My major skill to work on for the year is action and battle scenes. Last year it was romance and fluff, obviously. Something I was never great at, and tended to glance over because I was so intimidated by it. Well, I think I've overcome the romance barrier. The next hurdle is set before me, and I plan to conquer it by summer.

So, this chapter will be somewhat intense. Again, we've got the ring bearer and the king of Gondor in the hizz-ouse. Spears will be shaken, and swashes buckled. And any parallels between Alpha and Sauron, or between 5 and Samwise are completely coincidental. We're... Still getting over our LOtR marathon from the other week. ;D

Also... Magic...

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Miracles In The Monster's Lair

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With the army distracted, Adar quickly found the hole in the garage wall that would lead them inside.

"This is it. A battle awaits us inside," he said gravely, knocking a new arrow to his bow. "Yahweh best defends those who can defend themselves, if they trust in Him to do the rest. Be ready for anything."

They didn't need to be reminded of that by now. They all drew a deep, communal breath, and then stepped inside.

It was quiet in the garage, but well lit by an unseen source. They immediately found themselves behind a pile of gardening tools, shielding them from sight, but also shielding their view of the space.

But if Alpha's already taken over Delta's mind, 5 thought to himself, she'll already know we're here. She'll tell him any second now, and we'll have lost our element of surprise.

But a long minute of continued silence passed, and then another, as they snuck around behind the tools, trying to get a good view of things. But nothing happened. Peering around the pile, the first thing they saw was a rusted watering can, and two small girls trembling in fear behind it. One of them held a metal pole in a trembling grip, ready to fend off danger if it came, no matter how futile it would prove to be.

"Gamma and Theta, Delta's twins," Adar pointed out. "I would be hiding, too, if I were them."

One of the girls, whose hair was loose and blonde like Pi's, noticed them first out of the corner of her sight, and looked up at them, prompting the red-headed girl beside her to do the same. At the sight of Adar, a blessedly familiar face, their faces lit up with relief and hope.

Adar put a finger to his lips, telling them to keep quiet. The girls did, but they silently leapt up and crept across the short distance to him. Then they threw their arms around him, hurrying their faces in his chest, trying not to cry too loudly.

"Delta said you would come," the red-head whispered through tears.

"What has he done to her?" Adar asked. "Has he taken her yet?"

"No, but he's going to! Please, help us!"

"No fear of that, little one. Where is he, Gamma?"

Red-headed Gamma peered cautiously around the pile and pointed with her pitiful weapon out into the empty room. The scene before them spoke for itself. They all saw the black spider plainly in the light, with Alpha perched on top it with a sharp, devilish slice of metal resting patiently over his knees.

Within a circle of lit candles was a concrete slab, and Dixie lay paralyzed in the center of it, awaiting either death or rescue. Beside him, 5 felt his sister bristle with rage again, fighting the impulse to just run off and snatch her child. It was tempting, and perhaps meant to be so. But it would be outstandingly unwise, and she knew it.

Opposite the crude altar, just out of the circle of light, 5 saw a cage of sticks and twine. Now was his turn to fight that impulse, when he saw Pi trapped inside, her wrists bound to the bars with no hope of escape. Outside the cage, a third girl cloaked in a lavender veil-Delta-stood like a guard, her wide eyes flicking back and forth nervously.

She was watching and waiting for something to happen. She must know they had arrived by now. But she certainly hadn't said anything to Alpha yet.

Alpha was watching as well, his gaze fixed on the pile of tools by the entrance. But he was watching the wrong end of it, the one closest to the hole in the wall. For all his efforts, he hadn't seen them yet.

Some fearless, all knowing god he turned out to be. Sending out an army to guard him, and still bothering to arm himself for battle.

As if reading his thoughts, Gamma retreated back behind the pile and sighed quietly.

"Alpha's afraid," she whispered. "He's done what he can, but he knows Who you've brought with you. He knows he can't fight It, but he will still try. He will do everything in his power to stop you."

"And he has a lot of power," Theta agreed, speaking for the first time in a tiny voice that could barely be heard.

"Is there anything you can do? We don't want our sister or that baby to die!"

