THE DUELThe air around the command vehicle was thick with the smell of burnt ozone and gasoline. My lungs burned with every breath, but I didn’t stop. I couldn't stop. I had crawled and stumbled my way down that ridge, driven by a feeling I couldn't even put into words. It was just him. The pull of Demetrius was like a physical rope leading me through the smoke.

I stepped into the clearing just as the heavy doors of the black vehicle hissed open.

A man stepped out. But he didn't look like a ...