Chapter 25
Raze
Few things set my nerves on edge like Rollick’s frown. I’m a being so deadly I can kill without even meaning to, and the demon is many times more powerful than I am. It’s hard to say what could be as disturbing as seeing even him unsettled.
“You’re sure the flood expanded?” he says, peering at Peri, who delivered the news, and then the rest of us who are backing her up. “It wasn’t simply fluctuating the way it’s sometimes inclined to do?”
I speak up before Peri has to. “I could see the difference too. It wasn’t a big expansion, but the border moved at least ten feet out from where it had been—and stayed there even after the fighting stopped.”
Those last words bring a knot into my stomach. The fighting stopped because the soldiers managed to blast apart enough shadowkind that any who weren’t totally trapped by the sorcerers’ commands fled rather than continuing their attack.
It seems clear the group of shadowkind hit the humans first. I can’t exactly blame the humans for striking back. But the memory of their methods makes my skin prickle with apprehension.
What if they decide to turn their tanks at all of us, even when we’re trying to help?
If anyone comes at my Glowbug…
My fangs itch at my gums, and I have to flex my fingers to keep my claws retracted.
Jonah leans against the wall of the trailer.
“With everything else we’ve seen, it makes sense, doesn’t it?
The shadowy stuff lightens up when Peri projects welcoming impressions at it.
So why wouldn’t it get worse in some way when people are being as unwelcoming as possible?
It might be as much the fault of the shadowkind who launched the attack as of the soldiers who retaliated. ”
Rollick nods slowly. “But either way, it all comes down to the conflict. And I don’t see how we’re sorting that out any time soon.”
He shoots Peri a glance as if he thinks she might change her mind about trying to mind-wipe all the humans who know about our existence, but she stares back at him firmly. “We haven’t had much time to make peace. And this time it was our kind who started the fight.”
Hail clears his throat. “Does anyone else find it kind of concerning that the army was ready to aim tanks at shadowkind that quickly? And that the soldiers fired those guns even though they took down a few of their own buildings in the process?”
I suppress a shudder. “Like nothing mattered more to them than destroying us.”
Peri nudges my arm with hers. “Not us. Only the ones who were trying to kill them. Bad behavior all around.”
But how do we stop more of that badness?
“Have the soldiers said anything to you since the battle?” I ask Rollick. “They aren’t blaming us for it, are they?”
Rollick splays his hands. “I have no idea what’s on their minds. They’ve been clammed up for the past few days in general.”
I don’t like that either. Tension ripples through my muscles.
Peri spoke to that one major before, and he seemed open to her suggestions. She shouldn’t have to be the only one sticking her neck out to try to find a common ground with the humans, though.
Am I really that scared of them when I could snuff out any of their lives in an instant?
I square my shoulders. “I think we should go to the military part of the camp. Stay in the shadows, listen in on their conversations, and get a sense of what they’re planning next. It’s not safe for Peri to go out and work on lightening the shadows if the soldiers might march on her.”
Peri’s forehead furrows. “But if I don’t keep trying, the flood might get even worse.”
Looking into her softly pretty face, my heart squeezes. “It’ll get a million times worse if we lose you.”
I don’t know how I’d stand that.
I said “we,” but really I expected my suggestion would be a solo mission, since I’m essentially volunteering. To my surprise, Sorsha’s partner Thorn—a big shadowkind who gives off an aura of dour power—steps forward from where a bunch of the other shadowkind have been following the discussion.
“I agree,” he says in his deep, somber voice. “We must determine what the humans’ current intentions are before we make further plans of our own.”
Several more shadowkind materialize from the shadows, looking at Thorn and then at me… as if waiting for additional guidance.
Rollick raises his eyebrows with a hint of a smile aimed my way. “Sounds like you have our next step figured out, basilisk. Pick your team.”
Even though the trust he’s showing is nothing but a compliment, my pulse stutters. Do all these other beings trust me to lead the way too—even Thorn, who I have the sense has been through more battles than I can imagine?
Peri grasps my hand with an emphatic squeeze, and I shake myself into action. I won’t be leading anyone anywhere if I freeze up before I can give the first orders.
I do know most of the beings around us better than Thorn does—they’re people I went to the academy with, people I’ve worked alongside in our various minor missions over the past few weeks.
