Alana's strike team assembled quickly. They were all halfants who'd come to Snowdon from Redwood. I recognized their names from the doors at the compound. Cullen and Gayle's parents, Houston and Clara, talked in hushed tones. Felix Lopez twirled his gun and paced back and forth. His wife, Brynne, leaned against the outer wall of the compound. Arlie and Dalia had left with Carisma, going through the portal to Wales to take her to the hospital.

An older halfant who looked closer to Bryan's age was messing with his wrist unit. Moreno told me his name was Yergen Horton, and he'd served at Redwood since he was a teenager. Bryan had assigned Ezra to go with us too and Ashton munched on a protein bar so she could fly back to Pacifica with us.

"Who else are we waiting for?" I asked.

"The twins," Moreno said.

"Twins?" I asked.

"Khan and Spart Metters," Moreno said. "They're the only set of half-giant twins born since your great-aunts Doc and Alastra. They're pretty cool. Khan is a genealogist and linguistic specialist studying under Yergen, while Spart has been studying medicine under Dalia. Usually we don't assign twins to the same compound, but it was necessary because of their specializations."

Two young men in their twenties walked out of the compound, followed by Alana. For a moment, I thought I was seeing double. The men both had golden brown skin and buzzed hair. They wore identical gear, and they even walked the same. The only difference was one wore round sunglasses, and the other had a gold piercing in his ear.

"They're different," Moreno said. "But when one learns a skill, the other knows it. Spart is the one with the sunglasses and Khan always wears that earing and he's dating Arlie."

I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep them straight. I would do my best, though. Being a twin certainly couldn't be easy, especially when giant twins were so powerful. It would be nice not to have to learn every skill in life.

"Moreno," they said together. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Moreno said. "You guys are doing it again."

The twins looked at each other and laughed. Alana shot a glare at them, but that didn't stop their joy. Khan stopped laughing first and looked me up and down.

"This must be Miss Oakeley," he said. "She really does have the magic eyes."

"Must be strange to see the future," Spart said. "But honestly, we're used to the strange side of giant magic."

Khan winked and drew his shades down his nose. Spart rolled his eyes at his brother and set his metal wings loose from the pack on his back. Alana walked straight past them with her nose scrunched up. She looked like she meant business.

"We're flying to Pacifica," she said. "It's a long flight and we aren't stopping. If you get tried please tell me and we can use harnesses. We all need to get there in one piece."

"We've all made the flight before," Yergen said.

"That's not true," Alana said. "This is Terri's first flight to Pacifica. Not to mention she fell out of the sky on her last flight."

"I'll take her," Moreno said.

Alana crossed her arms. "Absolutely not. You already made the flight to Snowdon today. If we weren't desperate, the five of us would be sleeping before we flew again."

She was right. Between Ezra, Ashton, Moreno, her, and myself, we were far from well rested. A long flight would tank us all. Still, there wasn't a choice. We needed to get to Pacifica. We couldn't let my mother's army overwhelm it.

"I'll take her," Yergen said. "And if the four of you need a break, I'm sure we can sort something out."

Alana nodded as if it was settled. I wasn't crazy about being strapped to a complete stranger for a long flight, but I knew Moreno couldn't carry me the entire way. He'd barely gotten the minimum sleep the past few days he needed for clearance.

"We can help," Khan pulled his shades on again. "I'm glad we're seeing some action. It's been dull here just waiting for the giants to attack."

"Here, here," Felix holstered his gun. "It's about time we got to have some fun."

Yergen helped me into a harness. This time I was strapped in below him so that when he took off, I could see everything below us. The other halfants all followed in formation. They were all confident, like a flock of eagles or some other dangerous bird of prey.

For the most part, Yergen was quiet. Every once in a while he asked me if I was doing all right, but he didn't chat like some of the others. Alana was going over a holographic map on her wrist unit as she flew and chatting with Ashton. They seemed to be in some sort of disagreement about something, but I wasn't sure what. I just hoped they could sort it out before we arrived in Pacifica.

"Those two are a dangerous combination," Yergen said, noting where I was looking. "Doc intentionally sent them to separate compounds. She made Lyssa pick which one she wanted. Bryan convinced her to take Ashton."

"How do halfants get assigned compounds?" I asked.

Yergen chuckled. "Some of it is scores and skills. If you don't score high enough in swimming, they aren't assigning you to Pacifica. There's a low chance of being assigned Snowdon if you can't handle flying. The rest of it involves internal politics and open positions. Sometimes we reassign halfants, but we try to consider each compound as a family. The members have to work together and if that doesn't happen, we have problems."

I sighed. "That sounds complicated."

"I served at Redwood with your grandmother back when Bryan was just a lieutenant," Yergen said. "Redwood is my home. I raised my family there. Bryan is the finest commander to come out of our organization in a century. I would follow him to the ends of the earth."

"But he didn't come," I said.

Yergen sighed. "He went to Gorgon's Keep to get Japhros. They'll be right behind us. You'll see. Bryan is the only person who can mobilize the dragons quickly."

"Old Japhros is a great father to Bryan," Khan called. "Once the dragons arrive, these rebels won't know what hit them."

