Elinor continued to study the corpses of those killed by the ri’bot, yet upon further inspection, she saw a few that were done by human hands, judging by the far less clean and shallow wounds. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the individual spirits that she could tell, most falling in the lower Poor category.

  In reality, she was simply killing time for things to get prepared while coming to terms with how she’d envisioned this playing out. It seemed that since before she’d even been born, this path had been laid for her, yet that ended now, and if it were inevitable that she would be forced through this gateway and off Earth, she’d do it her own way.

  Butter returned, using the air vents on the roof to navigate back into the building; now that they were full on Death Orbs, they could proceed to the next step. All that was left was for Virgil to get his people ready, and they’d be on the move. Elinor didn’t want to waste time and allow their opponents to bolster their defenses in the snow.

  Passively walking around the warehouse, observing the humans coordinate to determine who was proficient in what, with Virgil taking notes on each volunteer’s specialty, Elinor’s mind was pulled in another direction upon hearing one seemingly insignificant question regarding the disabled.

  Most people either gave her respectful nods or tried to avoid her entirely as she passed them to reach the trailer. Reaching it, Elinor pulled out the plastic filing boxes that had the records they’d brought from the gang’s hidden bunker, yet she didn’t go for her own or the prison warden’s.

  Butter hummed from her perched position on her shoulder, unable to read the information but recognizing the name she was studying. “Something regarding the general caught your interest?”

  He’s supposed to be blind, she muttered, flipping through the folders to find a picture of what he looked like in his youth. It’s fair to say that this Seed we’ve been infected with has changed everyone back to their prime. Hmm.

  “Discover something?” she queried, floating closer to the page she was scanning with a yellowed picture at the bottom. “Is this what a military man is supposed to look like with those odd clothes? Your world is certainly strange, Priss.”

  I thought so… I believe I saw him in the back with the woman; he wore dark glasses indoors, so I took him for being blind, and I was correct, but now I’m sure based on the facial shape and hair that he’s no ordinary blind man. Let’s go.

  Elinor handed it to Audrey to place back into the box and sealed it before making her way to the inner building, with her diligent maid swiftly catching up.

  “Empress?” Virgil asked, catching the direction she was heading. “I’m almost done. Uh, sorry it’s taking so long.”

  She paused a short distance away from the door, turning to give him a small smile that said he was fine. “Obtain all the information we need; a few minutes more collecting personnel and learning how they can be of support in the operation could reshape the entire plan.”

  “Right!” Elinor caught a light glare from Gloria that was a bit perplexing while she attempted to help her friend, but Elinor dismissed it to continue with her original goal as Virgil turned toward a nervous man. “Umm, you said you’ve used grenades before?”

  Passing through the doorway, she came to a halt in the hallway with a wry smirk; a few dozen women were busy sorting through goods, shifting eyes darting to her, yet Elinor’s attention was on the man sitting against the wall at the end of the junction.

  “Ooh. Good eye, Priss,” Butter snickered. “Doesn’t it appear as though he was waiting for us to notice him?”

  It does… Why don’t we see if he is still blind?

  Elinor walked past the women, privately ordering Audrey to find out why she was sensing Adoncia’s stress levels rising; she suspected it was because her newest maid couldn’t find her little brother, but it was good to be sure about these things, and the young woman appeared to be trying not to bother her.

  The dark-haired man wore a neatly trimmed beard, but Elinor was sure it was the man in the faded photos, and his mirrored smirk practically proved it as he watched her approach.

  “What can I do for you, Empress?” he quietly asked. “I don’t believe a blind man such as I will be much help in this battle I’ve heard you cooking up.”

  Elinor found her hands behind her back while studying the man. His big coat hid his well-defined muscle, but she was positive there was a lot this general was hiding. She decided to shoot straight for the eye.

  “Why are you sitting on the sidelines watching me, General Roman Novák?”

