Chapter 34
I rub my gritty eyes and curse Feniks.
He’d had us rotate through a night watch, and I got the four in the morning shift.
At six, the rest of the cabin starts stirring. Those bastards all had several more hours of sleep than me.
“Thanks for not shagging,” I hear Bloomhower say.
“Shagging? Who are you?” Max laughs. “Austin Powers.”
“Groovy baby.”
Ignoring the banter, I head outside for a slash.
It’s still dark and cold.
Our possibility for success today seems equally bleak, but it’s the only choice.
“Coffee?” Feniks presses a mug into my hand as I re-enter.
“Thanks.” I gulp down some of the foul brew, as he gives a sharp whistle.
“Listen up,” he commands. “We need to scout out an ambush point. Drakeward, you come with me.”
Fine.
It’s the right choice. Theodora will be better left with Ludo, Donovan and Wes. She trusts them.
Maybe if we pull this off, she’ll see I can be trusted too.
???
“Stay in the trees,” Feniks tells me, as we move into a fast jog.
We move almost silently, but then I hear a distant noise.
Feniks puts up a hand.
A vehicle.
We both sink down into the snow bank at the edge of the road. The morning sun is low and hidden behind gray clouds, but it’s light enough to see now.
Within a minute, a Jeep comes into view. Two men in the front.
As the vehicle slowly turns the corner, I see there are also two men in the back. They hold rifles and are dressed in snow-camo with bulletproof vests.
Everyone but the driver glances around, left and right. They are aware and trained.
Vigilant.
Unfortunately.
I lose sight of them when the track bends once more.
Four guards, probably all armed.
How good of a shot is Feniks?
I feel the weight of the pistol on my hip. I’ve been trained in weapons all my life, but never used a gun in an actual situation. But the idea of shooting someone doesn’t bother me at all.
Feniks and I get on the move again.
The track is narrow, only wide enough for one vehicle. After another quarter of a mile, we come across a wooden bridge.
“This is the place,” Feniks mutters. “We’ll set up a diversion, force them to stop.”
“I’ll take out the driver and passenger with silenced shots.
Donovan can be shifted in the tree line.
He’ll use archery to deal with the men in the back, but I want one left alive to question.
Ludo and Max will come up from below the bridge, collect the girl and take her to Willow.
You’ll get the guards' uniforms and dispose of the bodies, but also be on alert in case something goes wrong and we need your dragon.”
That all seems doable, but who the fuck knows.
Curveballs happen.
“I’ll talk to Theo and get the others mobilized now. The guard's schedule could easily change and we can’t miss this opportunity.”
“Agreed.”
—Pulu, we’ve found the ambush spot. Follow our tracks through the forest and you’ll find us….It may be a few hours of stakeout, so dress warm—
—OK…see you soon—
Feniks is searching around the forest. “Here, help me with this.” He points to a heavy, freshly fallen branch, still covered in green pine needles. “We’ll put it in the roadway; it looks natural enough.”
As we carry the log into place, snow starts to fall.
“This is good. The poorer the visibility, the better for us, and now we wait,” Feniks says.
I don’t like waiting.
Never have done.
If I’ve made a decision, then I want to put it into action immediately.
I lean my back against a frost-covered pine, and try to keep my mind from spinning out. There are a thousand ways this could go wrong.
About forty minutes later, the crunch of snow announces the arrival of the others. Max and Donovan are leading, the girls are in the middle, and the rear is brought up by Ludo.
Theodora finds my gaze.
—You OK?— I try a silent, clumsy attempt at support that the others give her so effortlessly.
—I’m fine, Cosmo—
Feniks lays out the plan, and Donovan immediately shifts. “Thank fuck. My centaur feels right at home in these woods. I’ll find a position to shoot from.”
He peels off, melting into the thickest part of the tree line.
Ludo and Max slide down the embankment under the bridge and disappear into the shadows by the frozen stream. Feniks lays flat behind a fallen trunk, then gets himself into a sniper position.
And I wait with Theodora and Willow.
The forest feels unnaturally still and silent.
Snowflakes tumble down in the soft gray light.
My hand stays on the grip of my pistol, Willow and Theodora at my back. The dragon inside me likes that. I’m protecting them. Her.
Fuck.
Willow was so wrong. I truly do respect Theodora, how can I not? She’s ready to put her life on the line for those in need.
Whereas, I can’t even save my sister.
And as for love?
I should have seen it from the start. Dono and Wes certainly did. But I was more concerned about my Elite status and her being a dud.
