#us66

“Don’t you think if we were in any real trouble, I’d tell you?” Najia hissed.

“I think we are in trouble,” Sebastian said forcefully. “He won’t rest until he gets his hands on that sword, which is somewhere here in the valley. Which means he will destroy us all to find it.”

“He won’t come near the valley,” Najia muttered.

“And what makes you so sure of that?”

Najia bit her lower lip. What was she supposed to tell them? That Nox thought Najia would just bring the sword to him? That maybe that’s exactly what would happen? That Rasmodius had the sword, and that it could potentially save them? And doing so would mean bringing it right to Nox, just as he wanted. She couldn’t tell them that. She couldn’t tell them that someone would be expected to take the sword and face off with the big shadow boss. She couldn’t tell them that whoever did it would likely die in the process. A sacrifice to save their world.

“He said so himself,” Najia said quietly.

“And you just trust him?” Sebastian said. Then, accusingly, “You’re hiding something.”

“The Sword of Light could end this war and save the world,” Najia said. “But it’s not just any old sword. It can only be used to defeat Nox. He holds the Obsidian Sword, which could just as easily end the war, making them the victors.”

“How do you know this?”

Najia hesitated. “Rasmodius has the sword.”

“So,” Maru began. “Someone has to take the sword and kill Nox with it?”

Najia shrugged. “Something like that.”

“Then what the hell are we waiting for?” Sebastian said. “We should kill him and get it over with.”

“It’s not that simple,” Najia said.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “It never is, is it?”

Najia ignored him. “Rasmodius has been working on the sword for some time, infusing it with a magic that will help end the war. It isn’t ready yet, and Rasmodius can’t work on the sword and help defend the valley.”

“So, we have to wait until its ready?”

Najia just nodded.

“How much longer do we have to wait?” Marlon asked.

“I don’t know,” Najia said, hesitant. “Hopefully not much longer.”

*****

Najia made her way down the dirt road towards the farm. It would be some time before Maru had any information for them, if any at all, and she didn’t quite feel up to socializing. But, much to her dismay, she would not find the farm to be empty.

Jas and Vincent played happily in the snow as Penny, Sam, and Shane looked on. Lewis and John chatted casually among themselves, flasks in hand, as they stood outside the cabin. They were the first to notice Najia just at the end of the road, and they smiled to her warmly.

“Looks like you made it back in one piece,” John said.

His voice brought the attention of Penny, Sam, and Shane, each turning to see Najia, now at her grandfather’s side. She avoided their gaze.

“How’d it go, then?” John pressed.

“Fine,” Najia said simply. “Maru got her drones and Sebastian brought his motorcycle.”

John raised a curious eyebrow. “In the dead of winter?”

Najia shrugged. “He really wanted his bike back.” She forced a smile.

“What about those drones?” Lewis asked.

“Maru had one scanning the surface, I guess. She’s waiting for a charge on her laptop before she can see the results.”

“She’s a smart one, that girl,” Lewis said.

“No problems, then?” John asked. “I thought for sure you’d have some trouble in the city.”

Najia hesitated. It was no use keeping anything from them. They were bound to find out from Marlon and Gil, or even Sebastian.

“Just a little,” she said softly. She avoided her grandfather’s gaze and moved her eyes to the three adults, but their attention was back on the children playing in the snow. Even Shane did not seem interested in her return.

“Shadow People?” John asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah,” she said. “Nox. Their leader.”

John held his gaze on his granddaughter. “And?”

Najia pinched her lips together as she met his gaze. “And, what? He wants the sword, just like everyone else does.”

“So,” John started, “should we be expecting a visit from him soon?”

“He won’t come here,” Najia said.

John was quiet for a moment before turning away from her. “Alright,” he said simply. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and cleared his throat. “Looks like you get to live another day,” he called to Shane.