Chapter 25

25

The elevator doors opened into his meeting room where Halo was waiting. Bridger's brows creased. "Do you often find yourself snooping in places you don't belong just because you're able to?" The fact he could materialize in and out, wherever it was he wanted to be, set Bridger on edge.

He had to remind himself that no matter how young Halo was, he was still Fraus-born, and just because he was helping at the moment didn't mean his assistance would be granted in the future.

"Commander!" Halo jumped, hands shooting to his side at Bridger's intrusion. "I apologize. I was just looking at the map you have here. It's old." Halo backed away from the table as Bridger moved closer, putting himself in between the young man and the map.

"Yes, great observation skills." Bridger smiled, leaning against the table. He folded his hands in front of himself. "It's been passed down the Dimico line since the beginning of our time. Something no one outside of my inner circle gets to look at." And it holds secrets I can't trust you with. Bridger met the young boy's eyes, watching them grow a little wider as he nodded his head .

"Understood. I didn't see anything. Promise." Halo shrugged it off, but Bridger wouldn't let his guard down. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Commander?" Halo asked, eager to change the subject.

Bridger pushed himself off the table, the map rolled up behind him now. Wind control came in handy in more ways than one.

"I'm just curious about a couple of things." Bridger stood much taller than Halo, the young boy still growing into himself. "One, why is it you disappeared after dropping us at the portal?"

Halo shifted on his feet. "When Arlet came through with Vega and saw me, I had to come up with a reason as to why I was there. I couldn't let her think I was with you. I spun the story that I'd seen you two sneaking around and knew the portal needed to be moved to throw you off if you made it back with Vega and Arlet was left behind."

Bridger replied, "Good." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And did she seem suspicious?"

Halo shook his head. "No, she was too busy worrying about the Caelum girl."

Bridger watched the way Halo moved, the way his eyes shifted to the left when he spoke and the way he rubbed his hands together when he started to get nervous. There was a lot to take in about the boy, who was the same age he'd been when he met Marlena and Vega. He was from a land where gangs and villains ran rampant, where the people didn't care about their neighbors or families. Every move made was to better oneself, worrying about no one else in the process—some would argue that if they cared for no one, nothing could hurt them. Everyone learned to hate the people of Fraus, but no one more than Bridger—no one more than the boy he'd been when he'd needed a mother to protect him from the abuse of his father.

"Her name is Vega," Bridger said impassively. "Marlena is also a Caelum girl, and we'd hate to get them mixed up." Marlena wasn't partial to being compared to her younger sister .

Halo nodded, looking down at his boots.

"Eyes up," Bridger commanded. He sounded like the fearsome commander he was rumored to be.

"Sorry, Commander." The boy's eyes were piercing green and he wore his emotions all over his face.

"Don't apologize. Learn. If you want to be a part of this army, which is what it seems you're interested in…?" Bridger paused, asking.

Halo nodded quickly, an earnest look of excitement glittering in his eyes. "Yes, sir. More than anything."

Bridger watched this hopeful young boy turn from someone so sure of his odd power to one who was looking for praise in places he shouldn't. There was no one like him in all of their realm—he could go anywhere, be anything, and yet he'd allowed Marlena to sink her teeth into him.

Bridger nodded, studying his lanky build. His eyes flicked up his body and then back down before meeting his stare. He continued where he left off. "Then you're going to have to change parts of yourself that feel wrong. Parts of you that you don't think you can live without. You'll have to do things that make you feel as if you're going to crawl out of your skin, things that you can't just wash away in the shower or with a strong drink."

The glitter in Halo's eyes was part wonder, part fear—it was precisely what Bridger wanted. The excitement of something scary, unknown, and out of the ordinary was what most of his best soldiers were looking for when they joined him after his father was murdered.

Bridger wasn't his father. He believed in the men and women who laid down their lives for this realm, and in return, he had thousands of warriors standing behind him, ready to attack at any given moment.

A war was brewing between the rebels and those who followed Marlena. The rebels' numbers were rising every year with the mistreatment of those with lesser powers. The people who helped grow their food, kept their waters flowing with clean water, cleaned the homes of the powerful—the people whom Vega had always seen as more than what they were.

Bridger wanted to be on the winning side of this war.

"Why do you want to join Tolevarre's army?" Bridger's posture oozed power.

"Because I want to belong somewhere," Halo responded, his voice cracking with honesty. Bridger felt a tug at his iron heart—those were words he'd spoken before too.

"Then prove it." As much as he felt for this boy, Bridger knew better. Though he wasn't Fraus-born, he was Fortis-bred and would always protect the soft underbelly of himself and his people.

Marlena had taught him to always be one step ahead.

"What do you need?" Halo asked.

"Do you know where Vega is hiding?"

"No. I mean, yes. Somewhere under the Sea of Ros off the coast of Imber, but I've never been allowed inside. Khort never let me in," Halo answered with a solemn expression, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Under the Sea of Ros?"

"Yes, they keep it hidden somehow. I don't know how or with what, but I do know Vega and the others aren't there. They left this morning to meet with a witch in Fraus to get Vega's memories back." Halo's face drooped around his mouth, his frown hanging low.

"Even better. Why don't you go pay the witch a little visit? Tell her Commander Dimico will be by to get Vega, who is a fugitive in these lands, and if she does anything to warn them I'm coming, I'll kill her nice and slow."