That she’s lower class, dresses like a ragamuffin and had an unlit spark isn’t even a fraction as important as her goodness, her light, and her compassionate nature.
Yeah. My feelings for Theodora Wilson are confusing, but also undeniable.
A low, guttural thrum of an engine vibrates through the ground.
—Incoming—
Donovan is further down the track so lays eyes on the vehicle first. —One Jeep. Two guards in the front—
—On my mark— Feniks commands.
The Jeep rounds the bend, headlights cutting through morning gloom. It’s not slowing down for the roadblock. Two hundred yards, one hundred, then a moment of realization.
—Feniks, they’re not going to stop—
—If they don’t…I’ll shoot out the tires…but they’ll have more time to fire back—
I glance back at the girls. The Jeep keeps going, bouncing straight over the fallen tree limb.
—Wait, Feniks, I’ve an idea…—
And then I shift.
Shooting up into the sky, then straight down again.
I land on the roadway, twenty feet in front of the vehicle. It slews to the right, and I can see the wide eyes and open mouths of the two in the cab.
The tires squeal, churning up the snow and earth as it off-roads. The smell of hot brakes and exhaust fumes washes over me as I open my jaws and aim a burst of fire onto the ground just in front of them, forcing the driver to swerve again.
Shit, it’s heading towards a huge, solid pine tree. We need the vehicle intact.
I throw my body in the vehicle's path and soften the speed of the impact. And yes, this dragon form can feel pain.
Fuck.
The Jeep comes to a juddering halt.
The passenger is slumped to one side, silent and probably dead.
The driver groans, pinned in place by the steering column.
Ludo runs forward, takes the guard’s head, swiftly breaking his neck.
I shift again and run back to Theodora as arrows come flying from the forest.
Fuck. I’ve cracked at least a couple of ribs.
“Well, that was one way to do it,” Bloomhower says, raising an eyebrow.
“You OK?” Theodora asks, in a mirror of the question I asked her earlier.
“Yeah.”
“Good, because aren’t you supposed to be getting the uniforms?”
I stifle a groan then nod.
All three of us move towards the wreckage. The girls peel off to the cargo bed. I’ve no time to be curious about what’s back there.
Fighting the fact that every breath feels like a jagged piece of glass is sliding between my ribs, I start stripping the dead driver of his clothing.
The blood is already congealing, and I swipe the jacket across the snow to get rid of what I can, then start on his pants.
Donovan joins me, holding the body to make my job easier. “Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing,” I say, but my ragged breathing and the way I’m favoring my left side probably belies my words.
Max hauls another body around from the back. A gleaming arrow penetrates the man’s eyeball.
“Is the girl in there?” I ask.
“Yeah, Ludo has her.”
I look up to see Ludo carrying a child. She’s bundled up in a thick blanket, and looks far smaller than eleven. Her hair is a tangled mat of dark curls, and her skin is the color of ash. Theodora runs towards them.
“Hey," she says gently. “We're here to take you somewhere safe. Somewhere with a healer and a warm bed."
The girl doesn't move, just blinks.
“Move faster, everyone.” Alexis warns, arriving at the driver's side. He looks at the uniform I’ve managed to peel off. “Max, get that on. Ludo take the other one. I wish you’d followed my orders though. No one is left alive to question.”
—Once inside, my minotaur will know the entire layout—
Handy.
Willow takes the girl from Ludo’s arms. “I’m going to start back now.”
“Keep in touch with Theo,” Feniks tells her. “And if you get orders to run—do it. You’ve the keys to the truck, so take the girl and drive.”
“I will. I’m not taking any chances with this baby's safety.”
Max passes her the down jacket he’s just stripped off. “Wrap her in this.”
Why didn’t I think of that?
Willow swaps out the raggedy blanket for the warm puffer, and Theodora wraps the stained cloth around her own body. After a beat, her face changes, her eyes taking on a shocked, thousand-yard stare.
“Yeah, that’ll do it,” Max mumbles, looking unhappy. Then he shrugs into the guards uniform. “Let’s push this thing back onto the road.”
I let the others do the heavy lifting, then climb into the driver’s seat. Theo is in the back with Ludo, Donovan and Max. Feniks is beside me.
“And we’re not worrying that we’re down a guard’s uniform?” I ask.
“Donovan will have to stay in the Jeep and be outside support,” he replies. “Tactics are always fluid.”
He means plans have to change when things get fucked up.
Hopefully everything else goes smoothly, but I doubt it.
Putting the Jeep in gear, the engine groans but complies.
Here goes.
Leaving behind us bodies buried in snow, we drive towards the facility.