"Don't be afraid," Adar insisted comfortingly. "The God of my people is here, and He will provide. That monster is right to be afraid."

Up to this point, 9 had been very quiet, assessing the lay of the room, all of their advantages and disadvantages, and formulating a plan in his magnificent brain. He gathered them all together-even the children-and began handing out assignments to everyone.

"We'll create a distraction, catch him off his guard, and then Adar and I will strike as hard and fast as we can. 7, while we have him occupied, get Dixie, and then get out, do you understand me?"

"No! I'm going to stay and fight with you."

"No, you're going to get my wife and my child to safety, wherever you can find it. You have to protect her."

She still wasn't entirely happy about it, but she did understand. She nodded wordlessly, resigned to her task.

Turning to the girls, he continued, "Youre both going to follow 7 out as closely as you can, okay? This fight isn't something you need to be a part of, and she'll keep you safe."

They also nodded, perfectly happy to be left out. Seeing that it would have no more use I her hands, Gamma handed her metal pole over to Adar.

"You might need this," she said.

"5, while he's busy with us, get to Pi and get her out of the cage. Send her and Delta after the others, and then come help us. We'll need your bow."

"Absolutely," he agreed. "How do we distract him? More arrows?"

"That's the plan."

"Let me take the first shot."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, brother."

There had been a few instances in the past when 5 had been grateful for having the silence of his crossbow on his side. In almost all those instances, he had only been firing for enough time to make an escape. He had only fired hoping to deal an honest death blow once before. His sister had been in the clutches of another monster then. And even that time, he had only caused enough damage to frighten the thing; it had skittered away in defeat, but carried her off as well.

He doubted he could kill a monster like Alpha on the first try, with a single arrow, even if it had been intended all night to do just that. But he could still damage him, and give them the time to mount an attack with a shred of surprise. Maybe, if he was extremely careful, and extremely lucky, and Yahweh willed them an instant victory, he could manage a one-hit KO.

That would be fortunate, indeed...

He silently poked his bow around the pile, aiming dead on at Alpha's head while he still wasn't focusing on the right direction. Right behind him, 9 and Adar had braced themselves to run out as soon as he was distracted.

Steady... Steady...

He pulled the trigger.

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Delta suddenly heard a click from somewhere very nearby, and the sound of something small and swift sizzling through the air. The next thing she heard was Alpha's sudden furious scream of pain, as he toppled gracelessly off his spider to the ground.

Most un-god-like, indeed. There was an arrow protruding from his eye, deep enough to ruin his sight in that eye permanently, but not deep enough to reach the wiring of his brain. He grabbed the arrow and ripped it out of his face, pulling several severed, sparking wires and shards of glass with it. With an enraged snarl, he snatched his sword from the ground.

"Spider-!"

It was too late to give it a command. Two more arrows slammed into the mechanical creature's side with enough force to knock it to the floor, and it powered down.

They had come, just like she had said they would.

Only the Bearers had come out yet, both armed with bows and more arrows, and good old Adar had a metal pole in one hand. They had dashed across the room while Alpha had been on the floor, and now Adar attempted to bring his pole down on the monster's head. But Alpha was quicker, and threw his own sword over his head to block the blow. Metal hit metal with a crash that made Delta jump, and she instinctively shifted her stance to block her imprisoned sister from harm.

All she could do now was stand still and out of the way, watching as the battle flared before her. Adar fought at close contact with his pole, dealing and parraying mighty blows against Alpha's sword again and again. 9 kept a short distance at all times, always behind Alpha if he could, firing arrow after arrow, trying to do some damage while his foe was busy. Unfortunately, it was clear that he was unpracticed with his weapon; every attempt he made was met with failure, as the sword fighters danced in circles out of his aim.

With each parrayed blow, Adar skipped farther and far away from where they had started. Alpha chased after him each time, blinded by animal rage, hardly able to realize that he had abandoned his guard. As the three of them inched farther and farther away, Delta wondered if now would be a good time to free her sister and run...

