by C Cato
“You guys have been hiding something from us. It’s always like we are getting half a conversation, or you just go quiet for periods of time. Risa did the same. That, and you and Risa kept saying you could call Sonya and the A’amoth.”
Cole stopped and faced the two men. “It wasn’t a good tactical decision to share that information with you.”
“That made sense when we first met you, but now we are about to fight a much greater force to get our women back. That makes us brothers-in-arms. If you have some knowledge that can help us, you shouldn’t be hiding it.”
Logic. The bane of his existence.
“We can communicate. Ray, Willow, the A’amoth. We can all do it. With the A’amoth, and by extension their kids, it’s natural. For us Sentinels, we have implants.”
Nor didn’t appear angry, so Cole relaxed some.
“What’s the range?”
“About five miles. Sonya’s was damaged not long ago, so hers is more like twenty to thirty feet.”
“With the A’amoth, it can vary,” said Bim, walking from the barn. “Didn’t mean to intrude, but I overheard.”
“I’m sorry. If you were keepin’ it a secret—”
Bim laughed, the corners of his black eyes crinkling. “No. It’s not a secret. Sometimes we can even do it with regular humans, but it takes someone with strong Thought and a human that is receptive to hearing. They are rare. As for range. For the weaker ones, it can be as little as a mile. For someone with a stronger ability, it can be fifty.”
“Which are you?” asked Nor.
“Very strong. One of the strongest of our clan. I have already been attempting to reach Lirra and the larger force. I also tried to reach the others in the city, but they are either outside my range or unconscious.”
“Did you reach Lirra?” asked Cole.
“Yes. They should arrive by morning. They aren’t far. Camped for the night.”
“Well, now we have that out in the open, we can use it to our advantage,” said Nor.
“It’s a good plan,” said Kofa, stepping out of the house alone and jogging to catch up. “We should include the others. We found this on Willow’s person,” he said, opening his hand palm up to reveal a small push button device, like the one Cole used to use with his car.
“What is it?” he said, taking it from the A’amoth.
“As you can imagine, Willow has been less than forthcoming with information that we might find helpful. I will certainly keep trying, but I’m afraid she’s too… indoctrinated.”
Cole squeezed his shoulder in sympathy. This couldn’t be easy on the man. Reunited with his children only to learn they hated him.
Kofa released a shaky breath and returned to the house.
At the barn, some of the chaos had died down. The kids sat together, while an older Hound told them a story. A group of men sat huddled together in the cold, blankets thrown over their shoulders. Most were only half dressed. Some were still wearing just sleeping pants with no shirt or shoes.
“Can we get these men some clothes?” he asked, Ray.
“The A’amoth will have plenty for them,” said Bim, jumping in.
“That. That right there,” said Nor. Pointing a finger between Cole and Bim. “Talk out loud.”
A few of the Hounds perked up at that. “What was that, now?” said one of the blanket-clad men.
“They can talk in their heads. Handy little thing to have.”
“How?” asked another.
“It’s a device,” answered Cole. “And before you ask, yes we could actually give you one. We have more of them at the Vault, but the procedure isn’t fun, and it would take you longer to heal.”
“Are you kidding? A way to communicate over distance without anyone knowing?” said Morgan. “That’s worth any discomfort.”
“Once we have our people back, we can talk about it again. For now, we need to concentrate on that,” said Cole.
“Why? We can ransom the General for them,” said one of the men sitting at the edge of the loft.
Ray growled, stalking his way into the barn toward the surprised Hound.
“Stand down!” Cole ordered. A fist flew to cover his mouth in surprise when he obeyed.
Chest heaving, Ray turned away from the man to face Cole. “It wouldn’t work. All Valkyrie are expendable to Jenna.”
“How is that possible? Wasn’t the point of finding the Sentinels to fix the problem of fertility?” asked Morgan.
Ray sat hard on an empty hay bale and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Who knows. Nothing that woman does makes any sense. As for Willow, she’s told us a few things, but I’m not sure how truthful she’s being.”
