Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Mercury
“I understand,” I respond, nodding in respect to him and the elders. “We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll wait for your decision.”
“That is good,” Daniel remarks. “Because if what you say is true, time is not on our side.”
“Time’s never on our side,” I concur.
I step back, letting the elders move to their own space.
Gemini steps up beside me, his presence a solid wall of support.
We’ve said our piece. Now, it’s up to them to decide whether or not to walk into the fire with us.
I glance toward Finley. Her unreadable expression stays on me as I wonder if my words landed.
Did I convey enough? Was my message clear, or did I come across as making baseless threats?
I’m simply a man who’s witnessed a living nightmare, doing everything in my power to persuade those who matter that the danger is genuine.
I walk over to the window, looking out at the mountains.
They’re beautiful, majestic, and terrifyingly vast.
Somewhere out there, in the dark, they’re waiting.
The hunters. The ones who think they can take whatever they want.
They have no idea what’s coming for them.
They have no idea that we aren’t just victims. We’re the reckoning.
This reservation may be for the Blackfeet tribe, but it’s close enough to where we’re located that we’ll protect them as well.
It’s time for these psychopaths to find out that nobody fucks with the Kings.
And while I’m not completely sold on ancient tribal mysticism since it doesn’t make sense to me on a personal level, I can’t deny that some of the lore surrounding this tribe has been spread far enough that it’s believable.
Yeah, it feels a bit woo-woo to me, but they’re steeped in traditions and their beliefs, so who the fuck am I to say it’s not real?
Turning around and facing the room, I notice the elders are talking in low, urgent tones. They’re debating the future of their tribe, the safety of their people, and the threat of the men in the mountain. I can feel the weight of their words. I can feel the shift in the air.
“What do you think?” Gemini queries, leaning in close.
“They’re listening,” I affirm. “They’re angry. That’s good, anger’s a motivator.”
“And if they say no?” he presses, his worry running deep. This involves the women in our lives who mean everything to us.
“Then we go anyway,” I declare, my voice low. “We just have to be more careful. We have to be smarter. We have to be everything they aren't.”
“We are,” Gemini insists, his voice full of conviction. “We’re Kings. We don't quit.”
“No, we don't,” I agree. I’m glad that they allowed us to come and listened with intent and purpose when Finley shared what happened to her as we pled our case.
I watch the room, waiting for the verdict.
This is the moment where the path is chosen.
This is the moment where we move from being observers of the war to being the ones who end it.
And I know, with every fiber of my being, that we’re going to finish this.
We’re going to rip those doors off their hinges, we’re going to find the missing, and we’re going to make sure that no one ever has to fear the shadows of these mountains again.
I feel a hand on my arm and relax when she touches me. “You were good,” she praises, her voice quiet. “You told them exactly what they needed to hear.”
“I hope so,” I sigh. “I just hope it's enough.”
“It has to be,” she insists, her eyes fixed on the elders. “For all of us.”
I nod, watching the firelight dance in the room.
It casts long shadows on the walls, shapes that look like the jagged peaks outside.
It’s a reminder that we’re at the edge of the world, fighting a battle that no one else can see.
But we see it. And we’re ready. I stand there, waiting, my mind running over the map again and again.
The bunkers, the traps, the lines of sight.
I see it all in my head, a complex, deadly puzzle that we’re going to solve.
I see the hunters, arrogant and blind in their pride.
I see them falling, one by one, until the mountains are quiet again.
“They're coming back,” Gemini whispers.
I turn around. The elders are returning to the table. Their faces are set, their eyes focused. They look like men who’ve made a choice—a hard choice, but a necessary one.
“Mercury.” Daniel commands, “Sit.” I do as asked, and the others follow suit. The room goes quiet again, the air thick with anticipation. “We have heard you,” Daniel declares. “We have considered what you have said. And we have come to a conclusion.”
I wait, my heart thudding in my chest. This is it. This is the moment.
“We will help you,” Daniel vows, his eyes locking onto mine.
