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"You look happy," he noted. Aidan had a loose-limbed grace and easy smile that hadn't been seen in ages. In fact, that i
"I am," Aidan said.
"Do you ever get homesick?"
"All the time."
The ready reply startled Co
"You've been in my head. You know why."
Yes, Co
"I'm sure you hate it here," Aidan said, looking at him over the breakfast bar, "but I'm glad you came. There's less to be homesick about with you around. Plus, I realize now that I need help and there's no one I trust more than you."
Co
"I think you underestimate yourself." Aidan smiled with an ease Co
"Shut up. You're embarrassing me." Aidan's praise warmed Co
"I know. Your face is red."
"Asshole."
Aidan laughed.
Co
"Did you get anything useful?" Aidan asked, alert.
"Wager's still digging, but he found out that the Elders-in-training in the tubes are batteries of some sort."
"Batteries? Like a power source?"
"Exactly. The interior of the tubes are filled with energy. That's keeping the guys alive without food and water. The whole time we were thinking something was providing power to the tubes, but it's the reverse. The tubes are providing power for something else. We haven't figured out what yet."
Aidan frowned. "I suppose it's possible. We exist because of cellular energy. The tubes must tap into that."
"That's what Wager said. There are thousands of those tubes, so either they give off very little power-in which case, why use them?-or whatever they're hooked up to requires tremendous amounts of energy."
Aidan stood there, frozen. "How could they have kept all of this hidden for so long?"
"We let them." Co
"You trusted those who swore to protect us. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Whatever," Co
"It's not vindication I feel," Aidan said wearily, holding up an empty mug in silent query. "Pissed off and sick to my stomach is more like it."
Co
"With what we've got." Aidan filled two mugs, preparing one with cream and sweetener before drinking the one he kept black. He left a clean cup by the coffeepot for Stacey and the sight of that lone vessel did something odd to Co
"I thought I spotted Elder Rachel at an auction once," Aidan continued, leaning back into the counter edge and holding his green Rainforest Cafe mega mug with both hands. "I can't be sure since it's been ages since she left the Elite and joined the Elders, but the resemblance was unca
An image of a raven haired Guardian came to Co
All Guardians who wished to join the ranks of the Elite were required to spend a month at the Gateway as an initiation to the most extreme rigors of their job. The vast majority of fledglings failed to last the miniscule length of time required. Only a month, a drop in the endless well of time in their lives, but at the Gateway, it felt like an eternity.
Because the Gateway was hell, the place some Dreamers saw when they were on the verge of death and believed was ruled by a red-ski
The vast door to the Outer Realm bulged with the effort to keep the Nightmares out. Slivers of red light around the jamb revealed how the portal strained at the hinges and lock. From those tiny cracks, black shadows poured in like water and infected the Twilight around the Gateway until lava-spewing pustules formed from the ground. There, thousands of Elite Warriors fought an endless battle, their glaives flashing as they cut down Nightmares in countless numbers. It was onerous task and one no sane Guardian wished to experience any longer than they were forced to.
Except for Rachel.
She had lasted the month and then argued that she could handle a month more.
"Yes. Kick-ass," Aidan agreed. "Plus, she's got a hefty advantage. She knows what the fuck is going on. I don't. She's got one mission. My focus is divided. I've got to keep Lyssa safe, take care of acquisitions for McDougal, and hunt down the artifacts. And now that we've got those… things… to deal with, there's no way for you and I to do it alone. Two against a widespread group of freaks? I might as well give up, grab Lyssa, and go hide out on a deserted island until everything blows up. Snatch a little peace while I can."
"Shit." Co
"But this is asking a lot."
"Yeah. It is. For most of us, the Twilight is the only home we've ever known. There aren't many around who remember the Old World. Asking them to leave everything behind for this," he waved his arm in a sweeping gesture, "is a tall order."