“What about the Hunters? About Tessa?” asked Dallas.
“The Hunters, including Tessa, have all been arrested. Jenna plans to make an example of them tomorrow night.”
“And Risa?” asked Cole.
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t give me any information on her or Sonya.”
“We will have to free them!” someone else shouted.
Cole had the start of a plan forming, but he needed more time to work it through, and most importantly he needed Lirra and her people. “Everyone should get some sleep. It’s been a long night, and we’ll have a lot to do.”
“You have something in mind, don’t you?” asked Nor.
“Startin’ to. We can go back to the house and talk it out.”
The kids, sleepy-eyed and feet dragging, made their way back to the house, and Ray went with them. But when Cole reached the porch, Ray was waiting.
He waived Nor, Bim, and Dallas inside and leaned against the wood railing, the wood biting into his behind.
“There is something she told me. She was almost giddy about it.”
His breathing stuttered to a stop.
“She conducted an experiment today. Since she first captured Talic, Nor, and Lafa, Willow has been listening in on their conversations. She’s the one that suggested using the A’amoth to find Sonya. It was her specifically they could find, but she wouldn’t tell me how she knew that, or why it had to be her specifically. I think...maybe she was angry at Risa, for posing as a Valkyrie? Maybe she suspected Risa had a hand in the deaths. I don’t know.” He paused, gazing down at his clasped hands.
“Tell me,” Cole said, his patience slipping away.
“Sonya and Lafa… she cut…cut an arm off each of them… then reattached. Made Risa cut Sonya’s arm off.”
Cole turned away from Ray and faced the open expanse of land around the farm. He saw none of it. Wrapping his big hands around the railing of the porch, the wood creaked in protest as he squeezed hard. “I think it’s best you get Willow out of sight,” he said with deadly calm.
“I’m sorry—”
“Just fuckin’ do it!”
Never in his life had he wanted anyone dead as badly as he did that woman.
Ray didn’t move from his position, but he assumed the message was still relayed inside.
Cole did his best to curb his killing instinct. It’s what he had in common with Risa, why they became such good friends. For her, it never turned off. For him, it was situational, and this was one of those situations. No one harmed someone he loved! “You need to keep her away from me, Ray,” he said, hoarsely.
“Cole, she didn’t mean—”
“Don’t make excuses for her!”
Ray recoiled. “I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. She’s an adult. She made her own choices. She’s still makin’ ‘em.” Cole closed his eyes, but that made it easier to imagine the women in his life as one was forced to hurt the other to maintain her cover. The railing snapped beneath his hands, and he pivoted slowly, dropping the broken pieces.
Ray stepped back. “Cole, I’m sorry.”
“You have nothin’ to be sorry for, but that woman is a monster. She could hear them, Ray! She already knew and did that to them. She killed Celene! Alex! Does that mean nothin’ ‘cause she had a bad upbringin’?
Justice in this world seems to be subjective. There was none for Celene and the others. For my Sonya. So right now, Ray, I want her dead. I want to rip her fucking head off with my bare hands… slowly. If you love her, you’ll keep her away from me, and when we do rescue the others you better pray Risa never sees her again.”
“What are you suggesting?” Ray clutched the door frame with both hands. One on each side.
“She’s a prisoner. Not your fuckin’ guest, but what you choose to do with her when we’re gone is up to you. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust her. She’s only goin’ to stab you in the back.”
“Leaving? But I had hoped… you…”
“What? That we’d get together? Fuck maybe. Build a relationship? You’d have a long line to wait behind,” he snapped. Cole knew he was being cruel. It wasn’t Ray’s fault, it was his sister’s, but she wasn’t there, and his aggression fell squarely on the brother’s shoulders. “Even if I had an interest in you, and I don’t, it wouldn’t matter. You’ve made your choice.” Cole turned away from him.
The point of Willow’s sword would have done less damage. He was raw.
