Swallowing his anger and bitterness, Jaden eyed the Gaptors resting in clumps close to the lake’s edge. All except three were sleeping—if that’s what the odd lumps signified. He squinted, trying to work out exactly what he was looking at.
The Gaptors were almost folded in on themselves. Their legs were tucked under them, their bodies curled over their legs, and their wings shuttered along their sides. Their long necks snaked around half their body so that their heads rested at the very top of the pile, allowing their razor-edged beaks to droop past the edge. I suppose that’s one way to sleep without slicing yourself to death.
Markov nudged him, and Jaden realized they were moving again. Doing his part and nudging the person next to him—Iri—he scooted after the others as they slid through the trees toward the nest. They moved quickly, Vicken setting the pace. In his briefing, he told them the aim was to get down quickly and quietly. However, he warned them that care was essential.
“One slip, one sound, and they’ll know we’re there. The aim is to get in and get out, unseen and unheard.”
His words echoed in Jaden’s mind as he moved as stealthily as he could. When they finally reached the tree-strewn ledge hanging over the very edge of the lake, Jaden was puffing again. He hoped the Gaptors wouldn’t hear. Do they have super-hearing like the gliders?
Apparently not. The lumps remained motionless. The only movement came from the three Gaptors patrolling the lake’s circumference. Not that anyone could call it patrolling. They didn’t keep to any pattern or convention Jaden knew of. Not only did they fail to space themselves to counter a threat, they didn’t go anywhere near where the others slept. Don’t they think the trees hold any danger?
In fact, they kept gathering at a spot directly under the ledge where Jaden and the others observed them. The first time they did, Jaden held his breath, thinking the Gaptors had sensed them. But the Gaptors muttered a short, unintelligible conversation before separating and tromping around the lake again.
Jaden felt a hand on his shoulder. Vicken pointed out a spot and then motioned for Jaden to activate the magnifiers in his goggles. Doing so, Jaden focused on the area.
The most obvious thing, the thing he should’ve noticed the first time around, was that the sleeping lumps were arranged in a near-perfect circle, as though clustered around something in the middle. Except there was no fire, only a pine tree. And . . . What is that?
Under the tree’s spiny branches, red rays seeped from beneath a black shroud carelessly tossed over the object underneath. Jaden craned his neck, hoping for a better view. As if some greater being had heard him, a breeze lifted the shroud, revealing . . . something. Something not of this world. A glowing, pulsing patch of red goo. It had no fixed shape. Rather, the edges rippled, and the goo rearranged itself continuously, as though whatever this was, it was a living thing.
The breeze passed, and the cover flapped back down. But that glimpse was enough to confirm something was down there. Maybe this was the communication system Zareh was after. Turning his head, Jaden grinned at Vicken. The man’s eyes glittered behind his goggles; his teeth glinted in a savage smile. A chill shivered through Jaden. Not for the first time, he was thankful Vicken was on their team.
About to slide back down the ledge, Vicken abruptly held up a fist to freeze them in place. Slowly, Jaden turned his head, in time to see the patrolling Gaptors converging on them again. They would have to wait before moving.
However, this time, the Gaptors didn’t huddle. Jaden went still, getting one of those feelings of his. Iri, lying next to him, must’ve sensed it, because she slid a hand out to touch his and raised her eyebrows. Jaden shrugged. He had no clue whether this warning was a signal to pay attention or whether they should already be running.
Iri motioned to Atu. Then Atu’s worried face, followed by Markov’s and Stovan’s turned his way as they caught the gist. On Jaden’s other side, Vicken tensed, then moved as he reached for his DD. But Vicken wasn’t watching him. His eyes were on the Gaptors below. Where Jaden’s should be.
Jaden glanced down, aware the others were still studying him. As subtly as he could, he motioned they should pay attention to what was happening below. All heads turned, following his directive. What they saw made Jaden’s limbs tense for flight.
