by Naomi Sparks
"You're looking better," Faith says, and I agree. Hannah doesn't look nearly as pale as she did when I saw her last.
Hannah nods. They both sit down with plates of food in their hands. "Katia gave me a blood transfusion after you guys got back. It really does help. I just wish it lasted longer."
I can't blame her. The thought of constantly relying on others for blood to maintain my strength makes me shudder.
"It probably would last longer if you weren't so stressed from the attack and kidnappings," Kyra says, walking over with Faris by her side. They nod at the rest of us before taking their seats, each digging into their food. It seems like I'm not the only one who's ravenous.
I sit quietly and listen as everyone talks amongst themselves. Galen and Katia join not long after. I watch her carefully, but she doesn't show any signs of having just given a blood transfusion for Hannah. She's definitely tough, and I make a note not to get on her bad side. I remember how many dragons died attacking the Fae camp, and I wonder how many she was responsible for.
As they talk, though, I notice Lex is watching me, frowning. I shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze for a while before I can't take it anymore. "What?" I ask, snapping a little more than I probably need to.
"How do I know we can trust you?" he asks, locking eyes with me. He doesn't blink, doesn't look away. He just studies me as if he's looking right through me. "For all we know, Amasis sent you back here with Faith to act as a spy. You could be leading him right here, lulling us into putting our guard down before he strikes."
A lump forms in my throat as I try to think of what I can say to that. What can I possibly tell Lex that he would believe? It's only fair for him to mistrust me, especially considering who my father is. He probably knows better than anyone the things Amasis is capable of. Sending his daughter into an enemy camp as a spy is easily within the realm of believability for him.
"Because she's my mate." The voice is low and deep, coming from right behind me. I don't need to turn around to know it's Bren. I can feel his presence, can smell him, now that I'm not so focused on Lex. "I vouch for her. She is not here as a spy."
"I vouch for her as well," Faith says, reaching over to take my hand in hers. "I've been inside her head. I had to link with her for us to get out of the compound. I know better than anyone, she isn't here to deceive us. Amasis betrayed her as much as he betrayed any of us."
Lex frowns, then lets out a sigh and nods. He doesn't quite seem at ease, but he's not glaring at me anymore, so I guess that's as much of a win as I will get right now.
I look over at Bren and smile, still processing everything he said. My mate. I should be bothered by that, but for some reason, I'm not. I like the idea of being his mate. Even though I'm still terrified about what that might mean, I can't help but see a spark of hope for the future. Maybe, with the Fire Riders and the Fae surrounding us, we'll be safe from Amasis. At least secure enough until we can get out of here and find somewhere to hide.
"What are you going to do about the Clutch?" I ask, chewing on my bottom lip. I'm hoping his answer will be to hide, but I doubt it will be.
"We're going to kill them all," Lex says, matter-of-factly. The way he speaks, it's as if he's telling an honest fact, not a plan of action. He truly believes he can win, can take them down once and for all.
"A good portion of the council is here right now," I tell him. I'm not sure if I'm trying to warn him away from his plan or just give him something to think about before he charges in there. "At least Meroe is there, and he's no doubt angry about me leaving."
Lex nods and sits back in his chair. He isn't dissuaded from his idea, more like he's thinking through his plan of attack.
"We also have the captives to think about," Faith says, chiming in. "He still has the ones he's taken from Katia's group, but he has others, too. Plus, the ones he's conducting his experiments on. I couldn't get a lot of details, but when they were torturing me, I couldn't help but see glimpses of all the people they currently had as prisoners."
Again, Lex nods. He seems to be deep in thought now, his face set in stone as he thinks. Then, he leans forward. "We're going to think this through, every step of the way. We'll get out as many of the captives as we can, but our main focus needs to be on The Clutch. So long as they're out there, they can just keep doing this. We need to stop them. Now."