  “Ho-ho. I must say,” he whispered, leaning back and looking straight at her. “You are an interesting teenager, Empress Elinor… if you are a teenager at all. The file on you was quite educational and… alarming.”

  Vision narrowing, Elinor let his statement hang and processed the nuggets of information he was feeding her. Roman was not going to help her, and, for an obvious reason—she was undead, and stereotypes persisted. He’d also determined the battle was already lost, including taking her into account. At this point, his focus was less on the aliens, and more on them.

  “He’s been somehow stalking us,” Butter hissed, fluttering her wings. “A magical eye or one of those… drones—hidden with cloaking technology from your magical devices?”

  I think you’re on the right track.

  “How long have you been observing me—since before we even arrived?”

  “Haha. You give me too much credit,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his head and looking to the side. “Something didn’t smell right with this trip… especially after I got to know the lives of a few of those on the buses… There were too many special circumstances to be a coincidence. Hmm. In any case, I wish you well on your warpath; it’s certainly been quite the show thus far.”

  Silence stretched for several seconds before Elinor broke away, Butter understanding the nuances of the exchange.

  “He doesn’t trust us, so he’ll continue to watch. Will he side with the ri’bot? He appears intelligent enough to understand the odds are stacked against us, and he is a man of strategy.”

  Elinor stopped beside a door with her maid; Adoncia was inside, answering questions from those that wanted to know more about what happened inside the banana factory after the alien assault.

  I doubt he is on any side at the moment but his own. He is a man of forethought, which means he needs a reason to step in, and a losing war is not one to jump into the middle of without a clear way of victory.

  In addition, he knows he can’t sway people away from my help since I’m a necessary evil, of sorts. Anyone with sense would question some random girl that could suddenly raise the dead, offering to bring back their loved ones. My entire existence puts many ethical ideas into question. He’s playing it smart, not emotional… I just don’t have a choice.

  “Hmm. We are in quite the bind. He will willingly go into captivity and bide his time?”

  It’s the right play. We could also settle things for all he cares. Either way, he is left to gather more information on us, the ri’bot, and the cult to prepare his own hand. I do have a feeling he will side with us eventually, but time will tell, and…

  “Hehe. We need to plan for the possibility of him working against us. He knew he couldn’t hide forever after we discovered the cult files, so he made his position clear.”

  Indeed.

  Discovering what was causing her new maid such internal grief, Elinor opened the door, causing the chatter of women and men to come to a complete halt; she could have heard a pin drop in the still atmosphere.

  Adoncia’s head drooped, flaming skull casting an eerie glow across the brown-haired teenage girl next to her that was now glancing between them. “I’m sorry, Empress… Sal appears to have been taken by the blue ri’bot faction.”

  “Why are you apologizing?” Butter sighed. “Is it because of this girl that’s been hounding you about his rescue? No… The man and woman in the back of the crowd.”

  “My parents,” she mumbled, but another woman cleared her throat nearby, forehead slick with sweat.

  “Umm—Empress, y-you have—that’s Audrey, right? Did you bring back any of the medication? I’m in a lot of pain, and… and I need something to—I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m just… I need something!”

  Audrey moved to stand between them, bony hands at her front, close enough to pull her dagger out if needed as the woman shuffled forward. The addict recoiled at the burning skeleton’s actions, perspiration increasing, and she saw quite a few others in a similar state, going through drug relapses.

  If they were taken through the gateway, it would be a rough transition, and all those that required medication to live would likely be killed off swiftly by the ri’bot due to appearing sick.

  Adoncia’s father spoke up from the back. “No one will tell us when we’ll be able to clean out the pharmacy—people need their medication—a lot of people live in constant pain!”

  Butter sniffed, glaring at the desperate people. “Do they not realize they are in the middle of a war zone?”

  Drugs will do that to people, Elinor whispered, ignoring the whispers of agreement to address the brown-haired girl next to Adoncia. “Your name is Alisa, correct?”