The door closed behind him with a final sounding click.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Cole
Cole stretched stiff limbs and let his body repair itself after a night of sleeping in the barn. With all the bodies piled around him, at least it had been warm. Men grumbled in protest as Cole made his way to the loft ladder and climbed down.
Outside, a mist drifted low on the ground and there was a bite in the air. The sun hadn’t broken through the purple gloom of early morning. There was no doubt the sun would make an appearance and the temperature would rise, but it was a reminder that winter was coming fast.
“They’ll be here in a few minutes.” Bim floated through the mist, like the ghost humans thought he was.
“Bim, are Kofa and Balin…” His words died. What could he say? Cole was sure they would hate him.
The A’amoth put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “They understand, Cole. Kofa still has hope that he can convince her of the truth, but when we return home, they will transfer to Eudala’s clan.”
Cole’s mouth opened as he spun away from Bim. “What? No! They can’t leave their home. I can take the Sentinels somewhere else. Maybe we can build our own place up there.”
“No, Cole. They’ve already decided.”
“But Lirra—”
“Has already been informed. She and Eudala have already agreed. Everyone will need time to heal. Distance will help with that.”
What could he say to that? Didn’t stop him from feeling like shit, though. He stood with Bim and waited until the first A’amoth appeared at the edge of the trees. More than he could readily count. “How many?”
Bim chuckled. “Four hundred. Lirra and her children are popular in our communities. Many volunteered to come, and Zaro was especially enthusiastic in his recruitment.”
Cole flushed at the mention of the man. He hated to admit he was anxious to see him again.
The woman in question was the first to reach them. Bim greeted her first, his tail wrapping around her wrist as she stroked his face. They spoke softly in their own language. With a nod, Bim disengaged and went back to the house.
“There have been some difficult decisions made,” said Lirra, facing Cole. “There will be more, but do not doubt you’re welcome among the people of my clan and in my Enclave. We wish to have you there with us. I will miss my brother and his children, but I can always visit.”
“Lirra, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Keet called you mate-brother. He recognizes Sonya as his mate. That means my son does as well. Do you think I would turn them out?”
Cole shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
“Good. Speak no more of it. I’ve decided and that’s that.”
He chuckled. “You women have a handle on things in this time.”
“Yes, we do,” she said, with a wink. “Come, we have a war to plan.”
At the house, the kids were already awake and screeching with laughter as they roughhoused in the living room. The youngest, Connie, pranced right up to him and lifted her arms, her tight curls bouncing. Cole bent without thinking and picked her up and then turned to join Lirra and Bim at the large dining room table. Kofa and Balin were in the kitchen cooking. Cole arranged Connie on his lap, and she picked up the knife and fork at the place setting in front of him. Laughing, he took them from her and put them out of reach on the table. She pouted, but stayed quiet. Cole kissed the top of her head. Thoughts of Elise made him sigh wistfully. He missed her.
A hand on his shoulder alerted him to someone on his left, and he turned to see Zaro smiling shyly down at him. Shy was not an expression he ever thought he’d get from the man.
“It is good to see you again,” Zaro said.
“Then come down here and greet me properly,” replied Cole playfully.
Dipping his head, he tickled Cole’s lips with teasing nibbles and a hint of sharpened canine.
Connie giggled in his lap. She wasn’t the only one. A round of light chuckles passed around the room. Cole ignored them all, taking his fill of the man before leaning away with a satisfied half smile.
Zaro blushed, his cheeks turning an interesting shade of purple as he sat down. Cole jumped slightly when his firm tail curled around his calf under the table.
Soren came in next, and Cole shifted Connie from his lap to Zaro’s so he could greet his friend with a hug.
“Ren! Glad you made it safe,” he said, slapping the man’s back.
Two A’amoth men growled, catching Cole off guard.
“Guys, back off. This is my boss. Don’t make me look bad.”
Both men lowered their heads and tails.