As I look around, I see everyone nodding in agreement. And I find myself doing the same thing. What Lex says is true. Even if we go in and manage to free every single captive, so long as Amasis lives and the Council remains intact, nothing prevents them from coming to take them all back or taking other prisoners.
They need to be stopped.
"If we can just take out Amasis and Meroe, you should be able to topple the Clutch. Even if the rest of the Council gets away, no one else has enough political sway to keep the organization going. At the very least, they'll fracture into multiple groups, making it easier to take them out later." Part of me still doesn't like the idea of killing my father, but I know it's the best thing to do. He doesn't care about me or anyone else. So why should I care about him?
"Can you and Faith draw us a map of the compound?" Jerrick asks, leaning forward. He glanced over at Faith, and I can see he doesn't want her coming along. He wants her to stay behind, where she'll be safe.
Faith must realize that too since she turns to Jerrick and glares at him. The look in her eyes tells me she's not going to back down on this, no matter what kind of wheedling Jerrick tries to do. "I'm not staying behind this time."
Jerrick frowns and opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off before he even gets a word out.
"Don't even try it. You left me behind last time, telling me it was safer, and look how that turned out. I got kidnapped and tortured until Saphira was able to break me out. I'm not staying here this time. I know it's going to be dangerous, but I also know I'm safer with you there to watch over me than I will be here in this camp.
Jerrick lets out a sigh. Then, he finally nods and relents. "You still need to draw out a map. This time, we're going to hit them with everything we've got, and we can rely on you to guide everyone once we're there."
Faith looks over at me and grins. I find myself returning her smile. For the first time, I feel like I've found somewhere I belong. Somewhere I can finally be happy.
Now we just need to take out my bastard father.
12
Bren
It takes a while before Saphira returns to my tent. After everyone had eaten, we all went our separate ways. Saphira had gone with Faith to draw out a map for Lex and the others to study. Some of the guys were busy gathering supplies and getting the Fae ready to go into battle again.
I'd gone back to my tent to rest. The gold had helped me heal considerably since crash landing in the middle of the camp, but I still wasn't at one hundred percent. And if this mission is going to be successful, then I need to be fully healed and ready to fight again.
Sitting in the middle of the tent, I close my eyes and breathe deeply, letting my consciousness drift off.
I'd been a little disappointed to wake up and not find Saphira there. But when I found her with the others, it was like I'd found a missing piece of myself. And it made me smile to see almost everyone had accepted her into the fold. She'd gone from being our prisoner to one of us in such a short time. Only Lex seemed to have any misgivings about her, and I can't blame him for that.
Once Faith and I vouched for her, he seemed to have accepted her.
Now, I'm want to know what she thinks about how I'd claimed her as my mate in front of everyone. I hope she's not too pissed at me for not checking with her first, but it was the only thing I knew that would put Lex's mind at ease once and for all.
When the tent flap opens,Saphira steps into the tent, giving me an awkward smile. "How are you feeling?" she asks tentatively.
I nod at her and smile back, hoping to put her at ease. She'd been a lifesaver, literally, and I owe her everythin
g for that. "Much better now, thanks to you."
"I'm sure this will help," she says, extending her hand and opening it to reveal nuggets of gold. More than enough to help me regain the energy I'd expended healing my injuries. "Lex gave me these. He wants you back at full health before we make our move."
"Thank you," I say, then I pat the space next to me. "Come, sit. I guess we have a lot to talk about."
Saphira sits next to me and passes me the gold. I close my hands around it, sucking in a breath as its essence fills me. The effects are immediate, and my entire body feels like it's on fire. My dragon roars up inside me, once again ready for battle, ready to unleash his fury on the people who'd dared to harm his mate.
"Thank you," I tell her again. I mean those words from the bottom of my heart. Without her, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. Without her, I wouldn't have anything to fight for. "I'm sorry about earlier, for what I said to Lex. I hope you're not too angry about me claiming you as my mate before discussing it with you."