The first three choices are obvious… Well, mostly. “Peri, Hail—and Mirage, do you think you can stick to the shadows, no tricks?”
Mirage chuckles with a flick of his furry ears. “I might be as tricksy as a fox, but for this assignment I can be as quiet as a mouse.”
I turn to the rest of our bunch. Thorn is obviously coming, and I don’t need to worry about his sense of discipline. If anything, he’ll be muttering about mine.
We’ll want plenty of ears in plenty of places to make sure we overhear the most important conversations. Who’s been loyal and reliable?
It has to be full shadowkind—the shadowbloods, skilled as they are, can’t merge into the shadows. Neither can Jonah.
I pick out Peri’s friends, the unassuming shadowkind who nonetheless have stepped up and aren’t likely to get any ideas about going rogue.
“Fen and Brine.” The centaur shifter whose attitude gets my hackles up but who I can admit has pitched in well under pressure.
“Sorrel.” The two school administrators who’ve joined us.
“Gnash and Shanty, if you don’t have other things you need to take care of. ”
I’m not sure I could ever get used to the beings who once debated banishing me dipping their heads respectfully. Gnash adds his gruff agreement in words. “I can’t think of anything more important than finding out what the humans are scheming.”
“My colleagues can join us as well,” Thorn puts in. “Or—perhaps just Omen and Snap, not Ruse.” He fixes the incubus standing next to Sorsha with a pointed look. “He is somewhat distractable.”
Ruse raises his hands, his mouth curving into a wry grin. “Hey, I can stay focused when the situation calls for it! But I’ll probably be more useful for cajoling the humans out of whatever plans they’re making if we see the need.”
I blink at him. “Can you convince the whole army to stop antagonizing us?”
The incubus’s grin falters. “Well, that might be a bit much, even for me. And I’ll admit I can’t do anything at all when they’re wearing the damned badges.”
Sorsha pats his arm. “I’m sure we’ll find plenty of other ways to put you to work.”
Rollick motions toward the patches of darkness along the edges of the room, where more shadowkind are watching. “Crag, Torrent, why don’t you go along too? That seems like plenty. Too many accounts and we’ll have trouble picking them apart.”
I’m not sure I agree with that idea, but the urge to get going is winding through my limbs. “All right. Let’s move out.”
That sounds like the sort of thing the colonel would say, doesn’t it? Am I becoming a sort-of colonel to the shadowkind here?
I wouldn’t mind that as long as I can be the non-asshole type. Hueber isn’t anyone I want as a role model.
My expanded team weaves through the shadows across the increasingly vacant refugee camp to the area the army has claimed. We pause at the edge of their territory, considering our final approach.
A squadron of men and women in uniform marches past at strict attention, perfectly in sync.
One of Sorsha’s other partners, Snap, eases up beside me. His bright voice reminds me a little of Peri’s. “Why do they walk so close together like that? Does it help them fight?”
Thorn’s tone manages to turn even gruffer. “It shows their discipline. They need to be able to work together utterly cohesively when a situation turns dire.”
I suspect my current team won’t be a match for the humans when it comes to walking in a straight line, but we definitely have them beat for stealth.
“Let’s spread out,” I say. “Ah, Shanty, Sorrel, and Snap, you can head to the north side of the camp. Gnash, Fen, and Omen can head south. I’ll stick with my original team in the center here—”
“And I’ll take whichever of our companions is left and go straight to the colonel,” Thorn breaks in sternly.
Maybe he’d rather have been the one giving the orders. I could probably use a little more practice.
But everyone flits off in the directions I suggested without complaint. Thorn, Crag, Torrent, and Brine veer toward Colonel Hueber’s cabin. I spot his boxy head passing the dusty window and grimace to myself.
I’d have liked to hear what the leader of these soldiers is plotting directly from his mouth. But I guess when you put yourself in charge, sometimes that means you delegate more than you do.
I travel straight ahead with Peri close by and Hail and Mirage trailing behind us farther out. When we reach the clumps of soldiers clustered around their tents and vehicles, Hail gives me a poke with a vague sense of direction. “I’m going to do my spying over here.”
I don’t see any reason to argue. “All right. We should all listen to different people. Call out through the shadows if you hear anything that seems important.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Mirage says jauntily, and darts off.