“We can portal here first then,” Anastasia said, and pointed to the list that Argento had given her. He had known the species that inhabited nine of the fifteen worlds, not including the Trepidos and dragon-like creatures they had encountered already.
“I would say that is the best option,” Argento agreed. “Save this world for last; the Pickries are traitorous bastards. You want to have a good following before you go to them, otherwise they may backtrack and try to sell out to Vincent instead. If you have others backing you, though, they will be afraid to risk angering the other worlds. They are quite cowardly.” Argento spat the word out as if it left a bad taste on his tongue.
“What type of creatures are they?” Dakota asked him.
Argento thought on it for a moment. “They are roughly the size of one of you, only they have no hair, and can fly.”
“Great. We’re going to be going into war with a bunch of fairies behind us.”
“I do not know what a fairy is,” Argento started, “but do not underestimate the Pickries. They are quick and have claws that could tear a man to shreds if they so choose.”
“So psychotic fairies. Even better,” Dakota said sarcastically, and Argento let out a laugh.
“Your humor amuses me.”
“What about this world?” Anastasia asked, pointing to the third one on the list.
“You could visit that next. They are a gentle species and will likely turn you down. They do not want any kind of conflict.”
“Basic description?” Dakota asked again.
“Similar to the Pickries, only no wings and they have hair.”
“So like a human?” Dakota quirked an eyebrow as he asked.
Argento studied him for a moment and then shook his head. “No.” He turned back to the map. “These two worlds will do you no good. This is the one where your Sorceress lived. It is otherwise vacant, as the creatures that lived there died out a long time ago. This one is full of water-dwelling creatures. They cannot come on land; therefore it would be futile to recruit them.”
“Okay, tonight we head for this first world. We need to get to them all as quickly as possible.”
“You need to be wary. If Vincent has already turned them, you could be facing a large enemy force with each new world you visit,” Argento warned, “and if they are on his side, they may apprise him of your plans before you even have a chance to put it in motion.”
“We have to try,” she insisted, and looked up as the door opened and Tony stepped in. He wore a loose shirt, which Anastasia knew was his way of hiding that he had been beaten, and the dried blood had been cleaned from his skin. His eyes were clear, but in them Anastasia sensed he was hiding a lot of pain. What did Vincent do to him? Anastasia wondered. She knew it must have been bad to put that look of defeat on Tony’s face.
“Sorry, I, uh, overslept,” he said cautiously, and shut the door behind him.
“No problem.” Anastasia smiled at him and walked over to wrap her arms around him.
He smiled against her hair and when she pulled away, there were tears shimmering in both their eyes.
“I missed you, kid.”
“I missed you too.” She smiled at him and then they walked back to the table where Argento and Dakota were gathered.
“So what did I miss?” Tony asked.
“We are going to begin recruiting.”
“Recruiting?”
“Anastasia is going to portal us into these different worlds. We need to see if we can gain some support from others as well. After all, this doesn’t only affect us.”
“Is that safe?” Tony wondered.
“Safer than the alternative.”
“Which is?”
“Vincent gains all the support and we are left with no one but ourselves.” It was the harsh truth, and one that Anastasia prayed didn’t come to pass. They would never stand a chance if Vincent gained the strength of the other worlds behind him.
Tony was silent for a minute as he tried to come up with other options. Eventually he nodded. “When do we leave?”
Anastasia took a deep breath. This was the part of the plan she knew everyone was going to try and argue. “It has to be just Dakota and I that go.”
“Anastasia, that’s foolish.” Argento crossed his arms over his chest.
“I agree. You don’t even know what you’re going to be facing. You two could be ambushed,” Tony argued.
“If we show up with a huge entourage, it’s going to look like we’re there to fight. Which we aren’t. If it’s just Dakota and I, it will be less intimidating and might lend credence to our plea. It has to be just us.”
“What are you going to do if Vincent shows up at the same time? What if you end up on a world he already has the support of? What then?” Tony’s face was flushed, and Anastasia had only seen this level of anger on his face once before.
“Tony.” She placed her hand gently on his arm. “Please just trust me. I can portal us out in a moment if I need to. Please,” she pleaded again, and after a moment, let out a breath when his face returned to its normal color.
“You’re okay with this?” He shot Dakota a glare, and to Anastasia’s surprise Dakota shrugged. She had left out this part of her plan when she filled him in on it last night. Surprise! By looking at him, anyone would have thought he had been well informed before today.
“It’s a good plan, Tony. If we show up with an army, they will immediately be on the defense. Perhaps this way, with us being slightly vulnerable,” he shot a glance at Anastasia, “and believe me, I know we will be, it will act as a show of faith to the inhabitants of each world.”
“And if it goes wrong?” Argento growled.
“Then it fucking sucks to be us, doesn’t it? But none of this is going to matter if Vincent wins, which he will if we don’t do something to grow our numbers.”