Before she could entertain that idea much, a pale, masked figure carrying a spear dashed out from behind the pile of tools. 7 ran straight for the altar and snatched up her child-even behind her intimidating helmet, it was still obvious that she was lovely. Delta hardly had a chance to look at her; as soon as she had her baby, she turned and practically flew off toward the exit.

Rather far away now, unable to stop her himself, Alpha noticed this and roared in frustration.

"Don't just stand there, brat, stop her!" He yelled at Delta. "Don't let her get away with my sacrifice!"

Delta hesitated for only half a moment, torn between allowing that tiny soul to be saved, and knowing what Alpha would do to her twins if she refused. Suddenly terrified by his voice, her fear won her over. She sprinted off after 7 and Dixie, wondering vaguely how she was supposed to combat the warrior, after all.

"Delta, stop! Don't do this, let them go!" Pi called desperately after her, but it was too late to stop. She was already on her way.

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Dixie was still paralyzed, and it made 7 even more angry than before; but in this moment, the usually-squirmy baby's stillness was a blessing. At the same time, she was relieved and overjoyed that her child hadn't been hurt. She held her clutched to her chest in one arm, and gripped her spear with her free hand, ready to fight and defend her baby. Just in case.

She skid to a halt behind the tools beside 5 and the girls, giving her brother a nod to say that it was his turn to go, now that she had returned. He nodded back and took off. She paused long enough for the girls to get together with her to run for the exit.

But they stopped at once. The undead army had heard the commotion, and had turned to shuffle listlessly but quicky in the moonlight to their master's aid. They were like a cloud, too thick to push past. It was plain to see, there was no getting past them. The three of them backed away against the tools, and 7 looked all around for a place to hide.

"What are we going to do?" Theta whimpered, clinging to her braver sister, who trembled just as badly. 7 wished she could answer, but she had no idea where they could go, trapped inside the garage, where they could be safe from anything.

Over the noise of the battle, her sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps hurrying toward them. Her back still against the tools, she eased to the end of the pile and waited... At the last possible moment, she whipped her spear around to pin the offender against the end of the pile.

Oh. It was Delta, her veil fallen from her face as the end of the spear fell hard across her shoulders. Her large eyes were wild with shock in her small face. There was no enchantment in those eyes, or any real intent to hurt anyone or anything.

"Please, ma'am," she said in a plain but shaking voice. "I don't want to kill your baby. But if I don't, he'll kill my sisters instead."

7 felt her heart soften, and slowly begin to break. Delta was only a little girl. What was being asked of her was so inhumanly cruel, there were no words for it. And suddenly, she looked so much like 6, begging without words to be heard. 7 lowered her spear.

"Get behind me," she commanded. A look of intense relief came over Delta's face, and she scurried to join her sisters with an embrace, which 7 understood to be very rare. The littlest Prophet was officially a part of their team.

"Is there another way out of here?" She asked.

Delta shook her head, and pulled her veil back over her face. "No. We're alone here."

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Seeing Delta run off, Pi had suddenly felt hopelessly alone, exposed and vulnerable. But she could see the raging battle clearly, without her sister to shield her. Her friends seemed to be holding their own against Alpha. Aware that this rescue mission was succeeding, he was trying in vain to make his way back to where it had started, to defend the only prisoner he still had. But Adar had him blocked from the front, still beating him back farther and farther; and 9 had him blocked from the back, even if his bowmanship skills were terrible. He had finally managed to graze the wizard's leg, leaving a small rip in his thigh; it wasn't much, but along with seeing his child taken to safety, it had given the brave Bearer a renewed measure of confidence.

And then, no sooner had 7 disappeared had 5 sprung into the light to take her place. Her whole soul leapt with joy to see him-a new and wonderful thing that she could quickly get used to. He tore across the room, his trusty crossbow replaced with a knife. He fell to his knees before her and began to saw through the twine that bound her.

"Hold still," he said. Somewhere that seemed impossibly far away now, she heard Alpha scream again in fury. It was like a faraway echo that barely reached her ears. 5 had come to save her again, just like she knew he would. She gripped his arm with her hand that has now free, and struggled not to cry.

