Io had always been one of Skylar's favorite places to explore. Even with all the Vex slowly turning it into a giant ball of circuits and metal, and the war rhinos that were Cabal stomping around, it was still beautiful. The contrasting colors of the landscape and the stunning sky always had her wandering and looking for a large red tree to climb so she could lay back on a limb and daydream. The cradle of Io had always been a reminder that this was the last place the Traveler had touched, the glowing remnants of its Light still weaving in the air. She'd never gone down into it, and now that she had, she wished she hadn't, all that wonder and amazement shorted out at what she'd found.
Standing in the flat bottom of it, she stared up at the towering silver-barked tree that seemed to curl into itself with feather branches. A Tree of Silver Wings. Her travels and snooping as a Hidden agent had dug up quite a few mentions of such a thing. Something that lived in the Black Garden, but Skylar had never seen one in her two trips there. It was beautiful. It was also eerie as fuck with how it seemed to suck in the leftover Light in the area.
The appearance of this thing wasn't just a random bad omen either, and Skylar found herself turning and looking up to the black shapes that now tainted the sky. Pyramid ships.
The Vanguard had failed.
They'd known their enemy was coming, had worked with Rasputin tirelessly to come up with a way to stop them – and it had failed. She'd watched from her ship as the warmind's laser shot and hit home on one of the black ships… and did nothing. That was hardly the case with their retaliation. Rasputin was gone, or at least mostly. Ana held out hope that he'd escaped death completely and now searched through the Bray's inner workings tirelessly. All of that work, all of that power, and it had been for naught.
Now the forces of Darkness loomed above her, sending coded messages down in waves. Not just Io either. Mars. Titan. Mercury. All of them in danger because the ships were planning something. They were here for a reason, it was just that no one seemed to know what or even what to do at this point.
No one, except Eris Morn.
The Hunter drew her eyes back down and looked to the witch standing a few feet away, head bowed over the green orb she always had as she mumbled under her breath words Skylar didn't understand. The ex-Hidden agent had always concerned Skylar, but that concern was not redoubling with the fact that she seemed to want to commune with the Darkness. Talk with it like it could be reasoned with.
Hadn't she understood the vision her team had seen in the ship on the moon? This… entity didn't want peace, didn't want to even have a war because it seemed to believe it would win without one. There was no bargaining with it.
"I can sense your disapproval from over here," Eris' grave tone stated, but she didn't move. Skylar tensed but just frowned at her.
"I just think this is a bad idea." A very, very bad idea. "Contacting these ships, using this tree…" She gestured at the thing that loomed over both of them, the bright color deceiving in every way. Finally the ex-Hunter turned her head to Skylar, all three glowing green eyes pinning her in place.
"What else would you have us do?" she questioned, "What other course can we take? They are here and they are calling to us. Something must be done because we ourselves are lost."
"How is understanding them going to help? It's probably just some shit about how resisting is useless," Skylar argued. "You'll be taking time away from Guardians that could be exploring other avenues."
Even if that is so, knowing what they say has a small chance of helping us," the witch pointed out. "I know you are untrusting of this plan, it is understandable, but still we must try."
Skylar had a feeling a good chunk of this was just Eris wanting to know more of what the ships could offer. She'd never been sure but Skylar thought that the former Hunter was probably up to something. Why she needed to know about the Darkness so desperately was again, concerning.
You never know , Phantom. The ghostly voice startled her, and she flinched looking to her left towards the tree to find Andal standing in front of it, hand looking as if it rested upon the trunk. Where the hell had he come from? She gripped the strap of her rifle. What a stupid question. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised after his run in with that entity on the Moon that he'd want to know more. He'd taken that confrontation rather personally. She'd never realized Worm Gods were so touchy. Sometimes the only way to learn about your enemies is to stand a hair's breadth away. His eyes flickered green as she met his gaze. Use my power to prove you are not easily swayed.
