by Miles, Amy
Bastien watches me from the corner of his eye. He has been attentive yet aloof during our trip. It doesn’t surprise me with Niyah latched onto him every second of the day.
The snow radiates red as the driver applies the brakes. Gorgan pats my shoulder. “It is time, miss.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” I bite my lip as the truck slides to a halt. My head slams against Gorgan’s arm instead of the edge of the truck. I thank him with a smile as he eases me to my feet.
I feel guilty about my own weakness as Adonis and Dorian leap off the back of the truck, already in motion to set up a perimeter. Niyah leaps down without any help, landing lightly on her feet.
I scowl at her as she winks at me, then disappears into the night. “Where is she going?”
“On ahead to scout out the area. Normally Bastien sends Adonis, but she said she needed to stretch her legs.” Gorgan shrugs. I must have missed that interaction sometime during the broken sleep I managed to snatch.
After two days mentally turned inward, it is a relief to be able to stand again, to stretch and feel my muscles pull taut. I tried to remember all of the lessons Kyan taught me. Close off my mind. Focus on my thoughts. Trust myself. And above all… don’t lose control.
That last one is easier said than done.
Only one mile now separates us from the largest, most highly guarded enemy base known to us. If this doesn’t go precisely to plan, none of us will survive the day. And even then, I’m not entirely sure we can pull this off.
Gorgan remains at my side as I fight to steady myself. Pins and needles jab viciously at my legs, making it hard to remain upright on the ice-crusted snow. I squint into the dark, barely able to make out Bastien’s silhouette as Niyah runs back into view. They speak in hushed tones.
I grit my teeth as she attempts to give him a kiss, but he steps back out of her embrace. He says something curt to her and I can see her fists clench at her sides as she follows him toward us, hanging back a few steps. Adonis and Dorian approach from either side of me, weapons at the ready but lowered for safety. They nod toward Bastien, and I know no one has discovered our approach.
My breath puffs in the air before me in steady, fast pants. My heart hammers in my chest so loudly I’m surprised no one else can hear it. Normally I’m calm before a battle, but not tonight. Maybe that’s because tonight we aren’t trying to take prisoners. We’re taking a really big ship.
Bastien slips past Niyah and comes to stand beside me. Although he doesn’t turn to look at me, having him near helps calm my nerves. I can do this. We can do this.
I know he will not leave my side. He will protect me until death, if that is required of him, but I’ll never let that happen.
“Alpha team take the southern route.” He motions to Adonis and Dorian and two other men whom I’ve refrained from speaking to. They aren’t like the others. I’ve never once seen them crack a smile or laugh. They are hard-core. “I will lead Illyria to the northern entrance. Gorgan and Niyah will follow along the eastern ridge and wait for our signal. All radios are to remain silent unless there is an emergency. Stick together and watch your back. We don’t want to alert the entire base to our presence.”
I nod along with the men, feeling nervous pressure billow in my stomach. This is it. The moment of truth. Either I’m about to pull off the biggest heist this world has ever seen or we’re going to fail epically.
Niyah shoots me a vicious glare over her shoulder before she grabs Gorgan’s arm and pulls him after her. Adonis and Dorian head up their team, leaving Bastien and me alone. Bastien pounds on the truck bed one time, the sound muffled by the blankets, and the motor turns over. With the headlights off, the truck pulls away, leaving us behind.
“I thought he was staying.” I stare at the taillights as the truck slows to slide around a corner, disappearing into the forest.
“The extraction point for the men is a few miles south of here.”
“A few miles.” I gasp, turning to look toward the direction Gorgan went. “If Drakon’s men discover us, they’ll never make it.”
“They know,” he whispers. I turn back to see his shoulders slumped and his face lined with concern. “These men volunteered for the mission, Illyria. They knew the risks.”
“But it’s suicide.” I protest, starting to go after Gorgan. I can’t let him do this. Not for me. Not for anyone.
Bastien takes hold of my arm and pulls me back. “They have faith in you. So do I.”
