“I didn’t wash my hands before we left.” The skin pulled tight when I made a fist. “They’re coated in chicken blood.”
“They don’t need to know it’s chicken blood,” Santiago added helpfully.
Worst campaign manager ever.
“These are seasoned soldiers,” Wu reasoned. “They could make or break your campaign.”
Plus, they were identical to the enemy. That might come in handy down the line too.
“You’re the one who started this war,” I reminded him. “How come you’re giving me the credit all of a sudden?”
“They need a figurehead, and yours is the one on the chopping block.”
“Great motivational speech.” I tightened my fingers in the dragon’s mane. “You really know how to get the juices pumping.”
A smile threated to overbalance his mouth, his full upper lip curving, but he suppressed the urge to walk through the door I had left open. As much as I wanted to believe he was smart enough not to rile up Cole, I worried I was giving him too much credit. Likely, he was aware his current odds for getting eaten were at an all-time high if he pissed Cole off one more time.
The encampment drew my eye, and I had to admit my curiosity. “When and why did these guys defect?”
“After The Hole,” he said, and that was answer enough on both parts.
His father had activated emergency protocols and imploded the charun prison facility where Famine was being held. All the guards and inmates, including my sister, had been killed. The news of his father’s ruthless disregard for life had rocked Wu, and it was clear ripples of doubt had spread from that point throughout the ranks.
How Ezra’s brutality had shocked them, I couldn’t begin to imagine, but I was cadre. The charun on this terrene accepted my sisters and I would be hunted down like dogs and/or experimented on like lab rats. They also expected the punishment to stop there. With us.
The death toll at The Hole alone was staggering, the act one of pointless violence. Perhaps that was what this terrene needed to be shocked out of their complacency.
And what breed of monster was I to even think that?
“How do you know we can trust them?”
Heartache flooded his expression before he smoothed it into an indifferent mask, but I saw and guessed at the cause.
Kimora, the latest casualty on our side, had been dead only a matter of days. By the time we killed her, she had already been taken over by a Drosera and was following Sariah’s orders to infiltrate the enclave. That didn’t change the fact the last time Wu and Knox saw her alive, she was being gutted by Cole.
Intellectually, they might understand she had ceased to exist before that point, but emotionally, I feared they might never be able to look at him without hostility, without seeing her final moments replay in their heads, but he wasn’t the only one to blame. Taking her down had been a group effort.
“They were all born in the enclave. Knox and I handpicked them to join Father’s cause because they could pass for full-blooded Malakhim. Some have been embedded in Ezra’s ranks for a century or more.”
The news they were Wu’s kin didn’t comfort as much as it might have once, but it explained why they were flexible enough in their beliefs to join with us, and why The Hole’s destruction hit them so hard. “Why pull them out now?”
Wu was big on reminding me the world would keep on spinning long after we were gone. He never let small things, like mass murder, derail his vision. The man possessed more contingency plans than I owned long-sleeved shirts.
“This is the best chance we’re ever going to get to end this. I’m pooling my resources.”
Never had I wished more for Deland Bruster and his particular skillset, but he was one of a kind on this terrene, and he was dead. Sariah killed him. There would be no soul-deep probes to determine motives or authenticity. We had to rely on our guts and hope for the best. “Can we trust them?”
Double agent was a dangerous game to play, and quitting wasn’t always an option.
“Yes.” Wu kept the emotion out of his voice, which only served to emphasize the lack. “I vetted them myself.”
The endorsement wasn’t as much of a gold standard as he must have thought, not as far as we were concerned. We didn’t know his agenda beyond deposing his father, and that was troubling. His life was forfeit if his plan to seal this world from the ones above and below it succeeded, and his death, on the heels of Ezra’s, would leave a gaping hole in the charun hierarchy of this world. Wu had his own end game in mind, but he hadn’t shared his vision with me.
Done with the conversation, or his inability to participate in it, Cole dove for the widest clear space available, leaving Wu to hover alone while he carved a downward path toward the waiting Malakhim.
“Trained Malakhim might come in handy,” Santiago mused. “They could protect Canton from another attack until we need them for active duty.”
The idea gave me chills. “I don’t want Malakhim anywhere near town.”
Again, I tasted frost and had to shove down the cold place to stay present. I shook my wrists, and the bangles slid over my skin, cool to the touch. Forget a ticking clock, the temperature of these acted as a barometer for Conquest.
The first attack on Canton had leveled the police station where Dad, Uncle Harold, and I used to work. We might have all moved on from the department, through tragedy or necessity, but that didn’t make the loss any easier to stomach. Especially since officers had been inside the building when it burned to the ground. Those men and women had died because of me, and I would never forget that.
Canton was a weakness of mine, and it was too late to avoid its exposure. I had done my best to keep Dad and the Rixtons safe, but the rest of the town was still a glaring target. As much as I wanted to believe they would have suffered with or without me, since the breach site was in nearby Cypress Swamp, I couldn’t discount the simple truth that wherever I went, destruction followed in my wake. And that by the time this was done, I would have far worse than chicken blood on my hands.
