"You`re crazy!" The desperate roar of a panicked male voice has me clenching my teeth.

　　Am I the only one worried about attracting demons? The guard I`d left with Nugget pulls his dirty blonde hair with both hands, somehow still clutching his long sword. His head jerks back and forth, goggles swing from around his neck.

　　"I`m not going in there." He points his sword to the guard station.

　　Nugget holds herself unflinching before him, arms crossed. I can`t tell if she`s just too careless to move away from a swinging sword or if she`s showing her strength. I move in closer, dispersing my blades to the ether and get between Nugget and the raving guard. She huffs out a breath of air onto my back as I slide in.

　　"Didn`t you see what they did to Daniels?" The guard`s dark eyes look small, buried in his wide stare.

　　His gaze is far away, not seeing us. I look behind me, over Nugget`s head to the station. A dead Blaze lies on top of what looks like pieces of another guard. I move from in between Nugget and the guard, wondering who took out that Blaze?

　　"We need to take the other one out before we end up like Daniels." Nugget`s long dark ponytail swings when she gestures down to a charred leg that lies at our feet.

　　The guard points his trembling sword at her. "I`m n . . . n . . . . not . .." His voice shakes and his grip on the sword slips.

　　My arm flies out to push her behind me, a little too fast, by her quick intake of breath. Shit, that was dumb.

　　"Hey." My low warning rumbles from my chest, halting the guard mid-step.

　　His head snaps up, noticing I`m here. His Adam`s apple bobs up and down his long neck, seeing how close the tip of his blade is to us. He drops his arm limply to his side.

　　"She`s crazy, man." His eyes strain for me to understand. "You should`ve seen . . .She`s got some kind of death wish."

　　Nugget grunts at his words.

　　"Who does that?" The guard mutters to himself, looking at the station. "The way she attacked that demon and then . . . then . . ."

　　A long, high-pitched buzz comes from inside the station, cutting the guard off.

　　"It`s summoning." I say.

　　It`s a Grunt demon by the sound of it. The guard uses his uniform sleeve to wipe sweat from his brows. He`ll be a risk if he doesn`t get it together. Nugget steps from behind me and pokes at Daniels` amputated leg with the tip of her boot.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

　　I`m tempted to leave them both to their own fates. But I can`t. Not because I`m playing hero, but because of who I am, because of my name. What would they say if the last Oren was the sole survivor in another gate breech?

　　"What`s your name, warrior?" I ask the guard.

　　I can see Maters on his uniform, but I need his focus. His eyes are still on the broken station doors. Nugget moves to stand next me and stares at the guard. She`s so small. Her borrowed goggles are tight around her eyes and take up most of her face. A pointy, little nose peeks out. But it`s those big wide eyes I worry about. She sees too much.

　　"His name is Alton," Nugget answers for him.

　　For a cadet, her calm is unnerving.

　　"Alton," I bark, grabbing his attention. "Maters, a true warrior family of the long sword."

　　His sword glows hot, fueling him, and he stands tall in remembrance of his legacy. Alton flicks a look between me and Nugget. My shoulders relax seeing the desperate look leave his face. His free hand pulls his goggles back over his eyes and pats his worked-over hair.

　　"Alton, I need you to secure the gate while I go to the station." I say.

　　"No." He shakes his head. Drops of sweat spray the tops of his shoulders. "I tried to seal it when the breach happened. It`s embedded in the wall."

　　I can`t tell him it`s come loose. Normal warriors can`t see that far. A long screech sounds from the gate. It`s too far away for them to hear, but my stillness must alert Nugget. Her head whips up to look at me before looking in the direction of the gate. The confident tilt of her chin gives her the appearance of a seasoned warrior, not a cadet.

　　"Alton, with me." I say and pat his shoulder. "Let`s get that gate closed."

　　I turn to Nugget. She stares into the fog, her mouth opens and her tiny nostrils flare ready to argue, but she snaps her teeth together when she sees me watching her. I can`t take her with us. Her small strides will only slow us down. Alton`s closer to my height. He`ll be faster. And I have to take someone with me since they think the gate is stuck.

　　"You monitor the guard station." I order Nugget.

　　She nods and turns as if she`s going to walk in it. There`s still a demon in there. It`s hard to believe Alton`s ravings about Nugget attacking a Blaze by herself. She`s just a cadet and doesn`t have an ounce of self-preservation.

　　Before I can stop myself, my hand flies out and grabs her bicep, jerking her to a stop. She spins around to face me so fast she breaks free of my grip. Thunder flashes across her face before she stomps up to me leaving only inches between us.

　　"I`m a warrior born, trained the same as you. Stop treating me like a child." Her words come out quick as if she spat them at me. As if she uses them often.

　　Her full lips are thin in anger and my own rises at the reckless abandon she has for her own safety. It would never cross my mind to baby or shield another warrior born, and it pisses me off that I`m doing it now.

　　"Yes." I seethe back.

　　My irritation builds at the irrational urge to protect her, to keep her with me. Why do I care if she wants to run off to get killed? I duck low. We`re nose to nose.

　　"You are warrior born. Now maybe start thinking like one."

　　Her hazel eyes swirl to bright green, showing her rage, but she remains silent. Good, why should I be the only one affected? She is warrior born. She needs to be smarter than she`s shown. And if she can`t be, then I have to step up because I will not be blamed for her death.

　　"Stay hidden." I point to the remains of the shack. "Over there. Do not engage the enemy alone. Be smart and stay safe."

　　A slow rhythmic clapping pulls my eyes off of her to the gate. Flyer demons. Three of them flap their wings in answer to the Grunt`s summon. I straighten, walk to Alton, and fight the urge to turn back and check if Nugget obeyed my command.

　　"We have to go now." I say and race toward the open gate, with Alton following hard to catch up.