“But what if everyone is wrong? What if—”
He cuts me off with a kiss. My eyes widen in shock as he presses his hand against my back, holding me close. His eyes are closed, his hand firm against my spine. I sink into his embrace, placing my hands upon his arms as he shifts to envelop me in his embrace.
A moment later, he breaks off and steps back. “What was that for?” I ask, breathless.
“Seemed like a good way to shut you up.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “And that’s the Bastien I used to know.”
He smiles, lighting up his laser so I can see him better. From the corner of my eye, I think I see movement in the trees, but when I look it is gone. “He’s still in there, somewhere.” Glancing to the sky, Bastien’s smile wanes. “We’ve only got a thirty-minute window. We need to move.”
I follow right on his heels as we burrow into the brush. The landscape is wild and untouched. A deer leaps out before me, startling me. Bastien reaches back and tugs on my arm to get me moving again, reminding me of how little time we have left.
Our boots punch through the ice as we dig into a slight incline. By the time we reach the top, my legs are on fire and my lungs feel as if they might burst. Bastien pauses to get his bearings while I suck in gulps of air. When did I get to be so out of shape?
“This way.” He’s on the move again, ducking low as we shift left, heading straight toward the lighted sky.
As we draw near, I spy floodlights perched atop a guard tower, scanning the woods in sweeping patterns. We flatten to the ground as the nearest beam casts our location in white brilliance. Bastien presses himself over my back, shielding me. The light slowly moves on and I breathe a sigh of relief. “You ready for this?” he whispers into my ear.
I nod, knowing that is a flat-out lie. I’m not ready. I want to run, to head straight back to that truck and get the heck out of here before the lasers start flying and blood taints the snow, but I can’t.
Bastien grips my hand for a moment, squeezing tightly, and then he releases me and crawls forward on hands and knees. He drops flat as the light trails back toward us. Even at such a short distance, I struggle to see Bastien as he burrows into the snow, using the thick drifts to hide him.
I really need to talk to Kyan about designing some winter uniforms. I think as I rise and crawl to meet up with him.
Two guards are posted for the early morning shift at our entrance. We chose this gate because of its remote location near the back of the base. We’d hoped it would be lightly manned. For once, fate smiles on us.
My job is to slip up and take them out while remaining completely undetected. Too close to risk speaking, Bastien’s fingers walk against the snow, signaling me to move. I close my eyes and wrap my powers tightly around me. I can feel the cold blanket of invisibility settle over me. When Bastien’s gaze shifts, looking through me, I know I’m good to go. Rising to my feet, I leap in alternating directions to avoid the deepest sections of snow.
My random steps go unnoticed by the guards. I can hear their low murmur of conversation as they lean against the chain-link fence with their backs to me. A raucous burst of laughter masks my approach as my boots hit a firmer surface. I look down and realize I’m now on a gravel road layered with snow and ice. Perfect.
Crouching low, I feel the muscles in my legs coil and I spring into the air. I pull out of my somersault and grasp the top of the fence, hovering upside-down for a moment. I lock my knees together and swing down, both feet poised to strike,
zeroing in on the stomach of the small guard.
The fence rattles as I send the guard careening back into it. A sickening crack of bones follows after. He emits a single groan before slumping.
His partner whirls around, braced for attack. The instant I’m on my feet, I lash out, shoving my fist straight up the man’s nose. Blood spurts from his shattered nose as his eyes roll back into his head. He collapses over his partner’s body, neither one ever having a chance to sound the alarm.
I reappear beside them and motion for Bastien to join me. He rushes forward, grinning from ear to ear. “That was brilliant. Don’t think I could’ve done better myself.”
“Thanks,” I grunt, clutching my hand to my chest. “Think I broke my hand.”
“Can you heal it?” he asks, dipping low to melt through the fence with his laser to join me on the other side.
“There’s no time.” We barely have a chance to snatch the two downed guards behind the guard shack before the floodlight swings back our way. Bastien drags the guards into the shadows and dumps them.
