Zuriel walked across the room, stopping at the window. He ran his hands through his hair and turned back to Halvar. “Did you know I’m supposed to lead the troops? Me leading men into battle. He called them my men. I have no men.” He walked back toward his bed.
“Well, who else is going to do it?”
“Michael! That’s his job. He is the troops leader.” Zuriel turned toward Halvar, now angry with his assertion that it should of course be him. As if it were a simple matter. As if it were obvious.
“Zuriel, you are the dueling. The people’s hero, of course they’ll follow you.”
Zuriel laughed, looking in disbelief at his lifelong friend. Surely of all people, he would be the one who knew what an insane idea it was to put him in charge of an army. “You think this is fine, to put this on me? I never asked to be anyone’s hero.”
“None of us asked for this, Zuriel.” Halvar snapped back, his face growing cold. “But alright, fine. You don’t want to do it. That’s fine. Let’s go.” He turned and walked to the door.
Zuriel looked at him, confused. “What do you mean ‘let’s go’?”
“We’ll go get Aila, I’ll force a bleed and she’ll build a bridge back to Earth.” He pulled the door opened and motioned for Zuriel to go ahead of him.
Zuriel stood looking at the open door a moment. “That isn’t fair.”
“What isn’t? Having this trust on you? Yeah, maybe not. So lets get you back home.”
“I can’t ask her to do that.” Zuriel took a step forward.
“What, you won’t ask Aila to help get you home? You won’t help, so why stay here? No one else can get you back.”
He closed his mouth, glaring at his friend. “You’re manipulating me.”
“A little.” He threw the door closed and walked toward Zuriel. “I am just trying to get it through your head that this is just how it is. You are the one to do it. You can hate it, you can fight it, you could even quit, but that’s your way home. The last nymph building you a bridge.” Halvar paused slightly. “You know, maybe we’ll be alright here in Halcyon. And if the city falls, maybe Samael will be content to just rule Vale. Maybe without a clear enemy in Agur he won’t finish his task of eliminating naims from Vale. Maybe he’ll be content with that. The wizards might be useful enough that he doesn’t kill them too. Or maybe he does, maybe existence needs a realm of just sorcerers.”
“Alright!” Zuriel shouted. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. That was no getting out of it. Halvar was right. He could refuse, they would take him home. He could make Aila build a bridge back to Earth, expending herself to rid her world of its only hope. But then what? Would that be easier to live with than leading an army?
“You’ve wanted to do something that mattered your whole life. I watched you go from project to project, cause to cause, and none of it felt quite right. None if it was supposed to because this has always been the road ahead of you.” Halvar took a step forward. “I can see now the mistakes that I made. I was so focused on keeping you safe that I didn’t prepare you for this and I should have. That’s on me and I’ll have to live with it.”
