D. MacHale - The Soldiers of Halla

Their dark looks told me that they weren’t.

Courtney stood and said, “If I can add one thing. I haven’t seen this Ravinian army on Third Earth, but I’ve seen what their leader is capable of. We here, all of us, gars and Yanks, represent the last hurdle in his plan to conquer Halla. I believe that. And I believe that Ravinia’s leader, Saint Dane, will do everything in his power to wipe us out of his way. He is close now. He won’t back down. We’re in danger one way or the other. I say we should agree to Pendragon’s plan. If I have to die, I want it to be while I’m fighting for what is right.”

She sat back down and gave me a quick, sheepish smile.

The leaders looked at one another, not sure who should speak. It was Aron who took command.

“Do you have any idea when this attack might come?” he asked.

“The last I heard was that their army was being mobilized. I don’t know if that means an attack is imminent, or will take several days. Either way, I think we’ve got to move quickly.”

Aron nodded thoughtfully. “If you do not mind, we need to discuss this among ourselves.”

Gunny, Courtney, and I stood up to leave.

“Courtney, you should remain,” Aron said quickly. “You are one of us now.”

“Thank you,” she said, and sat back down while giving me a reassuring smile.

It was odd to think of Courtney as one of them, but if her sticking around meant a strong voice who would try to convince them to follow our plan, I was all for it.

“Whatever your decision is, we will respect it,” I said. Then added, “But please, don’t take long.”

Gunny and I were given a hut to rest and relax in. Rest and relax. Yeah, right. They brought us some food, which I was grateful for. I hadn’t eaten in centuries.

“What do you think?” I asked Gunny.

“About what? Our plan, or if they’re going to join us?”

“Both.”

“I don’t know if they’ll join us,” he answered. “I wouldn’t be surprised either way. As for our plan, well…” He finished the thought with a shrug. He didn’t want to say the words, but it was clear that his confidence wasn’t high.

I didn’t blame him for thinking that way. My confidence wasn’t exactly soaring either. We had cobbled together a plan that not only involved timing, but moving multiple thousands of people across time and space. Oh yeah, and it all hinged on our ability to create a giant flume. It was beginning to seem like fantasy. But it was the only fantasy we had. There was no Plan B.

Hours went by with no answer. I tried to sleep, but that was impossible. It was like having an alarm clock close by that you know will go off any second. You can’t sleep with that hanging over your head. There was no way to know how long it would take for them to make a decision. Worse, we didn’t know how long we had before the dados began to move from Third Earth. With each passing second, my anxiety grew.

Gunny wasn’t doing much better. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed, but he didn’t fool me. He wasn’t sleeping. His steadily tapping shoe gave him away. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the door opened, and Courtney hurried in. Gunny and I were both on our feet before she was halfway into the room.

“It’s looking bad,” she said. “Most of the Yanks want to join, but the one thing they decided was that it had to be unanimous. It isn’t.”

“What about Aron?” Gunny asked.

Courtney looked to the floor. “He’s against the idea.”

I punched the wall in frustration. “They’re going to be in there arguing while the dados come knocking on their door.”

Courtney added, “They’ve brought in several people from the community to get their opinions. Both Yanks and gars.”

“Swell,” I said sarcastically. “Add more opinions. That’ll help.”

“They’re doing the right thing, Bobby,” Gunny said calmly. “We’ve asked a lot of them.”

“I know, I’m just venting. Can we get outta here and get some air?”

The three of us left the building. Night had fallen. That was one consolation. I didn’t think that Saint Dane’s army would attack at night.

“Eight hours till dawn,” Courtney said, reading my mind. “Do you think they’ll come then?”

“I have no idea,” I replied.

“I do,” came an unfamiliar voice.

The three of us turned to see the last person in Halla that I wanted to see just then. Okay, maybe there were a few others, but the fact that Patrick had arrived on Eelong was not a good sign.

“They’re moving, Pendragon,” he said, his voice quivering. “Every last dado has been marched onto the expanse between the Ravinian compound and the river.”

“Perfect spot for a big flume,” I said.

“I believe we’re out of time,” Gunny said with a sigh.

We had to do something. But what? Going back into that meeting and screaming about the army on the way wouldn’t help. It’s not like they’d suddenly say, “Oh? Really? In that case, we’re with you!” No way.

“Should I go back in there?” Courtney asked.

I made a decision. It was a desperate move, but it was the only one I could think of.

“Yeah. Tell them to stop talking and get ready to defend themselves, because the dados are on the way.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

Courtney wanted to challenge me, but knew better. She took off, sprinting through the village.

“What do we do, shorty?” Gunny asked. “We go back to Solara,” I said.

Gunny, Patrick, and I were greeted by the rest of the Travelers, including Uncle Press. They came to us quickly, eager to hear the news.

“It’s not good,” I said. “Mark and his people are with us on Third Earth. But the exiles and the gars are still debating about what to do.”

Patrick added, “And the dados on Third Earth are gathering. They’re ready to move.”

Gunny said, “It’s looking like they’ll make their flume and attack Black Water at first light. We’re out of time.”

Nobody knew what to say. It was beginning to seem as if the battle were over before it could begin.

Elli asked, “Is there any chance that they can defend Black Water?”

I shook my head. “For a while maybe. They can use their radio cannons, but those weapons are limited. With so many dados thrown at them, they’ll be overwhelmed.”

“So that’s it?” Siry shouted. “We just sit here and wait for Solara to fall apart?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I say we make the flume anyway.”

Most of the Travelers erupted with “What?” “No!” “What’s the point?”

Uncle Press quieted everyone down and said, “Explain, Bobby.”

“The dados are going to attack, we know that. The gars and the exiles won’t be able to defend themselves for long. When the radio cannons are spent, Black Water’s done. We know that, too. Their only hope for survival is with a new flume. Two things can happen. Either we rally the exiles and convince them to fight on Third Earth, or worst case scenario is it becomes an escape route when Black Water falls.”

Uncle Press thought quickly, calculating the possibilities.

Aja asked, “If we make this flume, what will happen to Solara?”

“The same thing that’ll happen if we don’t make it,” I argued. “Either we use whatever spirit is left to keep this going, or wait until the dados snuff out the exiles. Then Solara is done anyway. At least this way we go down fighting.”

Uncle Press looked unsure… as did everyone else.

“If anybody’s got a better idea,” I added, “now’s the time to bring it.”

I looked into the eyes of each Traveler, one at a time, waiting for an answer. Elli, Gunny, Siry, Alder. Nobody blinked. Kasha, Patrick, Aja, and then Loor all stared back, silent.