“I just want to see her happy again,” Weston stared down at his polished boots. “It’s my fault she’s here, and I want to do whatever I can to apologize and makes this easier for her, if that’s even possible.”
“Well, assuming nothing unexpected happens, this is a good start.” Zak nodded in Jade’s direction, his tone warming. “If you want to tell her, your chance is coming.”
Jade hadn’t looked up, but she’d started on a path that would lead her toward them. Weston backed up a step. “I’ll wait until I talk to Briar, thanks. Please don’t mention it to her before then?”
Weston still needed to talk to Francene about training Mendez’s man, but that could wait a bit. Finding Briar and getting this squared away could take priority for the hour, right? Especially if it meant he could get that taken care of without revealing anything to Jade and spoiling the surprise.
Zak nodded and crossed his arms again, his gaze calculating. “If that’s what you want.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Ben
Something sizzled in the kitchen, and Schultz swore. “Give me stitches over cooking, any day! Any day!”
Ben tried to crack a small smile on behalf of the Phoenix doctor, but his smile slipped as he focused on Raine and Rebecca. They both looked drawn with worry, the scars on Rebecca’s cheek standing out in sharp contrast to her pale face. Raine’s smile and fire from earlier had faded as she succumbed to brooding.
They’d all tried to keep their spirits up throughout the day, but now everyone lingered on pins and needles for news. Would someone slip up, now that the Elph knew to question about Brandon’s escape? Would they all be arrested? During the afternoon, after Adonis left, they’d all packed what few belongings they’d taken from the ship and prepared for the possible need to flee. Their weapons remained where they’d been, but now with two guards on either side of the chest. Most of the crew gathered in the living area while Schultz attempted to make them something to eat as they lounged, listlessly listening to the rain as the storm slowly abated, unable to fill the silence with banter.
Rebecca toyed with the pendant of her necklace, her eyes distant. “If they aren’t back soon—” A knock on the door interrupted her words, and her face paled again.
Raine practically shot across the room, her blue tunic swishing from her speed as she yanked the door open. She stepped back to let Adonis in.
He removed his hat and brushed his hand over his hair, pausing as he took in the sight of everyone gathered in the front room. His face tightened. “They’ll be staying the night under the hospitality of the palace.” Water dribbled off his coat, creating small puddles as he walked into the room, staring down at Rebecca where she sat. “You should know, Captain, that sometime today, we had a thief break in and steal the lodestone ring, killing one of our guards.”
“It wasn’t us.” Rebecca stated firmly. “We’ve been here. We’ve been obeying.”
Ben’s stomach plummeted. It hadn’t been them, but how would they prove that? They’d had guards around them since morning, but Brandon had been gone long enough that anything could be pinned on him. They’d agreed as a team that it was best to just let Brandon go, even though they knew it could cause problems for them; having his moody distractedness wouldn’t have helped either. They’d made this choice together. Now they paid the price.
Ben closed his eyes, inhaling the garlic that wafted from the kitchen. The scent reminded him of sunshine and simpler days in the marketplace with Jade. Not even three months ago. It felt like a lifetime.
“The only reason I’m not arresting all of you right now is because I still believe you lot,” Adonis said, running his hand through his hair. “Unlike Emperor Ezran who doesn’t have time to meet all the leaders, I try to. I’ve known Cato for years. I trust his word. He says it wasn’t your group that went to the plateau, and that it was you lot that helped save the village.” He crossed his arms. “I’ll be honest. The thief got past some powerful wards that we had around that ring and several other artifacts of importance to our city.”
“Sounds like they weren’t powerful enough,” Ben commented.
“You’d think, but these would have prevented anyone from entering.” Adonis clenched his jaw. “Anyone, but a Void Born.”
Shock rippled through Ben’s body, leaving his skin tingling. He mimicked everyone else’s expressions of surprise and confusion, hoping his flash of fear didn’t show.
“But we don’t have any Void Born on our crew,” Roska exclaimed, half rising from his cushion on the floor. He looked about wildly. “It has to be one of Lucio’s. Ben, didn’t you say that he had a Void Born traveling with him?”
