I gasped. The first thing that had caught my eye was the blood red curls dangling over the side. Up on tiptoes, I could barely make out the upturned nose of a woman who blanketed the floor of the cage.
Tapping Yunez on the back, I shoved my arm between the guys and pointed up to the ceiling. There was no one in the room, not a soul. Just as the thought entered my mind that this might be a trap, Yunez dashed out into the center of the room, leaping onto the platform with one powerful burst of speed.
My hand gripped the air where he had been, damn it; he was too quick.
And I started to get that danger feeling again.
The one that said we were fucked.
“Get him!” I shrieked at Rand as we all rushed after him.
Somehow, I believed Rand was the only one powerful enough to stop Yunez. Nope, he wasn’t even that. Yunez climbed the incredibly high backed chair until he was perched on the tallest point. With a feline’s grace, he catapulted himself high enough to grip the cage, swinging wildly. A small feminine shriek filled the air, and a beautiful, young, almost too young face pressed against the delicate bars. She stopped as soon as she saw Yunez, bursting into tears and babbling in a language I couldn’t decipher.
“Uh…I think it’s time for us to grab the girl and run,” Jari stepped back until he crowded me against the raised stage.
Then yells of commands and angry footfalls surrounded us. The men were smiling, and outside of the murderous glint in their eyes, I would have thought they’d merely come running to dinner at the end of a fun training session.
The creak of the cage door grated against my ears, and before I knew it, Yunez landed on soft feet in front of us with who I assumed was Kia in his arms. She was quivering in fear, but there was enough of a stubborn tilt to her jaw as she surveyed the men around us that I might just like her. Yunez handed her off to Nato.
“You can use your powers while holding her safe.” He said softly as Kia allowed herself to be transferred.
A tall man parted the crowd. His gait was slow, a white hand dusted lint off of his jacket as he stopped in front of us. He didn’t appear insane. He didn’t even appear cruel. If I had passed this man on the street, the laugh lines around his eyes and dimples in his cheeks would have made me think he was a fun loving man, always ready for the next laugh and adventure.
He smiled at Yunez, almost as if he were a father welcoming his son home from an extended stay at college. Yunez, however, dipped his head and a rough growl tinged with danger emitted from his throat. It was low but so powerful, vibrations rocked the floor.
“Ah, Yunez, it has been centuries. I had thought you moved on with your life, content to let the Shadow Society do as it will.” His voice was something out of a woman’s wet dream. That made me hate him a little more. I never could stand the ones that were able to fool others so easily with a pretty face. Blech, I wanted to retch on his shiny black shoes that were far too clean next to the men that bracketed him. So, he wasn’t a fighter. Hopefully, that didn’t mean he was a powerhouse Manno waiting to magically rend us limb from limb.
“Oh, put the fangs away, I practically handed Kia to you on a silver platter. And, that was even after I discovered your treachery.”
Yunez took a menacing step forward. “My treachery? What do you think you know of my treachery?”
Yunez couldn’t see is as he had his back to the rest of us, but the answer had something to do with Kia. Her fingers twitched where they rested against Nato’s nape, and a slither of jealousy snaked through me; I tamped it down. Now was a ridiculous time to be jealous, and the situation in no way warranted it. Damn these human emotions.
I studied her closely. Her cheeks pinkened and she turned her face away from the monster in front of us, because he was a monster. I didn’t know exactly what his sins were, but as a leader, or the leader of the Shadow Society, he was definitely guilty.
“Well, for one, you employed an idiot. I would have never known anything was amiss if your friend’s lover there hadn’t whispered secrets to the wrong person.” He gestured toward Kia.
As one, all Lusty Legion gazes swung her way. Now her face was as red as a period stain on day old underwear. Gross. I can’t believe that comparison even popped into my head.
Facing forward once again, Yunez murmured in the most beguiling voice. “Explain.”
And the bastard actually did! It was like he knew we were dead, so he indulged us. Happily. He looked at us as something akin to a dinner amusement show.
