NeverSeen

Raven ventured through the portal first, and the others trickled after him. There was a blur of color around them as they walked through, and then they were standing not a hundred feet from the door into the mountain. After Tracer walked through, the portal closed up behind him. No way back.

“Now remember,” said Raven, turning to face them all, “We move quiet, and we move fast. We get the kids out, and we don’t look back.”

“Hang on,” interrupted Kael, “since when are you the captain of this ship?”

“Since you guys didn’t take it,” replied Raven. He loaded his slingshot and peeked around the rock to see the door.

“Wait, what ship?” Wayk whispered.

“Shut up! Here comes somebody,” retorted Falcon, drawing back his bowstring.

A soldier walked past their rock. In seconds, they’d jumped him, knocked him out, and hidden him. Their own efficiency startled them, given that they were a hodgepodge of barely trained boys with only one day of military experience. Raven grabbed the soldier’s pass card and ran to open the door.

“Hey, Raven, watch it! You’re not the toughest one here, you know!” called Kael as quietly as he could. Raven slid the card through the slot. There was a clicking sound, and the door slid open. He peeked in, slingshot ready, and looked back at them.

“Are you entirely sure of that?” he asked curiously. Then he turned and darted inside.

“Ouch,” whispered Gator, a slight grin morphing his normally serious composure.

Falcon and Kael glanced at each other as they hustled after him. Tracer glanced around one more time, pausing just enough to look at the stars, the moons, and the clouds festering on the horizon. He knew he certainly didn’t feel like the toughest one there, but even more so, something in his heart told him that they were in the wrong place to be rescuing anybody. In fact, he knew it. But he couldn’t prove it. He just wanted to find Emma, and something told him she wouldn’t be here.

Tracer got one last look at the silhouette of the Skyglass Temple, towering tall and black against the darkening, storm-clouded night before he shut the door.