'Tell me what happened to her!'

'If you give me the chance, I will,' said Lendon. 'But first you should know that it was nobody's fault, and we did everything we could. She was on her horse when it happened. There was an explosion, one of the truck's loads detached and fell. The noise must have frightened the horse. It reared up. She wasn't ready and fell. She hit her head pretty hard.'

'What does that mean?' asked Jaden.

'It means, Sentinel,' said Lendon harshly, visibly irritated by the interruptions, 'that she has lost some of her memory. I had hoped you were one she would remember, but it appears not.'

'She doesn't remember me?' asked Jaden in disbelief.

'Or myself, or the other sentinels, or your friend Tarsha. She remembers her father and that she came from Callibra, but nothing else.'

'Why is that guy touching her?' asked Jaden, looking over Lendon's shoulder.

Lendon glanced at the couple on the vehicle, and then turned back to Jaden. 'He has done nothing wrong,' he said. 'He was her caretaker. If not for him, there would have been no one else to help her. She may have died, so you should thank him for saving her life.'

'You mean for stealing her from me!'

Lendon raised his hands. 'No,' he said. 'No, that is not how it happened. I know what you must feel right now.'

Jaden doubted every word he heard Lendon utter from then on. After all the soldiers he had fought, the beasts he had ran from and explosions he had stood against that would have killed any other, he was still powerless against this. The one he had dreamed of spending his life with, the one who had eased the pain of losing his home and family, the one who had given him reason to live again, to hope for a brighter future ... gone. She had been taken from him. It felt as if the very core of his being was being stripped away. His mind overloaded with anxiety and his heart racing, his stomach weak and empty, and his breath quickened, he could do nothing else than allow his eyes to become red with hatred and sorrow.

'There is nothing you can do,' continued Lendon.

But Jaden raced past him with the endobraces ignited at the one with Alyssa.

'Get away from her!' he shouted, and he readied to throw his arms forward when they were both pinned back by Lendon's strong arms.

'No!' he shouted at Jaden. 'Don't! She is not your love anymore. Let her go!'

'Get off me!' shouted Jaden, tears now running freely down his cheeks.

He stopped his struggle as he saw something he had never wished to see in Alyssa's eyes. Fear. Fear of him. What was he doing? She was afraid of him. She thought he was going to harm her. He could never do that. He would never raise a hand against her. He wanted to assure her of this, that he would never hurt her, but as she clung to the young man next to her, he realised that he was about to do exactly that, forcing her to lose one she loved.

Jaden gave no more resistance to Lendon pulling him back. Lendon then pushed Jaden further away, readying to block him from making another attempt to get at Alyssa and the youth again. But Jaden would not even turn. He stumbled twice before gaining his balance, and then he raced to the side of the travelling band toward the trees.

'Sentinel!' called out Alkon as he made his way toward Jaden. 'Where are you going?'

There was no reply as Jaden disappeared into the forest, the trees at the edge becoming alight with fire as he passed them, so that none would attempt to follow.

The Waikorian people hurried to put out the flames as they burned forty feet above the treetops, but their efforts were not necessary, as the flames died away on their own, revealing the trees to still be in perfect health, without burns on trunk or leaf.

'Where is he going?' asked Alkon as Lendon approached.

'Who can say?' asked Lendon with a shrug. 'He will find his own way. There are more lives than his at stake here. We should return to the others now to decide our fate.'

Lendon walked on, leaving Alkon looking into the trees where Jaden had disappeared.

'Until we meet again, young Sentinel,' he said, and with a slight bow, he followed Lendon back to the leaders.

Jaden didn't know where he was going. He didn't know what he was going to do. He felt he didn't know anything anymore. Everything he had come to believe was being taken from him, again. It was the fall of Callibra repeated. Nothing was safe. Not him, not Alyssa, not the cities they would have lived in. Nothing.

Jaden continued to run deep into the forest, the endobraces ignited, allowing him to dodge through the trees automatically as his mind tried to escape elsewhere. It had all been pointless. Everything he had achieved was in vain. He should have stayed with Alyssa like he had wanted to. He shouldn't have listened to Adonis or Blair. They had used him. They had made him leave Alyssa to deliver their message and they had let Alyssa fall. They had given him some training, but it had only been because his grandfather had wanted them to. The Daijuar, he thought, did not remain elusive because they needed to hide, they just didn't care for anything but themselves. Those that were meant to protect the innocent were frauds, and now there was nowhere he could turn.