She stared, unable to ask burning questions due to their company. Then again, maybe Eris would find her access to such knowledge useful. Skylar wasn't willing to take that chance – not yet anyways. She'd have to leave her questions for the Worm God for later, but she was starting to think he knew more about these ships and their masters then he was letting on.
It didn't really change the fact that he was probably right, that both him and the witch were right. She let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand over her scalp, finger tracing the braids.
"How dangerous will it be?" Skylar relented, turning back to Eris. The former Hunter didn't smile at the fact that she'd gained ground in the argument, she only continued to give her that solemn, grave look she always had.
"I believe it will only be mildly so. Most Guardians shouldn't have a problem, and your team most certainly will find it to be child's play."
"My team has important work to do," she said flatly, "I can't guarantee how many will be willing to put a great deal of time into this. I will be leaving on a mission soon enough for the Hidden, not sure how long it will take. Thankfully, you have an entire Vanguard to seek help from, not just me and my clan. You trust us because of what we've done with the Hive, I get that, but we can't do everything."
Eris continued to stare and Skylar finally had to look away. She'd always had trouble keeping eye contact with the woman for long, the ghastly black substance coming from her eyes was a constant reminder that the very same corruption had flowed from wounds on her own body. The purple jagged scars on her torso burned with the memory, a phantom pain, but still there.
You do not fear them, Xol spoke again, eyes still green. No, she didn't, she still saw the molten sword buried in the ashen remains of Crota in her mind, but it didn't mean the memories were pleasant.
"Very well," Eris relented, "I will take whatever help you are willing to offer. I will relay all that I learn either way to keep you informed." Her lips finally twitched slightly up. "That is if you don't already know about it by then." Even if it had been a very long time since she was one of them, Eris still remembered how the Hidden worked, and how fast that work could be done. Oddly enough, Skylar found herself moving to place her fist over her heart, elbow out.
"We are the unseen," she spoke the mantra of her group. Eris chuckled, low and eerie.
"We are as death. Go forth and seek the hidden truths of the world, young Phantom."
Skylar nodded her head at the dismissal and turned away, Sterling transmatting her back to her ship on her third step. She left Io behind, leaving the glowing silver tree that laid anchored into the last of the Traveler's unfinished work, and looming dark ships that waited for the games to begin.
-Cayde-
One of Cayde's favorite things he'd gotten to do as a Guardian had been to take his Sparrow out somewhere and just ride. Not on a mission or patrol or anything. He'd take it out to an area unaffected by enemies and just gun the accelerator up to max. No walls, no restrictions like in a race, just freedom and the air that whipped across his cloak as he went. He didn't have a cloak now, but his hoodie was good enough, and having hair gave fast moving objects in the wind a whole different meaning. The hum of the engine beneath him, the small little buzzing sensations running up his hands as he turned sharply around a corner, it still felt just like freedom.
In a dense forest somewhere in the backyard of Canada, Cayde leaned into another corner as he followed the taillights of another Sparrow, this one carrying an occupant with a cloak. Skylar could drive fast, he'd give her that, and some of her turns looked like something out of an old movie where the stunt was slowed down for effect. If he had to guess, he'd taught her that. He followed her as she yanked her Sparrow to the left, shooting straight up and off a half-fallen tree that must have lived for centuries before fall and getting caught on several under it. He watched her lean back and flip her ride over, and then he was following her, raising his hands above his head and shouting in excitement. Skylar landed her Sparrow upright again after a full 360 touchdown, and Cayde wasn't far behind her.
She glanced behind for a moment, and he could almost see the smile hidden under that helmet as she checked on him. He was fine, of course, and at his nod, they were off once more. They rode through the trees for another twenty or so minutes before breaking through into the open again and stopped near a ledge that looked over even more land, hundreds of feet down. His Sparrow skidded to a halt near hers and he shut it off as she stepped off her own. She walked to the edge of the cliffside and looked out over the expanse and, after pulling his borrowed helmet off and setting it on his borrowed Sparrow, he joined her.
