Dragons of War - Rising Storm

Chapter 28 (2/2)

"You did?" His head turned sharply.

"But he can't help us, so it was a waste of time."

"Well, I could have told you that. You need to check in with Luke, or someone. Anyone. We'll be leaving soon I imagine." He said with a dark feeling.

Leaving? My eyes must have betrayed me, and Omega went on.

"The Cabal, they sent an army in our tracks. They followed our path and it won't be long before they find this Oasis. The Order has decided to send as many Dragon Warriors as they can in order to try and stop them - but we all know it's a death sentence, for us all."

I had hardly a thought in my mind, let alone a reply for his words.

"It's bad Jaya. The only ones that are staying with the colony, are the wounded. They're all they'll have when they abandon this base if we fail. And I'm pretty sure we all know we'll fail." His tone dropped off and his head turned away from me. I could feel it in his words, the way he acted, the pain and fear. It was overwhelming.

"How do you know that?" I demanded weakly.

"Jaya, you were there. You saw how easily they took so many of us down, and in a single strike!" His anger came out and I took a step away.

His head turned away sharply and he strode away.

"Go and see Luke, and anyone else you might need to say goodbye to," he told me.

Anger flashed through me, so powerfully I was swept away in it.

I charged after him and stopped in his path, making him rear back and blink at me in surprise.

"How can you say that? You of all people know..." I began but then I looked down to my feet. If I didn't have the power, then how could he?

"Jaya?" He questioned.

"Lewis told me your real name," I began, and looked back up at him. His eyes flickered and I felt the fear in him change like the wind, the direction no longer aimed outward, but in. At me.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"We need to talk," I told him and turned away, my eyes searching for a secluded place.

"No! Just tell me! No one can hear us like this," Omega went on, and I could feel the conversation change. It became private.

I turned back around and paused for only a moment to think on my words.

"Lewis told me that there was only one other Warrior that was like me - but that he never went by his real name since he Changed. I know it's you, and I have always felt how you were different from the others, but I still don't know how, or why." I told him.

Omega looked down to his feet and was silent, but when his head rose again I saw the fear fade.

"I don't know why either, but I can tell you the only thing between us that seems to be the same." He began, and I took a step closer. "I lied when I entered the program, so I had to use a different name to hide who I really was. At first, I thought it was about petty morals, but after being the only survivor of the Changing, and what I noticed after, I couldn't ignore the fact that I was different from all the other Warriors. They get tired faster. They're clumsy in the air. I can change three times as fast, almost as fast as you. But what really gets me, is the telepathy."

"What about it?" I asked.

"You mean you don't feel it?" He questioned. "Every word spoken, every thought they have, whether they're in a human form or not, you can feel them. It's almost like reading minds, but it's not quite the same. At first, I had horrible headaches. I could barely function. But the more I pushed and suppressed the power, the less I felt and hurt. By now I'm just numb, but it makes me act as clumsy as the rest so I guess it doesn't matter."

"But it does, doesn't it?" I questioned.

Omega's eyes flickered and he looked away.

"Why have you told no one? Or done nothing with your advanced abilities?" I asked.

"Why do you think? Look what happened to the one warrior that was worth anything to this fight! He died, horribly!"

"So you were afraid of what they would do to you?" I questioned.

"Not just me, Jaya... Think about it." He said. "When I told them I was 23 on the submission form. By the time I got through training, it had been a year, but I was still only 15 when they Changed me."

I blinked for only a moment before it clicked.

We were both so young. So why did that make a difference?

"The Order would do anything to win this war, even if it meant creating a child army. Why do you think that rule was put into place? They knew once it happened one time, and worked, they wouldn't be able to go back." He went on.

"Does that mean we have to sit back and watch them all die, even though we have the power to make a difference?" I questioned.

Omega looked to the ground but had no reply.

"No matter what you do, they already know about me, and I will try my best to win this fight. Even if I'm not more powerful than anyone else."

I turned away to find Luke but Omega called out with a chirp and I turned around.

"I won't let you fight alone. When the time comes, try to find me. Maybe we can make a difference, together."

Before I could think of a reply he whirled around and sped away.