Drako attacked.
Kel barely caught the movement before Solara touched his shoulder and shoved him sideways. A black-red shin tore through the space where his ribs had been.
Kel stumbled, planted his foot and immediately came back with a jab. Drako knocked it aside, but Solara was already moving from the opposite angle. Her palm slid toward his ribs.
Drako twisted away.
Kel stepped in again and fired a cross. Drako caught the punch against his forearm, then snapped his elbow back toward Kel's face.
Solara intercepted the arm with both hands. She didn't try to stop Drako's strength directly. Her feet shifted beneath her as she guided the elbow past Kel and redirected Drako's momentum away from them.
Kel saw the opening and threw a left hook.
Drako leaned back.
The punch missed by inches.
Then his knee came up.
Kel barely got his forearms down in time.
BOOM!
The impact lifted him off his feet. Kel landed several yards away and nearly collapsed when his injured leg touched the ground.
Solara immediately moved toward him.
Drako didn't chase. He remained in the middle of the burning street, rolling one shoulder as if they had barely begun warming up.
Kel looked at him.
"Thirty seconds yet?"
Drako smiled.
"Not even close."
Kel breathed out.
"Of course."
Solara reached him.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Can you move?"
"Unfortunately."
That got the smallest smile from her.
Drako started walking toward them.
Solara lowered her voice.
"Kel."
"What?"
"Roku got away."
Kel looked at her. The words took a moment to register through the pain.
"With the package?"
She nodded.
"He should already be on his way to Transmorra."
Kel glanced past Drako toward the road leading out of town.
"Good."
Solara stared at him long enough for Kel to notice.
"What?"
"You really don't understand."
"Understand what?"
Solara kept one eye on Drako as he approached.
"The reason Roku had time to leave."
Kel frowned.
"It was because of you."
Kel looked at her.
"What?"
"When you came into town, you started pulling people out. Then you fought those infected humans. After that, you took on the armored Abyssal beings."
Solara's expression tightened.
"Everyone started moving toward you."
Kel blinked.
He hadn't thought about that. He'd been too busy trying not to die.
Solara continued.
"Drako's people were searching everywhere for us. The infected were searching. The Abyssal beings were searching. Then suddenly there was a sixteen-year-old running through town, evacuating civilians and fighting anything that got close."
Kel glanced toward Drako.
"So I distracted everybody."
"Pretty much."
Kel considered it.
"That wasn't the plan."
"I know."
Something in Solara's voice made him look back at her.
That was the part that mattered to her.
"You didn't know Roku and I were here. You didn't know about our mission. You didn't know that helping those civilians would help us too."
Kel shrugged carefully.
His ribs immediately punished him for it.
"People needed help."
"I know."
Solara swallowed.
"And because you helped them, you gave Roku the opening he needed."
Kel was quiet.
Solara's eyes softened.
"You saved our mission."
Kel stared at her for a second. Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"So what you're saying is..."
Solara immediately recognized the expression.
"Don't."
"I saved your mission."
"Kel."
"You're welcome."
Despite everything happening around them, Solara laughed.
It only lasted a second.
Then Drako spoke.
"This is adorable."
They both looked at him.
He had stopped about fifteen feet away.
Kel sighed.
"Nobody asked you."
"I've been standing here the whole time."
"Still nobody asked you."
Drako chuckled.
Solara looked back at Kel. Her smile disappeared.
"That's why I'm staying."
Kel frowned.
"You already said—"
"No."
She grabbed his forearm.
"I'm serious."
Her grip tightened.
"You gave Roku the chance to finish our mission without even knowing you were doing it. I'm not going to use that chance to save ourselves and leave you here."
Kel looked at her hand, then at her.
"Solara—"
"I won't let you die."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
Kel's expression softened.
Solara continued.
"I know you chose to come down here. I know I didn't make you do that."
Kel nodded.
"But if Roku and I hadn't brought that package through this town, none of this would've happened."
"Maybe."
"Kel."
"I'm serious."
He looked around the burning street.
"Maybe Drako wouldn't be here. Maybe those things wouldn't be searching the town."
His eyes shifted toward the northern road.
"But those people were here."
Solara followed his gaze.
"Luno's taking families back to Durnfield because we came down here."
Kel looked at her.
"That little girl still has her dad because we came down here."
Solara was silent.