In places like this, with the sun high in the sky and the land seeming to go on forever into the horizon, it was almost hard to breathe. In the distance, the jagged lines of mountains topped in snow acted as the edge of the world from where they stood, the reflection of those looming figures glittering in the lake below. Between that and the trees, there was nothing but green, a forest untouched by humans or their enemies. It was beautiful. Cayde could forget about everything else here, leave it behind in the city if only for a few moments as he looked upon all of it.
Then there was Skylar. Looking at her, with the sun's rays positioned as they were set, her back hair almost ablaze on one side. It shone into her eyes, almost making them look more orange then yellow, and it seemed to light up her soft smile even more. She was beautiful. Wild and free just like the land around them. It made her rough edges soft, made him want to be closer to her, closer than any mentor should. When had that happened? Ashamed by the fleeting feelings and images, he pushed them away.
"How'd you find this place?" he asked her, and she smirked.
"You go to a lot of places as a Hidden agent," she told him, "Flew right over this place on the way to my destination a few years back. Decided to take a break and found it completely free of anything but wildlife. I come here when I just… want to forget about being a Guardian." It was like she'd read his mind, but maybe that was just how a lot of Guardians felt. Because without something to fight, without Hive or Fallen, she could pretend, if only for a moment — just like he was — that everything was okay. "I took you here once," she said suddenly, surprising him.
"You did?"
"Yeah. One of the many times I snuck you out of the Tower." She gave him a rueful smile. "We camped right here for a night, had our Ghosts shut communication lines and just told stories and…" She trailed off for a second and he looked at her. She bit her lip for a moment before brushing bangs behind an ear. "And stayed up all night watching the sunrise." Traces of pain in that pause. Cayde tried to not think about how he was in a way responsible for that. Getting himself killed, even if he was alive again, had hurt her — hurt everyone — but he couldn't help but wonder what she would have become if he'd survived.
How different would her course have been if he'd been there through all of it?
"That's why you told me to pack a bag?" He had been surprised when she contacted him about taking a trip outside the City. They hadn't done that much together, mostly because she was gone so much. A few trips to a bar she liked and a few hours at the shooting range outside the city walls that the Guardians used. Mostly they just talked. He'd been restless enough that he'd agreed without giving it much thought, and maybe he didn't really need to either.
They were friends, before his death and now, maybe not as close as before, but somewhere near it. With all the Darkness and banning shit out of the way, talking had become easier, and it was like slipping into a well-worn and loved pair of boots. Easy. Skylar was easy to talk to when she wasn't guarded, and he wasn't second guessing everything. He understood why he had chosen her as his rookie a bit better now.
At his question, Skylar shrugged. "We don't need to. We have plenty of sunlight left, it was just more of a precaution. I don't like leaving things up to chance." There she was again, giving him a way to back out of plans. She was afraid of pushing him too hard, and a part of Cayde was grateful. The other part found it frustrating as hell. He didn't voice either, though, and just nodded his head.
"Speaking of stories," he said, changing the topic, "You keep saying you'll talk about your experiences in raids, but then we get sidetracked and never do." He gave her a look. "Which I'm sure is completely your fault." She smiled again.
"Guilty. Sorry." She sighed and messed with the strap that held her big, black, and angry looking sniper rifle. She said this area was safe, but the habits of a Guardian outside the City were hard to break — being unarmed was impossible. "Some of them are a bit… well not pleasant. Raids aren't normally fun camping trips after all." She shifted her weight again before moving to sit on the ground near the ledge. "What do you want to know?" Cayde often forgot about that — a lot of raids ended with dead Guardians. He supposed since her team had always made it back, that maybe they'd had an easier time. No dice, at least from what he could gander from her words.
At her question though, he knew exactly what he wanted to ask.
"Will you tell me about the Vault of Glass?"
She laughed quietly without pause.
"How long have you been holding that back?"