  “Umm. Y-Yes? You’re the one that brought—that can bring people back to life, right? Will you rescue those that were taken? I think—ack… I think my mom’s dead,” she said, blinking back tears. “B-But I heard my dad was t-taken. Can we win?”

  Elinor’s cold eyes drifted between the hopeful faces of the crowd, each looking for their drugs, loved ones, or any shred of hope they could find as more filtered into the doorway to listen or catch a peek at the necromancer girl everyone was talking about.

  “I will do everything in my power to rescue those across the portal, but let me be clear, if these aliens raid this building after we have left, do not put up a resistance. That is all I can tell you.”

  The group at the entrance scattered to let her by with her two maids. There were cries about drugs, tears regarding their lost loved ones, and even a few prayers to her to bring back their children left in her wake.

  Having rescued Adoncia from the ravenous addicts and mourning parties, Elinor met with Virgil. He guided her to the upper levels and a small office that he’d cleared for their use. She could have tried to take some precautions to stop Roman from spying on her, but she wanted him to see exactly what she was about. It might take some time, but his support would be welcomed whenever he was content with her purpose.

  She casually asked Virgil when Roman came to the facility after settling into her chair. The man laid out a map of the area he’d somehow procured, taking a moment to ponder her inquiry.

  He told this miraculous story about a blind man that stumbled to the door, following the whirring of a drone; the man had quite a story to tell about getting lost while searching for his hotel when this sudden blizzard hit.

  There wasn’t much more on the man. Apparently, he kept to himself and offered to help, but everyone catered to him, making Butter scoff that he was soaking in the pity of others. Whatever his ethics, it had all worked out in his favor; Roman had secured a safe place with food, electricity, and clean water.

  Returning to the coming operation, Elinor pointed out the locations of their targets, Mika having provided the general locations. Fortunately, they’d be able to follow the tracks left by the ri’bot using the drone, and it appeared they wouldn’t have much time left to set their plan in motion as the undead toad requested to speak to her.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  She allowed the connection to be established through the Nexus, and her gaze settled on the Delthax hub they’d marked on the map; the blue toads would be her location since it was where her mother had been taken.

  “Empress, the colorful powder is turning into rain; the temperature is rising!”

  Vision narrowing, she breathed out a long stream of air, getting confirmation from Carlos that everything was laid out across the tables, waiting for Virgil to divvy up the jobs of each team he’d be sending. It would be a multi-pronged attack from many angles, and, naturally, the boy she’d promised glory wanted to join the bomb unit.

  “It appears our allotted time for rest has come to an end,” she said, and noise could be heard down the hall as the lookouts discovered the changing climate. “The snow won’t last long, and I have a feeling the rain will soon turn warm, or a blazing sun will follow… It’s time for action.”

  Virgil swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. “Heh. Well, even if we have someone trying to sabotage things, two teams with explosives will give us redundancy. Are… you sure you want to go alone, Empress?”

  He hissed out another breath before shifting to let her by, Audrey opening the door for her. “A few people are notably concerned since you are kind of the only person that can bring us back if we die. They’re questioning if it is a good idea to throw our ace at the wolves. It feels like we’re, I don’t know… throwing? Eh, intentionally losing,” he clarified. “I know you said we already lost, but… what should I tell them?”

  Elinor gave him a wry smirk. “Tell them to follow the plan, and leave it at that. It’s not like they have any other option. Let them celebrate their temporary victory in destroying two of the hubs, and, if things go as I’ve told you, you’ll know soon enough.”

  “This really is intense,” he whispered, following her out with the map and papers to organize the teams they’d selected. “It’s not complicated, but I’ve got this cramp in my gut… Stay safe, Empress.”

  “Hmm-hmm. You should worry about yourself more than me,” she said, happy to have cultivated the support; it allowed her the wiggle room to appear more powerful than she actually was. “It’s time to march.”

  Elinor descended the stairs to find a gathering of men and women standing at attention, taking their role in this war seriously after recovering from the initial shock. There were quite a few brave individuals among them, and she’d heard a few stories of the support they’d offered when the first assault took the town by storm.