Two of the Gaptors turned outward, flanking the third, who stood between them. All three sniffed at the air with their vicious beaks, their heads turning from side to side as though searching for something. Hardly daring to breathe, Jaden watched as the two on the outside spread their scraggly wings. The shield they formed around the third Gaptor wasn’t effective for totally blocking the view of anyone on the ground. But it was definitely a waste of time preventing anyone above them from watching, which their group was.
The slight tink-tink-tink of something chipping at the ice broke the stillness of the night. Jaden stayed in place, despite curiosity driving him to lean further over the edge. The view from here is just fine. Moving in any way might alert the two sentry Gaptors to their presence. Not a thought he wanted to follow through to its conclusion.
Jaden bit back his impatience as the middle Gaptor continued chipping away at the ice. Admittedly, the sight of the black blood oozing from the edge of its talon was making him queasy. Why doesn’t the stupid thing use a tool? When the ice suddenly gave way and the Gaptor nearly tumbled head first into the icy water below, Jaden wanted to clap a disbelieving hand to his face.
Recovering, the Gaptor lumbered back toward the edge of the lake. Reaching under the low branches of a spruce, he fumbled around the base of the tree for a moment, then stood, holding a rope that had been buried under the snow. Lifting the rope, he followed its course back to the hole in the ice. The hairs on Jaden’s arms rose, and that familiar chill intensified, rippling down Jaden’s spine. This is it! This is what that feeling warned me about.
Holding his breath, Jaden watched the Gaptor gently pull on the rope, using care so as not to allow his talons to slice through. Bit by bit, whatever the rope held under the ice was dragged to the surface. After what felt like forever, a plain metal chest slipped out of the hole.
Little grunts and garbled words passed between the Gaptors. The two sentries helped the middle one lift the chest onto the ice, then drag it to the side of the lake. There was some animated chattering and wing flapping before they settled down again. What’s that about?
To Jaden’s amazement, all three Gaptors fell down and began scratching around in the snow. Iri vibrated next to him. Her face was red with suppressed laughter. When she saw him looking at her, she slowly moved her hand, mimicking a key turning in a lock.
Jaden grinned. They’d lost the key! If he had ever doubted they lacked intelligence, this little adventure tonight proved it. Jaden turned his attention back to the Gaptors, who were still sifting through snow. His smile faded. As amusing as this was to watch, the longer they stayed here, the higher the chance of the Gaptors’ finding them. But what was in the chest?
The muted shriek below drew his gaze. The monster who had made it was upright again, holding something in its talon. From the way the others stood and flapped their wings to shake the snow off, he assumed it was the key.
This time, the Gaptor holding the key didn’t bother checking his surroundings. He had had enough of this farce. Bending over the chest, he snapped the key into the lock and tossed the lid open.
At first, Jaden thought snow was in the chest. The pearly luminescence that flowed out was lovely: soothing, white, and run through with hints of pinks, purples, blues, and grays. Jaden’s aerolator mercifully stifled his grunt as he realized what was actually in the chest. Medallions! Hundreds and hundreds of them!
That’s why the Gaptors aren’t worried about the trees! Why they’re focused on the lake. They aren’t guarding the communication system. They’re protecting this cache of medallions! Jaden wanted to run and jump and shout and dance like a lunatic, all at the same time. But he held his position. It was even more importa
nt now that they didn’t give themselves away.
This was what they had been looking for, had hoped was still in their world, what they had prayed hadn’t already been sent to Slurpy’s world or destroyed. They had needed to find that “whole lot of medallions.” And here they were.
If they could recover this cache, they could protect all those riders without medallions from the Gaptors’ deadly EMPs. Sven would be off the hook. They would have a fully protected, fighting army. They would have a chance.
Another thought blindsided him. There weren’t that many Gaptors down there. Maybe twenty or thirty. How is this a nest? His stomach lurched as he realized where their group was—on top of a ledge. Which probably had an overhang.
Fear clawed at his insides. He gingerly moved his arm and touched Vicken.