"I knew you would come, I knew you would come," she cheered as he slashed through the last bit of twine. He gave her a quick, triumphant smile-all that they really had time for. She would have taken his face and given him a long, passionate kiss, but there was no time to be sentimental now. He unbarred and threw open the cage door and she scrambled out, letting him haul her to her feet. Now was the moment she had prepared herself for all along:

Run!

They were only halfway back to the barricade of the tool pile, when she heard Alpha scream a phrase in the mother tongue from across the room-his voice was very close now, as the gravity of his spell shook and darkened the space. A bolt of light cut across their path, as the flame of two of the candles suddenly shot out and encircled them. They were trapped in a circle of fire, which had started out too small for comfort in the first place. To her horror, the circle seemed to be shrinking toward them to devour them. 5 pulled her as close as he could, trying uselessly to shield her.

"We have to jump," he decided. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes!"

As the wall of flame shrank into his reach, he slashed into it with his knife with a battle cry. The fire whooshed out of his way, leaving the barest of gaps, and he shoved her through it. The heat was almost unbearably intense, and the gap quickly closed around her; but miraculously, it hardly touched her. 5 followed her through, only barely singed in a few places, and they took off running again.

Maybe they would make it, after all!

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None of this was going the way it was supposed to. Between the throbbing of his destroyed eye, the continued barage of attacks from the Bearers, and heist of his exceptional meal, Alpha couldn't understand how all his defenses had fallen through. But he could feel a strong and vengeful energy coursing through the air around him, beating as hard against him as his foes were. It was determined to see him fall.

The Bearer has brought that infernal Thing into this place, once again! It allowed him to escape my grasp before. Little good It did to save his brother, though. If dealing kindly to him the extent of Its power, It should not have bothered coming. It will not avail him.

He beat Adar back enough to cast another spell-one which invoked the tremendous power of electricity in the form of lightening. The light of the candles shrunk back in fright, and the walls began to shimmer with fine, heavy static. He threw his hand out, aiming at his escaped sacrifice and her would-be savior, and the static gathered to strike them where he directed it. It hit the floor right in front of them, landing with a roar of thunder, but they somehow they somehow managed to dodge it and run in a different direction.

No matter. There was plenty left, where that had come from. Before he could execute the next lightening bolt, Adar threw forth his pitiful metal pole like a club, aiming for Alpha's chest. But Alpha brought his sword to meet it, pivoting on his heel in time to miss another arrow.

He aimed his lightening again, focusing on 5's erstwhile head. But he dodged again, pulling Pi out of its way with him, and they sprinted in a new direction, seeking an effective shelter.
Again he sliced his sword at Adar, and again he was blocked. This time, he grinned maniacally.

"Are you truly so great, Bearer? Oh, defeat me if you can-but we will see how eager you are to destroy your brother yourself!"

The reanimated bodies of Marchesvan and Sivan had lumbered out of the shadows behind them, both armed with clubs of their own. Adar spun around to see, and abject horror replaced his enthusiasm. More than certain that he had been taken care of for now, Alpha turned his attention to 9.

"We meet again, boy."

"Come at me. Just try something."

Alpha smirked.

"Gladly."

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The lightening and resulting thunder that boomed through the garage was terrifying, and only served to make the army hurry faster to a use. That was bad; the boys were in enough trouble already. An undead army crowding the place was the absolute last thing they needed right now, and 7 was the only one left who could stop them. She feared that at best, she could only slow them down.

She had taken comfort in the fact that, even though the army of zombies would come shuffling through the entrance in a moment or two, it would be just like Thermoplae. The hole in the wall was only big enough for a few bodies to come through at a time. She would just cut them down with her spear as they came through. In all honesty, there couldn't be more than 20 of them to deal with. It wouldn't be that bad, really. She just wished that the triplets didn't have to watch...

She had entrusted Delta to hold Dixie for her, while she dealt with the army. The baby was beginning to wriggle free of the paralysis now, her little voice creeping out in distressed cries for her mother. 7 also wished that she could drop everything and take her, snuggle her and comfort her. But her defense had to come first.

Delta gasped suddenly and went stiff, clutching the baby a little tighter in something like a death grip. 7 turned to look and became concerned.

