Present day
“Anastasia!” Nallia and her people came running through the village.
“What is it?” Anastasia ran down the steps of her cottage.
“He is coming.” Out of breath, Nallia stopped directly in front of her.
Anastasia’s eyes widened. “Here?”
Nallia nodded.
“We need to prepare.” Anastasia ran towards Carmen’s cottage. “Carmen?” She stepped inside and whispered so she wouldn’t worry Gage or his currently laboring wife.
“What is it?” Carmen stepped outside and shut the door gently behind her.
“Vincent is coming. Is the shield still around the village? We need to make sure he cannot portal directly inside.”
“It is. It may not be strong enough to withstand him, though. I am getting old.” She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“We’re going to have faith that it is strong enough. But we will prepare for either. We need to get the villagers into the bunkers.”
“I will handle Zoey. But you need to tell Gage.”
“Send him out, I could use the help.”
Carmen disappeared back inside, and moments later Gage stepped out. “What is it?” he asked.
“Vincent is coming. We need to get the villagers into the bunkers and brace for an attack. He has a huge army, and if he brings everyone he recruited, things are going to be difficult.” She tried to not think about what him coming here meant for those she loved. She had to help the village and then she could worry about them.
“What do you need from me?”
“I need you to start spreading the word, get everyone on the same page and have them grab supplies and get to the bunkers. We need to make sure the villagers are safe. Anyone who can lift a sword needs to be with me.”
“You got it.” Gage turned and headed for the nearest cluster of people.
Anastasia turned and surveyed her home. The odds were against them. Vincent had kidnapped over half of their fighting force, and she was still unable to use magic longer than a few minutes.
“God help us,” she whispered, and ran to find Argento.
He was gathering weapons and briefing his men on what Anastasia had told him earlier.
“Vincent is coming here,” she said to them as she approached. “We need to brace for an attack.”
Argento’s eyes widened. “This is not good, Phoenix.”
Anastasia nodded. “I know, but we have no more time. Get Calisi into one of the bunkers, put two able-bodied Fighters inside each of them, and prepare for war.”
Argento nodded and turned back to his men. He began talking quickly, but the noise was drowned out by Anastasia’s thoughts. What was she supposed to do? Dakota, Tony, Nix, and dozens of their other fighters we gone, Kaley still hadn’t returned, and Anastasia had no clue how to use her magic without completely draining herself. How could she defend the entire village when nearly everyone she had been counting on was gone?
War was coming to Terrenia, but would they be ready in time?
“What can I do?” Anastasia turned to see Selena standing behind her. Her dark eyes were full of a fire that Anastasia knew all too well as the seed of revenge.
“Help me get people in the bunkers.”
Selena nodded. “I want to fight too.”
“Selena—”
Selena held her hand up. “You may only know me as a mother, but before I married my husband and got pregnant with Brady, I was a Fighter too. I may be a little rusty, but the way I see it, you could use the extra hands.”
Anastasia was silent for a moment and then nodded. Who was she to take away Selena’s shot at revenge? The woman was determined, anyone could see it, and she wasn’t wrong. Anastasia could use the help.
“Fine. Go see Argento and have him get you some weapons.”
“Thank you.” To her surprise, Selena wrapped her arms around her in the first hug the woman had given her since before Brady died. “I won’t let you down,” she said softly, and then turned to leave.
Anastasia stared after her and then turned her attention to what was going on around her. Everywhere, Fighters, Mamsets, Fawnis, Brutes, Jaitu, and Guisnows were preparing for war.
They strapped on their armor and grabbed weapons that would see blood before the end of the day. She hoped she hadn’t just brought everyone here to die.
“Where do you want us, Phoenix?” Ashere asked as he and the other Mamsets approached. With their size, they would be able to hold the gate, should the Fighters outside fail to hold the line.
“I want two of you in here. Holding the gate closed. Carmen is going to portal the villagers out if things go south. We need to make sure she has time to do that.”
Ashere nodded. “The rest of us?”
“Lined up directly in front of the gate, but at the back of everyone else. We have to keep the village safe. Above all, that’s our first objective.”
“We will not fail you,” he said, and began giving the other beasts orders. Anastasia followed the line of Fighters and other creatures outside to form up.
Elizabeth stopped her before she reached it. “Be careful, Anastasia.”
“I will be.”
“You are more than just the woman married to my son,” she said with tears in her eyes. “You are my daughter and I am begging you to come back safe.”
“I love you too.” She smiled and hugged Elizabeth.
When she released her, Elizabeth headed towards the medical cottage and Anastasia outside of the gate. As soon as she stepped through, the Mamsets Ashere had placed as guards used their large tusks to shut it securely behind her.
She walked through the ranks of those she respected until she reached the front. Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes watched her as she faced them. Gage and Selena were on either side of Argento, who stood front and center looking like the powerful leader he was.
“This is it,” she said. “This is the war we have all known was coming. No matter what happens today, I can’t thank each one of you enough for the sacrifices you have made to fight beside me all these years. To those of you who left your worlds to come here and stand with us, I pray you know how much you are appreciated. We will kill Vincent and end his reign of darkness. He will never have the chance to hurt anyone again.” Tears filled her eyes as she felt the mix of excitement and fear of each of the warriors that stood before her. “We will get revenge for every single person Vincent has hurt,” she said, looking at a teary-eyed Selena. She nodded and then turned to face the space where she knew Vincent would be occupying soon enough. “Now it’s time to wait,” she said quietly.