midsection look like a diamond, which continued to draw attention away from his shadowy face. The boy hopped off the throne and walked into the light.
Ted couldn't believe his eyes. The boy was a carbon copy of Ted from the top to the bottom. The same height. The same dark hair and bone structure. If it weren't for the difference in clothing, then Ted might've thought he was looking in a mirror.
Ted put his hand on his chin. "How?"
The General smiled. "It's a mystery to us, too. When people told me there was a resemblance, I didn't realize it'd be so exact."
Ted leafed through his brain for words, but none came. Despite the lack of speech, he did remember himself enough to bow in front of the most important man on this side of the planet.
The General took him by the shoulders and lifted him up. "Come, come. We're like brothers. There's no need for that. I'd like to show you something."
The General walked toward a side door Ted hadn't previously seen. Ted caught up and the guards in the room followed close behind them.
Butterflies bounced like cannonballs in his stomach. "How'd you know we were here?"
The General stared straight ahead. "This is my planet. The more I don't know, the more likely I am to lose everything." He knocked on the door and it opened from the outside. Light came streaming in, causing both of them to blink. "So stuffy in there. Follow me."
The General continued to walk at a breathtaking pace, and Ted struggled to keep up. The cool air whipped past his face. From their vantage point, Ted could see that this was one of the highest points of the entire castle. Below them, he could make out the tops of other towers and several banners he didn't recognize. Even the castle from his Redican-inspired dream earlier that year paled in comparison to the reality before him.
The General laughed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were excited to be here."
Ted took his eyes away from sightseeing. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before."
The General nodded. "My predecessor wanted this to be a structure unparalleled on all other worlds. He succeeded, though I hear that skyscraper in Dubai is pretty impressive."
The General came to a stop at the edge of the walkway. He motioned for Ted to look over the side. While a part of Ted didn't want to trust the dark soul leader so close to the edge of the tallest tower he'd ever seen, Ted figured the General wouldn't bring him all this way just to push him off a building. He glanced down.
Ted's jaw hit the floor. "There are so many of them."
Far below his feet, Ted watched as tens of thousands soldiers sparred with each other. In one section, the dark souls worked on hand-to-hand combat. In another, they shot at targets using energy blasters. In the far section, Ted made out a training arena for Lychos and Draconfolk.
They'd destroy us all in a week.
Ted looked up to the General, doing his best to look calm and unimpressed. "Quite an army you've got there, General."
The General grinned. "Enough with the formalities. Please, call me William."
Chapter 17
Kit Kable leaned back onto his stool during his town hall-style debate with President Blake. The room seemed pretty unimpressive to him with its green carpet and 70s sense of style. Terry told him it looked better on TV, so he tried to ignore the feeling that he was in high school again. The audience was filled with bright-eyed college kids and downtrodden adults who’d play well enough on camera. He looked around and thought just how puny and insignificant the entire room was compared to him. He’d been chosen to protect the world, and now he was in the process of saving it from itself. The plight of some bankrupt bean farmer from Tennessee didn’t mean much in his grand scheme of things.
Kable set his smile at neutral as the President stood to answer the latest question. Though Ted Finley’s name hadn’t come up yet, Kable could read the living soul’s name on the edge of the next
Ted couldn't believe his eyes. The boy was a carbon copy of Ted from the top to the bottom. The same height. The same dark hair and bone structure. If it weren't for the difference in clothing, then Ted might've thought he was looking in a mirror.
Ted put his hand on his chin. "How?"
The General smiled. "It's a mystery to us, too. When people told me there was a resemblance, I didn't realize it'd be so exact."
Ted leafed through his brain for words, but none came. Despite the lack of speech, he did remember himself enough to bow in front of the most important man on this side of the planet.
The General took him by the shoulders and lifted him up. "Come, come. We're like brothers. There's no need for that. I'd like to show you something."
The General walked toward a side door Ted hadn't previously seen. Ted caught up and the guards in the room followed close behind them.
Butterflies bounced like cannonballs in his stomach. "How'd you know we were here?"
The General stared straight ahead. "This is my planet. The more I don't know, the more likely I am to lose everything." He knocked on the door and it opened from the outside. Light came streaming in, causing both of them to blink. "So stuffy in there. Follow me."
The General continued to walk at a breathtaking pace, and Ted struggled to keep up. The cool air whipped past his face. From their vantage point, Ted could see that this was one of the highest points of the entire castle. Below them, he could make out the tops of other towers and several banners he didn't recognize. Even the castle from his Redican-inspired dream earlier that year paled in comparison to the reality before him.
The General laughed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were excited to be here."
Ted took his eyes away from sightseeing. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before."
The General nodded. "My predecessor wanted this to be a structure unparalleled on all other worlds. He succeeded, though I hear that skyscraper in Dubai is pretty impressive."
The General came to a stop at the edge of the walkway. He motioned for Ted to look over the side. While a part of Ted didn't want to trust the dark soul leader so close to the edge of the tallest tower he'd ever seen, Ted figured the General wouldn't bring him all this way just to push him off a building. He glanced down.
Ted's jaw hit the floor. "There are so many of them."
Far below his feet, Ted watched as tens of thousands soldiers sparred with each other. In one section, the dark souls worked on hand-to-hand combat. In another, they shot at targets using energy blasters. In the far section, Ted made out a training arena for Lychos and Draconfolk.
They'd destroy us all in a week.
Ted looked up to the General, doing his best to look calm and unimpressed. "Quite an army you've got there, General."
The General grinned. "Enough with the formalities. Please, call me William."
Chapter 17
Kit Kable leaned back onto his stool during his town hall-style debate with President Blake. The room seemed pretty unimpressive to him with its green carpet and 70s sense of style. Terry told him it looked better on TV, so he tried to ignore the feeling that he was in high school again. The audience was filled with bright-eyed college kids and downtrodden adults who’d play well enough on camera. He looked around and thought just how puny and insignificant the entire room was compared to him. He’d been chosen to protect the world, and now he was in the process of saving it from itself. The plight of some bankrupt bean farmer from Tennessee didn’t mean much in his grand scheme of things.
Kable set his smile at neutral as the President stood to answer the latest question. Though Ted Finley’s name hadn’t come up yet, Kable could read the living soul’s name on the edge of the next
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