Tony was silent for a moment and then said, “You get to tell your mother.”
Dakota grinned. “Coward.”
“I just got my ass kicked yesterday, I have no intention of letting it happen again.”
At the hint of the joke, Anastasia wrapped her arm around his waist.
“When are you leaving?” he asked, and wrapped his own around her shoulders.
“Tonight,” Anastasia replied. “We need to gather supplies and then we will be heading out.”
Tony nodded and Anastasia could sense his hesitation. He would just have to trust her.
“Well, I suppose we should start getting things ready for you two, then.” He released her and walked out.
“I do not agree with this plan at all,” Argento said simply, and then headed out after Tony.
“Well, it’s good to know we have so much support,” Dakota joked, and Anastasia smiled.
“We can do this.”
“I know we can.” He leaned back against the door. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, why?” she wondered as she folded the list she had made and shoved it into her pocket.
“Well, not that long ago you were on your deathbed.”
“I feel better.”
“Emotionally?”
She stopped and thought for a minute. “That one’s a bit tougher. I’m better than I was. I killed a girl, Dakota. That’s not something I can just move on from so easily.”
He walked towards her and pulled her into his arms. “I know.”
Anastasia held on to him for a moment. He felt so safe to her, always had, and she allowed her mind to drift back to the first time he had offered her comfort.
Anastasia walked home with her head down. The rain was falling in sheets and her clothes were soaked. The chill in the air certainly didn’t help much, and her teeth were chattering with each step she took. Her parents were always far too busy to pick her up from school, and her father insisted she walk instead of riding the bus. He told her that it built character.
She shivered and pulled her coat closer around her. The honking of a car horn had her lifting her face.
“Hey Ana!” Dakota yelled from the passenger seat of his mom’s car. “Get in!”
“No thank you.”
“Anastasia, it’s okay.” Elizabeth smiled warmly at her. “You don’t need to walk.”
“My father—”
“I won’t tell him if you don’t. He’s out of town right now, isn’t he?”
Anastasia nodded. Both of her parents were gone for the weekend. She may have been only ten, but they treated her as an adult and left her home alone frequently so they could attend work functions.
Anastasia bit her lip and Dakota got out to open the backseat. She nodded and climbed in. Her parents wouldn’t be home until tomorrow night. What would it hurt?
“How was school today, Anastasia?” Elizabeth asked cheerfully.
Anastasia was shocked for a moment. Her parents never asked about her day, and she hadn’t been prepared to answer it. “It was fine, thank you.”
“Can you believe all that homework Mrs. Zarbey gave us?” Dakota asked her, and then made a face resembling Mrs. Zarbey’s scowl.
Anastasia laughed slightly. “She did give us quite a bit.”
They drove in silence the rest of the short distance, and Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief to see her parents hadn’t arrived home early.
“Would you like to come over for dinner?” Elizabeth asked.
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
“We’ll see you about seven, it’s meatloaf night.”
Anastasia grinned. Elizabeth’s meatloaf was her favorite.
“I’ll be in in just a minute, Mom, going to walk Ana home.”
“Sounds good. See you later, Anastasia.”
“Thank you for the ride.”
“Anytime.”
Dakota walked Anastasia inside and watched silently as she hung her backpack and coat on the rack by the door.
“When did that happen?” he asked, and pointed to her eye. The makeup had washed away and the fading bruise was visible.
“I fell a few days ago. I can be so clumsy.” She dismissed it and began unpacking her homework.
“Ana.” Dakota stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I’m your best friend, please stop lying to me.”
“I can’t.” Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “If he finds out—”
“He won’t. We can help. You know my dad’s a cop.”
“It won’t work, Dakota. Anyone who tries to help ends up hurt or losing their job. My father knows too many people. I’m fine,” she insisted, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Dakota’s cheeks reddened.
“Please promise me you won’t say anything.”
“I won’t,” he promised. “But if he hits you again, I can’t promise I’ll continue keeping it.”
He would, she knew. Even if he threatened he would tell, Dakota knew it would only make things worse for her.
He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and Anastasia felt safe for the first time in her life. In the back of her young mind, she knew he was the only one she would ever feel safe with.
“Thank you,” Anastasia said as she pulled away.
“For what?”
“For that first hug you gave me.”
Dakota laughed. “What?”
“When we were ten, you and your mom picked me up and brought me home.”
Dakota looked puzzled for a moment, but then she saw the memory click in his mind. “Mitch and Monica were gone, and made you walk home in the rain.”
She nodded. “That was the first time you hugged me.”
“And now look at us.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Who would have thought we would be here now?”
“I did,” she replied a little breathlessly when he trailed his lips down her neck.
“Me too,” he whispered.
She shivered as his beard left a trail of goosebumps on her skin. “Dakota.”
“Yes, my love?” he asked, grinning at her.
“Let’s go home.”