"Is she alright?" She asked as the girl's pupils began to shrink.

"She's having a vision," Gamma answered, gently prying Dixie from her sister's grasp. "Maybe she's seen a place we can hide," she added hopefully.

The vision passed quickly-it must have been a short one. She uncovered her face and looked up to her guardian with a stern face.

"Throw it."

"...What?"

"Throw it."

7 looked down at her spear, the only thing she had to be thrown. The only thing standing between the five of them and being torn apart by the hoarse outside.

"...Not this."

"Yes, this. Throw it. He said to."

"Who did?" She demanded.

"The Voice. He never lies. Throw it."

7 couldn't believe that. She needed her spear here and now. What could have gone so wrong, that the others would need it so badly? She peered over the top of the tools to look at the battle field and saw a terrible, sorry sight. Alpha had kept two undead warriors behind, and they had attacked Adar with a vengeance. While he fended them off with deep despair on his face, the monster had turned his full attention on her 9, who was lousy with his only weapon and doomed to be cut down if he was left to fight alone.

And Alpha was still casting bolts of lightening at 5 and Pi every chance he got, leaving them to skitter back and forth across the floor, trying desperately to keep out of the way. It was a really bad situation for all of them. Especially for her boys, for all intents and purposes without useful weapons.

But they could both wield a spear effectively. She had taught them both how in recent months, specifically for moments like this. But it was the only weapon she had with her, and certainly the only one she knew how to use. She looked back at the entrance, at all the zombies that had nearly reached them, and felt her heart sink.

She couldn't refuse the bidding of a Prophet. Not after everything that had already happened, everything that could have been so easily prevented if she had only listened to her little brother. Still unable to see a good end to it, she raised her spear and aimed it for her husband. Of all of them, he needed it most. She threw it with all her strength, but didn't wait to see where it landed. She still had her daughter and three other children to protect.

All they could do now was find another shelter, somewhere as far away from the entrance as possible. There was no way to stop the hoard from pouring into the garage like the plague it was, now.

"Where else can we go?" She asked the triplets.

"There are some shelves on the far wall. We can climb them," Gamma suggested helpfully. Her enthusiasm seemed to have flown off the the spear.

"Then run! Go, quickly!"

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Not too far away, 9 saw his wife's spear fly out of nowhere and sink into the dirt floor with a muffled thud. His heart leapt-at last, something he could do some real damage with. He fired the arrow he had ready, managing to miss his mark yet again, and Alpha chuckled cruely at him.

"Such easy prey," he commented with a hungry smirk.

9 threw the bow on the ground and dashed for the spear. It was still a way out of his reach, but if he could get to it he would certainly last a while longer. Alpha chased after him, and for a second he was sure that the monster was going to catch him. But he took hold of the spear's long handle and jerked it out of the ground, twisting around to block Alpha's attack with his own new weapon.

The two blades met hard, and 9 nearly lost his grip. He had braced himself to meet Alpha's force with his own, but found his strength was still laughable by comparison. Trying not to let that get him down, he swung the spear's blade in an arc before him, forcing Alpha to jump back out of its reach. At least the blade kept a considerable distance between them. Now maybe there was a chance to run him through, and have the battle decided.

But Alpha countered the attack expertly, slamming his sword into the spear's wooden handle. In that single deft strike, the spear was sliced in two. The blade fell uselessly to the floor. Again, 9 found himself without a weapon.

In that brief second of hesitation, Alpha lunged forward and slashed his sword across 9's face. It stung with more than just pain, as if the blade itself was cursed by the wizard's evil. While he was blinded by the pain, Aloha kicked him to the ground, and kicked the blade of the spear hard across the room, out of anyone's reach.

"I will deal with you momentarily," he growled, and stalked away.

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The bolts of lightening had blocked their path, every time they had veered for the exit. The fact none of the bolts had hit them yet were nothing short of a miracle; they always came dangerously close, but always managed to miss their mark. At first, 5 had chalked it up to sheer luck and his own reflexes. But then he had remembered Who was with them, fighting alongside them for victory.

