Sergei pried open another crate. He wasn’t altogether surprised by Yuisa’s words. Nikolai had a reputation among their people as being fair and compassionate. But so much depended on whether Nikolai could retain his position now that their secret was out. If enough people were willing to follow him, it might be enough to sway any arguments. Lena’s death would already upset the balance of power. They might not be as quick to remove Nikolai from his position, even if his abilities came out into the open.
“What have people been saying?”
Yuisa hesitated. “Nothing specific. Just people talking and speculating.”
Sergei was quiet for a long moment, continuing to sort through the crate. Yuisa’s reticence was understandable. Valentina usually got people to open up by acting as a sympathetic ear and finding common themes to build from. It worked well enough for her, so maybe it was time to try the same tactic.
In a low voice, he said, “It’s my hope Nikolai will agree to take over command. I’ve known him for a long time, and he cares deeply about our people.”
Yuisa’s eyes widened, pausing with a frequency detector in her hand. “I—I’ve heard that.” She swallowed, glancing down at the crate in front of her. “My cousin, Sveta, works in one of his camps. I don’t believe she knows Nikolai, but she’s met Valentina a few times. Sveta always speaks highly of her. Valentina spent a long time playing with her daughter and telling her stories. She even arranged to have some sweets delivered to Liliya as a gift.”
Sergei glanced over at Valentina again and smiled. Her fierceness was undeniable, but she also possessed such a tender and beautiful heart. Children had always been a soft spot for her. “Did she?”
Yuisa nodded, putting the equipment to the side. “Liliya is always asking after her and wanting to know when her friend is coming back to visit. If Nikolai keeps such people close to him, I can’t help but believe he must be a good man. I’d prefer if he were the one to take over command.”
“Nikolai would be my choice too,” Sergei agreed, watching as Valentina absently brushed away a lock of chestnut hair that had escaped from her ponytail again. She gave Nikolai a small smile, her blue eyes lighting up at something he said.
God, she was beautiful. And far too distracting. Turning back to the crate in front of him, he said, “I have reservations about some of the other leaders and whether they’ll be a good fit for running the new tower.”
Yuisa frowned and put another piece of broken equipment aside. “Me too. I hope Lena’s not the one who will take control. Ivan isn’t so bad, but I’d still prefer Nikolai. It’s promising that he’s here, though, and working with the Omnis.”
Sergei cocked his head. “Have you met Lena?”
“Not exactly,” she admitted. “Lena came here about a week ago, but she didn’t stay long. She wanted to see the layout of the area and how we operated. I did meet Roman though. He wanted copies of the shipping manifests and delivery schedules. He said they were considering taking over shipping distribution to and from the construction site until Pavel could be replaced.”
Sergei’s jaw clenched, a suspicion forming in his mind. If Lena had been involved personally, no one would have questioned her orders. “Did they store their supplies here?”
She nodded. “Some. Roman told us not to touch them and they’d have their own people handle distribution. I got the impression they didn’t trust our competency.”
“Are they still here?”
Something in his tone must have caught her attention because she looked over at him and frowned. “Yes. Did we do something wrong by allowing it?”
Forcing himself to gentle his voice, he said, “Not at all. I’d like you to show me these supplies though.”
“Sure,” she agreed and pointed up the hill to an abandoned building. “I’ll take you. I’m not sure what kind of condition they’re in from the earthquake. We weren’t sure if we should check on those or wait until one of Lena’s representatives contacted us. They might have some cabling devices in there.”
“Just a moment,” Sergei said and walked over to Nikolai, Valentina, and Yuri. “Yuisa just informed me Lena’s been storing supplies here. You may want to come with us. It might be what we’ve been looking for. If not, we’ll have more of a selection of equipment we can use to rescue our people. Most of the equipment we’ve found so far isn’t usable.”
Valentina’s eyes narrowed, and she put the dragon figurine back into her pocket. “Where?”
“Just up the hill,” Sergei replied, leading them back over to Yuisa. The dark-haired woman’s eyes widened at the sight of all of them joining her.
Nikolai stepped forward. “Show us where the supplies are being kept.”
“Of course,” she agreed and hastened up the hill.
Valentina knelt beside another crate and cursed loudly at the lettering on the side. “This is another one of ours.”
Sergei moved forward and pried it open with one of the tools Yuisa had brought to them. Valentina looked down and blew out a breath. “It looks like about half of our missing weapons are here. We’ll have to compare the numbers with what they confiscated in the towers, but at least they’ve been located.”
“There’s more food, hydrating packs, and medical supplies here too,” Yuri said from the other side of the building. “No cabling devices though. Most of these items were meant for our civilian camps.”
Nikolai frowned. “We’ll need to reach out to Ivan and Peter to get accurate numbers from them and start redistributing supplies to our people. At least our weapons won’t end up in the hands of the Omni residents. We’ll let Alec know right away so he can relay the message to his council.”
The dark-haired woman who had accompanied them frowned. “I’m sorry. I had no idea these items belonged to you.”
Valentina straightened and approached her. Softening her expression, she said, “Your name is Yuisa, correct?”