“Well, Miss Alara here has been trying to recruit my loyal followers. And before you say anything, don’t worry, I’ve searched her memories and found all the ones that entertained her musings and they have been dispatched. No more spies for you.” He sang as if it was so hilarious. “I cornered Ado, but he must have seen the intent before a word ever left my mouth. It was a shame, I was actually hoping to turn him against you. If not by truth, then by force. You have always been too softhearted to search the thoughts of those closest to you. Privacy.” His face twisted in disgust. “It is for the powerful only. And, by not searching his thoughts, you never would have discovered my treachery.”
My brain short-circuited; was there nothing Yunez couldn’t do? He could see the future, read thoughts, control weather. I should be feeling fear right now at the blatant power cornering me in this stuffy room, but instead, I felt only relief that Yunez was on our side.
“So, it was a fight, which he barely escaped. Pity. But Kia here was left behind in his desperate bid to save his own hide. So, he didn’t care for her as she thought.”
At first, I thought Yunez was going to launch himself at this guy, but he merely tilted his head in an inhuman manner. It was like he was considering which limb should come off first. The dumbass kept talking.
“Kia thought to seduce my very own lover into joining your cause. But Sona would never betray me; she realizes the true path is the only path. And, you’re just in time to witness it come about.” He clapped his hands in delight like a fucking two-year-old.
“I think Sliad, that I am done listening to your bullshit. And it is time for us to leave, but first… we will leave a parting gift.” Yunez thrust out his hands, and a sonic boom bounced off the walls as men in the back flew in every direction. A violet haze descended over all of us. Masculine screams rent the air as the men closest to us took their first steps toward us. Before they got three steps in, another boom rocked the room, then another and another.
Fucking Yunez had hit all four corners of the room. He managed to isolate the blasts far enough away that we weren’t injured. Yunez wavered on his feet before catching himself and dropping into a fighter’s stance.
“Let’s show this asshat why he should fear the Lusty Legion!” He yelled, right before he ran to Sliad, clotheslining him.
What. The. Fuck.
If it wasn’t for Sliad’s momentary confusion, probably trying to figure out what the hell the Lusty Legion was, Yunez couldn’t have taken him down so easily. But I wasn’t complaining. Around me, the guys jumped in the fray as metal objects started to fly around the room. Every one of us dove into a cluster of Shadow members. I’d be damned if they hit me with a flying blade. They’d at least think twice if they thought they’d take out their friends.
A blade whizzed by, nicking my ear before slamming into the eye socket of the man behind me. Okay, so clearly these guys did not care about their friends, at all.
I whipped the nunchucks off of my belt and gave myself enough room to really use these babies. Man after man fell in an unconscious heap; Nato appeared in my peripheral, and when I glanced his way, I got an up close and personal glimpse of just how strong Nato’s power actually was. The three men closest to him dropped liked rocks, only to be replaced with four more. They fell. Then the next wave.
Across the room, Jari and Egan stood back to back, taking down as many Mannos as they could. Egan was only using hand to hand, but every time Jari touched a man’s clothes, they burst into fla
mes. Damn, that looked painful.
By the platform, Sage stood on top while Rand tossed men up one by one. No sooner than a man appeared in front of Sage, a blade from the air slammed into him. When there were no more blades, random chunks of metal smashed into their heads.
“Fuck!” I screamed as a hilt caught my temple. Back in the game, I channeled the best Jackie Chan moves I could imitate, giving these bastards exactly what they deserved.
The men dwindled until there were only a few men fighting each of us. When those last few fell, I slumped over, the adrenaline crashing through my body leaking out at an insane speed.
“Are you guys okay?” I bent over to pull my cloak out from under two unfortunate souls, and wiped my face.
I received a few grunts and head nods, but that was it. The strength and energy this fight took out of us, completely depleted everyone.