He wished that Yahweh would focus on his friends instead, though. He could take care of himself well enough, and he would protect Pi at all costs; there was no way he was ever letting her go again. But Adar was distracted with two undead warriors who didn't seem to feel any pain from his attacks. And 9 had taken a blow to the head, and looked to be unconscious; worse, he could even be dead or dying. They needed a miracle more than anyone else.

With them out of the way, Alpha turned his focus back to his lost preistess with a look of cold fury. He spoke a new spell, and cast his hand at the concrete slab. It split in several pieces-some much larger than others-with a sickening crack. One by one, the pieces rose in the air and flung themselves forward in attack.

Would the surprises never end? He pushed Pi ahead of him and they ran again for the exit, trying to dodge the chunks of concrete as they hurtled after them. Like the lightening bolts, the concrete just barely missed them every time. Maybe they could make it this time...

He suddenly felt his breath knocked out of his body, and went tumbling to the side as a small but still heavy piece of concrete slammed into him. He found himself on his back, pinned under its weight, his one eye facing away from everyone. He struggled to get out from beneath it, but it was so heavy. Somewhere he couldn't see, he heard Alpha give a loud, triumphant cackle.

"Not so clever now, are we?"

No, no, this couldn't be happening! Not now, when they were so close. As he continued to struggle, 5 looked off to his good side and saw a beacon of hope.

Half of 7's spear lay within his reach, it's blade glinting feebly in the light.

Alpha had only gotten lucky, this time. There were no miracles waiting for him.

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As her sisters scrambled up the shelves to relative safety, Delta dared to turn and look at the state of things. The first couple of zombies were shuffling into the garage now. Adar was still locked in combat against his brother and sister. 9 was on the floor with one side of his face torn open, struggling feebly to get up and fight even though he was in no condition to do so. 5 was trapped under a piece of concrete, disabled and out of the picture.

Pi was alone with Alpha again, unarmed and unprotected. She turned to flee, but he closed the distance between them in a few unearthly paces and snatched her by the arm. She screamed in terror and anger, trying to beat him back with her bare fists, but there was no hope against him.

There was no hope for anyone, now. There hadn't been much hope to begin with. This mission would end in failure.

Just as despair was overtaking her, she felt the Voice enter her mind again.

The time has come, precious child of mine. You will be the one to turn the tide of this battle. You will be the one to grant them victory.

Oh... That was an honor, indeed. She removed her veil, letting the whole thing flutter from her shoulders to the ground. She wouldn't be needing it, where she was going.

"Delta, come on," 7 called to her while she stood there. "There's nothing we can do."

But Delta ignored her. Taking a deep breath, she sprinted out across the room toward the wizard. Unarmed, equipped in no way to face him head on, there was only one way she could be of use.

She thought to maybe launch herself onto his back and tackle him to the floor; that could buy everyone some time to notice and do something. But as soon as she had come in his range, she felt searing hot pain rip into her side. She cried out as she fell to the floor, clutching her side in desperation.

She was barely in one piece. He had sliced her nearly in two. All her senses began to blur together. The ceiling spun around above her; she vaguely heard Pi scream her name, but it was like the distorted wail of a specter. A fuzzy black shape appeared above her; she imagined he must be grinning with pleasure.

"I wonder what you had hoped to accompish by this, girl. It will only be Gamma now, you know," was what she thought he said. It was hard to tell. Her sight began to darken, and her eyes slid shut.

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In the blink of an eye, the situation had managed to become worse than Pi had imagined possible. What had Delta been thinking, charging headlong at the wizard with no way of stopping him? She hadn't even brought a weapon with her. Whatever she had thought to do could only have been met devastation.

And sure enough, there she lay on the ground, sliced almost in half, her life ebbing away.

Now Pi was more on her own than ever before. Alpha turned back to her, with that same horrible smirk on his face.

"There is only more proof of how doomed you all are," he snarled, advancing on her once more. "I told you, Pi, that there was no hope of a rescue. And yet there you stand, daring to hope anyway. What a deliciously foolish sacrifice you will make me."

