Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
EMMA
The mission was clear and simple: ensure the Amplifier wasn’t still in the area.
First, we were going to search the western Camp B inside the Metasphere, then move out to the Human World, focusing on Dublin first, where I was to slip into the site undetected, translate an untraceable search for the Amplifier or LiaPrism, and return without leaving a trace.
Easy breezy.
Was I going to admit this was my first operation outside of school? Absolutely not.
Did I conveniently forget to mention my translation could be traced inside any Collective? Might have slipped my mind until we were already at the first abandoned Radical site at Crown.
Should I have told them? Without a doubt.
Did I? Nope.
Why? Because I didn’t trust them for shit.
I figured I wouldn’t need to translate inside the Collective, so I kept my mouth shut. We wouldn’t be here for long anyway, portaling out to Dublin after the all-clear. Better to wait and see if they proved worthy of my secrets, which I was sure they wouldn’t.
At midnight on the dot, we touched ground at Emile’s former base, nestled in the rugged Highlands, and I noticed how conveniently it was hidden under the rolling hills and rocky terrain.
The network of underground bunkers was cleverly camouflaged, with only a few small, weathered entrances breaking the surface, disguised by overgrown heather and gorse.
The ground was uneven, dotted with ancient stones and patches of thick, spongy moss that made every step feel uncertain.
Sean and Caden didn’t hesitate, their forms flickering as they moved into the tunnels below, after they ordered me to stand guard on the windswept hillside.
The air was crisp and biting, carrying the scent of peat and the distant call of a lone bird.
The wind, strong and relentless, whipped through the valleys, tugging at my clothes and cutting through the layers of wool and leather.
I shivered and for a second, I missed the warmth and ever-present summer of Cyclos.
I started pacing around, hoping the movement would warm me a little. My breath was visible in the frigid air, as I scanned the horizon for any sign of movement. After what felt like an eternity, Caden and Sean emerged from the hidden depths, grim tension written across their features.
“Nothing?” I asked, while pulling my vest tighter against the cold as the wind howled around us.
Sean shook his head, frustration and resignation radiating from him.
“Camp A is only about five miles east,” Caden said before he directed his focus solely to Sean. “Let’s check that one out too.”
Damn it. I wanted to get out of the Collective, wanted to move as quickly as possible to the Human World where my translation was untraceable.
“Why? Enya told us there was nothing there. She just left it.” I tried to keep my voice casual, but inside, my nerves were buzzing.
Caden didn’t flinch. Whatever he was thinking stayed hidden behind that steely exterior. “Can’t hurt to make sure.”
I felt a flicker of frustration. “You don’t trust her intel?”
“It’s not about trust. It’s about thoroughness,” he replied, while straightening his spine. The implication was clear—there was always a chance we’d missed something, and that chance couldn’t be ignored.
“I don’t see any merit in taking the risk.”
Caden angled his head toward me, a smirk curling his lips like a predator toying with its prey.
“Scared, Emma? Then why don’t you stay put.
Guard it here until we come back for you.
I’m sure you’ll be safe by yourself, what with all that Elder-power you possess.
” The words dripped with mockery, but underneath it, there was a cold, sharp edge—a dare he was silently throwing my way.
“Yer leavin’ her behind? By herself?” Sean hissed.
Caden lifted a brow. “You voice a lot of opinions today, Sean. Any reason you’re doubting me for the first time in over three hundred years?”
Sean clenched his jaw. Then shook his head once.
They turned their backs on me without a second thought, discarding me like I was nothing more than an afterthought. “And remember,” Caden called over his shoulder, “stealth is key. Don’t draw any attention.”
I nodded stiffly, choking down the retort threatening to spill out. My stomach churned as the portal swallowed them, cutting me off in blackness so thick it felt like punishment.
Caden was testing me, I could feel it—a sick game to see how quickly I’d break. But leaving me behind, in the cold like this? Either he was hoping something would happen to me, or he was too sure nothing would. Or was it a test?
I knew it was the former. I’d seen it in his eyes—a gleam of satisfaction, as if he couldn’t wait to be rid of me.