  She waited in the large storage area, doors open wide, letting in the chilled air as the sleet on the ground turned to slush, soaking the ground. It would have likely been impossible for them to get through the roads with the trailer if it had been like this, and much of their supplies would have been ruined.

  Audrey was a frenzy of work, making sure each explosive device wouldn’t be affected by the weather and setting them up for remote activation via cellular ad hoc connection.

  Elinor had no clue how it worked, but Carlos wasn’t wrong when he recommended her for the task. Her bony fingers skated across the makeshift electronics shop others had set up while in their meeting, making modifications to circuit boards while using a 3D printer they’d found among the shipping containers. They truly were using everything at their disposal.

  An hour passed with Elinor observing the many moving parts the resistance force had been busy setting up; there were a lot more options for them than she’d initially thought, and people appeared to be working on other projects, including more drones in the back room that were found in crates.

  Once satisfied with what they were doing, Elinor entered her skeletal coach with Audrey and Adoncia. She was surprised to see quite a body of people come out of the inner offices to wish them luck with hope in their eyes—little did they know how this would turn out—and Elinor spotted Roman leaning against a stick, resting his chin as he studied her exit.

  What do you think he thought of our plan? Elinor asked Butter, letting the flap drop down as they began their march through the slush and mud, with all nineteen of her unintelligent undead escorting them, Mika and Carlos already outside.

  Her golden twin hummed, perched on a stick Adoncia had positioned for her. “From everything you read me in his file, I would say Roman would understand why, in a way, we are betraying these humans. The only path you’ve ever had was to go through the Crystal and save your parents.

  “Honestly, I think he wants to see how well you execute this mission. The fact he hasn’t spoken up leads me to believe he sees the benefit in our deduction of the odds. We’d found weapons. We obtained the information he needed. We rallied the people. We provided a way forward. It is all our successes that likely have him on edge.”

  True, Elinor sighed, sitting back to study her two maids across from her.

  Audrey was thinking about how inadequate her work was on this makeshift undead vehicle she’d outfitted while Adoncia internally fretted about her brother.

  Mika dreaded this meeting, yet also had a determination in this budding belief that her people had gone astray to the Supreme Chiefs’ teachings, and Carlos had a fire in his gut, prepared to face these aliens that had killed him.

  Do you think we will make it back to Earth? Elinor privately asked Butter, mind reflecting on Tanner’s face as she held a finger to the tattoo on her collarbone.

  She hadn’t expected to leave things in California in such a messy state. She was in a rocky spot with many of her childhood friends, she had no clue what Tanner meant to her, or she him, along with everything else she’d been invested in back home.

  Perhaps the most concerning part of the quelled emotions swirling in her belly was that she didn’t find it all that hard to let them go. Did she care for any of those ties at all? Yes, she did, but not as much as her parents.

  “Hehe.” Butter’s shimmering wings lowered on the stand Audrey set up for her. “No, Priss, I don’t think we will be returning to this planet.”

  Pulling back the flap on the side of the tarp Audrey used to cover the giant crocodile-toad, Elinor let the pattering of the rain above them cleanse her mind.

  I thought not…

  She studied the green scenery as the snow melted and the thick, sparkling droplets let rainbows everywhere. The sun should be bright in the heavens, but the scenery overhead was mixed between Earth’s sky and another, alien one, showing dark clouds.

  As a final act in the town, Elinor had her undead collect her luggage from her hotel, including her mother and father’s suitcases; she didn’t expect this to be a round trip.

  It didn’t take long upon leaving the town for Mika to inform them there were warriors in the trees, and she made a hand signal to the shocked toads, telling them they wanted to have a meeting of chiefs—a code of honor among Clans—Elinor wasn’t sure they’d comply since they weren’t a part of the ri’bot community, yet a return sign came back.

