13

*****

The time of the battle was coming. We could all sense it. I sat tensely on Wyatt's neck. Waiting for Goliath to send out the call. Once the battle began it wouldn't stop.

I directed a few angry thoughts at him. It wasn't exactly word thoughts, but if I were to put the emotions into words then it would be something like. Wake up you stupid idiot. He'd been idle so long. I wasn't able to reach him no matter how hard I tried, but I knew he was still there.

Still alive just not mentally there. Almost as if his mind had went somewhere else. Somewhere too far for me to reach. I'd felt his presence two or three times. Almost as if he was trying to surface the depth of his own mind, and couldn't quite make it.

As if there was a black barrier separating his mind from reality. Keeping it down. I couldn't quite grasp what this blackness was. It was something dangerous. Yet I couldn't break through it to get to Wyatt.

It just stretched, and flexed around my presence before launching me back out. To top it off those deep dives were beyond exhausting. I could only do them every other day without letting anyone know what I was doing. I couldn't keep on exhausting myself all the time. I was running myself beyond thin.

I knew eventually I would snap under the pressure, but as long as I got Wyatt back I didn't really care.

"Ethan," Savannah frowned at me, "You can't just keep on zoning out like that."

"What difference does it make if I do?" I rubbed my aching head, and stood up slowly.

I'd been sitting her a lot longer then I'd thought. The way my legs cramped up told me I'd been here at least a few hours. I'd completely lost track of time.

"We need you to help with the defenses," she snapped me back to focus, "And I can't keep an eye on all these newcomers by myself. What if one of them turns out to be a threat?"

She must have known how much that question would effect me, but it got me moving. I stretched slowly. Cracking all the kinks in my back at once. Loosening everything up so I could move properly again. I moved toward the group.

Fully intending to put some serious work in. Observing the humans that had decided to stay was my actual top priority. It was easy for me to cross the distance. My legs drove me forward with a confidence, and purpose that I rarely showed. It felt unnatural without Wyatt behind me.

I needed to remember that I didn't need him behind me. I was strong on my own. I'd been reminded repeatedly of that simple fact. I looked them over slowly as I got to work. It was difficult not to let my eyes rest on one person too long.

I was suspicious of all of them. I wanted to strap them all down, and interrogate them. That would come across the right way with us working together. Like Savannah said I'd just have to keep an eye on her. I slammed a fresh section of wall together in seconds.

Much faster then any of the people that were working right now. The sudden lack of a pile of wood, and the extension of the wall were the only visible evidence of me putting in some work. Telekinesis at my level was more then a little handy. They all looked at me with visible shock. I just ignored their shock, and moved two more piles of wood close to the end of the wall.

Slamming another section of wall together within minutes of the first section of the wall I'd assembled. I had to stop after a third section of wall went together, because my nose started bleeding. I was pushing myself too hard. It took a lot for me to become mentally exhausted. I sat down in the grass, and put my head down.

Closing my eyes, and covering my ears. Resting my elbows on my knees. This position allowed me to recover the fastest.

"You must be quite powerful for you to know that position," My eyes snapped upward.

Focusing on the water great as she looked down at me.

"You've seen this before?" I returned my eyes downward.

Leaving the right ear uncovered so I could hear her response.

"The Virgil family uses it often to recover," she sounded like she was in a happy memory.

"I didn't get to keep the family name like my siblings," I scoffed, "I have my mother's maiden name Burk."

"Why would you have your mother's maiden name?" she seemed genuinely curious.

"I was too weak to live up to their standards," I looked at her with a sad smile, "So they changed my name to Burk, and sent me away."

"You!" she laughed, "Weak! What idiot had that stupid idea?"

"Wyatt thought the same thing," I closed my eyes, and ended the conversation by returning to the recovery position.

She seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk anymore, and left me alone while I recovered. It took me about an hour to recover completely. I slammed together another three sections of wall. We'd completed two semi circular sections of wall already. Once this one was done then we'd have a third wall.

"Why hasn't he been helping this whole time?" a male voice complained quietly.

I wiped the blood off my nose, and turned my full attention to the man.

"I couldn't help before because you were too close to Wyatt," I practically snarled, "I don't need to be able to read minds to see that half of you would rather kill the dragon, and be done with it. Otherwise Savannah wouldn't have been worried about you lot." I swayed on my feet, "I would rather send all of you away so that I don't have to worry about possible enemies mixed with allies, but unfortunately beggars can't be choosers. I'm stuck with whatever help I can get. You on the other hand can leave any time you want."