In a couple minutes, the Alpha team will be in position and cause a diversion at the southern end of the base, drawing attention away from the main hanger. With any luck, Bastien and I will be out of there before Drakon’s men even realize they’ve been robbed.
“Grab on to me,” Bastien hisses in my ear.
I thrust my good hand into his and run beside him, clinging to the shadows. We pause at the end of a squat metal building. “Can you give us some cover?” Bastien asks as he peers out at the landing field before us.
Gripping his hand tightly in mine, I throw up a cloak of invisibility over both of us. “That never gets old,” he mutters as he leads me up a steep embankment. At the top, we find ourselves in the middle of a tarmac. The concrete is cracked and shifted, rising in some places and sunken in others. Kyan told me this used to be an old military base. Jets used to race down to the other end and soar up into the skies. I would’ve liked the chance to see that.
Several spider drones sit silently along the runway, dark and unmanned. Large, black orbs sit farther down. “Sky Ships,” I whisper.
I can feel Bastien nod beside me, but he pulls us away. Sky Ships weren’t made for space travel. They’re only short distance transports, meant for use only on Earth. What we need must bend through time and space.
Kyan had informed me that the ship we need will be held in a locked hangar. We’ll know it by its sleek design, larger than a house and shaped like a bullet with two wings on either side.
Bastien leads us toward the main hangar. He peers in through the door and instantly ducks as a guard passes by. “You’re invisible,” I remind him as he tugs me toward a smaller building. This structure only has one hangar door. We press against the wall, struggling to regulate our breathing. Once the breath leaves our bodies, it can be seen. One of the few downsides to invisibility.
“How do we get inside?” I rise onto my toes to whisper in his ear.
“Through that door.” Even though I can’t see where his hand points, I spy a door halfway down the building that has been left slightly ajar.
I don’t have time to point out this detail as Bastien yanks me forward and pauses only long enough to check for a guard inside before we’re through and I feel warmth upon my cheeks. The hangar doesn’t appear to be heated, but the lack of wind makes the air feel at least ten degrees warmer.
Bastien clamps his hand over my mouth as I cry out. An explosion from outside rattles the walls, surprising me. I turn and peer out the door and see a mushroom cloud rising into the air. “What was that?”
“Must have gone for a fuel truck.”
Gunshots and the hum of laser fire piece the night air. I stiffen, silently counting the seconds between return fire. “That sounds too close—”
Bastien’s radio bursts to life. Amid the white noise of static, I recognize Dorian’s voice. “We are… ambush… abort…” The radio falls silent in Bastien’s hand.
“Did he say ambush? How did they know we were coming?”
“I don’t know.” Bastien looks grim. A scream breaks through the rapid fire and he closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“We have to go help them.” I turn to head toward the door, but Bastien pulls me back.
“We stick with the plan.”
“But—”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Men die in war. You know this, Illyria. You would make the same call.” Another explosion ricochets through the base. I duck instinctively, although we are well out of harm’s way. “That’s the oil field. There’s nothing we can do.”
Anger wells up in my chest. I know he is right. I’ve made this same call dozens of times. “Fine. Let’s just get this stupid transport and get the heck out of here.”
I remind myself that Gorgan wasn’t with that group. Maybe he can still make it out alive.
As I turn to sweep my gaze across the room, sirens blare around the base. Engines roar to life, tires squealing as they speed away from us. The scent of burnt rubber hangs in the air as Bastien pulls away from the door. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds us, invisible or not.
“This way,” Bastien whispers, leading me through a maze of small aircraft. I spy planes with hulking engines, streamlined jets, and an oddly shaped machine with a propeller perched atop it instead of on the wings. “There it is.”
I round the back end of an odd triangle-shaped aircraft to find a sleek black alien warship that, now that I’m up close, resembles an arrow instead of a bullet. It looks deadly, its design perfected to fly under enemy radar and spiral through the stars.