"A while. Basically, since I heard you conquered it." He smiled, meeting her eyes as she looked over to him. "Bet you have some great stories there." His question has her looking at him with an oddly questioning look before she shakes her head and turns away.
"I would think, that would be a no-brainer Cayde – oh wait-"
"Hey now!" he grumbled at her and she smirked, but continued to look out over the scene in front of her. After a moment, she pulled her rifle off and set it to the side and started talking.
She told him of a world inside an ancient door, filled with Vex lights and circuits, all weaved into rock and ruins. Great yawning canyons that fell into endless voids and a new breed of Vex she'd never seen before. "They all looked different from the ones in the outside world," she explained, "It wasn't huge or anything, but the shapes of their armor were sharper, somehow more dignified. We found out why later."
"Oh?"
"Don't get ahead of the story," she warned, and Cayde huffed.
"Fine, fine."
She laughed and continued on. She told of a huge Hydra and mysterious shining entities that were neither alive nor dead. A great passage and a silent trek across it, avoiding specialized Harpies that froze you in place with a single glance. Then, she told him something he's been hoping she'd share.
"There was this secret passageway, locked behind a door and a series of jumps. Inside, we found this small horde of treasures, along with, well, a body," he gave a wearily smile, glancing at him as he twitched. "It was a skeleton by then, but definitely one of the Guardians that had ventured in before."
"Kabr's team?" Cayde asked and Skylar shrugged.
"Or someone else, we couldn't even tell what class they were, but what we did see was the handgun still gripped in their hand. I took that, and, well, if you saw my statue in that chamber, then you know what else I found." Cayde didn't even need to think about that.
"The Patience and Time." He watched her nod, smiling, and Cayde couldn't stop the next words that flew from his mouth, too excited to not ask. "Can I see it?" He had always wanted to hold a weapon from the Vault, and he's always heard stories about that one. Skylar bit her lip for a moment again before slowly nodding her head.
"Sterling?" she asked the air, her star shaped partner nowhere in sight. She held out her hands, and after a moment, the flash of light that was a transmat arrival blinded him for just a moment. Cayde blinked, and the first thing he saw was the rifle in her hands. She turned to him again and held it out for him to take, which he did without hesitation.
He ran a hand over it as his eyes scanned the green and gray paint job, the ghillie covered spoke and the muzzle break. After a moment, he switched to holding it as if to shoot it, looking down the scope and getting a better view of the mountains and lake. His finger twitched, mechanically moving to the trigger to fire it only to find nothing to pull back on. Confused, he turned the gun so he could look to the area and found that indeed the trigger was gone.
"Uh…" Cayde really hoped this wasn't some new occurrence.
"It doesn't fire anymore," Skylar told him, stating the obvious. Frowning, Cayde switched his gaze back to her as she explained. "During the Red War, after I lost my light, I fell from pretty high up. I had that gun with me and in a frantic attempt to save myself, I used the strap to try and loop it on something. I did, and broke my arm in the process, and then blacked out I guess. When I woke up I found it lying under the rubble, broken." She sighed and Cayde felt that pain, that loss of not just a gun, but a memory, proof of something she'd done.
"It looks perfectly fine though… well, except for the trigger," he pointed out. She nodded her head.
"You, Banshee, and I tried to get it to fire again, but the insides were shredded, and because of the nature of it, there weren't any pieces we could find to make it work again." She looked at the gun, her eyes following the contour of it. "I didn't want to throw it out — I couldn't, so I asked if it could at least be rebuilt to look like it used to. After that I just mounted it on a wall." Looking back at the gun as well, Cayde let it rest in his lap again. What a waste. That war had certainly taken much, and then even more.
"I'm sorry, that sucks." At least she knew why he had a new rifle now. He tapped his finger on the side of the scope, before remembering something else she'd told him. "What about the handgun you found? Is that still around?" This time, he watched her hesitate, and Cayde braced himself for her to say no, but once again, she nodded her head. She shifted, rolling onto one hip and pulling the hand cannon she always had on her from a leg holster.