CHAPTER TWO
The Malakhim, or however they self-identified, met us with curiosity rather than outright hatred and general disgust for our existence, which was a nice change. They stood golden-haired and blue-eyed, dressed in the simple white garb I remembered from our last encounter with their kind.
This was the first time I had a chance to study the species without an entire host attempting to kill me, and I wasn’t convinced I could tell them apart in a lineup. There was something deeply troubling about that total absence of self, the utter lack of identity.
Ezra disdained other species of charun, found their differences abhorrent, but here was proof he demanded uniformity even among his own kind.
His army was cookie cutter, and while the lack of individuality saddened me on one level, it also gave me hope. This was a peek inside the enemy’s head, and what I saw told me these men — because they were all male — would fight the same way, using identical strategies, with no embellishments. A personality was a requirement for personal style, and this crowd had none that I could distinguish.
One of them stepped forward, his stride sure, his expression tight. “I’m David.”
The temptation to crack a Goliath joke almost overwhelmed me, but I managed to resist. Uncle Harold would have been proud.
“I’m Luce.” I didn’t offer my hand since he withheld his. “I didn’t get the memo about this meeting, so why don’t you catch me up to speed?”
“Adam called, and we came.”
I waited, but that seemed to be the whole of his explanation. Short and to the point. I liked it. Except for the implication they were in Wu’s pocket and deep. I had expected it, but it sucked hearing it. That meant we could only trust them so far.
“Well, that’s great.” I laced my fingers at my navel. “Do you have any feelings about joining up?”
A line appeared between his eyebrows. “No.”
“You’re cool with being draft
ed for Team Conquest, no questions asked?”
Back on solid ground, he relaxed his features. “Yes.”
Desperate for numbers I might be, but I couldn’t stomach sending these guys to their deaths on a whim. It wasn’t right. Maybe that was stupid of me, or short-sighted. They were definitely warm bodies, and I needed plenty of those. The fact they leapt to take orders didn’t hurt either, but most of them would die. That was the hard truth. I wasn’t willing to soften it by playing the good solider card. I wanted active participants, not cannon fodder.
“I can’t do this.” I could barely stand to look at Wu. “He’s an automaton.”
Cole hadn’t shifted back, so I sought out the dragon, ready to head back to the farmhouse.
“I told you,” Wu addressed the host. “Didn’t I tell you?”
Puzzled, I frowned at him. “Tell who what?”
“That you’re not Conquest, not as they’ve known her.”
A second Malakhim jogged over, clasped David on the shoulder, and dismissed him.
“I’m Able.” He flashed a quick grin. “You’ll have to forgive David. He stayed under too long.”
“They brainwashed him,” I realized. “That’s why he’s so … ”
“Yes.” He cut me off before I could put a name to the condition. “He’s a good man, and a loyal soldier. He’ll follow the orders he’s been given to the letter, but he won’t deviate from them. Not by an inch.”
Since Able appeared to be the Malakhim in charge, I asked him, “How do you feel about joining up with me?”
“This is what we’ve trained for,” he said, and an eager light entered his eyes that told me he hadn’t been under long at all to have retained his spark. I recognized it from every rookie who had ever come to work for the PD. Some kept it, some dimmed, and some extinguished. He struck me as the type to keep his shine, and I hoped he lived long enough to prove me right. “We’re ready to serve, ma’am.”
Ma’am.
Well, I couldn’t fault his manners. Even if they made me feel old.
“Coordinate with Santiago.” I turned to locate him. “You’re point man with Able.”
“Here you go.” He passed over the tablet he had been using, or maybe it was a different one. He kept them in his pockets and handed them out like other people offered mints. “You can contact us through this app.” He indicated the correct icon. “It’s video and audio, so you’ve been warned.”
“Put on pants first,” Able joked. “Gotcha.”
I wished I hadn’t liked him. I wished he wasn’t as bright as a new penny. I wished liking him didn’t mean agreeing they could join us, for better or worse.
The dragon, always keyed into my moods, nuzzled my cheek with his velvety soft muzzle.
“Impressive beast,” Able said. “He lets you ride him?”
Cole and the dragon were one and the same, but the dragon had a wicked sense of humor, and he lipped my ear, causing a flush to rise into my cheeks and ignite across my face.
“Yes.” I patted his neck with the force of a slap. “He’s a mighty steed.”
The dragon wound his tail around my ankle and tugged hard enough I would have landed on my butt if Wu hadn’t caught me against him.
Despite the fact Cole only had himself to blame for my current predicament, he growled a warning at Wu, who turned me loose before the antlers rising over my shoulder pierced him through the eye.
“Knock it off.” I elbowed the dragon in the chest. “You started it.”
Huffing his annoyance, Cole subsided, but Able was reevaluating his opinion of my impressive beast if the line gathering across his forehead was any indication.
“We were about to eat lunch.” Able smiled in invitation. “Would you like to join us?”
“Sure,” I said in the spirit of cooperation.
“Not really,” Santiago countered with a put-upon sigh, as if this whole situation wasn’t entirely his fault.