"I already told you. I'd do it again."
Her eyes glistened.
Kel noticed and immediately looked uncomfortable.
"Please don't cry."
"I'm not crying."
"Looks pretty close."
"I can still leave you here."
Kel smiled.
"There she is."
Drako clapped once.
Both of them turned.
"Finished?"
Kel raised his fists.
"Probably not."
Solara released his arm and opened her palms.
"But you can come closer and find out."
Drako's grin widened.
"Much better."
His Abyssal Qi thickened, and the pressure immediately settled over the street again. Kel's legs trembled beneath the weight while Solara's breathing changed beside him.
Neither backed away.
Drako lowered into his stance.
Kel watched his hips.
Solara watched his shoulders.
Drako noticed both.
"Let's see if you've learned anything."
He moved.
This time, Kel didn't wait.
"Right!"
Solara trusted him.
She stepped right as Drako's lead leg tore through the space she'd just abandoned.
Kel jabbed toward his eyes.
Drako parried.
Solara came around the outside and drove her palm toward his ribs. Drako turned with it, but Kel was already stepping deeper.
Cross.
Blocked.
Drako's elbow fired toward his temple.
Kel rolled beneath it.
Solara's palm touched Drako's arm and continued the rotation, adding just enough pressure to pull him farther off line.
Kel came up on the other side.
Hook.
Drako's hand caught it.
His smile appeared.
"Better."
Then his knee buried itself in Kel's stomach.
Kel folded.
Solara attacked immediately. Her palm struck Drako's chest and Soul Qi pulsed through the contact.
Drako slid half a step.
Solara grabbed Kel and pulled him away before the next kick came.
The shin passed inches from both of them.
Kel stumbled beside her.
"That hurt."
"I saw."
"Just checking."
Drako rushed them.
Solara moved first. Her hands caught his forearm as the elbow came toward Kel and guided it downward.
Kel recognized what she wanted.
He pivoted outside.
Drako's body opened.
Kel drove a right hand into his ribs.
Internal Qi moved through the punch.
THUD!
Drako's body shifted.
Kel's eyes widened.
Solara saw it too.
They had moved him.
Not much.
But together, they had moved him.
Drako slowly looked down at the spot Kel hit, then back at them.
His smile disappeared.
Kel's stomach dropped.
"Was that bad?"
Solara didn't look away from Drako.
"Probably."
Drako smiled again.
"Do it again."
Kel sighed.
"Why does he keep saying that?"
Drako came forward harder.
Kel barely slipped the jab.
Except it wasn't a jab.
Drako's hand caught the back of his head.
Kel realized too late.
Clinch.
Drako's knee started rising.
Solara drove both palms into Drako's elbow. His grip loosened enough for Kel to rip himself free, and the knee missed his face by inches.
Kel stumbled backward.
Drako spun.
Solara saw the kick.
Too late.
Kel didn't.
He saw Solara.
His body moved before he thought about it.
Kel stepped between them and reinforced his arms.
Drako's shin crashed into his guard.
The impact threw Kel into Solara, and both hit the ground.
For a second neither moved.
Kel groaned.
Solara shoved him.
"Why did you do that?"
Kel looked at her like the answer was obvious.
"He was kicking you."
"I can redirect."
"You were late."
"I was not late."
"You were definitely late."
Drako laughed from across the street.
Solara glared at him.
"Stop encouraging him."
"I didn't say anything."
"You laughed."
"Because this is hilarious."
Kel pushed himself up.
Solara followed.
Their movements were slower now.
That worried her.
Kel had already been exhausted before she joined him. The strange way he kept drawing strength from the heat was helping him stay upright, but she could feel the damage beneath it.
Her own Soul Qi was nearly gone.
They weren't going to beat Drako.
They both knew it.
The question was how long they needed to survive.
Solara glanced toward the eastern road.
Roku had to be far away by now.
Drako noticed.
"Thinking about your friend?"
Solara's eyes returned to him.
Drako tapped his temple.
"You're easy to read."
Kel shifted slightly in front of her.
Drako noticed that too.
"Relax."
His grin returned.
"If I wanted to chase him, I'd already be gone."
Kel frowned.
"Then why aren't you?"
Drako looked at him.
"Because you're interesting."
Kel stared.
"That's possibly the worst answer you could've given."
