The Black Gate (The Messenger #11) - J.N. Chaney Page 0,42

why yes, I am. Not at you, of course. Rather, it stems from the news that we face a renewed foe in the form of these Deepers.” His crystalline gaze bore into Dash’s. “The Enemy of All Life is pernicious, like a stubborn infestation of vermin.”

“To the best of our knowledge, Deepers aren’t the Golden,” Dash said. “Or, at the very least, we have nothing to say they are—”

“But Dash—Messenger—I submit to you that they are. The Enemy of All Life comes in many guises. The Golden was merely one of its manifestations.”

Dash exchanged a glance with Leira. “Kai, are you saying that you knew about these Deepers? Did you find something about them in the Unseen archives?”

“Yes! Or, rather, no—nothing about these Deepers specifically. Rather, the Unseen recorded contact with many races, some of which were openly hostile. And anyone hostile to the Unseen is, by definition, an Enemy of All Life.”

“Okay,” Leira said. “We believe you, Kai, of course. Where are you going with this?”

“The Enemy of All Life must be opposed at every turn. It is your sacred duty as Messenger,” the monk said, his gleaming gaze on Dash. “And it is our sacred duty to stand with you in that righteous task. I wanted you to know, Dash, that the Order of the Unseen is by your side, awaiting your commands, as we prepare once more to oppose the Enemy.”

Dash felt a kind of kinship with the monk just then. “I never doubted for a moment you and yours would be here when we needed you.”

“I thank you for that. We have known peace, but we also understand that evil never rests. It cannot, because evil must grow or die.” Kai gave a small bow to Leira, then Dash. “When the moment arrives, you need not even ask. Our research and our weapons stand ready for the Realm.”

Dash gripped his hand, and Kai slipped away, leaving a hum in the air.

“That’s quite something to take in,” Dash said.

“I thought you were intense.” Leira whistled softly. “That man has a calling.”

“And so do I, I think,” Dash said. “You see that it’s not even my decision? Not anymore?”

Leira smiled, bittersweet. “I know. I had to ask.” She exhaled, turning to stand near him, their shoulders touching. “I don’t think there will ever be another Messenger, and I’m not sure how to process that. To me, you’re so much more.”

“Same. We’re not pilots. Or even soldiers, maybe. We’re many things, but peaceful isn’t among them right now. I hope that comes later.” He put an arm around her, and they stood in silence, just sharing space and thoughts—and a goal, distant, but held together. Peace. A life. A home.

“Now,” Leira said, smiling a slightly sad smile, “let’s go fight another war—you and me together.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Dash stared out across the small sea of faces. Leira, Viktor, Conover, and Amy, then Benzel and Wei-Ping. Harolyn. Ragsdale. Al’Bijea from the Aquarian Collective, a consortium of comet-mining entrepreneurs. Bercale from the ship-builders of the Local Group, who’d lost so many people to the Deeper missile attack on Assembly Prime. Kai, looking as fervent as ever. Armagost, one of the humans from the Displaced, remnants of a star empire that had once thrived around Old Earth before the Golden destroyed it.

Together, they represented the Cygnus Realm core—a group who were battle-tested and tired of war. And yet, here they stood, alert, ready. Talented in ways that no other team could ever be.

Their alien contingent consisted of Jexin, representing the lizard-like Kosan, and Tikka and Vynix, siblings representing the weasel-like Rin-ti. All of their faces were turned to Dash as well, febrile in their readiness as he stepped forward to speak.

“This is the Black Gate, which produced the wobble in one of our worlds. It also allowed a race called the Deepers to penetrate our space, killing us and setting what’s about to happen in motion. I know—I know we thought this was over, but it’s not, and I’m sorry for that. I wish I had news that we were all going to grow old together, and we still can. But first, we must fight. Again,” Dash said.

“We will fight with you, Messenger.” Jexin’s voice rang out, clear and calm. There was a murmur of assent, and the sound of it lifted Dash for what he had to say.

“On the other side of the gate is an entire league of human systems, as well as races we’ve never known. I