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“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I was just suggesting to Buck that he might like to take up the family duty and lead us,” Mason said. I bristled as he did so. Brett did the same. For once, we were in agreement.
“I don’t remember discussing that,” Brett said. Whatever peace we had found with each other was clearly based on a flimsy foundation, and would not be able to withstand much testing.
“I didn’t think it needed discussing. I thought it was self-evident, and anyway, it was just a suggestion,” Mason said, arching his eyebrows in a haughty manner.
“A bad suggestion,” I said.
“I agree,” Brett replied. We looked at each other and nodded.
“Well, we know the world is truly ending if you two are in agreement,” Mason muttered, crossing his arms.
“Where’s Kadie?” I asked, turning towards Brett.
“I told her to get some rest. She said that she had a vision and I think it refers to the world ending. She’s been through a lot to get here, and if she rests, she might get another vision. It could help us figure out how to stop Ilvar. Which reminds me of why I came up here. I need to ask you a question; how are we going to stop Ilvar?” he asked with a sarcastic tone.
It was a question that we needed to answer, and quickly.
“Well, I’ve been trying to think about where he’s going to strike. It has to be a volcano or a mountain because those are the only things that lead to the core of the world. I can’t imagine that he would get down there any other way. I’m sure there must be one nearby, for he wouldn’t want to go far if he’s eager to get this done,” Mason said.
“I just can’t believe that they’re actually doing it. And that Dad is missing out. If he had just held on for a little longer…” I said. Mason and Brett exchanged an uneasy glance.
“Do we even know where he’s going to strike? We have Kadie; she can tell us exactly where their camp is. We can attack them before they have a chance to leave and stop them. If we kill Ilvar before he has a chance to get to the core, then we don’t need to worry about anything else, and for all we know it’s Ilvar driving this, not any of his minions. Without him, they might all fall away,” Brett said.
“That’s the impression I got from Kadie. Ilvar is the driving force. But can we really take on their group?” I asked aloud.
Mason and Brett remained silent.
“I’m not sure that’s feasible,” Mason said.
“I know we’ve never been proud warriors, but surely we could rustle up enough people to fight if they know the kind of cause they’re fighting for?” I asked.
“We’d need a leader for that,” Mason said pointedly. I huffed and looked to the heavens. “And the fact is that we’ve not been trained in war. We’ve always been outnumbered. If we confront Ilvar, then we might end up losing anyway, and then he’ll just go and do what he was going to do. We need to be smart about this. We need to think of a plan.”
“I wish Dad were here. He’d know what to do,” I said, looking towards the pyre that had burned out, and my father’s remains. It was all just ash. Was that all we had to look forward to? I suppose if Ilvar had his way then the entire planet would be little more than dust, and everyone’s lives would be mere footnotes on the tapestry of the universe.
“We can hope that Kadie is granted another vision,” Brett said.
“Great, we’re reliant on magic,” I huffed.
“I don’t see you coming up with any great ideas,” Brett snapped.
“I’ve only just started thinking about it! Give me a break, I’ve just come back from the wilderness to find out my father has just died. I’m still on edge,” I bit back.
“What was it like?” Mason asked, his voice cool and gentle, a welcome contrast to the rapid and heavy words from myself and Brett. I relaxed a little. I felt myself falling into old habits, and recapturing the dynamic that the three of us enjoyed a long time ago, back when things had been simpler. Back before the world had gone dark.
“It was different. I can’t say it was exactly as I thought it would be,” I said.
“Did you make a life for yourself out there? Get yourself a nice job in one of those fancy towers of theirs?” Brett asked mockingly.
“No,” I glared. “I just bounced around from town to town, found myself in bars. I liked antagonizing the locals and getting familiar with some of the local girls.”
Brett rolled his eyes.
“So, what’s the story with Kadie then?” Mason asked.
“What do you mean?” I replied.
