Ethan stared dumbfounded at Sylva’s outstretched hand. Asking him to join her, after what she’d done? But he also wondered whether it really was that crazy. The Tribunal had essentially confirmed her story, albeit with some rationales on their part. He wasn’t sure what to believe.

  The door opened behind Ethan, and he spun around, his instinct pushing him into a battle stance. Standing in the open doorway was Tom, the Flameblade clutched tightly in his grip; the metal engulfed in fire. Even with Tom’s face hidden behind the helmet, Ethan could still sense the seething rage that practically emanated off his teammate.

  Tom pointed at Sylva. “You are so fucking dead.”

  Sylva pulled the mask up over her mouth, then reached behind her back and drew the twin crescent blades. “We’ve done this dance once before, little toy soldier. It took all five of you to defeat me, and even then, it was because I wanted to be. What makes you think you will prevail now?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna try.”

  “Tom, wait,” said Ethan, holding up his hand as he stood between the pair. “There’s a lot more going on here than you realize.”

  Tom wouldn’t listen. He crouched, then sprung into the air, flipping right over Ethan’s head. In his descent, he brought the Flameblade down, but Sylva met his strike by hooking his sword between her twin crescent blades. She locked his weapon in her own grip, then tore it from his hands.

  Sylva moved from defense to offense, her crescent blades whizzing through the air. Tom used his gauntlets to deflect her strikes, sparks flying with every single blow. She almost got him down, but Tom blocked, then thrust forward to break her stance.

  He flipped over her as she stumbled back, then kicked her right in the center of her spine. Sylva tumbled forward, but skidded to a stop and turned. She hurled both her blades at him. Tom dodged each of them, but they came around again. Ethan watched as Sylva apparently controlled their flight path, spinning and whipping them so fast around the room that he had trouble keeping up.

  He wasn’t alone. Tom also struggled to track them. So engrossed in the swords, Sylva’s attack caught him completely off guard. She sprung into him, tackling him to the floor. Her strength proved greater than her slim frame suggested.

  Sylva had Tom pinned beneath her, and she battered his helmet-clad head with her small fists. Ethan watched, paralyzed. He wanted to do something, but he couldn’t move. Should he even try to intervene? At that moment, he still tried to process what the Tribunal had said.

  One of Sylva’s hands went straight up, and a crescent blade flew into her waiting palm. She gripped it and brought it down.

  The diamond in the center of Tom’s helmet let off a bright, crimson light. Sylva recoiled, blinded by the sudden influx of light. He pushed her off and rolled across the ground. Tom retrieved the Flameblade. As he rose to a fighting stance, he brought the sword with him, now ready to fight again.

  Sylva summoned the second crescent sword. She slammed the hilts together, and they fused into one, double-bladed weapon. Tom twirled the Flameblade, a fiery trail following his movements. He slashed through the air, and a wave of fire extended off the blade, slicing its way toward Sylva. But she managed to spin her own weapon, and the gust she created caused the flaming sickle to dissipate.

  If they keep this up, they’ll kill each other, Ethan thought. He glanced across the room at his Aquatrident, still in the spot where Sylva had tossed it. Ethan rushed for it. once he got his hands on the weapon, he raised it up, and slammed it into the floor.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Twin columns of water descended around both Sylva and Tom, temporarily holding them at bay. Tom turned in his makeshift prison to face Ethan.

  “The hell’s the matter with you?”

  “You didn’t hear what she told me before,” said Ethan. “The Quantum Group isn’t what we’d been told.”

  “Like I give a shit what lies she had to say,” said Tom. “Are you really going to believe some interdimensional psychopath?”

  “That’s just it, Tom. I’m not so sure she is psycho,” said Ethan. “You weren’t here a few minutes ago. You didn’t listen to what the Tribunal said. And before we push things too far, we have to figure out just what’s going on.”

  Tom held the Flameblade in front of him, both hands gripping the hilt. Heat energy radiated off the flaming metal, and the watery prisons Ethan had formed evaporated into mist. Tom tossed Ethan a glare, then swung his sword back at Sylva.

