to help but we’re not arguing about this.”

Asle smiled as Roan looked to her for help, it was forced, but the message was clear.

“Fine,” Roan said.

“Good, then let’s get started. Viggo, think you can manage?” He gestured to Asle. “I’m kind of down to one hand here.”

“Yes, Commander,” Viggo ordered a few of the healers around him to get the man hooked up to an IV, and in short order they had Roan’s blood draining into Elias’ unconscious form.

That was when the trouble began. Like they’d seen with both Helfden and Ayra, Elias’ eyes snapped open despite the cocktail of drugs in his system. Only this time, they weren’t dealing with some random soldier they’d captured. Elias’ one good arm snapped the restraints as he screamed, tearing the IV free before Viggo could react. Blood sprayed over the floor, and the wound Elias tore open sizzled as if it were acid. In the half a second that followed he had at least three rifles trained on him.

“What did- how?” Elias slurred, then he saw the weapons aimed at him. “Wait! I- he wants to make a deal.”

Summers tensed as the man’s eyes locked on his. He’d almost taken his hand off Asle in the rush. That might have cost them.

The man’s head drooped, as if he were barely keeping conscious. Not surprising, as he probably had enough morphine in him that this level of alertness was a miracle unto itself.

“What kind of deal?” Summers asked.

He eyed Roan’s blood, sprayed across the floor. They’d be hard pressed to get more any time soon.

“I. . .” Elias stuttered. “Cooperation. Want. . . to make peace.” He said at last.

“What the fuck?” Summers said. “Now? Now you want to back down?! Do you know how many people you’ve killed?”

“Please. I. . . he told you it’s coming. It’s coming, but I think we can- please.” Elias eyed Asle and Summers, something occurring to him. “The anchor -- I- he can help. I’ll-” The man swallowed heavily, concentrating, and Summers felt the sense of wrongness in the room intensify briefly, before fading. All at once, the squirming he’d been controlling inside Asle faded, and he could see the tension in her shoulders relax for the first time in days.

“What did you do?!” Summers barked, he shifted as Asle looked up at him, surprised.

“The voices stopped.”

“What did you do?” Summers repeated, softer.

“A. . . show of. . . faith.” Elias said, simply. His eyes began to flutter. “Please. We. . . we just don’t want to die. Not again. . . please,” The man’s voice trailed off as sleep took him.

Summers watched as Elias went limp. He looked at Asle, and tentatively, took his hand away.

“You. . . good?” Summers asked.

“I think so. . .” Asle hesitated, taking stock of herself. “Hold on.” She took a hesitant step towards Elias, then punched the unconscious man in the face.

Summers watched as she flexed a fist, then looked back.

“I don’t think he’s controlling me.” Asle concluded.

“All right. . . Don’t do that again.”

“I kind of want to.”

Well, he was the reason she’d lost an eye. And Orvar. Summers paused, one more thing to consider.

“I know, but I think he made the anchor stop doing. . . whatever the hell it was trying to do.” Summers glanced back at the others. “What now? If he was saying what I think he was, we might have a way to end this.”

Synel, Pat, and the others were all silent for a long moment. Synel was, surprisingly, the first to speak up.

“Perhaps we should. . . hear him out?”

Summers leaned against bare rock as the others gathered around.

“I told you about the. . . let’s just say it was a vision, back with Asle in the city. And that spot in the sky. Whatever’s coming is anyone’s guess, but I saw it, and it was getting closer.”

“I don’t think the samr are lying,” Synel said. “They’ve made too many mistakes, even in the city that woman, she was panicked. You said as much yourself. Everything points to the samr being afraid of what’s to come.”

“We don’t even know if he’s capable of making a deal for the rest of the samr,” Pat argued.

“No, but there’s a chance they’ll listen to him. Payrst, you know as well as I do that the chances of us winning this are low. If there’s another option, we should consider it.”

“After what they did-” Pat began but stopped himself. “Commander-- Summers. These people have killed hundreds, thousands. That’s just from the forces we saw.”

“Pat, I get what you’re saying. But we were already fighting an uphill battle. Even if we win, I don’t see us being able to fight against whatever’s heading this way. They think it’s God. And that’s from a civilization so more advanced than my own I can’t even imagine it.”

Pat chewed on what Summers said for a long time.

“I told you once I trust you, I still do. But I’ve spoken to the survivors of the samr’s raids more than you. They won’t just forgive, not even if it means survival.”

Summers paused.

“Elias told me the hamr records anyone it takes. Maybe they could bring some of them back. Or just give them back their minds. It’s something that might work with a few of them, but yeah, this won’t be an easy sell. But I’m not sure we have a choice.”

“They’ll want you to take responsibility.”

“What, like if this doesn’t work out, I die? Fine. It’ll go that way no matter what. Pat, if we’re dealing with something that can take out entire worlds, those grudges aren’t going to last long once it shows up.”

Pat let out a breath, then gave Summers a small smile.

“I pray we’ll last that long.”