Dizzy and frightened, Pi tried to back away and tripped over her own feet. She fell, but tried in vain to keep backing away. Every fiber of her being begged her get as far from him as possible. But there was nowhere to go now. He gripped his sword, ready to strike.

"Look at all the trouble you've caused me. Perhaps I'll tear that lovely head from your body and end this nonsense once and for all. There are plenty of replacements to be had."

Perhaps being slain like a trapped, wounded beast would be preferable, to having her soul enslaved to his strength. There were few other choices. And what of the unnamed soul inside her? The soul of her child, who it seemed she would never meet in this mortal life? Unborn or not, she was its mother; she was still determined to protect it, no matter what.

If allowing it to perish with her was the only way to protect it now, so be it. She would be damned herself, before she let Alpha claim it for himself.

He raised his blade to strike, with as much purpose and force as he had met the others with. But all at once, he stopped mid-step with a robotic jerk. His remaining glowing eye went wide with shock, and darted down to his chest. A blade had sliced through his front from the back, so dark gray that it barely stood out against his black skin.

Half a blessed face appeared over his shoulder, triumph and rage mixed upon it.

"Start with yourself," he said ferociously, ripping the spear out of Alpha's chest. In a swift, clean movement, he raked the blade across the monster's neck. The glowing red eye faded to nothingness. His body crumpled lifelessly to the ground, and his severed head rolled off to one side.

Pi's immediate thought was that she was going to be sick. That had been horrendous to watch, even if it was Alpha, even if it was her sweet, crazy, wonderful 5. But the feeling passed at once and was replaced by overwhelming joy and relief.

By the powers... Alpha was dead. It was over and done, and she was really free. Everyone was free. Forever.

5 didn't waste a second relishing his victory. Instead, he cast the spear to the side and fell to his knees beside her, scooping her into his lap and holding her closer than ever before. There was his real victory: this time, he had really freed her from everything.

"For a minute there, I thought I'd lost you for sure," he commented with a nervous laugh that was choked with tears. "Are you okay?"

How could he ask that? How could she possibly be better? He didn't realize it yet, but she wasn't the only one he had saved. They were a family of three, and it made her heart soar. She was wordless, just beyond happy to be the with him again, safe and sound in his warm embrace.

"I never doubted you," she answered with a smile of her own. "Not for a second."

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To Adar's surprise, the bodies of his family jerked to a halt. They both went limp and slumped to the ground, dropping their weapons.

Having to fight them had been a horror he hadn't braced himself for. He thought he could mentally prepare himself for anything Alpha had to throw at them. But seeing his brother and sister reanimated by dark magic, having the fight against them for his very life, beating them back with his pole and seeing them unable to even feel the pain... He had to admit, it had nearly broken him.

But their suddenl collapse could mean only one thing: one of his comrades had done what they had set out to do. He spun around to see what he had missed, and the first thing he saw renewed his dread. He hadn't seen when 9 had been cut down, or if the blow had killed him or not. But now his friend lay still on the ground, not moving, and it was hard to tell if he was breathing or not.

For a split second, his attention was torn painfully between his family and his friend. But his brother and sister were dead, devoid of any sort of animation now. If 9 was still alive, he needed help now. He ran to where his friend lay so still and rolled him over onto his back, checking for a pulse.

Thank goodness. There it was, strong but slightly slow. Half his face had been slashed open, but it was nothing a needle and some thread wouldn't fix. As far as Adar was concerned, they had come out unscathed.

He couldn't help the invisible tears that began to fall. By all the powers, the nightmare was over. They had rescued their family, and none of them had been killed. He squeezed his friend's hand in his own, hoping his unconscious could join him in a prayer of the highest praise.

Oh my God, One who wills the stars to shine and the universe to turn... Thank you. I want to say more, but what other words are there? No words in any language can ever satisfy my praises. There is only this to be said. Therefore, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

He hadn't quite finished his prayer the way he wanted to-he hadn't even said Amen yet-when 7 appeared beside him with the baby in her arms. As if her very presence gave him strength, 9 began to stir and eased his eyes open. He smiled weakly, mostly with the better half of his face.

