Page 43 of Amaros
“I have a story for you, brother,” Amaros said.“You’re not going to believe it.”
“I can’t wait to hear it,” Camriel said, grinning in anticipation as they took off at a sprint.
“Fate has given us a choice,” Amaros said as he retraced his path.“She told me that this is supposed to be our last war.Order and Chaos will be creating new warriors to take our places.”
Camriel was outraged by that news.“Order is discarding us after all we’ve done for it?”he asked in betrayal.
“Not if Fate has her way,” Amaros said.“She bargained on our behalf and has been granted a boon.”
“Why do you seem so reluctant to discuss this with me?”Camriel asked shrewdly.
Amaros had a few seconds to think about his reply as they dodged around a pile of crashed vehicles.“Fate will allow us to remain here on Earth if we win our war, instead of returning to the Void and being decommissioned,” he explained.He liked the new vocabulary humans had invented.It was far more expressive than their former languages.
“Speak plainly, brother,” Camriel requested, tired of dancing around the issue.“How can we stay here?What deal did she make with Order?”
“Fate will relinquish some of her power to enable us to remain here,” Amaros said without looking at his second.
Camriel became suspicious.“What’s the catch?”he asked.
“We must bond with females and share our power with them.”
Camriel laughed, but his commander remained stoical.“You’re not joking,” he realized.
“I’m serious,” Amaros confirmed.“She told me we’ll become the permanent guardians of Earth.We’ll never have to return to the Void.”
Camriel came to an abrupt halt, yanking his leader to a stop as well.“I’m in,” he declared eagerly.“Sign me up.Let’s do this.I’ll bond myself to the first sane female I see if it means I’ll never have to return to the Void.”
“There’s more,” Amaros said with great reluctance.“I’ll tell you the rest after you’ve had a chance to think about it.”He took off at a sprint again, with Camriel right beside him.
Intrigued and excited about this enormous change of their usual plans, Camriel was keen to reach these females his commander had waiting for them.There had to be something special about them.Clearly, they were the ones who they were supposed to become bonded to.
Flicking a look at the eternally cheerful blond knight, Amaros suppressed a groan.He’d chickened out and hadn’t told Camriel the full truth.He’d decided it would be easier for his second to meet the girls first.Maybe he would feel a bond with Gracelyn.The thought of his brother in arms being attracted to Zoe gave him a chill.He couldn’t allow any of his men to claim the cambion.She was meant for him and him alone.
“What happened to cause all this destruction and insanity?”Camriel asked, gesturing at the bodies that surrounded them.
“Something called the Rapture,” Amaros replied.“It seems God called His faithful followers and everyone with a mostly pure soul to heaven.The survivors aren’t handling it very well.”
“Chaos and Order aren’t behind it?”his second queried.
“Fate never mentioned we would be facing this challenge,” Amaros said.“Deities have their own plans for humanity in each dimension.Sometimes, their decisions work for Order’s champions like us and sometimes against them.”
“I’m guessing all this panic and murder isn’t going to do us any favors,” Camriel figured, grimacing at a ripe corpse as they streaked past it.“This is right up Chaos’ alley.”
“Our enemies will be able to recruit soldiers to their cause simply by promising them a steady supply of food and water,” Amaros predicted.“Both will be in high demand, since the world is currently in upheaval.”
Sprinting hard, they continued to discuss their enemies and the new base they would be using, while avoiding the humans who were roaming the streets.
Amaros sensed Zoe as they neared the house where he’d left the girls.Relief that she was okay swept through him.He’d been more worried than he’d expected at leaving them behind.Casting a look at Camriel, he hoped his second would cope well with being presented with the females.Old prejudices were hard to let go of, especially if he didn’t feel a bond with either of them.