When she nodded, Valentina smiled. “You’ve done us a great service today, Yuisa. We’ve been looking for these supplies for the past several weeks. You had no reason to think anything was wrong. You were simply obeying the instructions of one of our leaders, just as any one of us would have done. No one can fault you for that. But now, thanks to you, we’ll make sure our people have the proper supplies they need.”
Yuisa’s face filled with gratitude. “Thank you for your kind words, Valentina.”
Sergei approached them. “If someone else takes over control of the new tower, I believe Yuisa may be looking for a new post.”
Valentina studied Sergei for a moment, understanding immediately what he wanted. Focusing again on Yuisa, she tilted her head to regard the younger woman. “I see. None of us can predict the future, but Nikolai is always looking for loyal people. In fact, we recently had an opening in our command center for an inventory specialist. Since you have experience handling such things, perhaps you might be suited for the position.”
Yuisa gaped at her, but hope shone brightly in her eyes. “I’d love to be considered for such an opportunity.”
“Good,” Valentina said with a smile. “We’ll make sure your efforts here are suitably rewarded. In the meantime, would you go through and inventory all these supplies? You can send me the report personally. If anyone from Lena’s camp reaches out to you, direct them to me.”
“Absolutely,” Yuisa agreed, pulling out her tablet. “I’ll get started right away.”
Valentina murmured her thanks, and Sergei led her out of the building and back toward the chasm. She glanced over her shoulder to find Nikolai and Yuri were right behind them. Hopefully, some of their other workers had managed to locate the rest of the cabling devices they needed. “Yuisa told you she wanted to join Nikolai’s service?”
“Mmhmm,” Sergei agreed, putting his hand on her lower back. “But I would say you were the motivating factor.”
She frowned, looking up at him. “What do you mean?”
“Her cousin lives in one of Nikolai’s camps and ha
s a young daughter named Liliya who’s taken a shine to you.” Sergei darted a glance at her and teased, “Something about sneaking her sweets, playing with her, and telling her stories?”
“Oh,” Valentina murmured with a small smile. “Yes. She’s an adorable little girl. Her mother had fallen ill, so I offered to watch Liliya so she could get some rest. The child is a delight.”
Sergei stopped and pulled her against him. Without another word, he lowered his head and kissed her. All coherent thought disappeared, and her fingers unwittingly curled into his jacket. She softened against him as he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her.
Yuri cleared his throat. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Whoever finds the next batch of missing weapons gets a victory kiss from Valya?”
Nikolai chuckled. “I wouldn’t count on it, Yuri. But he’s right about one thing. You’re beginning to attract an audience.”
She pulled back, and Sergei grinned at her. He cupped her face and pressed another light kiss against her lips. “Good. Now they’ll know you’re mine.”
“Or they’ll know you’re mine,” she teased.
“I have no objections,” he said, putting his arm around her. Valentina leaned into him as they headed back to the chasm.
Kayla glanced up at them when they approached. “Good. You’re back. We’re almost finished. Carl’s just checking the last device.”
“We found the missing weapons,” Sergei announced.
Relief flooded through Alec’s expression. “At least that’s one problem that’s been resolved. I’ll send a message to Ariana’s father. They’ll agree to suspend the vote given this new information and what’s happened here at the river. But I have a feeling our alliance will no longer be in jeopardy.”
Nikolai nodded and walked over to where the cabling devices were set up. “How is this going to work?”
Alec looked down into the chasm. “We were just talking about that. Even with the dragon figurine, we’re going to need to drop down to get close to the elevator to maximize our chances for success.”
Kayla stood and brushed the dirt off her hands. “We’ve got harnesses for up to ten people. Once we get to about the same level as the elevator, we can attach some cables to it. If the energy thing doesn’t work, we’ll try a more conventional approach. Either way, we need some additional supports attached to the elevator in case things go wrong.”
Valentina frowned. “What are the chances of any aftershocks?”
“We’re not sure,” Alec admitted. “I don’t know how, but the earthquake doesn’t appear to be natural. We just got confirmation from some of our scientists in the towers. Until we know what caused it, we’re putting a halt on all excavation in the area. I’m not sure if something we did affected the stability of the chasm.”
“I told you it wasn’t me,” Kayla grumbled and tightened another cable connection.
Brant snorted. “But it was you who almost knocked over the towers.”
Lars grinned. “And when you got upset about Carl being hurt in Sergei’s camp.”
“Yeah, yeah. I see how it is. Cause an earthquake once or twice and suddenly everyone’s blaming you.” Kayla huffed and picked up a harness. “So… who’s going down?”
Valentina reached into her pocket, brushing her fingers against the dragon figurine. It was a little unnerving how she understood what it wanted. Maybe it was a sign from the heavens or some other mystical force at work, but she was inclined to follow its directions for now.
Gesturing to her bondmates, Valentina said, “The four of us need to go down. Ariana, Alec, and Kayla need to go too. Everyone else is optional, but the seven of us need to go.”
Alec frowned. “I’d rather Ariana stay on the surface. Brant can remain with her.”
Ariana shook her head. “No. If we need to use the dragon, I need to be involved. Lars should also go in case this doesn’t work. Between you, Lars, and Yuri, you may have enough wind power to lift the elevator.”