Ben nodded automatically. “Yeah, he did. At least one.”
Adonis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Great. Just great.” He crossed his arms and looked over his shoulder, as if he could see through the walls all the way to the palace. A heavy sigh escaped him, and his shoulders drooped. He waved at Rebecca with a tired motion. “Can your vessel take to the water like it does the sky?”
She straightened and lifted her chin, a hint of defiant pride in her eyes. “Of course it can. The Phoenix is not some steamy.”
“Good.” He set his jaw and nodded. He closed the door to the room, leaving him in with them, no other guards in hearing range. He spoke lowly. “On my way here, I learned that one of our military scouting boats has been stolen. That’s the ring and a boat, all within a few hours of each other. This isn’t a coincidence.”
Geist uttered a small growl and pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against, his movements harsh and jerky. “So what are you saying, you—”
“I’m saying,” Adonis interrupted with an edge to his voice, “that you should shut up. I don’t have much time to deal with hotheads who don’t listen.” He clasped his hands behind his back and paced away from Rebecca before stopping and spinning on his heel. “I am on my way back to the palace to investigate more into the theft of the lodestone.” He lifted his eyebrows. “I will be requiring some extra guards to go to the docks in a sad attempt to deduce anything possible during the tail end of this storm. So if, say, a jailbreak were to occur in the eastern cells, not only would I not be there to see it stopped, but there would also be lighter security than usual. Now, they will organize military action to catch the escapees, but that may be detained just long enough to reach the,” he looked to Rebecca, “Phoenix?”
Her chin jutted out, and she nodded. “It’s fifteen minutes from the palace to the Phoenix. And ten minutes from here to the palace.”
“Is it now?” Adonis hmphed. “Fascinating. Rumor has it there may be a drill for the soldiers tonight. We’ll have to see.”
Ben’s jaw dropped.
“What about the guards here?” Raine asked. “We’re going to need our weapons.”
Adonis grimaced. “Please don’t kill them. But do what you must to succeed.”
“Wait.” Ben strode closer to the military officer. He stopped, hands on his hips. “Why are you doing this? This is a lot of trust in a group of strangers.”
Adonis’s lips pressed together, and he slipped his arm free from his jacket, then started rolling up his sleeve. Above his elbow, three tattoos encircled his arm. “I remember life before the barrier,” he stated, his voice quiet. “How easy it was to use the blood-bond on humans. I left that life and moved down here, just before the barrier went up. I don’t want to see that lifestyle return to my people.” He met Ben’s eyes for a long moment. “My daughter is half Elph, half human. Those in the north would see her as an abomination. I can’t risk that barrier going down, just because my emperor is confident in our keystone’s safety.”
He turned away, walking toward the door. A key with a small piece of paper attached to it dropped from his pocket. He paused, his eyes resting on it before he looked at Rebecca, then scanned the rest of them, ending with his gaze on Ben. His lips pursed. “Please, don’t fail,” he said quietly. “Or we will all pay the price.
”
***
Controlled pandemonium broke out the moment the door closed behind Adonis. Ben scrambled to grab the key while Geist marched over to Rebecca.
“Do we trust him?” Geist pointed to the key and attached map, his voice rising. “It could be a trap!”
“Do we dare to not?” Raine shot back. “You heard the man. Not only is the lodestone stolen, but a boat is gone. Haven’t you listened? Everyone, stop.” She raised her hands, waiting for quiet to descend. Ben frowned, trying to figure out what she was getting at. She pointed out the window. “Notice the lack of wind gusts? The storm is easing up. If they want to get to Madrilla Island without being noticed and still having the cover of rain, this is the best time.”
Geist’s eyes hardened. “We have to go.”
“Agreed.” Rebecca stood, braiding her hair. “Steban and Keene, I want you two back on the Phoenix. Get her ready for the ocean. Geist, I’ve heard stories that you know your way around a jailbreak. Is that true?”