He closed his eyes in defeat, running blindly through the forest. His foot soon clipped a tree root at the edge of a stream with a waterfall crashing down into it on the right. He fell face first into the water with a great splash, and it began to glisten with what looked like thousands of tiny stars dancing on the surface as the endobraces released their energy into it. Jaden made no attempt to get up as the waterfall pushed him further downstream toward another steep descent. He could hear something inside him telling him to stand up and save himself, but it was soon overridden by a single repeating question.

Why?

There was nothing left. It had all come to an end. Soon his final breath of air would fail, and he would take in another of water, giving himself back to the earth.

But as the air pocketed under the water, nothing else entered his lungs. He was being lifted above the surface, as if the endobraces had a mind of their own and were saving his life. As he reached the bank, he coughed out some of the water he had allowed in and he opened his eyes to a woman sitting in front of him.

'Raquel,' he whispered.

She bowed her head to him and then looked to the stars above, where the rings shown brighter than usual. She was no longer paying him any attention. Ignoring him, as if she didn't care why he had chosen to let himself drown, why he had been running or why he was crying. Jaden put his head down on the ground in front of her lap. He did not feel up to trying to understand her this night, or how she had come to be in the same place as him at all. The kiss he had seen Alyssa give her new love haunted him. He had not been ready for it. He had expected her to be happy to see him, not to look at him as if she had never met him in her entire life. It was too much. What had he done to deserve it?

'I can't do this anymore. I can't live like this,' he said, and he felt Raquel's warm hands rest on his back, soothing and calming him as he drifted half to sleep.

'Your power grows,' she said, but Jaden did not seem to hear.

'They call me lost,' he said after a few minutes, 'but maybe I am the one that found the way.'

There was no response given by Raquel, and they remained where they were for the rest of the night, with Raquel doing what she could to help heal his wounds.

All eyes at the head of the Waikorian band focused on Alkon as he approached. Hayden, a man equal to Alkon in stature but with short brown hair, once caretaker of the northern district of Waikor, greeted Alkon with a hearty handshake. Both wore wide grins as they acknowledged one another.

'My friend,' said Alkon, 'it is good to see you.' He then nodded to the man next to Hayden, who resembled Hayden a little save that he was shorter. 'I trust negotiations went well?' he asked the man.

'As well as a bottle of Lassahn wine!' replied the man gleefully, picking up a bottle next to him and taking a long drink.

'Isn't that the truth!' agreed Hayden as he picked up his own bottle, took a drink and then offered it to Alkon.

'Who is this man?' asked Yahtai, once caretaker of the eastern district and the thinnest of the group. He had pointed features and short blonde hair and always seemed concerned about something.

'I am General Alkon Zaccarah. Who are you?' asked Alkon mockingly, as if the question were ridiculous.

'I am Yahtai. What are you the general of?'

'Wine!' said Hayden, handing Alkon another bottle.

'You wear the uniform of the Alliance,' said Yahtai.

'He is the perceptive one,' explained Hayden to Alkon in an overly audible whisper, his drunkenness becoming overwhelmingly obvious.

'And this man,' said Yahtai, pointing to the man next to Hayden. 'He joined us just before the Alliance attacked. He is a friend of yours?'

'They are like brothers to me,' said Hayden, putting an arm around each.

'They are from the Alliance, then.'

'Yes,' said Hayden, waving a bottle in front of Yahtai. 'They are. How else do you think we were able to send them packing with their tails between their legs! He got them to stand in front of us like stunned rabbits!' Hayden laughed loudly. 'It was brilliant!'

'I knew you were up to something,' said Yahtai.

'You knew nothing!' Hayden retorted, trying to point his finger at Yahtai's nose unsuccessfully and prodding his cheek instead.

'We still have a decision to make,' interrupted Anthon, once caretaker of the western district and a man with short black hair and dark features.

'Yes,' said Hayden, finally putting down the wine. 'We do. General Alkon Zaccarah, if you would be so kind, please inform us of the Alliance movements once more, so that all present may know.'

'They seek to take Corsec, you would have heard. And they will. They have forces massing on either side of the Quartun Bridge. When the time comes, they will unleash an attack like no other seen. They are weakening in their other strongholds around the world, so this is the most important battle for them. It is an act of desperation. Once the Resistance has fallen at Corsec, they will take absolute control of Phaiross, Cejian and Tiquan, and in time, Aurialis.