A sigh escaped my lips, heavy with regret. Every choice I’d made up until then felt like it was tightening a noose around my neck. But even now, sitting in the cold, damp air of Crown—because, of course, it had started to rain—I still found a small sense of relief in being away from James.
My thoughts drifted to the revelations of the last forty-eight hours. Enya being on Caden’s team? That barely registered on the list of surprises.
James knowing I was mind-raped as a baby and keeping it from me… yeah, that one took the gold medal.
Him allowing Julian to do so again while I was in a coma, even if it saved my life—
A soft rustle beside me yanked me out of my thoughts like a bucket of cold water to the face. My heart did a stupid lurching thing, and before my brain could catch up, I was already on my feet, scanning the obscurity like I was about to single-handedly take down a warlord.
The shadows, of course, were super helpful—pulsing ominously, making every tiny sound feel like an assassin creeping up to end me. If a Radical had been lurking, waiting for the perfect moment to attack, I’d be ready. Capture. Kill. The usual.
Except nothing happened.
I stood there like an idiot, every muscle tensed, practically vibrating with battle readiness—for what? A particularly aggressive leaf? A judgmental owl? My own overactive paranoia?
I cracked my neck, rolled my shoulders back.
This was fine. Totally normal. Probably a rodent trying to ruin my life.
But now that I’d worked myself up, I couldn’t shake the feeling something—someone—was watching me.
The kind of gut-deep certainty which made you want to check under the bed with a flamethrower.
My fingers twitched, itching to translate, to do something, but I clamped down on the impulse. Last thing I needed was to set off a LiaPrism and basically send up a flare saying, Hey, Radicals! Free kill over here!
So, instead, I stood there in silence, on high alert, waiting for the inevitable. The wind ghosted through the trees, whispering like it had a personal vendetta against me. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Although beautiful by daylight, by night the Highlands gave way to a rather creepy vibe. Especially when alone at a hostile camp. And in that moment, it hit me—I was completely, terrifyingly alone. Not only in the immediate sense, but in a much deeper, more unsettling way.
I had no one I could trust. No one to turn to when the darkness closed in.
If things went bad, there was no safety net, no comforting presence to pull me back from the brink.
Hell, I didn’t even have a friend I could call to cry my eyes out over James.
My closest bond was with Jackson, his best friend.
Good gods, did Jackson know? About me? About Julian? About the future and my role in it?
The realization sank into me like a cold blade—there really was no one I could be sure of anymore.
The thought was more terrifying than anything else, worse even than the sense of alienation I’d felt when I first came through the Layers of Cyclos.
At least back then, I’d had hope. Hope I’d find my people, my place, my found family.
Now, that hope was no more than a distant memory. I could feel my tears welling up, hot and unbidden, blurring my vision. But I wouldn’t let them fall. Not when Caden could be back any moment and witness a temporary moment of weakness.
He already took up a permanent role in your nightmares. You don’t give the asshole anything more.
I shook my head until the tears receded, forcing them back into the depths of my mind.
I’d been waiting outside for what felt like hours, pacing back and forth along the rocky ridge, trying to keep my blood flowing. Caden and Sean had been gone quite a while.
The site was eerily quiet, its contours barely visible. My breath fogged in the air, and I shivered for the hundredth time, realizing if I stayed out here much longer, I’d risk hypothermia. I needed to find shelter, at least until they got back.
Reluctantly, I made my way to one of the nearby entrances, hidden below a cluster of rocks.
The heavy, rusted door groaned as I pushed it open, the sound echoing down the narrow stairwell.
The air inside was stale and musty, but at least it was warmer.
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me, plunging the underground passage into the darkest night.
The bunker was cramped and claustrophobic, with low ceilings and walls that seemed to press in from all sides.
I berated myself for not telling Sean or Caden about my translation being traceable inside a Metasphere, realizing again I couldn’t use any magic until I was certain Radicals didn’t possess any LiaPrisms.
Pulling out a small flashlight, its beam cut through the gloom as I made my way deeper into the underground labyrinth. The further I went, the more uneasy I felt—something wasn’t right. The panels were too clean, the floors too clear, as if someone had been here recently.
Aside from nobody actually being here, it didn’t look very abandoned.