The double doors of the Nest opened, and Myrddin walked into the alcove. He didn’t bother to stop and address anyone as he breezed past and peered at the valley.
He held a thin white wand in his hand and raised it above his head. Energy crackled around him as he floated into the air, his eyes turning bright white, lightning flashing from them and surrounding the rest of his body.
The old wizard began speaking softly under his breath and drawing sigils in the air, his wand moving elegantly as he traced the elaborate shapes. His voice grew louder and louder until it sounded as if it were a force of nature.
Dark clouds spread through the sky. A storm was coming, and it was obvious Myrddin was the one who was weaving it. Thunder crackled in the distance.
Roy leaned against his mech as the rest of the riders and captains moved in to get a better view of what was happening. “Oh.” He chuckled. “You guys have never seen Myrddin in action before. This will be a treat.”
Myrddin pointed his wand in the direction of the Dark One’s forces. His voice echoed throughout the valley as he spoke a dead language, one lost long before humanity arose.
The sky ripped open and bolts of lightning the size of city blocks tore through the air, striking the slugs as they traveled through the valley. When the bolts struck the ground, flames erupted.
As the flames licked at the slugs, winds swirled around, pulling the flames and the slugs into a vortex of lightning and fire. The flaming tornados danced, leaving destruction in their wake.
Above, the old wizard vibrated with energy. A pulse of fire rushed from his body, sending all the riders flying backward as Myrddin gave a cry that sounded as if it had been ripped from a god.
In the distance, the flaming tornados converged, transforming into a larger tornado that stretched to the sky. Another massive bolt of lightning struck the eye of the tornado and a flash of light spread through the valley, bright enough that it could have been the sun. It momentarily blinded everyone.
When Alex could see again, the valley was empty. There was no grass, no trees—nothing.
Myrddin floated back down to the ground and waved his wand one more time. A shimmering bubble spread over the Nest, stretching out as far as the path of destruction.
The wizard walked over to Alex, his movements labored and looking painful. He was breathing very deeply, and his eyes looked extremely tired. “Alex, we need to speak. There are more reinforcements coming since this will only hold for so long. I need to know what Vardis told you.”
Alex was surprised Myrddin knew she’d had a dream about Vardis. “How did you know about that?”
“That is not what’s important. What you were told is.”
Chapter Ten
Myrddin and Alex met in the wizard’s study. No one else was allowed in. When he stepped into the room, he went straight to a chair and collapsed in it. He looked tired but not defeated, and his eyes were still bright with life. “When you were unconscious,” he started. “Vardis spoke to you, didn’t he?”
Alex took a seat next to Myrddin as she tried to recollect what Vardis had told her. “He said we were telepathically linked.”
“Yes, I know you two are linked. That is one of the troubling aspects of all this. Did he say why he linked to you?”
“Because he trusted me.”
Myrddin leaned forward as he stared at Alex. His eyes were impossible to read. Alex knew he was thinking, but she couldn’t tell what. “That is disconcerting,” he muttered.
Alex felt her pride flash as her cheeks burned red. “Why is that disconcerting?”
Myrddin’s face softened as he reached over to his coffee table and picked up a glass of water that appeared on it. “Please do not take offense, Alex, but you are a child. If there was a matter of this importance, Vardis should have spoken with me. That is what is disconcerting.”
Only a child? Fighting in a war, leading an entire squad, risking my life? And I’m just a child?
Silence hung in the air between Alex and Myrddin as they watched each other. Alex couldn’t believe that was how Myrddin thought of her. After all of the work she’d done for him, after everything she’d sacrificed and experienced, Myrddin didn’t think she was anything other than a kid.
Myrddin didn’t seem to care about how Alex was reacting to his opinion. “What did he tell you?”
Alex thought Myrddin could ask Vardis himself if he was so certain of how important he was, but she also knew this wasn’t the time or place for such pettiness. However hurt her feelings were, it wasn’t going to help the situation. She had intel, and the war effort needed it. “He said he hid the weapon on Earth’s moon.”
Myrddin clicked his tongue, folded his hands, and sat quietly for a bit. “Interesting.” Then he rose and walked to his desk. “Alex, your leadership skills saved many lives today. You were the only one wise enough to do what they all knew they should have done. I commend you.”
Myrddin rested his hand on his desk, leaning over it. He looked immensely old. “That is why I tell you this in complete honesty. I do not know what to think of Vardis. I can’t figure him out, and that is dangerous. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Alex didn’t. She’d never seen Myrddin speak so candidly, and it was upsetting. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t follow.”
“Ignorance is dangerous. It ends in wars, and in this situation, we are ignorant.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
Myrddin turned to face Alex, his face tired and worn. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just don’t know.”
Team Boundless had gathered in the stables to prepare for their next mission. Myrddin and Alex had sent out a briefing to let them know they were