  “Empress…” Mika mumbled, throat dry through the Nexus. “They’ve accepted a meeting, but it isn’t for peace… It’s for a surrender.”

  Butter sniffed. “Cheeky creatures. It isn’t as if they believe we have leverage, though.”

  Tell them we will not surrender. It is them that should surrender, and we come to discuss those terms.

  “Yes, Empress.”

  “Bold! I like it, Priss. Although, seeing their dead comrades working against them and speaking their language is sure to prick some ears. What did I tell you?”

  Carlos chuckled. “You were right, High Queen. Do you think it will be enough to get all their leaders?”

  I think so, Elinor whispered, not amused as everything she’d planned drew to a close. They’ll want to confirm what their soldiers are telling them with their own eyes, and their honor won’t allow them to deny the challenge. Their response, Mika?

  “Hmm. They’re passing it back through the ranks… I believe the senior warrior of the troupe is returning to our world to deliver the message.”

  Then we wait.

  A small tilt came to the corner of Elinor’s mouth when the rhythm of drums came from the distance a few minutes later; an intimidation tactic, according to Mika, that signaled the arrival of a Mystic or someone of great importance to the field. It was also a religious call to their Supreme Chiefs to shower glory onto their warrior’s heads and bless their aim.

  We have our answer… Move forward.

  Elinor kept the flaps closed, receiving updates from Mika and Carlos as they passed through a less dense section of the jungle to a small field of lush grass—over a hundred warriors surrounded them with ten of the mounted crocodile-toads—the other hubs would be practically free.

  The drums stopped as Elinor’s procession did, keeping at a reasonable distance, and Adoncia opened the entrance, unfurling an umbrella for her to stand under. Butter slipped out between a hole in the floor with her butterfly squad, leaving one with Elinor as she kept low in the veil of rain.

  Boots sinking into the mud, Elinor kept her hands held against her front to show she had no weapons, yet Audrey’s were folded within her sleeves, where she could remotely activate the small number of divided explosives she’d broken apart from one of the sticks of C4.

  She kept an amiable expression while proceeding a little ahead of her skeletal coach and guard, finding some amusement from the whispers that passed between the four ri’bot factions that surrounded her; it wasn’t as if they expected her to be able to understand their language, including the discolored green toad’s ‘secret warrior tongue’ that came in the form of popping the organ—Mika knew it well, after all.

  “Are they puppets or alive?”

  “You see the fire—does it come from the pits?”

  “What evil has come from below? Has the earth opened up anywhere? If we fill it, do you think it will be pulled back down?”

  “Supreme Chiefs, what has it done to our torlim?”

  “It has stripped its skin and fashioned some kind of covering over it? Is it a form of Mysticism?”

  “Possibly. This world’s Mystic?”

  “To return the dead, though… How does it have power that can take those spirited away by the Supreme Chiefs?”

  All chatter died as four very different ri’bot appeared from the Crystal in shimmering light; these were the leaders Elinor had been waiting to meet, and Mika introduced them as they came through.

  First was the discolored Roxim Clan’s high warrior, flipping around an ax that glowed with a faint blue light and wielding a thick, turtle-like shell as a shield in his other hand. There were three claw marks around his neck, and scars covered parts of his visible skin; obviously, this toad was battle-hardened and fierce. He snorted upon seeing her, nose twitching as his gaze slid from her to the skeletal pet behind her.

  “Is he unhappy?” Butter questioned with a short chortle.

  Mika tried not to let her will falter—the Roxim were brutal in how they dealt with enemies, showing no compassion—this was her superior.

  “Torlim are very precious to our clan, and a single loss is… is considered to be a shame on the caretaker. High Warrior Fennel wields a Holan shield—practically impenetrable—and his ax is an ancient relic that can be thrown and recalled to the hand that has the mystical armband on it… He is among the Roxim’s greatest fighters, close to advancing to the rank of Xaria.”