Geist’s cheeks colored, and he lifted his hand like he was going to rub the back of his neck, but dropped it and gripped the pommel of his sword. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. We need those skills. Ben, what was that paper with the key?”
“A map.” Ben held it out, revealing the precise hand drawing marking their house, the road to the palace, and the small X on a building. “He gave us everything he could.”
Rebecca nodded. “You lead the group to break them out, Geist, and yes, I’m going with you.” She looked over at Keene. “Take everyone else, and get ready for us to be coming in hot.” She paused. “Who can take out the guards quietly, without them making noise to bring in others?”
Ash raised his hand. “I can take care of them, if I have a partner.”
Kerlee clapped Ash on the back. “Tell me your plan, and let’s do this thing.”
Keene hoisted a pack over his shoulders. “Load up. Schultz, get what the others left behind.”
Ben, Raine, Ash, Roska, and Rebecca gathered around Geist while the rest of the crew scrambled to follow Keene’s directions. Rebecca looked to Geist. “We’ll follow your lead.”
Geist sighed as he nodded, examining the tiny map. “Leave any fighting to Ash and me, and if it gets bad, you cover us, Raine. Assuming that’s what we really need,” he pointed to the pouch that Ben had put the key in, “then you and the captain go get them out.”
“If you don’t need me fighting, I’m going in with them,” Raine said quietly.
Geist shot her an intense look, clearly weighing the odds of her obeying his orders to the odds of her ignoring them before he agreed. “Fine.”
Ash and Kerlee burst into the room, their arms full of weaponry. “Take what you need, and get out of here,” Kerlee gasped out. “They haven’t noticed anything yet, but we’re not risking it.”
Rebecca grabbed her husband’s sheathed sword from the pile, and she strapped it on to her waist, layering her own sword belt over it a moment later. She looked up, fire dancing in her eyes. “Let’s go.”
The worst of the storm may have abated, but rain still poured from the sky, not lashing as before, but still chilling Ben to the bone. He clenched his fists, trying to keep his fingers warm enough to hold his sword if needed—let alone hold the key when the time came.
A hand tugged on Ben’s arm, and he followed Raine’s drenched form to several ornamental bushes that Rebecca and Geist took shelter by, their forms blending in with the dark side of the plants, the weak gas lights beyond not reaching far enough to cast light on them. Ash and Roska lurked in the shadows by the nearby courtyard that the map had suggested was their target.
The dragon hunter moved toward them with all the stealth of a cat on the hunt. “It looks right,” he whispered. He hitched a thumb over his shoulder at the guards barely visible in the light. “But the guards are still there. We’ll need all of us to take them.”
“Wait.” Raine pointed. “How’s that for timing?” she marveled.
Ben followed her finger to see a soldier approach the ten sheltering under the overhang. They talked briefly, then four guards peeled off to the follow the one. “Well, that works,” he breathed.
“No killing if you can help it,” Rebecca reminded. “They’re just following bad orders.”
“No promises, but yes, ma’am.” Geist muttered. He looked at Ash and Roska, holding up three fingers, counting down to a fist. Ben let them have a split second head start, then shot out after them, Raine and Rebecca on his heels.
Geist reached the first guard and nailed him in the head with the pommel of his sword hilt. Ash battled the second sentry before Geist could take him down similarly.
Ben angled himself so the rain would be at the back of his head and in the face of his opponent. The Elph swiped at the water in his eyes. Ben used that distraction to nail him in the gut with his fist. Air whooshed out of the man, and Ben dropped his elbow on the guard’s head.
He used his hand to squeegee rain off his forehead as he turned on his heel, tallying the bodies on the ground. Raine smacked the last guard standing with her sheathed sword. He drew his blade, and she danced back. The Elph shouted and lurched forward, and Geist took that moment to brutally crack him in the skull with his sword pommel.
Geist waved them toward the door. “Go! We’ll cover you from here.”