Saphira shakes her head. "No, not at all. I'll admit it was a bit of shock, but I'm not mad. I... I feel the same way, I think."
"Then, you want to be my mate?" Hope wells up inside me. My heart begins to pound, hard and fast, as I wait for her to say the words out loud
She nods, turning to look at the ground. "I think I've known it for a while now. When I first met you, I tried to chalk it up to mating lust. You were my enemy, someone I wasn't supposed to have that attraction to. But now, I know it's not just the mating lust. My dragon speaks to me, it calls out for you. When I went back to Amasis, you were the only one I could think about."
I reach out and take her hand in mine. I let my consciousness drift out again until I can touch her mind. "I love you, Saphira," I tell her through the link. "When you left like that, I didn't know what to think. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."
She squeezed my hand. "I'll be right here by your side from now on," she promises. She smiles at me, and my heart skips a few beats. "All we have to do is take out my father first."
I can't help but laugh at the way she says that. And I know, one way or another, we're going to do just that.
The two of us sit in my tent for a little while longer. It feels nice, being able to sit and talk with Saphira for a while. Now that we've solidified our relationship and everyone knows about it, everything feels right. We're just like the other couples taking a moment to enjoy each other before going into battle.
I'm not sure how we're actually going to take out her father or Meroe, but I know we can do it. We all have so much to fight for, so much to give us the strength we need. Somehow, we'll figure out a way to come out on top.
We have to.
Lex comes to get us not long after. Everyone is ready to go. When Saphira and I step out of the tent, it really feels like everyone is together this time. Every able Fae is dressed for battle, weapons strapped to their waists and backs. I feel the hum of magic in the air, coming from both the Fae and the Riders. No one is taking any chances this time. Now that we know where Amasis is, we're going to hit him with everything we've got.
The Riders all shift, our dragons all come out with loud roars. We each carry as many of the Fae as possible. I wasn't sure how we'd get everyone back to the camp if we rescued all the captives, but I figure that is a problem for later. Like Lex said, we're going to do everything we can to help the captives, but taking out Amasis and Meroe has to be our main priority.
The wind soars effortlessly beneath me. Even though my wing was beat to hell earlier, it's fully healed now, and my dragon is ready for his revenge. There won't be any pacifism today. If anyone gets in our way, we all have orders to kill them on sight.
As we get closer to the compound, my heart starts to pound hard. There's no stealth this time. We're hoping to get in and get the job done before Amasis knows what hit him. At any moment, they should be able to spot us. He should have guards stationed, watching the skies, and there's no way he won't notice our presence once we cross his boundary.
Then, I feel a wave of magic wash over us. It's like running water pouring over my scales. I resist the urge to shudder, not wanting to throw off the riders on my back.
"You're all hidden now!" Katia shouts over the rushing wind. "If he pierces the veil, we'll know instantly."
I smirk, wanting to laugh. I have no doubt Amasis can easily penetrate this magic, but in the time it takes him to do that, we'll already be on top of him. It may not last long, but in battle, every second counts.
When the compound comes into view, I frown. I see no signs of guards or movement. Perhaps they'd sensed our approach before the Fae could work their magic to cloak us. Maybe they are hidden as well, waiting for us to reveal ourselves and be ambushed. But, somehow, I don't think that's the case. I have the same bad feeling I did before.
Something niggles at my insides, telling me the truth.
They're gone.
Once again, Amasis has uprooted himself and fled before we're able to arrive.
When we land and shift back, busting in through the front doors, everyone else realizes it. There's not a single person left in the compound. No dragon, no Fae, no human. He'd slipped through our fingers again.
Lex lets out a roar and punches the hard, concrete wall, making a chunk of it crumble as the area begins to shake. "Bastard..." Lex mutters, glaring around the compound as if his anger alone might force Amasis to show his face. Finally, he lets out a sigh and turns his gaze back on us. "Search the place, top to bottom. He left in a rush. Maybe he left something behind we can use."