"You're alright," he mumbled, his words a bit slurred. But he looked reassured and pleased, anyway. 7 raised her helmet, revealing a look of horror at the state of her husband. She reached out and gently touched his cheek, tracing the rip with her thumb.

"Your face..."

"That can be fixed," he mumbled, sounding exhausted. His eyes flicked to his daughter, safe with her mother, and his smile grew stronger. Seeing her daddy again, Dixie squealed with joy and delight, and reached for him with her little hands. With a little help from his wife, he raised his hand to hold hers.

"Yeah... That can be fixed. She can't be."

Adar silently thanked the God of his people again. To have been a part of this adventure, to have helped make this shining, beautiful moment possible was the greatest honor had had ever felt.

That lovely moment was shattered all at once by the twins, screaming in despair somewhere behind them. Adar looked up in time to see Gamma and Theta sprint past them to the middle of the room. Looking where they were headed, he saw a sorry sight. 5 and Pi were alive, and seemed to be perfectly fine. But Delta...

Adar hadn't seen what had happened to her, or when; but the way her whole torso was sparking said enough. His heart sank. Their victory would not be so complete, after all.

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Oh, this was the end of the journey. Delta knew that to be certain. Even as her big sister held her close, rocked her gently and begged her to keep it together. The time had come, indeed. And she was okay with that.

The pain was unbearable. It was all she could feel anymore; it overpowered the warmth of Pi's arms, and the cool of 5's metal fingers holding hers. There was only the jolts of electricity sparking, and the ever-present burning of pure evil from the blade that had cut her down. It was indescribable. It was exactly the sort of pain that made one long for death-it would be the only release. It would be welcomed with open arms.

But they didn't realize this.

"Come on, Del, stay with me," Pi pleaded, fighting to hold back tears. "We're free now, and safe. There's a big, long life ahead of us all. You can't just leave now."

"Hm..." She hummed vaguely, thinking about that for a second. There was no long life awaiting her here anymore. But there was for all her sisters, and that made her smie a bit. Thinking of all their opportunities... She could really die happy now.

"Delta, pull yourself together," 5 insisted when her mind drifted too far for their comfort. "Don't worry, I-I can fix all this. Just... Hold on for a little while longer-just a little while longer. I'm going to put you back together, and you'll be good as new. You're going to be part of our family now. You're going to be happy with us... Right?"
Her strength was fading fast, but Delta suddenly found the strength to smile a little bigger. It was so good to finally meet him face-to-face.

"I had seen you," she whispered. "I had seen your face for so long-so, so long. I knew you were coming one day... To save her... To save us all. Thank you."

"Delta..."

"I'm glad I got to see it. I knew it would be amazing. I think... Even then, I knew... You would be the last thing I got to see."

While they paused to let that soak in, her twins dashed in from the side and skidded to their knees beside her. Gamma snatched her sister's hand from 5, and held it in a shaking grip.

"Delta? Delta, don't leave us!" She cried tearfully. "Please don't leave us!"

"We need you here," Theta added, daring to speak for her sister.

"I'm sorry. I have to," Delta answered. Her eyelids were growing heavy, and forming words was becoming harder. "I wouldn't have chosen it... But it must be better this way. You'll take care of each other, right?"

The world wasn't spinning anymore; in fact, it had become oddly still. The will to keep her eyes open was failing, and darkness was closing in around her. But instead of blackness, she was slightly surprised to be greeted by light. It was like no other light she had ever seen in the world. And it numbed all her pain at once, filling her with a feeling of lightness and... Sparkling, shininess.

"I see the veil..."

Pi's voice above her sounded stern. "No... Delta, no! Don't go there! Come back! Stay with us..."

Delta elected to ignore her sister; the veil was too beautiful. As she let herself drift into the light, one last prophecy accosted her. The Voice didn't even have to deliver it Himself, in person; she just knew it. It must have been, she realized, because the Voice and the Light were one and the same; and it was all around her, welcoming her... Home.

"Bring them back, Pi... You can bring them... Back..."

As her final breath escaped her body, it felt like her soul was taking its first breath. Like she was finally alive. Like she was finally home.