Delivering The Plant

The buzz about the situation on Demetra was spreading like wildfire.

Caspian, always ahead of the game, was privy to details most in the Alliance didn't have. Still, by that time, Morrison had already boarded a ship, clutching the level-nine strength-enhancing plant like his life depended on it.

"Could something have happened to Lyra?" Caspian wondered aloud, making his way home to ask his sister, Leona. But when he arrived, she was drowning in work.

"You've got time for questions? How about helping me deal with the military instead?" she snapped, clearly at her wit's end.

They'd been badgering her nonstop for funds, and it was wearing her down.

Every major battle seemed to trigger the same old fight—military versus finance. Before a battle, they demanded supplies; afterward, they demanded compensation for the injured. The constant tug-of-war was driving Leona up the wall.