Not far from me, their dumbass leader was on the ground with an angry, avenging angel towering over him. Yunez grunted as he continued to kick Sliad in the stomach—nope—that was a nut shot. The guy was clearly unconscious…or dead, because he didn’t even moan at the pain. I touched Yunez’s back, then flinched as he pivoted on his heel. His lips were twisted into an ugly snarl until he recognized me. His face immediately smoothed out, and his breaths came in a deep pants.
“Sorry, I really hate that asshole.” He grabbed the edge of my cloak, shook it out and settled it around my shoulders.
“Yeah, I got that.”
The others slowly moved over to us while their eyes watched the entrances. All was quiet. The lingering smoke floated through the air, giving me the urge to rub furiously at my eyes. At least there wasn’t a smell since we were in such a small space. If anything, I would compare it to standing in thick fog. I could feel the extra heaviness in the air, and maybe a little moisture, but that was it.
“So, I’m guessing the mystery of the attacks aren’t the mystery we always thought they were.” Especially not with Yunez using them so freely.
An apology in his eyes. “No, I am afraid not,” he threaded his fingers through mine and led me to the entrance that we used to get in here; the others followed. “What I told you the last time was true, I did not know who was doing the attacks. Not until after, and then when I discovered the bastard, I, or one of my brothers dispatched him. But the attacks were never from the same person.”
I pressed my arm into his as we walked. It was fitting we were in a darkened tunnel of our enemy as he told us this truth. This was the ugliness of our world, our reality, and it didn’t deserve to be shared in the bright cleanness of the sun. In fact, I would be happy if we never had to speak of this again after this tunnel, but that wasn’t reasonable. At some point, we’d have to share what we knew with the Fennin, and not just the Three Suns.
“I always knew it was the Shadow Society behind the attacks. They were terrorizing the ones they blamed for their exile. I did what I could to stop it, to prevent it, but I knew nothing short of an all-out war would stop them. And, before we could go to war, we needed the Mazza.”
We reached the end of the hall, and Yunez pushed open the hidden door as shafts of blinding sunlight filtering in. “No more words until we are back at my childhood home,” he shoved the door wide, and our party stepped outside.
As soon as the door shut behind us, Rand touched the wall and flames raced from his hand. In seconds, the whole building was engulfed. My hand covered my mouth as I realized that all of those people were going to die.
I was sure some were already dead, but many were unconscious. Was this going to be our future? Killing hundreds, if not thousands? I didn’t want to be that person that took lives without thought. The person I was, I knew each death would weigh down my soul a little more. And looking at Rand’s grim face, he already knew that; he accepted it.
When he turned, I opened my arms and he walked right into them. He hiccupped, burying his head in my hair as I petted his back. I murmured soft words in his ear. Behind him, Nato tried to set Kia down, but she shook her head violently and started to sob. He looked at me helplessly, but continued to hold her.
I gave him a slight nod. Her lover had just died, and she could have very easily followed the same fate. I could not begrudge her what small comfort she could find, for now.
We watched the building burn until there the flames were so high in the air, there couldn’t have been any part of the inside that wasn’t touched by the fire.
There was a pole at the edge of the yard that held a hanging flowerpot. When we were flush with the pole, Yunez took off his cloak, turning it inside out to show a royal blue fabric. With measured footsteps, he approached the pole and shoved the hood of his cloak over one of the decorative hooks with such force that it pierced the fabric.
I walked around to see why he did that when a bit of gold shimmered in the sun. Ah, it made so much sense now. My body and emotions were crashing, leaving my entire being trembling. With shaking fingers, I pulled the cloak out to see the emblem of the Three Suns.
Yunez, who has hidden in the shadows for centuries, was making himself known.
The others approached my back to get a good look at the cloth. Sliad and the others had known Yunez betrayed them. Who could they have sent messages to before we arrived? There really was no point in hiding now, but the idea of stepping into the light threatened the Three Suns way of life. Knowing Yunez and the others, they were ready for it, but it was still hard for me to swallow.