"I disagree."
Drako's Abyssal Qi began gathering around his limbs again.
Kel felt the change.
Solara did too.
Drako wasn't finished playing, but something was different now. He had seen Kel and Solara begin adjusting to each other. Kel's direct boxing created openings while Solara's redirection changed angles. Kel pressured. Solara controlled.
Neither was anywhere close to Drako individually.
Together, they were becoming inconvenient.
For someone like Drako, inconvenient was apparently entertaining.
Kel settled beside Solara.
"You got anything?"
"A plan?"
"Preferably."
"Keep him busy."
Kel looked at her.
"That's your plan?"
"Roku just needs time."
Kel thought about it, then nodded.
"Okay."
Solara glanced at him.
"That's it?"
"That's what I've been doing all night."
Drako smiled.
"Ready?"
Kel's fists rose.
"No."
Solara opened her palms.
"Not even a little."
Drako laughed.
Then attacked.
---
Roku didn't know how long he'd been running.
Time had become meaningless somewhere between the fourth settlement and the first distant lights of Transmorra. His shoulder burned, his legs felt hollow and every breath scraped his throat. The sealed dark-metal case remained strapped beneath his coat, pressed tightly against his body as he crossed the final stretch of Badlands road.
Solara's Soul cloak had faded miles ago.
That worried him.
The package was exposed again.
If Drako's people could sense it from far enough away, Roku had no idea how much time he had before something found him.
So he kept running.
Then the walls appeared.
Transmorra rose from the darkness ahead, lanterns glowing along massive stone towers. Even at this hour, light spilled beyond the gates from streets that never seemed to fully sleep.
Roku nearly laughed.
He didn't have enough breath.
Instead, he ran faster.
Two guards moved when they saw him approaching.
"Halt!"
Roku didn't stop.
"Running Rebels!"
One guard reached for his weapon.
"Stop!"
"Priority delivery!"
That made them hesitate.
Roku came through the gate covered in blood, dust and burns, one dagger damaged at his side.
The nearest guard stared.
"Where's your partner?"
Roku passed him.
"Still fighting."
He didn't wait for another question.
Transmorra blurred around him as he ran. Cobblestone streets passed beneath his feet, lanterns burned overhead and late-night merchants were closing their stalls. The smell of smoke and alchemical chemicals drifted from the deeper districts.
Normally Roku would've paid attention to everything around him.
Tonight he cared about one courtyard.
One person.
Keyla.
The Running Rebels' compound sat away from the busiest districts. Their presence in Transmorra was tolerated because of the fragile balance they helped maintain throughout the Badlands, but the walls surrounding their courtyard made one thing clear.
They weren't completely trusted.
Roku reached the entrance and nearly crashed through it.
Three rebels turned.
Weapons came halfway free.
Then one recognized him.
"Roku?"
He bent forward, hands on his knees.
"Keyla."
The rebel looked at his condition.
"What happened?"
"Get Keyla."
"Where's Solara?"
Roku looked up.
"Get Keyla."
The tone ended the questions.
One rebel disappeared inside.
Roku forced himself upright. His hands shook as he removed the case from beneath his coat.
Footsteps approached.
Keyla emerged.
She stopped the instant she saw him.
Her eyes moved over the blood, the burns and the damaged dagger before settling on the empty space beside him.
"Where is Solara?"
Roku held out the case.
"Fourth settlement east of the old southern road."
Keyla's expression hardened.
"Why?"
"Drako."
Silence hit the courtyard.
Keyla took the case.
"He found you?"
"He kept finding us."
Roku struggled to control his breathing.
"We know how."
Keyla looked down at the dark metal.
"The package."
Roku nodded.
"They weren't tracking us. They were tracking this."
Keyla's eyes sharpened.
"You're certain?"
"Solara cloaked me and herself. They still knew where to search. The second she covered the case too, they lost us."
Keyla stared at it.
For the first time, Roku saw something close to worry cross her face.
"What's inside it?"
Keyla looked at him.
"I don't know."
Roku's jaw tightened.
"That's getting harder to believe."
"We'll deal with that later."
She handed the case to a rebel.
"Deep storage. Nobody opens it. Nobody touches it without me."
The rebel took it carefully and disappeared inside.
Roku immediately stepped toward Keyla.
"We need to go."
She was already reaching for her gear.
