CROSSROADS

Alex's POV The first scent I noticed was really pungent and distinct smoke. I froze, stood at the ridge with Lena at my side, Finn a few paces ahead, his stance stiff. The hamlet we had battled so valiantly below us was only fire and ashes. Like a stone, my heart dropped. The delicate, laboring breaths of Samantha resounded in the rear of my mind, a continual reminder of the great loss we had already suffered. I could not part from her. Not following all through. Lena said, her voice almost audible, "This cannot be happening." Though the evening air was warm, she encircled herself with her arms. "We were supposed to find help here." Finn did not reply. His face was inscrutable as he merely peered down at the anarchy developing below. Even though he was struggling to make sense of this, someone who always seemed to have an explanation, a plan could find this difficult. "We have to go," I muttered, sounding more sharply than I meant. " Standing here has no use. If we hang around, they will find us. Finn turned at last and looked at me. And where, Alex, do you propose we visit? Every road we have followed has brought us into still another trap. The annoyance that had been seething inside me exploded. Squared my shoulders and moved toward Finn. Then perhaps it's time you quit guiding us into traps, Finn. Though his jaw clenched, he did not waver. You believe this is all my fault? I have been extending your life. Had it not been for me—" "If it weren't for you," I said, "we wouldn't be in this mess to start with." Finn closed his eyes but said nothing. Lena's eyes seemed to be flickering between us, suspense mounting. Though I had wanted to kill Finn for his careless decisions, now was not the time to let wrath color my decisions. Lena softly murmured, "Enough," walking between us. We have no time for this. She knew exactly what I meant. Samantha had little time. I inhaled deeply and backed off, attempting to temper the still-pulsating wrath under the surface. "We have to decide," I replied, staring down the flaming settlement. Do we fight or do we go around? Finn tilted his head. " There is no going around. The Order will have miles of patrols around the region. They are waiting for us to go on a trip. "We fight, then," Lena murmured, her hands shaking but her voice calm. I glanced at her, trying to find out if she really knew what she was proposing. One did not make a choice to challenge the Order lightly. They were obsessive, merciless and relentless, not simply soldiers. And we were worn out with doubt and grief. But Lena had undergone a change. She seemed to be looking for this. She was not the same person she had been before to all of this beginning. None of us were like that. Her will was evident, but so was the anxiety. The type of anxiety one experiences when realizing there is no reversing back-off. We are not ready, I answered softly. Not unlike this. Finn said, his voice dark: "We will never be ready." That does not mean, however, that we have no options. I tightened my hands and fixed my gaze at the dancing flames. A voice in the back of my head said Finn was right. He had a point even if I loathed him for what he had done—for the falsehoods and betrayals. Whether or not we wanted it, the battle was upon us. Lena, staring directly at me, replied, "I don't like it either. "But they will just keep hunting us if we do nothing now." Her remarks really strike deep. I turned back to Samantha, her pallid face almost discernible in the low illumination. I had been keeping on this long because of her. I had to continue for her as well. Now, however, there was more involved. I was battling for Samantha no longer only. I was battling for all of us—for whatever slabs of hope remained. "I will take point," I responded, my voice quiet but forceful. We struck them hard and quick. There is no doubt. Finn nodded, but I sensed he was dubious of the concept. We have to remain close. Nobody sets off on their own. Lena stepped closer to me, her eyes looking about. "We are capable of this, Alex. jointly. The air heavy with expectation, the trip down to the village was strained. Every stride seemed like it might be our last, and the stench of burning wood and burned ground choked any possibility of a clear escape. We stayed as quiet as we could, following the shadows over the alleyways. Though they were everywhere, the warriors of the Order had not yet noticed us. For now, we had an edge. I looked at Lena, moving with a gentle elegance, her eyes keen and attentive. She now had changed. She was free of the uncertainty that had dogged her once. Her now was clearly driven, the flames developing since this dream started ablaze. Finn told us to halt when we were at the outskirts of the settlement. He gestured toward a big stone construction in the middle, blackened and burned by the flames. "That's where they're keeping their supplies," he said quietly. "We weaken their operation here if we can destroy it." It sounded like a smart idea. Hazardous yet worthwhile. The Order would be obliged to withdraw, at least temporarily, without their supplies. It would get us some time. Let's move, I murmured, indicating to Finn. Still, keep sharp. One error and we are done. The attack happened much too quickly to really understand. We broke out and one by one removed guards while surrounding the structure. It was effective, quiet, and brutal. It seemed like we were in charge for the first time in many days. With my knife tightly in grasp, I slithered over the night. Lena, fast and silent, Finn with a trained accuracy, and the others could all be heard moving through the darkness. It seemed nearly simple, as the Order had become negligent. But something went awry right as I arrived at the gate of the supply depot. Sharp and terrified, a scream tore across the evening. As I understood Lena had been the source, my blood ran cold. My heart thumping in my chest, I shot for the sound without thinking. She was in an alley, one of the Order's troops pinning her against the wall with one of his hands around her throat. Her wide-open terrified eyes locked with mine, something inside me broke. I didn't consider it. I just behaved. I was on him, my knife falling into his side before the soldier could respond. He gasped, his hand releasing, and I pulled Lena free. She stammered, then corrected herself; her eyes were both afraid and grateful. "You good?," My voice was sharp with excitement, I asked. She nodded, but she was disturbed. " Thanks." Before we heard footsteps—heavy, quick, and squarely directed at us—I had no time to say anything more. Lena said, her voice shaking: "They know we're here." "What are we supposed to do?" I surveyed our choices from here. Though we could fight, we were outnumbered. The supply depot was so near; eliminating it may yet help us to turn things around. Should we stay, though, we might not survive. "Alex?," Lena's words dragged me back to that instant. I decided. We finish this, I murmured, tightening my knife. "Whatever." Lena's eyes became wide, but she nodded—her anxiety melting into will. Ready for whatever happened next, we turned toward the incoming troops together. There was this. Crossroads. Now turning back was not possible.