Brant took a step forward and added, “I’m going too. If we’re not sure what’s causing the earthquakes, I may be able to help if it’s energy-related. At the very least, I should be able to detect it and possibly find out where it’s originating.”
Kayla glanced over at Carl. “Okay. Carl’s going to come too. He knows these ruins better than anyone. That’s our ten. Everyone else is going to have to wait here. Let’s get loaded into the harnesses and start the descent. Veridian and Jinx will monitor the equipment from here.”
Valentina nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Valentina landed on the rocky outcropping and spoke into her headset, “Cable Four. Stop the descent.”
Sergei gripped her cable and pulled her away from the edge. Valentina kept the harness on but disabled her microphone to avoid any conflicts with communication on the surface. While Sergei reached forward to help Nikolai with his landing, she studied the small outcropping and cavern where they were standing. The elevator was just a short distance below them, and judging by its current position, they weren’t going to be able to pull it out with the cables like Kayla had suggested.
The earthquake had dislodged some rocks, and the elevator was on its side, lodged between some of them. Kayla was lying on her stomach at the edge of the rocky outcropping calling back and forth to the people within. It sounded like the four individuals trapped inside were alive, but they all had some minor injuries.
Nikolai moved to stand beside her. She glanced up to see Yuri descending next. Alec and Ariana would be right behind him, followed by Lars and Brant.
“I don’t know, Kayla,” Carl said quietly. “That’s a lot of open space between here and there.”
“It is, but I know I can make that climb,” Kayla said, studying the distance between the ledge they were standing on and the elevator.
Carl frowned. “We can launch an anchor bolt into the cavern wall to help you cross, but it’s still risky.”
Kayla gave him a small smile and leaned against him. “Ruin rats don’t die that easily. Besides, you’ll be the one guiding my cable. You won’t let anything happen to me.”
Carl sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “Go ahead and set it up. But if there’s any instability or I even suspect you’re in danger, I’m hauling you back here. I don’t give a damn what arguments you make.”
Kayla beamed a smile at him and pressed a quick kiss against his lips. Without another word, she bent down and started setting up the spare cabling device they’d brought with them.
Sergei leaned in close to her and whispered, “Please don’t tell me you’re considering joining her. I’m not sure my heart could take it.”
Valentina smiled and unhooked her harness from the cabling device. “I’ve never claimed climbing as one of my strengths. I will leave such things in the hands of those with more experience.”
“Good,” he said, giving her a quick kiss before turning away to help Ariana onto the ledge.
Valentina scooted over to give them more room and handed her cable to Carl. The ledge where they were standing was large enough they could all fit comfortably upon it. They were fairly far underground, within a large chasm that had opened centuries ago. Some of the buildings that had once stood on the surface had slid into its depths. Many of them had been totally destroyed, but others were relatively untouched except by age and neglect. She leaned over the edge to peer down below, trying to determine how far the chasm extended. It was too dark to see much.
Nikolai wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away from the edge. “Careful, Valya.”
Kayla finished collecting everyone’s cables and started to climb across the width of the chasm to the elevator. Everyone watched her progress with a sense of anticipation.
Valentina leaned in close to Nikolai and whispered, “Do you think it’s a mistake to try using the statue?”
Nikolai frowned. “I don’t know. It worries me that we’re depending on something we don’t
understand. But why don’t you tell me your concerns and we can figure it out.”
“I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so hazardous down here,” she admitted quietly, not wanting the people trapped in the elevator to hear her concerns. “The effects when we used the figurine for the first time were pretty dramatic. I’m worried about not being able to control it. It’s not just the people in the elevator at risk if things go wrong.”
“We don’t have to do it,” he reminded her gently. “They can try to lift the elevator with their air abilities. But the first time we used the figurine, you were seriously injured and weren’t the one directing the power. When you used it earlier with Sergei, he was the only one affected. There were no other environmental effects. The earthquake happened before you used it.”
Valentina nodded. “You’re right. It hasn’t been an issue when I was the one directing it. I think the figurine wants me to use it. I know that sounds silly, but it almost feels alive to me.”
“We can have it analyzed as soon as we get back,” he promised and brushed a kiss against her temple. “But right now, if you’re having doubts, we can explore other options. The choice is yours.”
Valentina withdrew the dragon from her pocket. It was strange, but there was a sense of rightness about being here with it. “I’ll do it. I’m worried about these people, and I would never forgive myself for not trying to help them. With the elevator being on its side, we can’t get the door open to pull them out. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to rescue them unless we cut through the metal bars. That much vibration could be dangerous down here.”
“We’ll stop using the figurine if we notice any ill effects,” he promised, squeezing her midsection lightly. “When I warned you about the danger to our people before, you stopped the power immediately. You can do it again.”
Valentina lifted her head, watching as Kayla started making her way back across the chasm. She’d managed to affix the cables securing the elevator in place. Now it would just come down to trying to move aside the rocks and lifting it back to the surface. Once that was completed, they could send the elevator down to the lower levels to rescue the rest of their people.
Spirit of the Towers Page 24