The nose is pointed, fanning out in a V before narrowing into a long shaft. It is the latest in a long line of lethal ships Aloysius has designed over the past year. “Can you really fly one of those?”
“Sure.” Bastien doesn’t look so sure as I release his hand and he reappears. He reaches up and slowly trails his fingers over the hull. It ripples, almost as if he’d touched the surface of a pond instead of a metallic ship. “Can you really make this thing invisible?”
I eye the massive ship with apprehension. “Let’s hope so.”
Sliding my own hand across the hull, I realize it is cold as ice, yet the feel of the alien technology fuels are fire deep within my soul. As if some part of me has just awoken. “Can you feel that?” I whisper.
“Yeah.” I turn to find him staring at the ship in awe.
I can sense its purpose through my fingertips, the sheer power and brutality this ship could unleash if given the chance. The urge to set the entire base on fire consumes me as I press my hand flat against the hull.
I cloak myself with anger, drawing on memories of our men’s screams. The metal warms, glowing deep amber at first, and then it slowly begins to vanish. I can see the barrels of oil that stand behind it, the oil stains that seep out from a rusted hole in the bottom of the farthest canister.
My arms begin to tremble as I feel my powers pulsate. The entire nose of the ship is gone. The cloak of invisibility crawls across the surface, nearing the door. Like a creeping mist, the ship begins to vanish from sight.
My breath comes out ragged as I push with my mind, pressing myself beyond my limits. Nearly all of the ship has disappeared, but I am draining quickly. Sweat beads along my brow and the sound of laser fire fades into the background. I bite on my lower lip so hard I can taste blood on my tongue.
“Hold on to me.” My voice is raspy and thin, but I feel Bastien surround my waist with one arm. The other rises to press my hand to the ship. My body quakes violently, nearly coming undone as he tightens his grip.
With one final push, the tail of the ship dissolves into nothingness. My knees give way and I collapse into Bastien’s arms. Somehow he manages to keep me connected to the ship, knowing if I let go, I will lose my control.
“Very impressive.” I raise my head at the sound of clapping behind us. “Too bad you wore yourself out for nothing.”
> The shock of Bastien’s sudden movement makes me cry out as he spins around. The ship, along with myself and Bastien, materialize. The lone figure in the shadows steps forward, less than twenty feet away.
“Niyah!” Bastien growls.
Seventeen
I hardly recognize the girl standing in front of me. Her features are twisted with hatred, draining any hint of beauty that used to lie beneath.
“How could you betray our men?” Bastien roars, his neck blotchy with rising anger.
With her attention locked onto Bastien, I scan the walls around us in search of an exit but find none. I glance overhead and spy long metal beams running lengthwise across the room. Maybe if I could gather some strength together I could pull one of those down, I think but quickly realize I wouldn’t have to energy left to keep us safe from the wreckage.
“Revenge is a fickle thing.” A raspy voice draws my attention to the shadows. The hairs along my neck rise as Commander Drakon emerges. “It’s so nice to see you again, Illyria. And Bastien… still alive I see. Saved by your first love and now scorned by your second. Oh, how that must sting.”
Bastien’s grip on me tightens. I can feel him shaking and pray he doesn’t do anything stupid. I can’t help him if he does. It’s all I can do to keep my head upright. I fight to ignore Drakon’s quip as he turns his scathing glare toward Niyah. “Why would you betray us to him?”
Meeting his gaze, Niyah winces.
“Isn’t it obvious? She’s jealous,” I answer weakly.
Drakon nods in rapid agreement. “And jealousy can lead even the best person down a dark path.” I slump against Bastien as my knees quake, giving way beneath me. “I do wish I could have seen your faces when she revealed herself. Did it hurt when you realized she is the one responsible for the brutal death of your men?”
Niyah’s hands clench at her sides, but she remains expressionless. “This is how you treat the man you love? By handing him over to a man who’ll take pleasure in killing him slowly?” I spit at her, disgusted. “You’re pathetic.”