Halo smiled. "I'll report back with her location. Anything else I can do for you, Commander?" He was so eager to please—almost too eager.

"Yes, as a matter of fact…" Bridger grabbed the sword on his back from its sheath with a speed so quick the move might've been missed if Halo blinked. The tip pressed to the lump on Halo's neck. "If you tell anyone that you're running my errands or make a peep about where the rebel headquarters is located until I have a chance to look into it, I will add you to the growing list of kills I've made this week for speaking out against me."

Halo backed against the bookcase, the tip of Bridger's sword pricking through his skin. A trickle of blood slid down the front of his neck. He couldn't move, nod, or speak without the sword sinking deeper.

"Understood?" Bridger pulled his sword back enough to allow Halo to answer him.

"Of course, Commander. I would nev?—"

Bridger cut him off. "That includes Marlena. She doesn't need to know every little detail about how I run my show here."

The boy nodded now that he had room to without slicing his jugular. Bridger drew his sword back into its place and stepped away, flicking his wrist in dismissal. "I will be waiting for you at the border of Fraus in three hours. Do not be late."

Halo said nothing, and when Bridger blinked, he was gone.

Bridger stood alone in the room, a smile that would bring chills upon any who saw it spreading across his face as he basked in the silence surrounding him. He'd planted his seed.

Slowly but surely, he would break down the trust Marlena was building with people like Halo, with the ones whose powers couldn't be understood—the ones who Marlena was trying to take hold of like a parasite.

He would protect those who would protect him.

Bridger wasn't stupid. The more control he had over his soldiers, the less Marlena had… and that was worth more than anything in this world.

The dreams about Vega were wearing on him, breaking him down while he relived some of the hardest moments of his life, and even so, he still held on to the hope inside that one day, Marlena would crumble on the very throne she'd built through blood and death.

All things came to an end, and Bridger knew when Marlena's reign finally shattered, he'd go down with her.

But he could leave a legacy within the people whose lives he changed. Not all the people of Tolevarre believed him to be the unforgiving commander he painted himself to be.

His men were waiting when he arrived, jostling about the training center. Some warmed up their muscles, others chatted with their comrades. Meyer sat in a corner, staring blankly at nothing.

Their fight still felt fresh after Bridger's mutilation of one of their soldiers. They hadn't talked since that night.

"Is the new base ready in Solum?" Bridger asked as he approached his right-hand man.

Meyer sat up straight when he realized Bridger was beside him. "Yeah, my group and I are leaving in a few minutes." Meyer's usual demeanor was strong and assured. Right now, he sounded withdrawn and laden with unspoken anger.

Neither of them had time to hash out whatever was building between them.

They had orders. Orders from a woman who better get what she wanted if they wanted their heads safely on their shoulders.

"Good," Bridger said, nodding for Meyer to stand. He did without hesitation. "I need you in this." An order from his commander.

"I am."

"No. I need you level-headed with no animosity blinding you." Bridger could see right through him .

"If you're talking about the other night, I've forgotten all about it," Meyer bluffed.

Bridger sighed. "Do you think I don't know when you're lying to me?"

Meyer scowled, trying to avert his gaze away from Bridger. "We're not friends, remember? What does it matter?"

Bridger wouldn't apologize for what he'd said, always too afraid of looking weak. "I spoke without thinking. You should know I'm good at that by now."

There was a moment of silence between the two before a soldier came up behind them, bowing her head before speaking. "Commander Dimico. General Ignis. Both troops are ready to go."

Meyer spoke before Bridger had the chance. "We will be there shortly. Start loading up."

The woman nodded, leaving the two in silence again.

"Keep an eye out for rebels today as you travel into Solum. They're going to be on high alert and ready to attack," Bridger said, fixing his cape before leaning against a wall casually, an air of ease around him.

"More so than any other day?" Meyer asked.

"I met with Halo early this morning." Meyer's brow raised in piqued interest. Bridger could see his mood shifting behind his eyes. "Vega will be in Fraus today visiting a witch to get her memories restored. We're going to intercept."

Meyer's hard face broke into a cruel smile. "You sneaky bastard."

Bridger knew he wasn't forgiven for the way he'd acted, but at least for now, Meyer would forget why he was angry. "So yes, watch your back a little more than usual today. I suspect Khort will be acting out of rage instead of using his lizard-sized brain."

Meyer backed away. "It's been a while since I got the chance to go toe-to-toe with the shifter. Send him my way, would ya?"

Bridger chuckled. "Only if he doesn't come for me first." He watched Meyer turn to leave, but after reliving the night Meyer barged into the cabin before he and the bonded were taken prisoner, Bridger had been dying to ask him a question.

"Hey, Meyer," Bridger called, waiting for him to turn around.

He faced his commander. "Yeah?"

"The night you found me in that cabin with Vega and the others, did you know my father was following you?" Bridger didn't allow his voice to rise much above a whisper. He'd never asked, choosing to avoid questions he might not want honest answers to.

Meyer took a moment to respond, which Bridger took as admission in itself. But then he spoke. "No." He paused momentarily. "I picked my side before coming to you that night, but you deserved to have that choice too."

Bridger stared at Meyer, his best friend, his brother. He didn't expect the next piece of information to fall from his lips.

"They were going to let you stay with them, with Vega. Our parents were going to name me commander, but Marlena wouldn't allow it. That was the night she killed your father, a week before she captured you for torture."