longer see the action, but they could hear plenty of wild shots around the town square.
Natalie tried to catch her breath. "You saved me."
Razellia breathed hard. "You needed saving. Are you okay?"
Natalie reached for Razellia's hand and squeezed it. "I am." She smiled. "After all, I have an invisible badge of protection." Natalie poked her head around the side of the building. "And Ted does, too."
Chapter 10
In the minutes before the second phase of the plan went into action, Ted looked out at the deserted village from the second story of a two-floor apartment. He was told someone used to live in the sparse room about 30 years ago. It didn't offer him much comfort to learn the occupant had been killed in a similar raid. Natalie, Razellia and the rest of the commanders had figured out how to position their troops to keep any dark souls from looking at him. They determined that this was the best vantage point, and it gave Ted a clear view of the approaching raiders in the distance.
Even with the growing sound of Lychos paws pushing off of the dusty rocks, Ted was deep in thought about his place in all of this. He wanted to believe that Erica would say his protection of a dark soul village was the right thing to do. He just wasn't sure that's how she'd see it.
"Does she even know about these people?" Ted pictured the courthouse and the lineup of emaciated farmer after emaciated farmer. "Is Vella the enemy?"
When he clutched at the imaginary badge of protection, Ted considered the peck Natalie had given him before he'd left. He'd always thought that the last kiss he'd get from her would be the one he'd received over a year ago.
"It didn't mean anything." He saw the raiders pass through the arch at the front of the village. "We're just scared."
It didn't take long for the gang to stop in the town square as the commanders had all anticipated.
Ted's pulse quickened as he shifted to get a better view of the raiders. "Besides, we're going to stop these guys." He stretched out his hands and cracked his neck. "Then we're going to get home to Erica and Travis. And everything'll be back to normal."
As Ted sent up a silent prayer that he was right, he saw and heard the flames engulf the town square. That was his cue.
From his bird's eye view, Ted focused on the energy blasters the men were shooting all over the place. Their wild discharges actually made tracking the locations of the guns quite easy for him. He felt himself lock on tight, and he yanked the weapons clean out of their hands and holsters. He could barely hear the screams of the raiders as the guns lifted over the fire and skidded onto the ground. They landed at the feet of Natalie's battalion.
Ted watched as one of the men emerged from the flames. His Lychos took most of the impact from the fire, and despite being badly burned, the creature looked ready as ever to take a bite out of anyone who stood in its way.
"As you wish." Ted put two fingers to his temple and used his powers to leap into the creature's brain.
While inside, he left one simple command and pulled himself out before any damage could be done. He didn't want to relive the Washington, D.C. bridge incident all over again. Ted watched as the Lychos shook off its rider. Before the bandit even reached the ground, the wolf-like creature clamped down its teeth on the man's body. The light soul's cries for help reached the windows above while his blood spilled out on the dirt below. Ted winced at the sight of it, but he knew his job wasn't done.
One by one, he turned the Lychos against their masters, and one by one he heard the screams of agony. He'd taken down at least eight men by his count when a shockwave of sound rattled his eardrums. When he covered his ears, he saw a blast of energy as wide as a tidal wave crash through the fire and tear into the dark soul guards below.
Half of the fire barrier had been extinguished by the blast, whatever it was. Several troops writhed in agony below
Natalie tried to catch her breath. "You saved me."
Razellia breathed hard. "You needed saving. Are you okay?"
Natalie reached for Razellia's hand and squeezed it. "I am." She smiled. "After all, I have an invisible badge of protection." Natalie poked her head around the side of the building. "And Ted does, too."
Chapter 10
In the minutes before the second phase of the plan went into action, Ted looked out at the deserted village from the second story of a two-floor apartment. He was told someone used to live in the sparse room about 30 years ago. It didn't offer him much comfort to learn the occupant had been killed in a similar raid. Natalie, Razellia and the rest of the commanders had figured out how to position their troops to keep any dark souls from looking at him. They determined that this was the best vantage point, and it gave Ted a clear view of the approaching raiders in the distance.
Even with the growing sound of Lychos paws pushing off of the dusty rocks, Ted was deep in thought about his place in all of this. He wanted to believe that Erica would say his protection of a dark soul village was the right thing to do. He just wasn't sure that's how she'd see it.
"Does she even know about these people?" Ted pictured the courthouse and the lineup of emaciated farmer after emaciated farmer. "Is Vella the enemy?"
When he clutched at the imaginary badge of protection, Ted considered the peck Natalie had given him before he'd left. He'd always thought that the last kiss he'd get from her would be the one he'd received over a year ago.
"It didn't mean anything." He saw the raiders pass through the arch at the front of the village. "We're just scared."
It didn't take long for the gang to stop in the town square as the commanders had all anticipated.
Ted's pulse quickened as he shifted to get a better view of the raiders. "Besides, we're going to stop these guys." He stretched out his hands and cracked his neck. "Then we're going to get home to Erica and Travis. And everything'll be back to normal."
As Ted sent up a silent prayer that he was right, he saw and heard the flames engulf the town square. That was his cue.
From his bird's eye view, Ted focused on the energy blasters the men were shooting all over the place. Their wild discharges actually made tracking the locations of the guns quite easy for him. He felt himself lock on tight, and he yanked the weapons clean out of their hands and holsters. He could barely hear the screams of the raiders as the guns lifted over the fire and skidded onto the ground. They landed at the feet of Natalie's battalion.
Ted watched as one of the men emerged from the flames. His Lychos took most of the impact from the fire, and despite being badly burned, the creature looked ready as ever to take a bite out of anyone who stood in its way.
"As you wish." Ted put two fingers to his temple and used his powers to leap into the creature's brain.
While inside, he left one simple command and pulled himself out before any damage could be done. He didn't want to relive the Washington, D.C. bridge incident all over again. Ted watched as the Lychos shook off its rider. Before the bandit even reached the ground, the wolf-like creature clamped down its teeth on the man's body. The light soul's cries for help reached the windows above while his blood spilled out on the dirt below. Ted winced at the sight of it, but he knew his job wasn't done.
One by one, he turned the Lychos against their masters, and one by one he heard the screams of agony. He'd taken down at least eight men by his count when a shockwave of sound rattled his eardrums. When he covered his ears, he saw a blast of energy as wide as a tidal wave crash through the fire and tear into the dark soul guards below.
Half of the fire barrier had been extinguished by the blast, whatever it was. Several troops writhed in agony below
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