"It was called The Fate Bringer," she told him, looking at it, before once again holding it out to him. Cayde hesitated for a moment as well this time, wondering at her choice of words before taking it.
"Was?" He asked, looking over the gun. It was colored most in a copper color, with black and silver highlights. Some weird contraption was under the muzzle, a red glowing lens and was held on by a swirling piece of metal and matched the elegant black lines that twisted and turned over the gun's frame. On the chamber, he found a swirling mass that he realized formed a heart, of all things. Something about the gun seemed familiar, that itch in his mind again, that echo he couldn't hear. As he looked it over, Skylar explained.
"It was damaged at a different time, some Thrall had their way with it. Thankfully, it was repairable for the most part — some pieces had to be replaced and you and Banshee once again worked to do so. You even volunteered some of your personal parts you held for the Ace, since you knew how much it meant to me."
Surprise flickered through him, and Cayde realized what he probably recognized. The grip and the chamber were reminiscent of his own priced gun. For some reason, he wasn't put off or that surprised by her explanation — surely if it was feasible, Cayde would want his rookie to keep one of her favorite guns.
Right?
"We redesigned it a bit," Skylar went on, "When we found out that it could take different ammo and that its… abilities had changed a bit, the paint job and the name changed."
"What did you name it?"
Another, shorter pause.
"The Fated Hearts," she told him, smiling, "I figured, the Ace is kind of a piece of you, something you put your heart into when you made it. It seemed like a good choice, since you put as much care into my gun to make it whole." She lifted one shoulder. "Plus, it kind of has a habit of marking opponents and killing one will often kill the rest."
The Fated Hearts. Somehow, that silent echo felt louder . Her words didn't feel wrong but something about the context was. Personal. It was so personal — but then couldn't friends be close?
Cayde shook his head, turning the gun in his hand before aiming it out in front of him like he had with the rifle. Good sights. He glanced at her in question and Skylar nodded. He fired off a few rounds and watched birds fly from trees in response to the reverberating sound that reminded him of a crackling campfire. Damn, there was hardly any recoil on the thing. Care indeed. He wondered if its handling had always been as such, or if his handiwork had helped with that. Or Banshee might have worked his magic, any of those could be true. The name was a bit… odd, but it sounded like Skylar might have helped with that so it probably hadn't been his idea.
Right?
No. He wasn't quite sure that was right.
"It's a really nice piece," he told her, if a little distracted by his thoughts. His chest tightened, eye tracing every facet of the gun. He wasn't sure he'd ever made a gun for anyone else before, though he'd never had a rookie either. The same feeling from before that he'd felt on the roof with her after rekindling that friendship — the one when she'd held on to him — resurfaced.
It was like he knew her: who she was then, now and maybe what he'd seen her doing in the future. He just couldn't remember it, but he knew it was something she really should remember. That closeness… it didn't feel like a student and her teacher, the line was too blurred. He didn't even know what to do with that thought, how to ask or… but there was something.
"Hey Skylar? I… I know it's a touchy subject but, when did Tev die? I never asked, probably because I didn't want to know." He wasn't completely sure why he asked now, and felt bad when he saw her tense, her brows pulling together.
"That's random," she commented, echoing his own thoughts, "But… Tevis passed away five years ago, almost six now." Six years.
What was it Amanda had said to him in that hall of 'Bragging Rights'? The last couple of years have changed her. She never quite recovered from losing the person she loved. Cayde had died a couple of years ago, not Tevis. Things just weren't adding up, though he wasn't sure why, then again, maybe he was over thinking all of this. Surely a 'couple of years' could refer to six, couldn't it? Amanda might have just been talking, not being precise with dates.
A sharp pain at his temp had him grimacing and rubbing at it. It seemed his mind was flying in all sorts of directions, making up fantasies to fill in the missing pieces. What was he even trying to get from this conversation? What was he hoping for?
