Chapter 105

***Allen***

“Allen! You’re not going to believe this!”  

I looked up from the map I’d been studying to see Kael bursting into the safehouse; his face lit up with excitement. Behind him, Thalos stepped inside, followed by a group of strangers, some humans, some dragons in human form. My eyes widened as I took in the sight.  

“Thalos,” I said, standing up. “You’re back.”  

Thalos nodded, his expression serious. “And I’ve brought allies. Humans and dragons who are willing to fight with us.”  

I glanced at the group, my mind racing. There were at least twenty of them, their faces a mix of determination and uncertainty. This was more than I’d expected, way more.  

“Allen,” Kael said, grinning. “This is huge. We’ve got fighters, healers, even a few tech experts. We’re not just a ragtag group anymore. We’re an army.”  

I didn’t respond, my eyes scanning the room. The safehouse was already crowded, and now it was overflowing. People were crammed into every corner, their voices rising as they talked over each other.  

“Allen,” Thalos said, stepping closer. “We need to talk. There’s a lot to go over.”  

I nodded, my jaw tightening. “Yeah. Let’s...”  

“Allen.”  

I turned to see Jane standing in the doorway, her face pale but her eyes sharp. She looked around the room, her expression unreadable.  

“What’s going on?” She asked, her voice quiet but firm.  

“Thalos is back,” I said, gesturing to the group. “He’s brought allies.”  

Jane’s eyes narrowed as she studied the newcomers. “And you trust them?”  

I hesitated, my chest tightening. “We don’t have a choice. We need all the help we can get.”  

“Do we?” she asked, her voice rising. “Allen, we don’t even know who these people are. What if they’re spies? What if they’re working for Jake, or worse, Richards?”  

“Jane,” I said, my voice low. “We can’t do this alone. You know that.”  

“But we can’t just let anyone in!” She shot back, her eyes blazing. “What if they betray us? What if they get us all killed?”  

I clenched my fists, my frustration bubbling over. “What do you want me to do, Jane? Turn them away? Send them back out there to die?”  

“I want you to think!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the room. “I want you to consider the consequences before you make a decision that could get us all killed!”  

The room fell silent, everyone’s eyes on us. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.  

“Jane,” I said, my voice softer now. “I get it. I do. But we don’t have time to vet every single person who walks through that door. We need to trust each other if we’re going to survive this.”  

She didn’t respond, her jaw tightening as she looked away.  

“Allen,” Thalos said, stepping forward. “We need to figure out how to organize all of this. There are too many of us to make decisions as a group.”  

I nodded, my mind racing. "Right. We’ll appoint leaders, someone to oversee each group. Humans, dragons, healers, fighters. We’ll divide the responsibilities.”  

Thalos nodded, his expression serious. “Good. I’ll start organizing the dragons.”  

“I’ll handle the humans,” Kael said, stepping forward.  

“And I’ll work with the healers,” Jane said, her voice quiet but firm.  

I nodded, relief washing over me. “Good. Let’s get to work.”  

I stood in the middle of the crowded safehouse, the noise of overlapping voices and shuffling feet making my head spin. There were too many people, humans, dragons in human form, healers, fighters, all crammed into a space that was never meant to hold this many. I could feel the tension in the air, thick and heavy, like a storm about to break.  

“Alright, listen up!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the chaos.  

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to me. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “We’ve got a lot of people here, and that’s a good thing. But we need to get organized. We can’t have everyone trying to make decisions at once. So, we’re dividing into smaller groups, each with a leader to oversee their tasks.”  

I glanced around the room, my eyes landing on Thalos. “Thalos, you’ll lead the dragons. You know them better than anyone. Get them ready for battle.”  

Thalos nodded, his expression serious. “Understood.”  

“Kael,” I said, turning to him. “You’re in charge of the humans. Make sure they’re armed and ready to fight.”  

Kael smirked, crossing his arms. “Finally, some recognition.”  

I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond. Instead, I turned to Jane. “Jane, you’ll oversee the healers. We’re going to need them more than ever.”  

She nodded, her face pale but determined. “I’ll make sure they’re ready.”  

“Good,” I said, my chest tightening as I looked at her. I wanted to say more, to tell her how much I appreciated her, but now wasn’t the time.  

“Lyra,” I said, my eyes landing on her. She’d been quiet, standing off to the side, but I knew she was more than capable. “You’ll handle communications and intelligence. We need someone to coordinate information between the groups, and you’ve got the skills for it.”  

Lyra straightened, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Me?”  

“Yes, you,” I said, my voice firm. “You’ve been keeping us informed this whole time. You know how to gather intelligence and relay it quickly. We need that now more than ever.”  

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, her expression hardening with resolve. “I’ll make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”  I smiled. "Good."

“What about the rest of us?” a voice called out from the crowd.  

I turned to see a tall man with scars running down his arms, his eyes sharp and focused.  

“You’ll be divided into smaller teams,” I said, my voice firm. “Each team will have a leader, someone to report to Thalos, Kael, Jane, or Lyra. We’ll divide the responsibilities: scouting, supplies, and communications. Everyone has a role to play.”  

The man nodded, his expression serious. “Understood.”  

I glanced around the room, my heart pounding. “This isn’t going to be easy. We’re up against Jake, Morgath, and Blackstone. But if we work together, if we trust each other, we can win this.”  

The room erupted into cheers, the sound filling the air like a battle cry. I felt a surge of hope, but it was short-lived.  

“Allen,” Jane said, stepping closer. “We need to talk.”  

I nodded, my chest tightening. “Yeah.”  

"There isn't enough space for everybody," Jane said with anxiousness in her voice. 'I will look for a way to expand it." I said turning around.

It was true the safe house was too small to hold everyone, so I called a few dragons to use magic to expand it.  

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jane asked, her brow furrowed as she watched Thalos and a few other dragons prepare the spell.  

“We don’t have a choice,” I said, my voice tight. “We need the space.”  

She didn’t respond, her eyes narrowing as the dragons began chanting. The air around us shimmered, the walls of the safe house stretching and expanding as the magic took hold.  

For a moment, it seemed to work. The room grew larger, the ceiling rising higher as the walls pushed outward. But then, without warning, the magic faltered.  

“What’s happening?” I shouted, my voice rising over the chaos.  

“I don’t know!” Thalos shouted back, his face pale. “The magic, it’s not stable!”  

Before I could respond, the walls began to collapse, the ceiling caving in as the spell failed.  

“Get out!" I shouted, grabbing Jane’s arm and pulling her toward the door.  

We barely made it out before the safe house collapsed, the sound of crashing wood and stone filling the air.