BOOK 1 - CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 21

The Voyager rumbled through the rough savannah terrain. There was nothing in his path save the occasional brush, a canopy tree doing its best to grow underneath the harsh red sun’s glare and the sprightly horned rabbit poking its head out to investigate the disruption that was the Voyager.

Johnny paid little mind to them or even the road. His hands were firm on the wheel, but he was one with Albert and trusted his co-pilot to avoid any mishaps that could come about from his enamored curiosity with the cyborg dragon that flew several feet ahead of them.

It had flown without rest for the two hours since they’d started the journey to the Alliance HQ, at first flying farther ahead than Johnny could catch up without pushing the Voyager into its top speeds— that wasn’t needed here though, as much as he wanted to race against the cyborg dragon Julia had mentioned it served as a scout for them, a borrowed minion from the Warden Qin who he’d spent less than an hour with when they met.

“How does it work?”

“Huh?” Margaret snorted awake from her partial sleep.

“Qin's dragon helper?” Julia asked beside him, eying him with a knowing look, “I wondered when you were going to say what was on your mind. You’ve been staring a hole into it.”

Johnny’s cheek heated with a blush, “Yeahhh, it's just…it looks really damn cool when it's not shooting arrows at me or watching me sleep. Does it get tired?”

Margaret yawned loudly, an act that instantly forced Julia and Johnny to mirror slightly, the contrasting heat of the outside with the cool air conditioning of the Voyager made for a comfortable, sleep-willing atmosphere. Johnny wasn’t even sure why he was driving; he was the most exhausted out of the three of them after Margaret’s last test. He hadn’t gotten a chance to drink or sleep before bucking off towards the Alliance HQ, plus he could always have Albert autopilot.

“Of course it gets tired, it’s not a robot, it's a cyborg. There’s just enough dragon in there to feel exhaustion the same as we do.” His Demonic instructor said.

Julia rested her head against the window, shrugging as she hummed in disagreement, “Yes, just enough, but I think dragons already have a ridiculous amount of stamina, Qin often sends it all over Nsukka, leaving it flying in the air for days without ever having to set foot on the ground or stop to drink or eat. It could go on for a long time, I think.”

“Really? When was this?” Margaret asked, sounding genuinely surprised and curious.

Julia looked back at her incredulously, “Just three years ago now, how can you forget? Haven’s Point and the surrounding cities were being besieged back then, we had to coordinate around all of Nsukka because—”

“Ahhh, because Rift Eaters kept trying to fool us about their main target. Right, I remember now.” Margaret said, shaking her head with a wistful smile on her pitch-black lips. “If it weren’t for Qin and her helpers, we’d have been made a fool of tenfold.”

Julia shared the same smile, it never reached their eyes though and Julia’s seemed to glaze over as her mood dampened, “Yeah, well, Haven’s Point still fell, the Devouring Darkness won.”

“The battle maybe, but the war is far from won.” Margaret said, trying her best to sound motivated. It wasn’t working.

Johnny cleared his throat, his eyes shifting from the savannah vista to the saddened Wardens seated with him. He felt the need to say something, to lift their spirits and to an extent his— he was the one that brought up this saddening line of thought in the first place after all.

“Yeah, Margaret’s right. Once I learn how to control my Radiant abilities, we’ll turn the tide of battle.” He said, a forced and sheepish grin stretched across his face.

His antics managed to score a cheered scoff from Julia but nothing more as she fell silent, seemingly content to watch the landscape roll by. Margaret too said nothing, falling back against her seat, finding a comfortable position with her wings spread across.

The silence stretched for a couple seconds before Johnny decided he couldn’t stand it. “Hey, Julia,” He began, glancing at Julia, “when did you join the Alliance? I already know Margaret’s been here since…forever.”

He blinked at his own words, tossing a glance at the Demonic Lady through his rearview mirror. “Didn’t stop to think about it until now, you must be pretty old huh, Margaret.”

The Demon Warden caught his stare in the mirror and glared.

“Same time as most people,” Julia replied, her voice still distant despite the conversation. “When a world gets consumed…”

She fell silent, clearly not in the mood to delve any further in her emotions or the past behind them.

“Sorry. I just…wanted to get to know you better. Have a conversation, you know?” Johnny said, gulping. He’d managed to make things even worse somehow, “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, in fact, I’m shutting up right now.” He smacked the steering and nodded, smacking his lips shut.

“Don’t worry about her, Johnny,” Margaret interjected before Julia could offer a response. “Some people are willing to talk about what they’ve survived, what they’ve passed through. Others…would much rather forget. You said you were a warrior, yes?”

Johnny nodded at her reflection in the rearview and she continued, folding her arms, “Then you should understand. Julia will open up when she’s ready.”

Yeah, I’m the one who has nightmares from a war decades ago. I can’t imagine what she’s passing through now. Her war hasn’t ended.