"Then why didn't Japhros just arrest everyone when they were around Snowdon?" I asked.

"Semantics," Khan said. "They weren't trying to escape, so they weren't committing a crime. Giant laws are funny that way. They aren't really in our favor."

"But if the giants are trying to actively escape, Japhros is allowed to make arrests and take in giants to the golden arbitrators at Gorgon's Keep," Spart said. "I've been rereading those laws pretty regularly since our hands were tied at Snowdon."

"Yeah, since you like reading Tytan's Codes before bed," Khan teased his brother. "Like I need to know more useless laws about Jontun."

"Kimmy got me into it," Khan said. "It's so dense you fall right to sleep."

Yergen just signed again. "You should rest, Terri. It's a long trip to Pacifica. I'll wake you if there's any action."

I didn't really want to sleep, but there didn't seem to be anything better to do. I hadn't gotten any meaningful rest in a while. It always involved Nikones hijacking my brain and having strange conversations with Ric. Not that talking to Ric was bad. I just always woke up from those dreams with my head feeling like I'd taken a standardized test, even if my body felt well rested.

My eyes closed, and I let the wind whip against my body. It was almost relaxing. I took deep breaths and found sleep much easier than I assumed.

Unfortunately, I found myself back in the smoke. My body, when I looked down, was a mixture of brown and blue mist. I barely recognized myself, but I could move. I didn't want to stand around and wait for a vision to show up. Instead, I walked into the smoke and mist.

I wasn't sure where I was going. There wasn't anything around. I didn't want to try to reach out with my mind. I didn't want to draw my mother's or grandfather's attention. It would be safer if they didn't know I was here.

After I was walking for a bit, the mist parted in front of me and I looked out on a massive pool of water. The water was a dark blue with green rocks around the edge, but I couldn't see the bottom. Sitting on the edge of the pool was another smoky visage.

"Hello, Terri," Victor said.

My uncle's smoky form straightened, and he seemed to wave. He was made of a navy smoke mixed with swirls of bright gold. I wasn't sure what this place was, but seeing him here made me relieved.

"Victor," I said. "What is this place?"

"The wellspring of magic," Victor said. "It's in the royal castle. This is where all magic originates in Jontun. My father thinks this is where we go when we are in this vision state—that somehow our consciousness is pulled into this pool somehow. It's the only tangible place in the mist and it's always here if you go to look for it."

"That makes little sense," I said.

"Little about our power does," Victor said. "I like to come here because the visions are fewer on the banks and my father and sister avoid it."

"What about Ric?" I asked.

"I've never seen him here," he said. "He's better at masking his persona in this place, like my father."

So Ric had some skill. That was interesting. He also had an interest in helping me. Victor just didn't know who Ric was, so he didn't trust the man.

"Is there any way to even sleep without coming here?" I asked.

"It takes practice," Victor said. "Clearing your mind before you drift off. I'm not very good at it. My father thinks I'm a disappointment in all things related to magic. I understand how our powers work, but I have difficulty making them work for me."

"Do you even know what my mother is doing?" I asked.

Victor laughed. "I have an idea. She's playing a twisted game that won't end well. My father has forbidden me from involving myself. The best I could do was send you a golden guard for protection."

It was my turn to laugh. "She shut down the search for Carisma on your father's orders. We had to make other arrangements."

"My father is mad about that," Victor said. "I'd advise you to watch your step around him. There are other ways to make his life difficult other than open defiance. Don't make him turn on you like your mother."

Tytan seemed to hate his daughter, and the princess wasn't crazy about her father either. Neither wanted to compromise for the other. Instead, they kept playing dangerous games and hurting all the surrounding people to get back at the other.

"I'm trying," I said. "But she stole Moreno's sister. I had to get her back."

"It's dangerous," Victor said. "My sister has always lashed out at anyone who didn't give in to her demands. I don't trust her and neither should you. Try to stay out of our family's mess. It's the only way to survive."

I knew he was right. There would be no winners here. I didn't agree with my mother, since her tactics were reprehensible. My grandfather, though, wasn't making me want to back him either.

"I can't bow out," I said. "Not if my mother is putting the halfants at risk. They're my family too."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Victor said. "Good luck."

And with that, the vision dissolved, and I sat up straight in my body, covered in sweat. I wasn't flying anymore, and someone had tucked me in a bed. Disoriented, I realized I did not know where I was.

A young girl no older than Carisma sat in the corner of a room. She had thick white curls, and her skin was pattered like Abel's frosty skin with a faint bluish tint. Her blue eyes were like chips of the coldest eyes, and she pursed her purple-hued lips together before cracking a gaped-tooth smile.

"Hi ya," she said. "You have funny eyes, too. That's so cool."

I couldn't find words, so I stared at the girl before my brain could catch up to my mouth. "Hi."

"They told me to bring you to the command center when you woke up," she said. "Welcome to Pacifica Compound. You're Theresa Oakeley, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "But call me Terri."

"My name is Magdalena, but everyone calls me Mimi," she said. "Everyone is this way. Follow me."

Hey everyone!!! We finally made it to Pacifica. What did you think of this chapter? Let me know if you have any theories or ideas after reading this. You reading this means so much to me!