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‘I think I’ll figure so else out’

He looks surprised at my squeamishness ‘Scared of fresh kill? You have to eat if you want to get your strength up I don’t knohy, but our healing stones don’t do jack shit for your pain And, you know, this sickness thing of yours is a real drag Tiot to get out of here’

I knoeak my body is by how tired I feel as alk We’re only a couple hundred yards from our ramshackle house and I’m exhausted already I want so badly to be back there, sleeping But I knoon’t feel noret off my butt and move

‘Hey Nine, let me tell you about this dream I just had,’ I say

He snorts ‘A dreairls That you can tell me all about; in detail’

‘I saw Setrákus Ra I talked to hi ‘He offered me a deal’

‘Oh, yeah? What kind of deal?’

‘If I go back to him and face hi Saadorians don’t make deals At least, they don’tup their end of the bargain And they don’t showhiet Sam out’

Nine turns to me, his face a mask of disinterest ‘Hate to break it to you, dude, but Sas don’t care about us, and they don’t care about huot all scared and felt the need to bore me with it But even if you did channel Setrákus Ra, that kind of offer is obviously a trap and you’ll die walking into it In fact, you’ll die going within ten uarantee it’ He spins around and walks away fro up inside of th I haven’t felt in days ‘And the drea hi onto it! I’ to just sit around here and let it continue to happen’

He laughs again, but this ti, but definitely entle ‘Listen, Four You’re too weak to even run in place, never alaxy I know it sounds heartless, dude, but Sam is hu your tiy It’s not like you have an unlimited supply of either’

The Luht up I’ the glow is a sign the effects of the blue force field are wearing off ‘Look Saet that and keep your opinions about y to yourself, okay?’

‘No, you look,’ says Nine His voice sounds flat ‘This isn’t playtime We’re at war, dude: war And you can’t s for Sam, if it makes everyone else less safe I will not let you abandon the rest of us to face Setrákus Ra, just for Sa to wait until you feel better, whenever the hell that is, and then we’re going to meet up with the others and train until we’re ready If you don’t like it, then you’ll have to fight ht, so, really, bring it on I could use the practice’

He lifts his hand and aih the trees A second later I hear a quick yelp

‘Got it’ Nine s skills I follow hiive up

‘Isn’t there anyone you would die for? Anyone you’d risk your life to help?’

‘I’ me with a stare that makes me listen ‘I’ll die for Lorien and anyone who’s Loric And if I die, and that’s a big "if," I plan on doing it with two Mog heads smashed betweenforward to feeling your sy so naïve and think about more than yourself already’

His words hit ree with hiain I don’t know if it’s Nine’s arrogance or the urgency of the vision I just had or the fresh air and the walking, butfor the first time in days

‘Sam saved my ass more than once, and his dad was there to meet our ship e landed on Earth His dad may have even died for us, for Lorien You owe it to both of theo back to the cave with me Today’

‘Not a chance’

I step towards hiainst a tree I pullat hi behind us Nine turns towards the noise I flattenmy palms to be ready to blind whoever it is with th is truly back

Nine looks over at o find whoever’s tracking us and kill them before they kill us’

I nod, and we step forward The noise ca excellent cover If it were up to , but not Nine He’s wearing a strange little smile as we es The pines rustle again, and one of the lower branchessword Instead, the ses

‘Bernie Kosar,’ I say, relieved ‘Good to see you, buddy’