KALMAT LEADS ME TO THE REST OF THE KEEPERS OF THE GROVE.

He brings me and Nindran to a meeting room before leaving us behind to get everyone else. Even here, I can feel the tremors from outside. The walls shake as muffled explosions boom in the distance, coming from all directions, some louder than others. As much as I want to join the fighting and eradicate these Zombies from Utana, I am too depleted to do that right now.

So I rest. But I do not remain idle. I watch as the rest of the Keepers of the Grove funnel into the room, brought by Kalmat. Nelrel, Beihal, Seiled, Herder, and a few other Elementalists join him, while Nindran is still with me at my side and clinging onto my arm.

“Where is Keshiy?” I ask with a raised brow. I do not see the orange-haired woman in the room. For a moment, I fear the worst. But Kalmat reassures me.

“She is helping with the city’s defenses,” he says, shaking his head. “She just swapped out with Beihal. He had been on guard-duty all day.”

I glance over at the burly man who slumps over a chair, still sweating. I nod slowly. “I see. And you are certain she will be fine?”

Seiled pipes up for Kalmat, “Of course she will! She’s Keshiy! Come on, Tian. You know how she is.” The boy grins at me before leaning forward. “She’s almost as tough as you. Seriously, how’d you manage to close that dimensional portal?”

I shrug at him before patting him on the head. “The same way I would open up, but in reverse. However, it is not a permanent fix. We still need to deal with the source of the problem.”

“And what is it?” Herder asks, confused. He has not been present in too many of our meetings, so he is not as caught up as the rest.

“Idu,” I reply as I wag a finger. “We need to deal with Idu. The leader of the Void Pirates.”

The room grows silent for a moment. I scan the dour faces. No one has any suggestions, nor do they have any input. It is quiet, and I am the only one with something to say.

“I have seen him,” I speak simply.

“Idu?” Seiled blinks. “You’ve seen Idu, Tian?”

I nod back at the boy. “I have. When I was closing the portal. I saw his face. I saw his army of Void Pirates. And I must tell you, he is nothing like Galgom.”

Kalmat frowns, and Beihal furrows his brows.

“By that, do you mean he’s…?” the burly man asks as he straightens.

I close my eyes. I remember the small world, teeming with mechanical and alien life. It is a ship, yet it is not one either. It can hold hundreds of Galgom’s Hives within it, and he has far more weapons of war that can end worlds ready in his arsenal. He is—

“What I mean, Beihal, is that he is a thousand times more dangerous than Galgom ever was.”

I let my words sink in. Beihal blinks. Kalmat himself shifts back. Seiled’s jaw drops. Then a susurration breaks out as heads turn to each other. Even Nindran breaks away from me with wide eyes.

“Are you sure, Tian?” She stares at me in shock.

I glance up as the ceiling trembles from a nearby explosion. The chatter slowly fades away, and I turn back to face the room.

“I am certain,” I say, explaining what I saw. “Idu is a being made of metal. Just like the Esh, just like the En. Except, he is intelligent. Sophont. And his army of Void Pirates is nigh-endless.

“This Horde of Zombies is the least of our worries. Idu intends to win through attrition. He will keep sending out armies of enslaved worlds after us. Even if we win now, the war is not over. It will not be over until he gets what he wants— until he gets the Pishtim. We need to find a way to stop him before that happens.”

“So he’s after the Pishtim too, huh?” Kalmat ponders over this for a moment.

He rubs his chin, in thought as Seiled and Beihal exchange a glance. Herder gulps, and Nelrel closes her eyes. Finally, the leader of the Keepers of the Grove speaks.

“Nelrel,” he says, facing the elderly lady. “Has Galgom told you anything else about Idu since we last spoke to him?”

“He will not help us.” Nelrel cracks a single eye open. “He claims that it’s already too late. He says we should’ve accepted his help when he came to save us.”

Nindran grits her teeth. “That bastard. We’re on the same side and he… I really oughta—”

But I stop her. “Galgom is not on our side, even if he is also an enemy of Idu. We will have to figure this out on our own.”

“What do you suggest, Tian?” Kalmat asks, eyeing me curiously.

I pause. I have not had much time to think this over, but compared to everyone else here, I have been able to process this information and consider a few options. I hesitate to put the offer on the table, because it is risky, yet I know it is our only permanent solution besides fending off wave after wave of Idu’s attacks.

“We bring the fight to him,” I say as I raise a hand to the sky.

Kalmat leans forward, tilting his head. “What do you mean?”

I look around the room, and another explosion resounds in the background. I incline my head slightly, remembering what I saw on the way back to Thornthistle. The craters— the hundreds of crash sites all throughout the Flourishing Flatlands. And in the center of them, the machine that safely brought the Zombies to Utana. Taking a deep breath, I regale my risky plan to the Keepers of the Grove.

“Once we deal with the Zombies, a rift will open back up over the sky. And when that happens, we shall grab one of the pods and attack Idu in his world, before he can enter yours.”