  “Tom, stop!”

  Ethan moved faster than he ever thought possible, putting himself between the two. He brought his trident up, holding it at both ends of the long staff. Tom’s sword struck the green metal.

  “I’m not gonna let you kill her, not until we have all the facts,” said Ethan.

  “What is this, she have you under some kind of mind control?” asked Tom.

  Ethan shook his head. “No, nothing like that. I just know that there’s more going on here. You have to trust me on this.”

  “Your sympathy is very touching, Ethan,” said Sylva. “Time is not our friend, I’m afraid. Perhaps at some point, you will have another chance to consider my offer.”

  Tom stared at Sylva, then turned his head to Ethan. Even with the helmet concealing his features, Ethan could still feel the judgmental nature of Tom’s stare.

  “What the hell is she talking about? What offer?”

  “She asked me to join her, but it’s not—”

  Tom didn’t wait for Ethan to finish. He pulled his sword from the trident and thrusted it toward Ethan’s chest. Ethan could barely react in time to deflect that blow, too. He summoned his helmet back on, the nanites closing in over his head.

  “The Obsidian Dreadnought awaits. Another time, Ethan,” said Sylva before vanishing from the room.

  “You happy now? You helped her escape,” said Tom. “How long have you been working with her? Was it before or after we took her prisoner?”

  “You’re paranoid. I’m not working with her, I just know there’s more going on here than we realize.”

  “Liar!”

  Tom leaped into the air, then brought the Flameblade crashing down. Ethan back-flipped a few times to avoid the strike. Once he landed on his feet, Tom had crossed the distance, his sword a flurry of red and orange. Defending himself, Ethan tried to counter Tom’s strikes, but the red Omega Knight proved too fast. His rage fueled his adrenaline, and Ethan didn’t know what, if anything, he could say to get Tom to let up.

  Ethan slammed the Aquatrident on the floor and a sudden wave of water appeared out of the ether, then crashed on top of Tom. The force of the water separated the two, with Tom rolling on the ground. The fire surrounding the Flameblade had been extinguished, and steam rose off the metal. Tom got back to his feet, holding the sword down by his side.

  “Are you ready to cool off and listen?” asked Ethan.

  “Marcus is dead,” said Tom.

  Ethan gasped. Marcus’s injuries were severe, he knew that much. But with Tom there, Ethan figured he was in good hands. That he could survive. Or maybe Ethan had just told himself that out of misplaced optimism. While still trying to process his shock, the word “What?” slipped out of his mouth.

  “You heard me.” Tom pointed an accusatory finger. “And you just helped his killer escape.”

  Before he could form a coherent response to what he’d just heard, Ethan had to get on defense again. Tom rushed him again. This time, Ethan’s reactions were too slow. Tom’s sword scraped across Ethan’s chest, the metal sparking against the armor. Tom followed up the slash with a roundhouse kick to Ethan’s head, and he went flying.

  Ethan hit the wall. He lost all sense of position, and his vision shook. After a moment, he realized he was on the floor, and tried to get back up. But another blow to his head brought him right back down. He couldn’t see where the attack had come from, but he knew it had to be Tom. Blows rained down on Ethan’s head, and he couldn’t even raise his arms up to defend himself. He wondered how long the helmet’s integrity could stand up to the force of a fellow Knight.

  Fortunately, he didn’t have to find out. Relief came almost as quickly as the strikes did. Ethan felt hands on his body, helping him stand. He retracted his helmet, and he looked to his side to see Olivia helping him stand.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  He took a breath and nodded, though he didn’t feel the least bit okay. “Where’s—”

  Ethan answered his own question when he looked away from Olivia and saw Tom being restrained by Alexa and Rachel. He finally relented, and they let him go. Rachel stepped in the middle, her helmet retracting.

  “Now that we’ve separated you two, who’s gonna tell me what the hell happened?”