When Vicken’s gaze met his, Jaden knew Vicken had reached the same conclusion. Gesturing Jaden should be quiet, Vicken pulled a small, square box from one of his seemingly infinite utility pockets. Opening it, he set the tiny screen in front of them, then slid the snake-like cable over the edge of the overhang. Using a tiny joystick, he manipulated the cable until its eye zoomed in on what lay under the ledge.
Jaden’s spirits plummeted. The Gaptors had stacked themselves on top of one another, like carcasses thrown on a pile for incineration. But these Gaptors weren’t dead. The mass seethed and moved like a single living organism. Here and there, glints announced open eyes or light bouncing off the steel plates on moving necks.
As silently as he had fed the cable out, Vicken retracted it, his mouth a thin line. A screech below drew Jaden’s attention. The three Gaptors who’d been patrolling were tossing the chest back into the lake. Hisses followed as they hunched around the hole they’d made. What now?
When they stood and hobbled away, Jaden blinked. The place where the hole had been was completely iced over again, leaving no sign a hole had ever been there. Deciding it wasn’t worth wasting time figuring out how they had done it, Jaden observed the guards once again beginning their quirky rounds of the lake. Seconds later, Vicken signaled they should move and their group eased back off the ledge, beginning the long climb back up the mountain.
Chapter Sixteen
Desperation lent speed to the wings of their gliders as they raced back to Sven’s. They had debated using Atu’s whistle to summon the Legion, but ultimately agreed attacking without a plan would be suicide. They’d have to risk hoping the precious chest wouldn’t disappear.
To speed things up, they contacted Sven about their return as soon as it was safe to converse. Considering he’d been struggling with finding a solution for counteracting the Gaptors’ EMPs, he was delighted to hear about the medallions. His next question was what he could do to minimize their turnaround time.
As a result, by the time Jaden and the others reached Sven’s, it was bustling with activity. Han deposited Jaden, and this time, Jaden didn’t wait for the others before rushing to find Sven. He hadn’t taken five steps before he crashed into his parents. He blinked. “What are you doing here? Did Kayla come back?”
The smile dropped from his mother’s face. “No, she didn’t.”
Jaden gaped at her. “Then why are you here?”
Guilt flooded him when he saw her disappointment. She was expecting me to be happy to see them, and instead I’m harping on about Kayla, making it sound like I don’t want them here. Idiot!
Jaden tugged his mother into a hug. “I’m sorry. I am glad to see you. I just wasn’t expecting it—and with all the other things going on I wasn’t thinking. I’m such a klutz. Will you forgive me?”
His mother’s arms tightened around him. “Yes.”
Jaden gave her a quick squeeze before releasing her and hugging his dad. Somewhat present, Jaden thought to ask, “How did you get here?”
“When you left, Pallaton was considerate enough to leave some gliders so we could join you. He thought we might want the opportunity to choose whether we trained with the others—considering the first time there was a choice, we weren’t around.”
That was a polite way of saying they’d been Slurpy’s prisoners. “Do you?”
Clara glanced at Ty. “We haven’t decided yet. But we’re leaning towards helping Taema and Sava. They could use a few more hands.”
Jaden blinked a second time. “They’re here too?”
Ty laughed. “Yes. The gliders they were caring for recovered and were eager to join their kin. There was no reason for Taema and Sava to stay in Daxsos and a means for them to join us.”
“And see their son,” Jaden pointed out.
“That too,” his mother said, grinning.
His dad put a hand on his shoulder. “Now, what’s this situation you were referring to? Where were you rushing off to?”
The urgency came hurtling back. “Oh, no! Got to go. Sorry! I don’t know how much time we have. Find Markov. He’ll explain. I have to find Sven.”
With a quick squeeze to each of his parents’ shoulders, Jaden dashed off. He found Sven in his workshop, arranging the items Jaden had asked him to assemble. Jaden almost smiled at the memory of Vicken’s praise for his idea.
“If you ever looking for a job, come see me,” Vicken had said. “You seem to have a knack for this.”
