Aldric: Hello, John, are you well?
John: I am well, thank you. How did it go, Aldric?
Aldric: The news is good, John.
John: Thank goodness! It’s been so long since I forged a mental link, I was afraid I’d lost the skill.
Aldric: Not at all, old friend! I’ve just heard from Blake. The first wave of Scythe is no more, and their Isgapt1 is destroyed. Your intervention was crucial; it saved the young boy’s life and many others through his efforts.
John: Thank the Maker!
Aldric: Thank the Maker, indeed. John, I contacted you because I need your help once more. I warn you, my request is great.
John: Name it, Aldric. I owe you my life; you can never ask too much of me.
Aldric: I owe you mine as well, my friend, and I would not bring you into harm’s way without a cause. Are you able to locate and contact Jeff and Greg?
John: With pleasure, Aldric. If I can reach a boy I’ve never met, finding old friends will be easy.
Aldric: Excellent! When you reach them, tell them to come with you to Blackway. Blake is forming an army, and they will need our help.
John: Consider it done, old friend.
Aldric: Thank you, John! Pacem per vires2.
John: Mortem tyranni3.
Blake stood in the center of his new warriors-in-training in an obscure location on the outskirts of Blackway. The sun was about to set behind the horizon, and it bathed him in red and orange hues as it faded from sight.
He cleared his throat and began.
“This attack was just the beginning; The Scythe wished to test our strength and defenses.
“The good news is, they found a force strong enough to defeat their first incursion; the bad news is, they will return with an army that is ready and willing to bury us all.
“I’m only going to offer this once. If any of you want out, now’s the time for you to go. I won’t judge you, and neither will anyone else on this team. However, if you choose to stay, you choose to stay no matter what.”
Blake paused and looked around at the circle of three boys and a young man surrounding him. No one spoke or made any move to leave. Blake looked each of them in the eye and nodded approvingly.
“Okay, good. We’ll start our training at this spot first thing tomorrow morning. Gus, you’re old enough to come and go as you please, so that won’t be an issue.
“Luke, Darryl, and Morris, I need y’all to come up with plausible reasons to leave your house early in the morning. Make up multiple excuses, but make sure you each have your own; I don’t want worried parents to come looking for you in the same place.
“Darryl and Morris, Luke will pick you up and bring you here every morning that we train. Does that all sound good to y’all?”
The boys all nodded.
“Excellent. Okay, I need to say three more things, and then I want you all to go home and get some rest. You’re going to need it.
From now on, we all have three jobs we have to do every day:
Train, Train, Train. Luke, you’ll skip the physical work until you’re fully healed, but the rest of us need to hit it right away.
Keep your eyes open for new recruits or people that can help us. I have reason to believe other kids around here have powers, and we need to look for trustworthy ones that want to help us. They might not be obvious, so just stay alert.
Watch out for unexpected events or dangers, and if you see any, tell the team right away. I have a friend coming soon who will set up a mental link for all of us, so we can instantly communicate.
That’s all for now, y’all. You’re all beat and exhausted. Go home and get some rest. See you first thing tomorrow.
The boys exchanged fist bumps and some impromptu hugs before going their separate ways, disappearing into the gathering darkness of night.
Note:
The bodies of Staslek and Skewer disappeared. No traces remained to prove their existence. The whereabouts of Reese Crow are currently unknown.
THE END.
Scythe lieutenant
Peace through strength.
Death to tyrants.