Everyone disperses, all going in different directions. A handful of Fae stick with each dragon, since Lex doesn't want them wandering around alone, to make a tempting target for anyone who might still be lurking hidden in the shadows. I was pretty sure no one else is within miles of this place, but I don't want to take any chances either. There are already enough captives we need to free.
"Where's the infirmary?" I ask Saphira, figuring that's a good place to start. Any medical supplies or notes we can get from there will come in handy. And perhaps there might be something in their one of the Fae can use to track Amasis's location. Blood or something, something linked intrinsically to either his soldiers or captives.
She leads me to large room that would've been big enough to care for a dozen injured soldiers at any time. Some of the beds and shelves remain, but most of it seems to have been spirited away when Amasis fled. The group of us scour the room from top to bottom. I start with the desk, finding a few scraps of paper and missed office supplies, but nothing of actual use.
"Bren!" Saphira yells, making me look up in alarm. She's standing on the far side of the room, holding something up.
Leaping over the desk, I rush over to her, curious what she found. She hands it to me immediately, and I turn it over in my hands, surprise rushing through me. It's a bundle of medication, the vials still ice cold, not something I expected to be left lying around.
"There's more," she says, stepping aside to show me a cooler with the door open. Then, she hands me a piece of paper. "This was taped to the front of it."
Frowning, I pass her the medicine back and take the note. It only takes a couple of seconds for me to scan it and get the gist of it. A gift from Amasis to Lex. My dragon snarls inside me, and I turn to one of the Fae. "Get Lex over here, now." The Fae nods and closes his eyes, no doubt using the telepathic communication amulets. It's certainly faster than tracking Lex down in this maze of a compound.
Lex and his group arrive. Judging from their faces, they haven't been nearly as successful as us.
"What'd you find?" Lex asks, stalking over to me. When I had him the note, he goes quiet, reading it. It takes him long enough to have read it over multiple times before he balls it up in his fist. "Show me."
Saphira opens the cooler, and Lex sucks in a breath.
"Do you think it's legitimate?" he asks next, looking from me to Saphira.
The two of us exchange a
look, then shrug. Saphira is the one who speaks up. "I think so. He's never given up hope on bringing you back to the fold. I think what he says about this being a last olive branch is true. He wants you to be happy, and he knows that keeping Hannah healthy will make you grateful to him, and then you would willingly come back to the Clutch. I doubt he cares much if Hannah lives or dies, but if he kills her, he knows you'll never forgive him."
There's a sadness in Saphira's voice tinged with... what, jealousy? Yeah, that's it. She's jealous of Lex, and why wouldn't she be? Her father basically cast her aside, using her as a pawn. His own flesh and blood is worth less than Lex is. It's no wonder she turned on him if this is what she had to endure.
"I'd suggest having your Fae healer go over everything, just in case. If this wasn't left by Amasis but rather Meroe or someone else, there's no guarantee it's not poison. There are some among the Council who think Amasis is a fool for constantly chasing after you. They might be hoping to permanently sever that bond."
Lex nods, looking thoughtful. "Is there anything else in here that'll tell us what this stuff is?"
"Over here, I think," one of the Fae shouts. He's standing by a file cabinet, and when he opens it, I can see paperwork inside there. Hopefully, it's the information we need about the medicine. If Amasis really is trying to earn Lex's trust and friendship again, he would assume Lex would need some convincing to know the stuff is safe.
"Get Ezra over here and send a message to Tyko. Tell him to get one of the generators hooked up so we can keep this stuff cool." Lex barks out commands like a natural leader. He may have just found the answer to saving his mate, but he isn't going to show it on his face. Isn't letting himself get his hopes up just yet.
Ezra arrives not long after and starts looking over the research contained in the cabinet. He's frowning as he looks at paper after paper. The others arrive after having searched the rest of the compound, not coming up with anything of importance or value. This seems to be the only thing Amasis left behind for us to find.