While the compliment pleased Jaden, it also left him thinking if he didn’t have that talent, then perhaps Zareh might not have chosen him. But that meant he might never have met Kayla, so perhaps it wasn’t all bad.
Jaden ran an eye over the supplies. “Do we have enough?”
Sven beamed. “You think I haven’t been preparing for this since our first meeting?”
“Sven, you’re the most prepared person I know. Thank you for that. Without you and all you’ve done, we’d be in a lot of trouble.”
“You do know I did this for myself too, no?”
Jaden grinned. “Say that all you want, but I remember what you said when we first met. That this house and everything in it was for when the Gaptors returned, whether or not that was in your lifetime. So don’t think I believe you for a second.”
Sven’s laughter boomed, making Jaden laugh too. Right then, Markov strode in.
“Glad to hear you think this is a party.”
“Dude, of all people, I thought you’d relish this kind of stuff!”
“Yeah, well, playing at war is one thing. Facing it in real life is quite another.”
Jaden sobered. “I know. It’s abhorrent, isn’t it?”
Markov only nodded, then glanced at the workbench. “What do we have here?”
Jaden and Sven talked him through the supplies and Jaden’s intentions for each.
“It sounds like a solid plan. What does Vicken think?”
“That I couldn’t have come up with a better plan myself,” Vicken replied, joining them.
Jaden’s ears warmed at the genuine compliment. “Thanks,” he muttered.
“How much longer?” Vicken asked.
Sven beamed. “Everything’s ready. As soon as we load this equipment, we can leave.” He glanced at Jaden. “Although you might explain the plan to everyone else? I only told them to prepare for a battle and nothing more. They have questions.”
The loathsome burden of leadership bent Jaden’s shoulders. He sighed. “Fine, let’s deal with that so we can get back before the Gaptors pull up stakes. We don’t want to lose that cache.”
“Not to mention the comm system,” Vicken added.
“That too.” They left the room and headed for the “mess hall,” as they had dubbed it.
Everyone was already there. It gratified Jaden to find them battle-ready: kitted in their smart suits and accessories, DDs strapped to their bodies, hair pinned back and faces set with determination. He searched out the one face he needed affirmation from more than the others. When Stovan gave him a grim nod, Jaden let go of the past.
He would never forget Bree. She was a primary reason for doing this, why they had to succeed. “Thank you for being willing to go to
war with me again. It’s difficult, knowing we’ve already lost loved ones. Even more so when we know there is still loss to come. If any of you have doubts about what we’re doing, now would be the time to step down. There is no shame in this. We must all do what we need to. Whether it’s joining in the fight or whether it’s stepping back and cherishing those we love, it’s a personal decision and one I cannot make for you.”
Jaden waited a moment, but the determination on the assembled faces only hardened. “I won’t say this next fight will be easy. No fight ever is. But we go into this battle with a few advantages we didn’t have last time.”
He detailed the plan. By the time they understood their roles and how things would work, they were eager to leave and stop wasting time. It was a soothing balm to his battered soul.
“Alright, let’s do this, then! For those we have lost! Let’s honor their sacrifice by seeing this through to the end. Let’s make our world safe again. A place where a maniacal dictator will never have dominion!”
Cheers erupted, and then everyone was moving, rushing to the workshop to pick up the items they were to carry and then hurrying to waiting gliders. Jaden couldn’t help marveling at the efficiency. Sven truly was a master at this.
As Jaden prepared for Han’s descent, he realized it hadn’t been more than two hours since they’d returned. Hopefully, they’d been swift enough so they could get back to the Gaptor nest and carry out their plan. Jaden prayed they wouldn’t arrive to find the Gaptors—or the medallions—gone.
Jaden could literally feel anxiety biting at their heels as they bolted back to the nest. When it started snowing, trepidation whispered through him. The whisper became a murmur when the wind picked up. And it was a full-blown scream by the time they reached the back end of the mountain from which they would launch their attack.
Jaden had to shout to make himself heard over the roaring wind. “Han, can the gliders fly in this?”
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