“But not because we trust you. We do not know you well enough for that yet. We help you because the threat you describe is a threat to the balance of this land. We help you because if even one of our people is out there, trapped in that darkness, we have a duty to bring them home.”
“Thank you,” I say, my voice raspy with relief. “You won't regret this.”
“We will see,” Daniel cautions. “Lelanie will go with you. She knows these trails better than anyone. She will show you the ways in, and she will tell you where to tread lightly. But be warned. If we find out that this was a trap, if we find out that you have used us, there will be no place in this world where you can hide from us.”
“I understand,” I acknowledge, meeting his gaze without flinching. “We aren’t using you. We’re fighting beside you. And we’ll honor your land and your people.”
“Then it is settled,” Daniel concludes, rising from his chair.
The other elders follow his lead, and I instantly grasp how he is able to oversee a tribe.
His commanding presence alone shows me that he is well-respected by his elders and I can only fathom a guess that the rest of his people are the same. “The hunt begins.”
I stand, a surge of adrenaline washing through me.
The hunt begins.
The words echo in my mind, a promise and a warning. I look at Gemini, then at the others. We’re ready. We have the path, we have the guide, and we have the will.
“Let's go,” I bark, my voice hard and determined. “We have a war to win.” Tonight, we’ll kill two birds with one stone.
We’ll check on the underground bunkers we found and we’ll follow Lelanie as she helps us navigate our way to the caves that’ve been talked about on the membership website that Orbit has found and is monitoring.
Tonight, we turn the tables in our favor.
We may not take down the whole enterprise, but we’ll have a better idea of how they operate and where their hideouts are.
I do find it interesting that they held the information about what’s been found close to the vest, but understand that they don’t trust us to have that knowledge. But they will.
We walk out of the community room, the cool night air hitting us like a tidal wave. The stars are bright overhead, a vast, uncaring canopy watching our tiny, violent lives. I look at the mountains, the dark shapes looming against the sky. They don't know it yet, but they’re going to be liberated.
We move toward the bikes, the plan solidifying in my mind.
We’ll need to pack the gear, we’ll need to prep the weapons, and we’ll need to move fast. We don't have time to waste.
Every second that ticks by is a second that the hunters have to hide, to plan, to kill.
For all we know, more captives are already being held in ramshackle buildings ready to be herded then released for the hunt.
“You ready?” Gemini challenges, swinging a leg over his bike.
“I've never been more ready,” I retort.
I look back at the room one last time. The elders are gone, but their presence lingers, a silent, watchful shadow.
They’ve given us their trust, and we can’t afford to break it.
We have to be perfect. We have to be cold, efficient, and ruthless.
We have to be the monsters that hunt the monsters.
I kick the engine to life. The roar shatters the silence of the night, a defiant cry against the dark.
I check the handlebars, I check the gear, and I look at the road ahead.
It’s a long, winding path, full of rocks, vines, and shadows. But it’s the path we’ve chosen.
“Let's ride,” I command. Finley looks at me with proud, tearful eyes as she hops on my bike behind me like it’s routine, like she’s done this a thousand times.
We tear out of the lot, the gravel spitting beneath our tires. We hit the main road, the wind rushing past us, cooling the heat of the day. The miles fly by, the trees blurring into a dark, solid wall. I focus on the road, my mind working, planning, anticipating.
We’re coming, you bastards. We’re coming.
I can feel the anticipation building, a coiled spring ready to snap. I check the mirror. The others are right behind me, a pack of wolves on the hunt. We’re together. We’re strong. And we’re going to finish what we started.
I look up at the mountain. It stands tall, silent, and imposing.
It holds its secrets tight, but we’re going to tear them out.
We’re going to find the truth, no matter how ugly it is.
We’re going to make it right, and hopefully, bring closure such as it is to families and loved ones who are missing someone.
“Tonight,” I whisper to the wind. “Tonight,” I reiterate, my resolve firm and unyielding.