Chapter 62

When they got into the main dining area, their entire team was sitting and having breakfast, and from their expressions, they already knew what was going to happen. They all looked slightly depressed by the situation.

Adrian went and sat at the head of the table. Almost immediately, a mug was delivered to him. “What?” He mouthed at Jillian who had placed it down.

“Hot chocolate.”

Adrian shrugged. After the dismal weather, it was actually welcome. He took a sip, a rich chocolate that coated his tongue. Not quite as warming as he liked, but pretty good. “Don’t get down.”

Charlotte smiled sadly at him. Felicity and Joanne refused to make eye contact.

“We always knew we might not complete the journey,” Adrian started, addressing all of them.

“It’s bullshit,” Galan spat out angrily. “We’ve come so far.”

“My little boy,” Omala said.

Adrian’s eyes snapped to the girl. When she had said family, he had not realised it was for her kid. She was young to have a child, but not ridiculously so. He knew how he felt and his kids were all older. “The world’s unfair.”

“If there is a way for me…” Omala started.

“There’s not,” Jules interrupted gently. “We’re sorry.”

“I’m sure the Bendigo situation will eventually be taken care of,” Adrian said. “And then we’ll open transport caravans and you’ll be able to travel to Melbourne safely. Jules and I will make sure of it.”

Omala looked frustrated. “We got so far.”

“Andrew died,” Galan said. “And for nothing.”

“He died saving the fucken world,” Jules exploded.

Galan raised his hands defensively. “You know what I…”

Jules’s eyes blazed. She stood. “No, you will not dishonour him like that.”

“Jules!” Adrian warned while standing and grabbing her arm. Galan had sunk back into his chair under her fury and he could understand why. She was scary when she got worked up. “This is no one’s fault. The echidna is too strong.”

“How are you going to do it?” Omala asked.

Adrian took a deep breath, knowing how ridiculous this was going to sound. “We’re going to bait the echidna and then run through. Charlotte and Jules are the only two with the speed to make the run in time.”

“I must be close,” Galan said.

Kiyoko spoke while walking into the room, surprising everyone but Adrian who had been tracking her movements. “You are, but close is not good enough.”

“I’ll buy some transport magic.”

Kiyoko shook her head. “There’s nothing you can afford.”

“Adrian can lend me the energy.”

“Even if you meet the minimum, I would advise against Adrian accepting you.”

“Why!”

“Combat, power, strength, because that’s what the model says.” She shrugged. “I don’t have the answers but even if he lends you a million energy, you’re still a liability to him.”

“Do you believe this?” Galan said turning his attention to Adrian.

“I do.”

“I don’t.” Galan hit the table.

Adrian caught Kiyoko’s eye. “Are you bullshitting.”

The oracle shook her head sadly. “Unfortunately, no, I couldn’t find a combination that worked, and I tried all night while you guys were partying.”

Jules’s fists were lashing for his head.

He swayed in surprise. “What the?”

“Just testing,” she said, laughing. Everyone was looking at her and the tension was broken.

Kiyoko rolled her eyes. “Children!”

Adrian realised he was the centre of attention. “I’m very sorry you guys can’t come with us. I wish the echidna was weaker but I also wish the Alpha event never happened.”

“So am I,” Kiyoko agreed with a tired voice. “I searched for alternatives, but apart from Bendigo there’s nothing.”

“Well, why don’t we…” Galan suggested.

“Because, while I don’t have any direct information on the Bendigo situation, I hear the general warnings. It’s an absolute no.”

The young ranger did not look cowered, but Adrian got a sense that Galan had given up, and was seeking options to support Omala. “Our quest ends just like that?”

“For you? Yes.” Kiyoko responded mercilessly. “I think Charlotte is the only one who still has a decision to make.” Charlotte looked like a deer caught in headlights. “You can always visit Melbourne. Once we have gotten through once, getting back should be easier.”

Mentally, Adrian reviewed the plan they had put in place. There was no way she could go back by the same route, let alone have it be easier. Kiyoko was lying through her teeth.

The oracle smiled. “You want to see your brother don’t you.”

Charlotte gulped and Adrian realised that although she knew it meant leaving Mike she was seriously considering coming.

“You increase the chance of Adrian getting through.”

“Babes, don’t,” Mike pleaded, and everyone fell silent. “Don’t abandon me.”

Charlotte looked at the man next to her, then at them and finally shook her head. “I can’t,” the young woman said finally. “It’s too abrupt.”

Kiyoko just smiled a false smile. Adrian knew she had been hoping to convince Charlotte to come, and this approach had been calculated to have the most chance. It had almost worked, but in the end, they had all known that it was a long shot. “Everyone. Please write a letter and details of your loved ones and I’m sure Adrian and Jules will organise them to be delivered. You have five minutes.”

Ma was abruptly at the table with paper on clipboards and pencils. She handed them out to everyone and then produced another bag of letters. “I’m not asking you to deliver them, but if you take them to Melbourne, maybe, they’ll be some form of organisation dedicated to bringing loved ones back together, and if there is…” She held out the bag hopefully.

“I’ll do that,” Adrian said, and relief flooded across Ma’s face. While the rest started scribbling, Adrian looked around. He did not mind being volunteered to deliver the letters at all. He would have offered to do the same without hesitation. One thing bothered him. “Why five minutes? I thought you wanted us to go straight after sunset?”

“We need to find the best location for the first part of the plan,” Kiyoko told him.

Adrian nodded at that explanation. Of course, that was it. He wanted to smack his head for asking such a silly question.

It was time. Numbly, he collected each letter and hugged all of them. Mike got a firm handshake and Charlotte a huge hug. She may have had an awkward crush at one point, and he may have made a mistake at the spur of the moment that betrayed her trust, but their bond was stronger than those moments. She was the closest out of everyone excluding Jules from being family.

She had stood next to him at the funeral pyres and vice versa. When he needed comfort, even if he did not realise it at the time, she had provided it. “We’ll see each other again,” he promised.

“Of course.” There were tears in her eyes.

With a swallow, he turned and gave Omala another massive hug. “I’ll find your son and then when things settle we’ll find you and get you reunited.”

Tears were flooding down her face. “I believe you.”

She pulled away. Next to him, Charlotte was crying as she hugged Jules. The berserker cried, too. They supported each other. Kiyoko said nothing, and Adrian stood awkwardly.

They were whispering. With a flick of his Mind, he encased them in a privacy bubble. Kiyoko raised an eyebrow, but no one else said anything. The technique he used masked sound content but not the physical noise. They could still hear them speaking but the words came through jumbled. The sound waves were distorted not eliminated.

Finally, the two separated.

“Let’s go,” Kiyoko said finally. “We have a lot of scouting to do. Jules, you can ride behind me and Adrian can fly.”

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