'The ocean between Equadon and Phaiross has allowed the eastern nations to be immune to the Alliance threat, but once they have control of Aurialis, that is where they will head. My people and I will be making a stand there, before we make our own attacks to take back the world and rid it of the Alliance for good.'

'Who are your people?' asked Yahtai.

'The Arintians,' said Alkon.

'And that is where we are going!' said Hayden.

'I'm not going there. Why would it be any different?' Yahtai turned to Alkon. 'Do your people possess a greater army stationed with the Resistance at Corsec?'

'Not as yet,' Alkon explained. 'That is why we bide our time. Within the next five years, we hope to be ready. That is why I am requesting your service now. You will be welcomed allies to us, and we hope to reinstate you at Waikor when the Alliance is driven back.'

'I am with you!' said Hayden.

'As am I,' said Anthon.

'That's four votes,' said Hayden.

'I only counted two,' protested Yahtai.

'There was mine, Anthon's and then there was the general's, which counts as two. That's four.'

'He is not part of this council,' said Yahtai.

'What difference does it make?' asked Hayden. 'We're going east. That's the end of it!'

'If there is confusion,' added Alkon, 'it might be wise to allow your people to decide for themselves. I have said all I need to for now. Once I have refuelled, I'm leaving. I will see those of you who choose to come east when you arrive.' He turned to Hayden and the man next to him. 'My friends, I must get there as soon as possible. I am months late already.'

'It was a pleasure,' said Hayden with a final shake of Alkon's hand and quick embrace.

Alkon then shook the other man's hand and bowed to the others before leaving.

'Well, Yahtai,' said Hayden. 'If you are going to be difficult, perhaps we should let the people decide.'

Yahtai considered the offer. 'If it means you will not attempt to persuade us any further, then I accept.'

'Very well,' said Hayden, and he picked up the radio device within his vehicle. 'People of Waikor, we have a decision to make.'

'Hold the button in, you clown!' said Yahtai.

'What? Oh, yes, said Hayden, realising he had not activated the microphone. 'People of Waikor, there are two directions we can now take. There is one you should not, and one you should.'

Yahtai tried to interject at the bias, but was pushed away by Hayden.

'There are those that are going to make a stand with the Resistance at Corsec. This is throwing away your life. Do not choose this one,' continued Hayden, waving away Yahtai, who insisted as loud as he could that it was not true. 'Your other option is to come east to the greatest nations on the planet. This is the good one. Choose it. From there, we will join with our brothers and sisters, and we show the Alliance who the most powerful people are!'

Yahtai's voice soon came over the radio, as he had jumped back to his vehicle and used his own transmitter.

'There is equal risk in either option. I, with others, will make a stand at Corsec with the Resistance. I do not believe for a second that we should allow the Alliance to take control of Aurialis while we run to Equadon. Those of you who wish to come north, please move to the front. Those who wish to go east, remain behind.'

'Yes, all three of you going north come forward now so that I may slap some sense into you,' said Hayden.

'Enough, Hayden,' said Yahtai. 'You know, I almost didn't believe you could become any more of a child. And now I've seen you drink.'

Hayden made a face as he opened and shut his left hand rapidly, as if to mimic Yahtai talking.

'What of the Daijuar?' asked Lendon suddenly.

Both Daijuar had remained quiet, sitting in the outer band of the Waikorian council.

'We are needed in Corsec,' answered Blair.

'We will go east after the battle is lost or won,' said Adonis.

'I will go with you,' said Lendon.

'As will I,' said Yahtai.

'I still choose to follow Hayden,' said Anthon.

'I will go with Hayden and Anthon,' said Owen, head of scientific research at Waikor.

'I will go with the Daijuar,' said Tony, caretaker of the southern district.

'Then that is all there is to it,' said Lendon. 'Good fortune to us all. Our fate will soon be revealed.'

All in the council agreed, and when all who wished to go on to Corsec had moved to the front, they said their final words to one another before they left. Hayden approached Yahtai last.

'You are making a mistake,' he said, 'but I would be lying if I said I have not enjoyed our bouts. Again, sometime?'

'I should hope so,' said Yahtai.

'The Alliance is not to be underestimated. The Resistance has position and numbers, but they do not have the cunning. At Corsec, you are about to fight in the biggest battle of World War IV to date. The Alliance is on its way. Be careful, old friend.'