Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

”I can kill the Head,” Thor said at once.

Lancet shot her a look. ”Thor I think pretty much anyone here can.”

”Yes,” the Valkyrie said defensively. ”But I called for it first.”

Spectra gave a pleasant little hum. ”Well I call for the Commander.”

Kestrel glanced sideways at her. ”And if I want the Commander?”

Spectra turned to her and smiled. ”Then, it’s going to be a race, flowerblade.” Kestrel gave her a smile of her own, showing that she was up for anything.

Halden just stared at them with wide eyes. He shot his hand up and pointed at the room one person at a time. ”Why are you talking like this? What exactly are you saying?”

Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.

”This kind of talk, do you intend to clear the Demon Break?”

Lancet smiled proudly. ”Yes.”

The commander’s face darkened instantly. ”You cannot.”

Lancet gave him a patient look. ”Why not?”

Halden spread his hands, genuinely offended now. ”Did you not hear what I just said? This area is under an outer-political truce. It is not an active Demon Break and you are not authorized to enter Deathrock and start a unilateral assault.”

Thor scoffed incredulously . ”Outer-political truce?” She looked disgusted. ”Such a fancy way to say ’making deals with Demon scum.’”

Halden’s jaw tightened. ”Valkyrie Thor. It is simply not my call.”

”Commander Halden.” Lancet stepped forward to try sweet talking the man. He placed one hand lightly on the commander’s shoulder, making him pause. Halden’s eyes moved down to the hand, then back up to Lancet’s face.

”Sometimes the right thing and the lawful thing are not the same thing,” he said. ”You’ve been forced to hold this line for months. Why don’t you let us take this town off your hands?”

Halden stared at him, conflict pulling hard across his face. He had spent too long protecting this line and he knew what would happen if he stepped outside the rules. His mouth tightened, then loosened again.

”I cannot allow it,” he said at last, though the conviction had weakened. ”If I let you do this, I’ll be in serious trouble. I could lose my badge. My post. My livelihood.”

He pointed a finger at Lancet now, frustration flaring through the restraint.

”You want to get me in trouble? You want me to lose my honor over this!?”

Astensia stepped forward before Lancet answered.

Her voice was gentle, and sincere, making Halden listen even though he thought his mind was already made up.

”Commander, I understand what you are trying to protect,” she said. ”Truly, I do. But if a place is already lost to corruption, and if the only thing keeping it untouched is the fact that both sides are pretending not to notice it, then what exactly is being protected?”

Halden looked at her and the command tent fell silent.

Astensia continued, her tone deepening with sincerity. ”This town was once someone’s home. It is time to reclaim it for the citizens to rebuild their lives and take back what was once there’s. This is our land. Not the Second World’s.”

Halden’s jaw tightened. ”Lady Astensia—”

”You know what I am saying is true,” she said gently. ”And you know what it would mean if Deathrock was finally free after two long years.”

For a moment he looked almost ready to agree.

Then the weight of his badge and his position settled back over his face like armor. Halden shook his head.

”I’m sorry,” he said more quietly. ”I respect what you’ve done, Lady Astensia. But I cannot risk turning this into an unauthorized engagement. Respect for authority matters more than my personal agreement with your motives.”

Thor’s face darkened instantly. ”You cowardly—”

”No, Thor,” Lancet said at once, not looking away from the commander.

She cut herself off at once, though the glare she fixed on the commander would have made a weaker man step backward.

Lancet exhaled once, then smiled at Halden calmly, like the whole conversation had been a lighthearted one.

”I understand, Commander. We’ll be out of your way.”

Halden blinked. ”What?”

Lancet bowed his head just slightly in something halfway between courtesy and goodbye. ”Thanks for your help.”

Then he turned and walked out of the tent.

The others followed.

Behind them, the commander stood rigid and silent, jaw set so hard it looked like it hurt.

The Brigadiers outside watched them come out, watched the vanguard start walking back toward the mountain route, and watched their commander through the tent flap as if waiting for him to stop the impossible thing happening in front of him.

One of them muttered, ”Sir? They’re leaving?”

Halden did not answer.

Lancet walked a few more steps with his hands in his pockets, then said casually, ”Thor?”

Suddenly, Thor stopped and turned in the same instant.

Her palm slapped into the haft of her warhammer, and she pointed it directly toward the brigadier line and the tents behind it.

”Thunder Barrier!” she exclaimed. ”Lightning Cage!”

Lightning hurriedly crashed outward from the hammer head and created a giant cube of crackling electric force around the perimeter camp. The prison bars of the barrier were made of lightning itself, a cage of bright force that sealed the Brigadiers, the tents, and Halden’s command post inside a box of stormlight.

”No!” Halden roared as he burst out from behind the line and saw the barrier form. ”What are you doing? Prepare your Graceblasters!”

The Brigadiers started scrambling.

”Fire at them!” he shouted.

Graceblasts erupted from the camp in a panicked burst of blue-white light, but every shot hit the lightning prison and bounced harmlessly off the glowing surface in a shower of sparks. The entire perimeter shook with the force of the barrier’s pulse.

The commander shouted at Lancet, furious now and suddenly far less controlled.

”Get back here!”

Lancet turned his head halfway over his shoulder, one hand still in his pocket, looking at the man with a victorious smile on his face.

”I said get back here!!!!”

Then he turned and ran.

The others followed after him. Kestrel was on her heels beside him. Spectra floated after them on her crimson cloud, elegant and unhurried even in motion. Thor flew in the air with lightning crackling around her. Astensia cleared distance with powerful leaps. And Espel flew on giant butterfly wings.

Behind them, the Brigadiers were still shouting. The commander was still calling after them. But Lancet and his heroines were already at the gate that led right into the half-citadel.