D. MacHale - The Soldiers of Halla

It was totally unexpected. And totally awesome.

I wanted to bottle the moment to remember it forever. Unfortunately, something happened that made the sweetness short-lived. We heard a voice come from the doorway. A tall man with long dark hair stood in the frame.

“My,” Saint Dane said with mock dismay. “Not exactly a touching reunion.”

The demon strolled into the room as if he owned it. Which he did, I guess. He wore the same deep red, princely costume I had seen him in earlier. It still threw me to see his new look, complete with long black hair and the elegant suit. His eyes hadn’t changed though. They still cut right through me.

“I feel sorry for you, Pendragon,” he said with an air of superiority that made my blood boil. I guess I should have been used to it. “You’ve made such a valiant effort for so long, it pains me to see you unable to let go.”

“Let go of what?” I snarled.

“Your coming back here smacks of denial. It’s a pathetic attempt to prolong a battle that has long been over. And who do you bring along to help you on this desperate mission? A feeble woman. Is this what the mighty Travelers have come to?”

Elli ignored him. Her eyes were still fixed on Nevva. Nevva held her hand to her stinging cheek and looked to the floor. It was the first time I had seen Nevva Winter cowed. Instead of lashing back, she’d taken the slap as if she knew she deserved it. Her reaction to seeing her mother was what I hoped it would be. So far.

When Saint Dane reached Elli, he leaned down to her and whispered, “Did that make you feel better? Did it take away the pain of knowing the daughter you abandoned grew up to be one of the bad guys?”

It was a vicious thing to say. I wanted to hit him myself. I expected Elli to whirl and land one on him. Instead, she did something I never would have expected. She stepped forward and took Nevva into her arms. She closed her eyes and hugged her daughter.

“I miss you,” she whispered.

Nevva didn’t hug back, but she didn’t pull away, either. There were tears in her eyes, though I couldn’t tell if they were tears of emotion, or from getting whacked in the face.

“That’s more like it!” Saint Dane exclaimed with sarcastic joy. “Together again! The woman who turned her back on her own destiny and the girl who never should have been.” He smiled, as if realizing something for the first time. “Never been. Is that the origin of the name Nevva? How appropriate.”

Elli held on to Nevva, but answered Saint Dane. “I do not regret having given birth to my daughter.”

“No?” Saint Dane taunted. “The union between a creature of Halla and a spirit from Solara is just… unnatural. Then again, it is typical of your way of thinking. No thought to what is right. Or to the future consequences of your actions.” He looked right at me and declared, “And yet you still wonder why you’ve lost the battle.”

Saint Dane walked toward Mark, who hadn’t yet budged. I’d almost forgotten about him. “Go away, Pendragon. Go back to your dying world and stop fighting a battle you lost so long ago.”

Nevva gently pulled away from Elli. She stood up straight, regaining her composure. “Is it true?” she called to Saint Dane.

Saint Dane glanced at her. “Are you speaking to me?” he asked with surprise.

“The dado army,” Nevva continued. “Pendragon says that you have created another large force.”

Saint Dane stared at Nevva as if he couldn’t believe she was questioning him. He stepped away from Mark to face her. “I have not created a large force. We have. Ravinia has. You are part of Ravinia, or have you forgotten?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. I just don’t understand why I wasn’t informed.”

“I’m sorry, Nevva. I wasn’t aware that I needed to consult you on every decision I make. Forgive me.” His comment dripped with sarcasm.

“To what end?” Nevva persisted.

This was getting interesting. Nevva was questioning Saint Dane. I’d never heard anyone do that before. Other than me, of course.

Saint Dane stiffened. “I don’t believe I appreciate your tone, sweet Nevva.”

Nevva left her mother and walked toward Saint Dane. She stood directly in front of him, still waiting for a direct answer. I was mesmerized.

“Must we discuss this here?” he asked in a low voice. He stole a quick look to me, as if to check whether I was watching.

I didn’t budge, but my pulse was racing. Nevva was actually challenging Saint Dane. I wondered if it was because of the way he had insulted Elli. Or because he had more or less called her an unnatural mutant. Didn’t matter to me either way. I was loving it. Saint Dane was off balance. That didn’t happen often. Nevva had drawn blood. I figured I should rub some salt into the wound.

“It’s a good question,” I said. “If this war is over, why are you building another army?”

Saint Dane walked to me and looked me in the eye. He was still taller than I was, but not by much. I wasn’t threatened by his physical presence anymore. I didn’t flinch.

“Because I can” was his simple, blunt answer. I chuckled.

“You find that amusing?” he asked.

I turned my back to him and faced Nevva. “See? Whatever lofty ideals this guy had, they are long gone. Now it’s all about power. His power.” I imitated him, saying, ‘“Because I can’! Ooh! What a badass!” I looked back to Saint Dane and scoffed. “Look at him. New hair. New face. Living in a palace. An outfit that makes him look like some goofy Disney prince-not that you know what that is, but trust me, it’s a joke.” I stood next to Elli and continued, “And he isn’t above insulting a harmless lady like your mom. I don’t know what kind of new Halla you think he’s going to create, Nevva, but if you believe he’s worried about anything more than elevating himself to some exalted position of power, you’re dreaming.”

Nevva looked unsure. For her, that was huge.

Elli must have seen it too. “There’s still time, Nevva,” she said. “You can still do the right thing.”

“No!” Nevva snapped at her mother. “You don’t have the right to say that. You gave that up a long time ago.”

“Not because I wanted to,” Elli replied. The words pained her. “I wasn’t capable of raising you.”

“But you’re capable of jumping around Halla with the Travelers.”

Elli dropped her head, as if embarrassed. “It’s what I was born to do.”

“Really?” Nevva pressed, upset. “What about me? What was I born to do?”

Elli didn’t have an answer. She looked defeated.

“I guess that’s pretty much what we’ve been fighting over,” I said. “Is our destiny chosen for us? Or do we have a choice in the matter? What do you think, Nevva? If you had to do it all over again, what choices would you make?”

Nevva was shaken up. Things weren’t happening the way she expected. She whirled on Saint Dane. “What is the army for?” she demanded.

Saint Dane was back in control. His emotions were in check.

“You know as well as I. As do Pendragon and his kind. Let’s drop the charade. The remaining exiles of Ravinia must be dealt with the way that was originally intended.”

“No!” Nevva shouted. “We were to leave the territory untouched. Unspoiled. This is not the way!”

“No territory is unspoiled, Nevva,” Saint Dane explained patiently. “I was willing to allow you your little experiment, but circumstances have changed. They should have died, Nevva. You know that as well as I. One day we will learn how that mistake occurred, but as of this moment all that matters is that we have located them, and now we must cleanse Halla of their influence.”