Royal Obsession (Shadow Assassins 1)
Page 29
* * * * *
North stared at Minekus, his teeth clenched so tightly his jaw ached. “I’ll only ask you one more time. Where is Elder South?”
“You can repeat the question as many times as you like. The answer isn’t going to change. I don’t know where he is.” The head of security turned back to his control console, summarily dismissing North.
Fury churned within him. He was tempted to burst a blood vessel inside Minekus’s brain. Lor dar Joon lay unconscious in an isolated storage room. Smuggling him into the maze had been no simple feat. If the Mystic regained consciousness before North laid his trap, everything would be for naught. The only way to contain a pyrokin was to knock him out before he realized the threat. Once he regained his senses, there would be no controlling him.
North left the security center and stomped through the twisting corridors. Maybe East or West knew where he could find South. It was time for their daily meeting, and he needed to keep up appearances. He rounded a corner and collided with West.
“Where are you headed?” North asked as he stumbled back a step.
“To find you,” the other man informed him. “You didn’t respond to our page.”
“I’ve been distracted.” He didn’t ask about South. The others knew they despised each other. Any overt interest would raise eyebrows.
“East is setting up. Have you seen South?”
“No. I needed to speak with him about another matter, and even Minekus doesn’t know where he is.”
“That’s odd.” West shrugged. “Let’s get started. I’m sure he’ll show up.”
They entered the meeting room a short time later, and East greeted them with a distracted smile. He was fiddling with a gadget centered in the middle of the square table.
“What is that?” North asked.
“You know how Rodytes love their toys. Stirate Quentin is even worse than his brother when it comes to technology. He’s willing to beg, borrow, steal, or kill to get what he wants.”
Just the mention of the Rodyte leader made North uncomfortable. He saw little value in allying themselves with the Rodytes. In his opinion, it made more sense to form partnerships closer to their base of operations. Besides, if truth be told, they needed the Rodytes more than the Rodytes needed the Shadow Assassins. A position the Rodytes exploited at every turn.
East picked up the fist-sized object and pushed the subtle indention on the bottom. Light pulsed deep inside the translucent sphere. A flurry of sparks erupted, and then the device went dark.
“What does it do?” West asked.
“I have no idea,” East admitted. “Quentin sent it with his compliments. The message said he would check back later to see how we were enjoying—it.”
“Well, tell him it doesn’t work.” West took his seat and motioned for the others to do the same. “We have more pressing matters than a Rodyte toy.” Accusation filled his gaze as he fixed his attention on North. “What is going on with Varrik? My hunters are restless, and some of the most outlandish rumors are circulating.”
“Boredom has that effect on everyone.” North rested his forearms on the table and narrowed his gaze. “What your men need is a mission, or better yet a series of missions. Any chance—” A shrill alarm interrupted his comment. North pushed back his chair and hurried for the door. Worried that their conversations might be monitored, the elders had never allowed communication devices of any kind in the meeting room.
He activated the com panel in the corridor. “Minekus, report!”
Shouts and overlapping conversations came across the link before Minekus’s voice separated itself from the den. “Some sort of pulse erupted in your vicinity, then signals started blinking out all over the maze.”
“What! Is the pulse still live? What do you mean by blinking out?”
“Just what I said. Here one minute gone the next.” A garble of angry voices followed as North stared in stunned disbelief at the panel. “Hunters, sir. The hunters are disappearing.”
North darted back inside the meeting room and snatched the sphere off the table. He threw it to the floor and tried to smash it with the heel of his boot. Pain shot up his leg with each stomp, but the smooth sphere remained intact.
“It was a trap, you idiot!” he shouted at East. “This is some sort of homing device.”
“The Rodytes have found the maze?” East sounded aghast.
“Hunters started disappearing right after you activated this—”
“Disappearing?” West cut in. “How is that possible?”
“Ask East! He’s our resident Rodyte fan.” With the sphere in hand, North ran from the room. He had to get the device out of the maze. The scrambler shield prevented teleportation except from the departure deck. The damage was likely done, but he had to try something.
He came abreast of a doorway, and a black-clad woman stepped out, blocking his path. She pointed both fists at him. One centered on his chest, the other directed at his head. Her beauty distracted him for an instant, and a cool hand touched the side of his face. Heat sliced into his brain and energy rushed out. He screamed, grasping blindly for his unseen attacker. He caught a glimpse of Echo’s infuriated expression before everything went black.