  Elinor recognized the name from previous discussions; it was basically their special forces units, and there were extremely few ri’bot that ever made it to such a high position, usually only called on to perform impossible missions and kept close to their chief.

  Her focus snapped to an elderly orange toad—the chief of the Komath Clan, who had the minstrels she’d first encountered—he smirked at them as his bright pink eyes instantly took note of the undead behind her. Mika shivered as he centered on her, rain slicking his skin; apparently, this legendary, old ri’bot was something to be feared.

  “Elder Chief Krava… He’s a former Xaria—a hero and legend—who fought in the Fire Wars nearly a century ago. He’s among the most ancient of ri’bot in the valley and refuses to give up the seat of chief until someone is able to take it from him. The Komath employ strange rituals that are passed down through their Mystics.”

  Krava walked with a gnarled stick with two sheathed knives on his belt; a bag was attached to the leather, hiding secret arts Mika had heard little about, and a flute was tied to the top of his staff.

  He bent down low, holding his stick for support on the lower half while taking note of everything in their surroundings. A twitch came from the corner of his mouth, where three teeth showed on either side; apparently, one was a sign of ugliness, two average, and three beauty, by the cultural standards of ri’bot.

  “Hmm. I’m not impressed,” he muttered to the blue-skinned ri’bot that exited. “How can those frail frames put fear in warriors? Humph. This new generation is soft! Have they not seen my quen’talrat marks?”

  The elderly blue toad held one hand behind his back, as if in need of support while his other firmly gripped a similar staff as his friend. “Let’s not be hasty to judge our new opponent, Krava, but I do understand your sentiment… I cannot sense the same overwhelming strength in this opponent as a quen’talrat Elite Hunter, yet… there is something the earth speaks to.”

  “Oh? Heh, do tell, old friend,” Krava said, rising to crack his back and twist left and right. “What do you make of it, young Fennel? It has one of your torlim.”

  “I see that,” the discolored warrior snarled, glaring between the ri’bot she’d brought back. “It must be Dhalisra, the foolish woman… Her younger brother and father will die of shame.”

  Elinor could feel the cut those words left on her ri’bot warrior—apparently, he was talking about her—yet she buried the emotion to remain on alert for an attack, even if she knew she was no match for any of them.

  “Probably the most frightening out of them all… Elder Chief Valdar.” She swallowed, trying to still her nerves. “He gave up the seat of the chief to his grandson, yet remains the Grand Mystic of the Delthax and a Plant Caller. He is also a great hero of the Fire Wars and holds great respect across all Valley Clans… even those outside of the valley.”

  However, Elinor’s attention was taken by who she believed was her true nemesis as the pure green toad woman joined the others. She had wrapped silk around her arms and body, decorated with star embroidery but water-laden, and a golden symbol of a triangle with a sun in the center hung around her neck.

  So… this is one of the Clavex Clan’s High Priestesses, who worship the light spirit living in the Great Ruby Lakes to the south of your valley?

  She could tell Mika was a little agitated that she was putting more emphasis on the woman than the other three, as she thought, far more powerful and influential figures.

  “Yes, Empress… Eh, I have heard she is also studying one of the Holy Arts of the nalvean race. Her blue eyes are… unnaturally bright, which causes many of the warriors to make comments about it…

  “Over the days, we had become acquainted with the Clavex expedition… They aim not to kill a single prisoner and have a fixation on long, slithery things, which probably goes back to their connection to the nalveans.”

  You don’t say… Elinor whispered; it was the first time she’d heard that particular statement. Well, why don’t we meet these legendary figures? It’s time we put my plan into action.

  “Let’s!” Butter chimed. “Also, it annoys me to no end that they think we are so weak. A show of force will be needed to begin this discussion, Priss.”

  Nothing we didn’t predict, Elinor said.

  Stepping forward with her two maids to engage with the four leaders, the sound of rain came into the foreground as silence took the army that surrounded her. Now, it was time to discover what was happening to those taken and, hopefully, figure out if her parents were still alive.