Ben pulled the door open, letting Raine and Rebecca race past him before following into the prison hall. The damp, musty smell hit him like a wave, and he tried not to gag. Raine flicked a switch and gas lights flared, momentarily blinding all of them after the darkness of outside. The prison was smaller than he’d expected, and surprisingly clean, despite what the smell suggested. Rebecca and Raine darted forward, passing empty cell after empty cell. Ben jogged after them, water squelching between his toes in his boots.
He heard them before he saw them—a babble of voices that rose suddenly—and he sped up to keep pace with the women. Raine skidded before a cell, reaching through the bars to grab her grandfather’s hand.
“What are you doing here?” Finn asked, his eyes glued to her face as Ezekial crowded behind him. “What happened?”
“So much, Papa,” she replied breathlessly, gripping both his hands in hers. “We need to go to the island, tonight.”
Ben pulled the key from his pocket and looked at it in his hand for a brief moment. Here’s to hoping this works. He jammed it in the lock and turned it to the left. Nothing happened. He twisted it to the right. He pushed, and it clicked. His tense muscles relaxed.
He stepped back, letting Raine pull the lock off while he jogged to the cell that held Maggie and Serena.
Serena glared up from her cot. “Tell me no one touched my blades.”
“Only for the purpose of transporting them back to the Phoenix,” Ben promised as he opened the barred door. “Last I saw, Schultz had them.”
Serena brushed a strand of hair off her cheek as she hopped off the cot. “That’s acceptable.”
“Oh, good.” Ben swallowed his chuckle, knowing better than to let her hear it when it was her precious knives in question. He glanced down the way they’d come. “Are we all out?”
“Yes. Let’s get out of here, and you can catch us up on the way.” Finn dropped his arm from around Raine’s shoulders.
“Deal.” Ben pushed through the suddenly crowded hallway. “We have to get out as quietly as possible, straight to the Phoenix. Don’t stop for anything. They have a head start, and we have to catch up to reach the island in time.”
“We won’t let them win,” Ezekial stated confidently. “We’ll get there.”
Roska groaned. “You just jinxed us. We’re all going to die.”
Ben ignored them both. And ran.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Christopher
Not for the first time in the last several weeks, Christopher found himself missing his deceased comrades. Their company had made the days go by with much less stress, and they’d all shared th
e workload, each one performing their own strengths.
But now he was alone and doing all the work, while Lucio literally kicked back and relaxed in the boat as Christopher rowed it further out of the inlet. He’d barely had any time to recuperate from the adrenaline rush of stealing the ring and killing the guard, and now he was tasked with more physical work. A yawn cracked Christopher’s jaw as he pulled on the oars, muscles protesting. It was as if Lucio forgot that Christopher was still a human with his own limitations.
He’d napped that afternoon, but now it was nearing midnight. Odds were good that Christopher would have to run for it after the barrier dropped, and he’d be going on fumes by then.
Christopher paused the rowing and twisted in his seat, surveying the shoreline and the faint lights that dotted the cliffs. Rain hit his face, getting in his eyes, dripping down his hair, running along his jaw. He swiped at the water and stood cautiously, moving to the center of the small boat. Rain sizzled as it landed on the furnace that would power the rest of the trip. He pulled a log from under an oiled tarp and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he opened the furnace door and chucked the wood in. Two more logs joined the first. He closed the door and risked opening his eyes again.
Lucio leaned against a wooden-backed seat that provided a buffer from the burning hot furnace. He pulled his hood down and shook his hands out. “We’re close enough to deep waters. Steer us to the island. I’m going to call in some help that will keep us protected.”
“Yes, sir.” Christopher moved back toward his seat, gripped the rudder, and cranked the gear for the steam engine. The boat lurched forward, and he fell against the rudder with a stifled gasp. He clung to it, light spray hitting from either side. I can’t wait for this to be over.
He didn’t mind water. Truly. But this much at once was overwhelming. Different than the lakes back home, where you looked across the expanse and saw land on the other side. Here, the ocean stretched as far as the barrier. And he knew that technically the ocean continued past the wavering purple—but some things were just too big, too hard to imagine.
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