“Uh, somethin’ you wanna tell me,” said Cole, barely containing his laugh.
“A’amoth men are really possessive. Who knew?” said Soren, by way of an answer.
“Only of you, darling,” said Eudala, sweeping into the house, the highest example of A’amoth fashion yet again. Her hair was beautifully piled atop her head in creative cascading loops. She kissed both the disgruntled males and then pulled Soren away to kiss him more thoroughly. “I hope it’s okay,” she said, when she set his dazed teammate aside. “But I plan to keep him. My mates are already so attached.”
Soren gazed at her with a goofy grin, and Cole slapped his thigh as he doubled over laughing. “You’re welcome to him,” he got out between guffaws. When he’d sobered enough to stand up straight, he staggered back to his seat.
Connie crawled back into his lap and Zaro placed a light kiss on his temple. Everyone else took up places around the large table and chatted quietly as they waited for breakfast, no one willing to burst the tranquil bubble with talk of violence yet.
Mouthwatering bacon made his stomach rumble. “Will you have enough to feed everyone?” he asked, concerned with the men in the barn along with the A’amoth that had just joined them.
Kofa came to the table with a cloth basket. Cole’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head as the smell of freshly baked bread rose from it. “We’re only feeding the people in the house. The A’amoth brought fresh venison. They’re building a fire outside,” he said, before returning to the kitchen.
“Now let’s get to business,” said Lirra. “If we are to save Risa and Talic, we will need to act quickly.”
Nor, Riley, Dallas, and Morgan straggled in, rubbing eyes and yawning followed by Meris, completing the alliance leaders. They sat across the table, and Dallas pilfered a roll.
“Fill us in,” said Nor.
“You haven’t missed much,” said Cole. “We were just starting to discuss strategy.”
“They’re making it easy for us,” said Morgan. “If they are doing something publicly it will be in the arena. All executions, tournaments, and main entertainment are there. It’s not inside the city. About a mile away from it. The Valkyrie will be divided between the city a
nd the arena and most of the men won’t fight.”
“Are you sure about that?” asked Cole. He reached for the basket and pulled out a steaming bun and tore it in half, giving part to Connie to munch on and the other to Zaro.
“Yes. Most don’t know how and very few have any real loyalty to the Valkyrie. Mostly just the elites, but they’re too cowardly to fight.”
“We can use that to our advantage. If we create enough chaos we can slip in and get everyone out.”
“What did you have in mind?” Lirra leaned forward and put her arm on the table as she twisted enough to face him.
“There is power in the city. Will there be some used at the arena?”
“Yes,” answered Nor. “Lit by the same power that the city uses.”
“Do you know where the power supply is?”
“Yes. It’s guarded, but there is a large wind and solar farm south of Haven.”
“We just need to disrupt the power,” said Soren.
“Can you do it, Ren?”
“With my hands tied behind my back. Toff here is an electrical genius,” he said, indicating the male to his right. “Between the two of us, we can get it cut in no time.”
“Okay, Eudala. Take as many as you need, but your goal is to get Ren to that power station and get it turned off. Lirra I want to hold off on using you and your people for as long as possible.”
She lifted a snowy eyebrow. “Oh? But we have come all this way for a fight,” she said with a wicked grin.
Cole took it for the joke he hoped it was. “We don’t need to be startin’ wars if we don’t have to.”
“Those women stole my children and tortured them,” she growled.
“The woman that tortured them is upstairs,” he said, quietly. “Will you kill others not involved and let her go ‘cause she’s family?”
She opened her mouth, then she closed it and sat back.
Kofa and Balin ferried plates to the table. Then Kofa took two plates and headed upstairs. Cole tried to ignore the burn in his chest and the ache in his hands to wrap around someone’s throat.
Baked apples, bacon, and a heaping pile of scrambled eggs. The kids came as soon as the last plate was on the table and they filled in around the adults. When the dishes reached him, he took generous portions of everything, and fed Connie first.
