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Luken thanked him, twisted the cap off and drank. Funny, he hadn’t been wanting a beer yet somehow it hit the spot.
“So, has her Supremeness thrown a tantrum?” He sat down in a chair opposite Luken.
At that, Luken frowned, feeling suddenly sober. “We’ve got a new shitfest, Thorne, and it ain’t good.” Ignoring his own unsettled feelings about the sudden shift in his warrior path, he related all that had happened. It took a few minutes to bring Thorne up to speed.
Thorne sipped his beer and stared at Luken, his brows low. “You know, you think things have gotten as bad as they can get, then this.”
“There seems to be some indication Chustaffus is supporting the three generals.”
“And that would explain a lot, but how the hell are we supposed to beat them now? I suppose we should start expecting to battle Third Earth death vampires next.”
“I don’t know.” Luken leaned forward, letting the bottle dangle between his knees as he stared at the wood floor. The command tents had several modern conveniences, solid floors being one of them. “I think Endelle wants us to go to Third to see if we can prevent exactly that from happening. Though, how the hell we are supposed to have any effect on plans to invade Second from an Upper Dimension, I have no idea. Just about everyone who lives on Third will have more essential power than any of us. Except maybe Rachel.”
“Rachel, Gideon’s sister? She has power?”
“Yeah, some sort of Fourth Earth shielding ability. Merl confirmed it.”
“Holy shit.”
“I know. We’re all in a state of shock.”
Thorne drank deep once more. “You could have told me all this from Apache Junction Two.”
“Well, there’s more because now I’m supposed to build a team to take to Third.”
“Aw, fuck.” Thorne scrubbed a hand down his face. He must have read the situation exactly right, because he asked the most pertinent question. “Who are you taking?”
“Just three men but they’re three of your best Thunder God Warriors.”
“I figured. But let me guess, you want Duncan’s squad.”
“I do. I think it would be best. Jean-Pierre has been bumping them up steadily in the direction of Warrior of the Blood status and they’ve served as part of Duncan’s squad for decades. They can read each other’s signals with their eyes closed.”
Thorne scowled. “But, the men under each of their commands have the highest kill rate of the entire army in Africa. We need them here.”
“I know, but Endelle’s adamant because of her vision.”
“Jesus, I just can’t get used to the idea of Endelle having visions. It sounds completely uncharacteristic. I know she’s never had them before.” Thorne was probably remembering the mind-link he’d once shared with Her Supremeness.
“Hey, she’s just as baffled as you are. And concerned. You know she wept.”
At that, Thorne jerked forward in his camp chair. “What? Endelle?”
“Go figure. This new turn of events has really thrown her. That and her man, Braulio, disappeared on her.”
Thorne grimaced, then narrowed his gaze. “And I suppose that Third asshole, Merl, is still chasing her tail.”
“I want to pound the shit out of him every time he gets within ten yards of me. And here’s the biggest assfuck of them all because Endelle assigned him to my team as well.”
“No.” He shoved a hand through his hair, dislodging his cadroen. “Well, that sucks.” He gathered up his hair once more and secured the clasp.
“At least he’ll bring some skill and information to the team. He was a Third Earth wrecker before he exiled himself here on Second. Though he hasn’t said it, I believe he was a Warrior of the Blood once. He’s damn powerful.”
“Okay, well, whatever.”
“Then do I have permission to take Duncan’s squad with me?”
“Of, course. Granted. They’re in the mess.” He then frowned. “How’s Endelle holding up with all of this, I mean besides the tears?”
