Free Dark Defender by Alexis Morgan Page B

walked out.
     
    The lights flickered for the third time in as many minutes. Jarvis shivered, the chill in the air not entirely due to the depth of the cavern. The night had been a long one and it wasn’t over yet. For the moment the barrier was at full strength, but it wasn’t likely to stay that way.
    At least they’d had enough time to clear away their wounded and dead. Rumor had it that hot food was on the way, but that was probably wishful thinking. Right now, he’d settle for some of those MREs that the military used for field rations, or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Water would be good; hot coffee even better.
    “Sir, the last of the dead have been transferred to headquarters for treatment.” The guard looked unbelievably earnest and young, until you looked into his eyes. He’d seen enough action over the past two days to ensure his eyes would never look young again.
    “How many were there?” Jarvis leaned against the wall of the cave, too tired to care if he ever moved again.
    “Two of ours dead, with another half dozen seriously wounded.”
    Considering the number of Others who had crossed the barrier, that was miraculously low. “Tell your men to stand down for the next four hours. We’ll take the first watch.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    His fellow Paladins might not appreciate his decision, but they had more stamina than the purely human guards. If the barrier resumed blinking on and off like a damned lighthouse, they would need the guards rested and ready to fight.
    When the guard was out of earshot, he pulled out his radio and signaled headquarters. A blast of static had him cursing; nothing electronic worked quite right this close to the barrier.
    It quit crackling long enough for him to hear a voice.
    “Where the hell are the reinforcements you promised?” he demanded.
    He could only understand about every other word, but they didn’t add up to good news. Help was days away, not hours. He felt like hurling the radio against the cave wall.
    “Yes, sir, I understand. I also understand that you and the others never take this fault line seriously. One day it’s really going to flex its muscles, and we’ll be lucky if we live long enough to say we told you so.”
    He hit the disconnect button before the Regent could offer more excuses. He’d heard it all before, and it had been decades since he’d believed anything they had to say. The New Madrid fault line might not have the glitz and glory of the Pacific Rim, but it was just as deadly. He was sick and tired of seeing his fellow Paladins die over and over again with little relief, and it had been almost five years since he’d taken a vacation longer than a three-day weekend.
    He could always ask for a transfer. The local command, tired of his constant demands for more help, would probably be glad to see him go. But he was too old, too close to the end of his journey toward madness, to want to learn the resonance of a new section of the barrier or to memorize all the tunnels that provided access to it.
    Pushing away from the wall, he headed down the passageway to where the next Paladin stood watch. He ignored the row of dead Others, their faces contorted in the final pain of knowing they’d failed to find sanctuary in this world. Generations of Paladins had fought off the constant threat of invasion, never knowing what drove the dark warriors to suicide rushes across the barrier.
    Or caring.
    He approached the Paladin with caution. Their nerves were all stretched to the breaking point from too much fighting and so much death. A wrong move on his part and his comrade would swing his sword first and ask questions later.
    He pulled a couple of breakfast bars from the pocket of his cargo pants. “Thought you might like something to hold you until the meals arrive.”
    “Thanks.” The weary warrior took the bar without taking his eyes off the barrier.
    “I let the guards grab some sleep.” Jarvis ripped open his own bar and took a bite. It