The annoyance left the mage’s face, replaced by an eager smile. “Oh, you must be Alex Bound,” he gushed. “We’ve been hearing a lot about your team since you got in. Great work. Uh, I believe Alborn is debriefing with the commander in the War Room. Go straight and then left at the end of the hall.”
“Thanks,” Alex said as she took off. When she got to the end of the corridor, she turned left and walked into the War Room.
The War Room was a cluttered mess of computer terminals and holographic projections. There hardly seemed to be any room to stand in what amounted to a cramped office. Alborn and Pinelt were standing over a holographic map.
Pinelt pointed to a spot on the map and said, “This is where the skirmish is taking place. We don’t know when it broke out, but we’ve been trying to get ears on it for about three hours.”
Alborn twirled his spindly mustache as he thought. “Have you been in contact with Roy or Toppinir?”
“We lost contact with them at the same time as everyone else. We received a distress call from Roy stating the Dark One was launching a massive attack, but he didn’t give any more details. He did say he and Toppinir were going to try to stop him.”
Alborn looked for a place to sit down, finally settling on a stack of boxes. “Are you saying those two went out there alone without any backup?”
“Something to that effect.”
Alex cleared her throat as she stepped into the room. “Uh, we could give him backup.”
Alborn jumped at the sound of Alex’s voice, while Pinelt let his eyes coolly fall on the girl. “I apologize. Were you informed about this debriefing?”
Alex suddenly felt very small. She remembered she was probably still just a kid in the eyes of these two. “No,” she said quietly. “I was looking for you two to see what you wanted Boundless to do since we finished our mission.”
Pinelt shut down the holographic map. “Just relax. You all had a grueling first mission. Wouldn’t want you to burn yourselves out.”
“But you said Roy and Toppinir don’t have any backup. We could provide it. You saw how well we—”
“Handled a few enemies. True, you performed wonderfully, but you’re all still rookies, and this isn’t a mission for rookies. Besides, Roy and Toppinir are our best riders. They can take care of themselves.”
Alex walked farther into the room, then stood up straight and squared her shoulders. “Excuse me, sir. Uh, sir, that’s right? Sir, if Roy and Toppinir are your best riders, don’t you think it would make sense to protect them? They’re valuable assets.”
Pinelt rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Do not wear your welcome thin, Ms. Bound. I will not be given orders by a child.”
Alborn rested his hand on Pinelt’s shoulder. “If I may—”
Pinelt shot Alborn a glance of pure malice. “What is it, Alborn?” he hissed.
“Alex showed incredible leadership skills earlier, and her team acted with unmatched heroism, teamwork, and skill. If we are looking—”
“We are not looking. Conversation over.”
Pinelt turned his furious gaze on Alex. “I advise you and your team to head to the barracks and get some rest. There might be another delivery mission for you. Dismissed.”
Alex just stood there, quaking as she tried to keep from exploding. “Sure,” she finally muttered. “Whatever you say.”
Chapter Ten
Alex stormed back to the dining hall, Pinelt’s words ringing in her ears. Kids? Kids who pulled their butts out of the frying pan, she thought. Telling her to go get some sleep like a child being sent to bed was the icing on the cake of humiliation.
When Alex walked into the dining hall, she saw her team sitting there talking quietly. No one at that table was “just a kid.” They were all dragonriders, and they were here to fight the Dark One and do their parts in the war.
Alex wasn’t ready to face Boundless and tell them that despite their hard work, they had been benched so the “veterans” could take care of things. Instead, Alex wandered around the facility, looking for the barracks so she could have some time alone.
Once Alex stumbled upon the barracks, she found an empty bed and sat on the bottom bunk. She opened her HUD, hoping for an update on the state of their mission. Instead, she found a message from her parents.
Alex opened it and laid back on the bed.
Her parents were beaming at her, her father tapping the camera lens he was recording on. “Hey, is this thing on? Alex, can you hear me?”
Liza shook her head as she pointed to the camera. “George, she can’t answer us. This isn’t a video call, it’s a video message.”
“Oh, right. Well, anyway, Alex, we just wanted to say hi. We got your last message, and we’re really proud of you and how you’re handling yourself.”
Liza pushed George out of the way so she was front and center. “That’s right, sweetie! Handling bullies isn’t easy, but we know you’ll figure out a way to deal with it and come out better for it all. We’ve always been proud of your ability to stand up for yourself.”
George rested his hand on Liza’s shoulder. “That’s right. We know you don’t take guff from anyone, and I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter. All right, we’re signing off. Stay alive!”
Liza shot a disapproving glance at George, shouting, “George, that’s not even close to funny!”
George chuckled as he reached to turn off the video. “Alex will probably think it is,” he said, laughing.
The video went blank, leaving Alex alone with her thoughts. It didn’t feel like she was standing up for herself right now. It felt even worse knowing that two people might be in serious danger because she was going to obey orders that made no sense.
Alex knew she should have stayed in bed, but she got up and made her