He felt like an idiot for trying to pry just to soothe his own discomfort. If it wouldn’t make things already more awkward than they were he’d smack his head against the steering wheel for being such a bumbling fool.

Silence reigned for a moment, barely a minute before Margaret spoke up again, a mischievous smirk gracing her lips as she leaned over from the back to bug Julia. She gave her a playful smack on the back of the head and as Julia began to growl, she said, “Some conversation isn’t a bad idea you know, how about you tell him about the others?”

“You’re a handful, you know that?” Julia sighed, arms crossed.

“That’s why you love me.” Margaret chuckled, “Besides, someone’s got to keep the mood from getting too grim or too boring, I think I’ve gotten my fair share of sleep and there’s nothing interesting enough to even play I Spy out on these barren lands.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “Fine. Who do you want to hear about first? I’ll give you the short version, but I’d rather they tell you their own stories.”

Johnny felt his guilt and shame lighten up a bit, he smiled at Julia’s pouty face, she kept her story to herself and that was fine. But he was glad she was at least still willing to engage with him.

He hummed in thought at her question. He would have chosen Qin to ask about a moment ago but he’d already learned a bit soo… “I’ve heard the name Chloe a few times.” He said, glancing over to watch her reaction; she was listening. “We know she went looking for Brandon. Hope he didn’t do anything stupid, he can be a real maniac when he wants to.”

Julia chuckled lightly. “You’re the Radiant’s Champion and there’s only ever one per planet. Your Brandon will have more trouble than he can chew with Chloe, she’s a force in her own right.” Her eyes flickered to the rearview, catching Margaret in them as she spoke. “You know how Chloe is.”

Margaret nodded with an affirming grunt. “Uh-huh, she’s even worse when you pair her with Lisa.”

Johnny raised a brow as Julia outright burst out laughing, “Yes, yes she is. They’re not still keeping up that rivalry of theirs are they?” she turned in her seat to face Margaret who only offered a cheeky smirk as response. “Oh, Blessed Radiant, those two.”

Margaret chortled. “Oh, don’t be dramatic, their rivalry is good. I always encourage a healthy rivalry wherever possible.”

Julia rolled her eyes at the Demonic Warden. “Is that why you’re always trying to start fights?”

“Ehhh, kind of but that’s different. A Warden battle royale is something I long to see.”

Johnny couldn’t help but laugh at the blood lusted Warden’s antics. It seems no one was an exception to her harsh manners of training and fighting.

“See? Johnny gets it.” She said— he didn’t. “Besides, the rivalry works perfectly for those two. When it's time for them to work together you know they get the job done.”

Julia snorted, a large smile on her face as she faced forward once again, shaking her head all the while. She had no response to that and thus Johnny thought it must be true. Julia folded her arms and sighed, “When we found them, they were all the other had. It was a war-torn outpost world. Chloe had been left for dead after trying to protect civilians when it all broke loose…”

There was a faraway look on her perfect features as she recounted the memories, “Lisa hid her, keeping them both alive until the Alliance arrived. They were in terrible shape and Chloe…despite her efforts to hold the peace between her warring people was branded a traitor and exiled.”

Johnny’s breath hitched at the word. How, why? He couldn’t imagine anyone of the Alliance’s Wardens being a traitor and that went for Margaret the Demoness as well. Julia caught his reaction and chuckled, “The Universe is a cruel place, Johnny Victoris. But Lisa didn’t care, even when our own people struggled to trust Chloe, Lisa…she refused to let her die. She believed Chloe’s side of the political mess and so, we did what we could do.”

Margaret sighed deeply in the back seat, it wasn’t a pleasant ending it seemed. “Which wasn’t much. The Rift Essence had corrupted Chloe…badly.”

Julia nodded solemnly. “Lisa’s people are extremely advanced in cybernetic technology. Thanks to them, we saved Chloe’s life and gained one of the most valuable assets in the Alliance, a fellow Warden.”

“Damn,” Johnny murmured. “That’s one hell of a story. So, what’s Chloe like now?”

“She used to be an imperial diplomat. Comes from a noble bloodline of pure Convars—”

The jeep lurched as Johnny slammed the brakes. Margaret and Julia jolted forward in their seats. “Hey, what’s the bi—!”

“She’s a what?” Johnny snapped. “A Convar?!”

Julia’s face dropped. She sat up instantly, her hand reaching out to Johnny, “She isn’t like those who invaded your world, Johnny. Chloe would die for you, for the cause of the Radiant. She’s not like them.”

Johnny had trouble believing that. Her story was touching, he had observed something similar on earth thanks to their invasion and though things had begun to settle down between the human and Convar species…there were too many memories left for it all to be fair and fun.

Especially when she’s out here, the chances that she’s one of them…it’s likely. The Convar higher ups.