Little Ling waved at them excitedly, causing a wave of smiles.
«Uncles are funny…»
Effie nodded at the nearest soldier and said in a quiet tone:
«Assemble the troops. ETA is one hour, so be ready to be deployed at a moment's notice. We are going to spearhead the breaching maneuver by the Western Quadrant Defense Forces. The mission is just as the briefing said — push the abominations back and establish a fire line. Funnel the civilians, if there are any left, into the designated safe zone.»
The soldier — a rowdy-looking man who had been under her command from the first days of the deployment to Antarctica — nodded with a roguish smile.
«What about the big bastards, boss?»
Effie inhaled slowly.
«Don't worry about them. The government is sending the entire cavalry this time… we'll take care of the Gate Guardians. And also…»
She frowned and glared at him.
«Watch your language in front of Ling Ling, you reprobate, Aren't you already a Master? Why are you still so brainless?»
The man blinked a couple of times, then gave her a terribly guilty look.
«Oh… sorry, boss… I forget…»
He didn't seem too sincere, though, no doubt Itching to accuse her of hypocrisy and double standards.
Effie shook her head and pushed him away.
«Go get ready.»
With that, she turned to her husband and son, putting on a bright smile.
«Shall we go?»
She took her husband's hand, and a moment later, the three of them disappeared from the meadow.
Instead, they appeared in a room with alloy walls, situated in the depths of a government fortress. The furnishings were sparse, but there was a large screen displaying the arid landscape of the Western Quadrant on one of the walls.
Little Ling looked at the sand dunes with interest.
«Daddy, what is that?»
His dad smiled.
«This is a desert, wolfie. We are in the Western Quadrant… aren't you a lucky kid, to get to travel all around the world and see all kinds of places?»
The boy was thoughtful for a moment.
«Daddy… aren't you a little silly? It's a picture. Little Ling has seen a lot of pictures already.»
Effie's husband laughed.
«I guess you are right…»
He glanced at Effie and nodded. She remained silent for a bit, then patted Little Ling on the shoulder and said in her usual carefree tone:
«Dumpling… mom has to go to work now. Be a good boy and listen to dad, okay?»
He grinned and waved at her absentmindedly.
«Bye, mommy! Have fun at work!»
A second later, Little Ling was already asking his dad about deserts and sand. The handsome young man exchanged a poignant look with her, silently mouthed three words, and then took their son out of the room.
Outside, a high-ranking government envoy was already waiting for them.
Left alone, Effie took a deep breath and said quietly:
«I love you, too.»
Then, the smile slowly disappeared from her face, replaced by a grim expression.
She remained motionless for a while, then nodded and summoned her armor. Soon, her athletic figure was covered by a skintight layer of polished metal, as if she had been dipped in liquid steel. She also summoned the Starlight Shard, shaping it into two strips of white cloth. One was tied around her waist, the other covered her chest.
Effie was ready for war.
Well… as much as anyone could be ready for war. Which, in her experience, was not much at all.
Picking up the Black Beast Locket, she hung it around her neck and walked to the door.
In the corridor outside, two figures were waiting for her.
An annoyingly stunning man with auburn hair and green eyes, and a chillingly beautiful woman with pale skin and raven-black hair.
Effie erased the grim expression from her face and smiled mischievously.
«Hey there, handsome… oh, and you too, Kai. Guys, you won't believe what I saw in Bastion! Princess found herself a boyfriend! At least I think that she found him… she might have just kidnapped the poor man to do unspeakable things to him. I know…»
She froze suddenly, looked behind her with a cautious expression, then relaxed visibly and added in a quieter tone:
«…I know I would, if I wasn't such a prim and proper, virtuous married woman!»