“Cole?” I gave him the deciding vote. “Are you hungry?”
A shimmer in the air announced his intention to dine with our newest allies, and I had to fight a smirk off my mouth before Santiago saw it. He really did bring out the brat in me. Thank God I was an only child.
When Cole stood before him on two legs, Able turned a shade of red tomatoes would envy. Poor guy must have been replaying his earlier comments, and my responses. As much as I wanted to place the blame solely on Santiago, I had trouble behaving myself around Cole too. For very different reasons.
“What’s on the menu?” I spared Able more embarrassment before Santiago zeroed in on an easy mark. “I hope nothing morally objectionable.”
“We’ve all got human in us,” Able said, glad to drop the previous topic. “We’re not cannibals.”
“Good to know.” I linked fingers with Cole. “This is my mate, by the way. Cole Heaton.”
“I should have realized.” Able kept stealing glances at him from the corner of his eye. “I was told you mated a Convallarian, but I’ve never seen one.”
“No worries,” I assured him. “We’re all learning as we go.”
Every time we met new potential allies, I got introduced to a species I hadn’t known existed. He could hardly be faulted for not recognizing one on sight. At least he had known Convallarians existed. That put him miles ahead of me.
Able led us to the big tent Wu had emerged from, and we found a dozen Malakhim — make that Malakhim lite — sitting with their legs crossed and cradling small bowls in their hands. They looked up in unison, which wasn’t creepy at all, but the tension released from their shoulders when Wu walked in behind us.
One thing about Wu. I might not trust him, but his people did, and that might be the only reason why I hadn’t tempted fate by letting Cole maul him a little. There must be some basis for their allegiance, right? If they wanted to follow someone blindly, they would have stuck with his father.
The Malakhim in charge of rations scooped us each a bowl full of —
“This is birdseed.” Santiago pushed the food around with his finger. “Is this a joke?”
“It’s not birdseed.” I stomped on his instep while stepping forward to claim my portion. “It’s more like trail mix.”
“Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. I could buy this by the bag at the local dollar store. This is not food.” He glanced around the room. “Unless you’re half bird.”
“How did you end up in charge of diplomatic relations?” I doubted he could have landed the job unless it was self-appointed. “Literally anyone else in the coterie would be more suited to the role of ambassador.”
“You’re just lucky.” He took a spoon and scooped up a big mouthful. “Mmm. Seedy.”
“I’m sorry,” I told the server. “He was raised by wolves. Rabid ones.”
Cole stepped up and accepted his bowl, and Wu did too. The four of us found an empty corner and sat.
All eyes were on me when I took my first bite, but I was sold. “Homemade granola?”
“Yes.” Able munched away. “We used to sneak milk when we could. This stuff makes amazing cereal.”
“I bet.” Milk would have helped it go down easier, but it was delicious. “You’ll have to give me the recipe.” I took another bite. “My aunt … ”
My aunt Nancy loved this kind of thing. She would have bribed me for his notes with chocolate chip cookies or cake, and then she would have whipped up a batch large enough for the congregation at her church, me, and small baggies for anyone who happened to drop by for a visit.
God, I missed her. She was the closest thing I’d had to a mother figure, and she was gone. It still didn’t feel real.
“I’m sorry about your aunt,” Able said softly. “We heard about her death, and your uncle’s.”
No doubt Wu had illuminated them in order to cast me in a better light.
“I haven’t had time to process,” I admitted. “Little things, like this — a recipe she would have liked — remind me of her. It takes a minute, sometimes, to
remember I can’t pick up the phone and call her or drop in for a visit.”
The room blurred around the edges as memories of her brought Uncle Harold to mind, and fresh grief threatened to overwhelm me, a tight fist clenching around my throat until I couldn’t suck down enough air.
“I lost my brother during a mission two years ago,” he said gently. “I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but it doesn’t. Or it hasn’t, not for me. It just becomes … different. You go days or sometimes weeks without thinking about your loss instead of counting the time in minutes or hours.”
“I’m sorry,” I rasped and wished I had a more original condolence to offer. You would think someone, somewhere would have dreamed up a better way to say I wish loss hadn’t broken your heart, but one day the pieces might fit together again if you’re lucky. “I want to end this cycle so that more families like ours aren’t ripped apart. I’m not sure we’ll win, the odds are pretty long, but I know the cost of doing nothing has already been too high.”
Charun like Conquest, like me, should be contained to their own terrene. That was an impossible wish, given our powers, and a criminally selfish one too. Earth was no more or less worthy of salvation than any other terrene between here and Otilla. The only difference was … me. I was here, and I was willing to fight. And maybe it was all for nothing. Maybe the next cadre would find another way in, or the one after that, or the one after that. But what mattered to me was that I tried, that I gave my all to end this. To give my goddaughter the potential to lead a normal, happy life unscarred by violence. To give my dad a chance to enjoy the retirement he had earned ten times over through service to his community. To give the coterie the freedom they deserved after giving so much to a cause that wasn’t their own.
End Game (The Foundling Series) Page 2
