Blade(Part 1): Dawn

Chapter 37: Alexius

"Shala!" Dameon shouted.

"Shala!" Alexius called. Both of them and Zoya had already searched nearly every inch of Noglidas for Shala for nearly three hours, now. There was no sign of her.

"You two know her better than I do," said Zoya. "Where do you think she would go?"

"I hardly know this city," Dameon reminded. "And I'm sure Shala doesn't know it any better than I do."

"Should we split up and look for her?" Zoya wondered.

"No," Dameon denied. "In this city, anything can happen. If we look suspicious, we'll be dead."

"He's right," Alexius agreed. "Besides, I don't know how Shala would react to a stranger looking for her. No offense, Zoya."

"Oh, none taken," Zoya assured. "But how will she react to all of us?" Alexius hadn't thought about that. He hadn't seen Shala in months, and had nearly given her up for dead, and always thought Shala did the same with him.

"We'll just find out when we find her," said Alexius. "Come on." The three of them went further into the city, asking around for an Aze girl with a Yeiwynese bun in her hair. No one saw anyone matching that description.

"Thanks anyway," said Dameon, after they asked an old woman at a vegetable stall in the marketplace. A fourth hour was spent looking for her by the time they reached the plaza. Shala wouldn't be here, though. It was the most heavily watched place in the entire city, with almost a dozen squads of Skaolan soldiers stationed there, and riflemen on every rooftop.

"Well, maybe she left the city," Zoya suggested.

"Where would she go?" asked Dameon. "The Celestial Sword is probably in ruins by now." Suddenly, Alexius heard his grandfather's voice through his radio.

"Alexius?" he said.

"Yes?" asked Alexius.

"Do you have the weapons?" Decimus wondered.

"Zoya does," Alexius reported. "In a phased world."

"And where are you?" asked Decimus.

"The plaza," Alexius answered. "We're looking for a friend of mine, a member of my old squad."

"What?" Decimus growled. "We need those weapons, Alexius."

"And I need my friend," Alexius asserted. "Whatever you're planning will have to wait." He heard a deep sigh from his grandfather, and also sensed impatience from him.

"Fine," Decimus admitted. "But we're starting this in two hours. I hope you find her by then."

"What exactly are you going to do?" Alexius demanded.

"While you were away, we set up hologram projectors all around the city and hid them to where they couldn't be found," Decimus enlightened. "In two hours, we'll project an announcement to rally the people to fight against Skaola. We'll need you to bring those weapons back from the phased world as soon as it's over."

"And just let the people take them?" asked Alexius.

"Exactly," Decimus declared. "So, find your friend and get back to the plaza if she isn't already there."

"Understood," Alexius assured. The transmission cut. Alexius' heart began to race at the thought of this war starting so soon. With only two hours' notice, Shala needed to be found, and fast.

"What's wrong?" Zoya wondered.

"Listen, my grandfather's going to go public with his plan in two hours," said Alexius. "Can you get the weapons you took out of the phased world by then?"