A sudden spark of light had him twitching in surprise as Skylar's Ghost, Sterling, suddenly appeared, a blinking red light on one of his fins. An incoming call. Skylar seemed surprised too.
"What's up?"
The little Ghost's star points swiveled in an aggravated way. "Sorry. Was goin' to just tell him to call back, but it's apparently urgent."
"Who is it?"
"Haar-2."
Skylar paused, probably thinking the same thing Cayde was. He didn't know the big Exo very well, but he knew enough that he wouldn't just make something up to get her attention, and that urgent, most certainly meant urgent.
"Patch him through then."
Cayde raised a brow, waiting for her to put her helmet back on for a private communication, but she seemed too distracted to do so. A click and a small buzz of static, then the clear voice of the Exo Titan came through.
"Skylar?" Yeah, his tone was definitely tense, and his friend stiffened at that.
"What's wrong?"
"Where are you?" He asked, ignoring her question. She blinked, startled.
"I…in Canada, I told you guys I was taking Cayde out there for some R&R."
On the other end of the line, the Exo cursed. The pull of Skylar's brows and the downturn of her mouth deepened.
"Haar, what is going on?"
"You need to get out of there – now ."
She scowled.
"Not until you tell me what's going on." Even as she said that though Sterling's fins swiveled and a blink of light flickered over his green eye. Moments later Cayde could see her ship in the distance starting to move towards them. Haar let out an exasperated sigh.
"Elsie and I were working on something when the Drifter alerted us to a group of Guardians heading towards the dais we used in order to get Stasis." His works had not only Skylar stilling, but Cayde as well. Oh hells, had they- "We couldn't stop them, and they got away. I… was caught off-guard and one of them froze my damn ship. I'm still trying to get it free but I'm no Solar Titan."
"Do you know who they are?" All of the warmth and easy-going amusement had drained from Skylar's voice, leaving the steady, cool tempo of a leader. She almost sounded like Ikora at that moment.
Haar sighed. "It was Darek and Talien, along with their warlock fireteam member Dena." The gravity of his words had Skylar's fists clenching and Cayde frowned, those names ringing a distant bell. Where had he heard those names recently? Then he remembered that moment he'd just been pondering on the roof where she'd been pressed against his back. The beginning of that meeting had involved a Hunter and Titan with those names, challenging Skylar's dignity and looking for a fight. She'd scared them away, but apparently, they hadn't quite backed down.
"Fucking hypocrites," the Huntress hissed, "I'm guessing you're calling me because they said something?"
"Yeah. He said they'd save the solidarity of the Vanguard by 'taking out my leader'. They've clearly lost their minds. We haven't done anything to the Vanguard except..." He trailed off and Cayde silently filled in the rest: except when Skylar attacked Zavala on Europa. Cayde hadn't asked her about that yet, he didn't feel like he could. Looking at his friend, Skylar was thinking about those unsaid words too. After a moment, she sighed.
"Well, thankfully I'm not anywhere near the City so they can't possibly know where I am-"
"Skylar," Haar said, cutting her off. "I…Tali was with them." His words are like a pause button on Skylar's entire being. She didn't move move, and it seemed as if she'd stopped breath. Cayde was having some trouble doing that too with the suddenly relieve.
Tali, or Talihina-11, was a member of Skylar's clan, not a founder but a close second tier, if he understood correctly. In all reality, she shouldn't have kept her rank, seeing as the former Warlock had lost her Ghost and her Light because of that. Cayde had spoken with her on occasion at Skylar's suggestion, stating that she might be able to help with the adjustment in some ways. The Exo hadn't known who he was, she only knew him as most did — a Hunter named Seven who, like her, had lost his Ghost and was powerless. She's been kind, understanding, but Cayde had always felt she was… distant in a way. He could only imagine what it was like to watch her former teammates go into battle or missions without her, never able to venture the places she had known for so long.
Then again, Cayde did know that feeling. He just wasn't having it shoved in his face constantly. She'd seemed loyal despite that… and yet…
A good minute must have passed before Haar spoke again, concern in his voice.