"Tell me everything on the way to the gate."
Two experienced rebels joined her.
Roku started after them.
Keyla turned.
"No."
His face hardened.
"I'm coming."
"You can barely stand."
"I can still fight."
"Not Drako."
Roku stopped.
Keyla didn't soften the words.
"You know that."
His fists clenched.
"Solara's there."
"I know."
"Kel too."
Keyla paused.
"Kel?"
"The Durnfield kid."
Recognition crossed her face.
"Harven's boy?"
"Yeah."
Roku pointed toward the east.
"He was already inside the town evacuating civilians when we realized it was him. Drako found him."
Keyla stared.
"And Solara stayed for Kel."
Roku nodded.
"She made me take the package."
Keyla looked toward the gate, then back at Roku.
"You completed the mission."
"I don't care about the mission."
"I know."
That stopped him.
Keyla stepped closer.
"But Solara does."
Roku looked away.
"She told you to bring this here because someone needed to finish what you started. You did."
"Now I'm going back."
"No."
Roku's eyes hardened.
"Keyla."
"If I take you back there like this, I'm rescuing three people instead of two."
"I don't need rescuing."
"You nearly fell walking into this courtyard."
Roku didn't have an answer.
Keyla lowered her voice.
"Recover."
He stared at her.
"If we don't come back, you're the one who makes sure that package gets where it actually needs to go."
Roku's jaw tightened.
That was exactly the kind of order he would've given someone else.
He hated receiving it.
Keyla turned.
"Move."
The two rebels followed.
Roku called after her.
"Keyla."
She stopped.
"Drako isn't alone."
"I assumed."
"Soulless humans. Armed fighters. Actual Abyssal beings. We don't know how many are left."
Keyla nodded.
Then Roku added one more thing.
"Kel awakened."
She looked back.
"Internal?"
"Something happened during the fight. Big enough that we felt it across town."
Keyla's expression changed.
"And then Drako started fighting him."
For several seconds, she said nothing.
"Of course he did."
Roku frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Drako likes interesting things."
Keyla turned toward the gate.
"Let's make sure Kel survives being interesting."
Then she and the two rebels disappeared into the streets.
Roku remained behind.
For the first time all night, he wasn't moving.
He hated it.
He looked toward the eastern horizon.
Solara was out there.
Kel was out there.
Drako was with them.
Roku slowly clenched his fists.
"Don't die."
---
Back in the burning settlement, Kel ducked beneath an elbow.
Solara redirected the next strike.
Kel pivoted around her.
Drako's knee came up.
Kel saw it.
"Left!"
Solara moved.
The knee missed.
Her palm pressed against Drako's shoulder and guided his rotation farther than he intended.
Kel stepped into the opening.
Cross.
Drako blocked.
Kel didn't stop.
Hook.
Drako caught it.
Solara struck from the opposite side.
Drako turned.
For one brief second, Kel and Solara had him moving instead of the other way around.
Then Drako smiled.
Kel's stomach dropped.
"Why is he smiling?"
Solara saw it too.
"I don't know."
Drako's Abyssal Qi surged.
Kel and Solara separated instinctively as the pressure rolled between them.
Drako straightened.
"Thirty seconds."
Kel blinked.
"That's thirty seconds?"
"Approximately."
"That felt much longer."
Drako rolled his neck.
"You two learn quickly."
Solara's breathing remained controlled, but Kel could see how exhausted she was now.
Drako saw it too.
His eyes moved between them.
"Let's make the next thirty harder."
Kel groaned.
"Can we vote against that?"
"No."
"Figured."
Solara shifted closer until her shoulder almost touched Kel's.
"You ready?"
Kel looked at Drako.
His ribs hurt. His leg hurt. His hands hurt. He had no idea what was happening with his Internal Qi, why fire kept giving him strength, or what Drako meant when he said his Soul Qi was waking up.
But Roku had escaped.
Luno was taking the civilians home.
And if Roku reached Transmorra, someone might finally know where they were.
For the first time all night, Kel didn't need to win.
He just needed to stay alive long enough for everyone else's path to reach where it was going.
Kel raised his fists.
"No."
Solara smiled faintly.
"Good."
She opened her palms.
"Me neither."
Drako lowered into his stance.
Then all three moved.
End of Chapter 41 — Urgent Paths