Words were unnecessary, the walk back to Yunez’s place was much different than the first. This time, our steps were lighter, and the feelings of could be danger was finally gone. It had been such a constant for hours that I had almost forgotten about it. As we hit the residential area, heads poked out of houses, and timid people filled the street. Where had all these people been when we first passed through?
Gasps of delight and disbelief filled the air. One woman even had tears in her eyes. “Yunez?” She took one step forward and fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands.
He hadn’t shielded us on the way back. I understood when I saw the cloak that he was done hiding, and apparently, he was starting with the glamour which hid our presence.
Surprisingly, Yunez knelt in front of her, gently prying her hands from her face. “Shhh…I am here, it is time for the Shadow Society to end its foolishness. You will not have to hide anymore.”
“They are gone?” She babbled through snot and tears.
“Only this compound, but there are many others.”
Damn it, and that answered a question I hadn’t wanted to ask; stupid me. I thought we had dealt a major blow to Shadow Society’s ranks. A foolish part of me really hoped this was the main base and majority of the enemy. But apparently we hadn’t even made a freaking dent. Logically I should have figured this out. If this realm was anywhere near the size of a continent on Earth then there could be hundreds of compounds. And then there were their followers in Fennina.
Stupid, stupid Isolde. The peace and joy that had settled over me with each step we took away from the compound washed away in light of this revelation.
“You will save us,” she looked up to Yunez with such conviction in her eyes that I almost teared up.
“No,” he shook his head and pointed to me, “She will.”
I stepped back instinctively.
Hopeful eyes turned to me, but I couldn’t give her the assurance she was looking for. My guys flanked me, seeming to know how unsettled I was at his declaration. The woman’s eyes glazed as if she wasn’t looking at me anymore, but past me.
Ah, damn, She had the sight.
She blinked and kissed Yunez’s hands. “Yes, I see her strength and her purity. We will help, the people that are against them will help.”
Yunez nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “I know; we will be back.”
And that was it. He stood, leading our group once again down the dreary, hopeless road. Although, with people amassing along the sides whispering Yunez’s
name, a new life seemed to breathe into this place.
With the first step off of the end of the road, the house popped back into sight. Painted a plethora of oranges and purples, even with a few shades of red thrown in, it was truly atrocious.
“Do not say anything,” Yunez tugged on my bun. “I can see the distaste in your eyes; just know, I do not love the seventies anymore.”
“Sure.” I injected a healthy dose of sarcasm just to rib him.
Inside, Nato finally got Kia to stand on her own. Yunez turned to her with guilt-ridden eyes, but she held up a hand, “No, no apologies. We knew what we were doing. And, we knew why we were doing it. I lost my baby sister in the twenty-second attack.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “Does he live?”
Her gaze flew to each of us, I thought hoping to find some sign that Ado still lived. When none of us said anything, and sadness the only emotion to cross our faces, her own crumpled. It was one of the most painful moments I’d ever experienced. Her despair was so sharp, so sour, it stung my eyes, my heart, my soul.
After a few minutes, she pulled herself together, though tears steadily streamed down her face. “I will not stay here; I am still on your side, and I will still help, but I need my family right now.”
“I understand, Kia. I am sorry for your loss. Just know, I have lost him too. He was a great friend and he will be missed greatly.” The low tone of Yunez’s words a soft blanket wrapping around me; I could feel his grief.
She nodded, and left. That was it.
“I want to be pumped that was so easy, but watching her go, all I feel is drained.” Jari’s gaze trailed Kia as she clumsily stumbled to where the portal was. “Should one of us go with her?”
Yunez lifted a palm to the glass. “No, I believe she needs to be without the Three Suns for a while. I know you all are not officially part of the Three Suns, yet you are in every way that counts. It was founded to one day protect each of you. Anyway, Batse is on the other side and one of them will escort her home.”
Secrets of the Mazza: A Paranormal Romance (Mazza Series Book 3) Page 20