"Sky?" Like a bolt of lightning, her body snapped back into being, a breath leaving her in a wave.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"Yeah, me either, but that doesn't change the fact that she knew where you were going. I'm at least an hour behind them, Skylar and they'll be heading straight for you."
With a sudden jump of nerves, Cayde glanced at her ship, which had grown from a dot in the sky to a shape and was getting larger by the second. How could it have been only a few minutes and why had they gone so far from her ship? The heavy truth that he was Lightless weighed him down, threatening to seep fear into his bones.
"Like I said, you need to get out okay? Go back to the temple, no way they'd try to get you there."
The hesitation of a slow shake of her head, proved Skylar was still dazed by the reveal, and Cayde could hardly blame her. Finally she seemed responsive.
"Alright…" She glanced at him. "I don't think I'll be able to drop you in the City, I'm sorry." He gave her a tiny, worried smile. This was hardly her fault.
"Don't worry about it, been meaning to see Shiro anyways."
She nodded again, her eyes shifting back to her Ghost. "Okay I'll-" The sudden roar of engines drowned out her words and Cayde jerked his head to the side just in time to see four starships blast into orbit, gunning straight for Skylar's ship — which had gotten much closer, only a mile out, he thought.
"Sterling!" Skylar snapped, and the Ghost nearly flinched. "Get it out of there."
"I… there ain't no time! I can't do anything all that fancy from here!" the blue Ghost panicked, pieces moving faster and faster like Cayde's own heartbeat.
The two of them could only stare as the largest of the four opened fire on the defenseless one, and the ball of fire that replaced their only real way of escape. The broken and burning pieces of the streamlined ship fell into the lake below with a mighty splash that sent water into the bordering trees and mountain.
"That... that was my ship," Skylar whispered, and as Cayde looked to her, he saw all of the color had leached from her face, turning it stony like her voice had been before.
"Skylar? Sky what's going on? What was that explosion?" Haar's worry had escalated towards an edge of panic like everyone that could hear his words. Skylar could only get out a breath and close her eyes.
"They're already here, and they just took out my ship."
Once again, Haar cursed a string of words, and something crunched in the background, the crunch of ice making Cayde cringe and the odd, sharp sound. The Hunter didn't even flinch.
"Then you need to run some other way. Get on your Sparrows, hide, do something — you can't win against four Guardians on your own, Sky. Not if they have Stasis. I'll send out a clanwide distress call for you and ping your Ghost-"
"No. Only the founders and people you trust completely," Skylar cut in, her voice flat as she held out her hand to Cayde for her gun. After a moment, he placed it there. She holstered it without looking. "We don't know who else is with them." Because Tali — her friend, her family — had changed sides.
Haar sighed. "Right. You're right. Either way, get moving, and stay out of sight."
Skylar let out a tight, strained huff, as she opened her eyes and followed the line of the ships that were landing near the lake. It wouldn't take them long to figure out they weren't on it.
"I'm a Hidden agent, Haar. I'm not found unless I want to be." Except, Cayde recalled, Tali had been one too. With another worried set of words and a goodbye, the Titan was gone. Skylar took a deep breath and despawned the P&T, replacing it with that mean black rifle from before. She looked at Cayde, something hard and furious in them. Her eyes were like an amber storm. Then, she turned to their Sparrows.
"Come on, we need to move. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to you. I promise, Cayde." Something about those words was haunting and painful all at once, but Cayde saw the underlying ones she hadn't said, and they had his inside twisting and bending.
No matter the cost.
N/A:
Oh boy, things are about to get exciting~
Sorry for the long break between chapters everyone.
I've been dealing with many issues, from a new job to a very poor mental state sad .. I've been having a hard time finding the will to write this story, due to many factors, one being an extreme lake of interest all around, including myself. Don't worry though, I shall finish, there are only a couple of chapters left in this book. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. :)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
