I studied Ronad as he tried patting Bashrik’s tensed back. Now that Navan was out of the picture, it looked like Ronad was trying to take on the role of the calm “brother”, despite the fact that he was clearly stressed too. It was likely Navan and maybe even Bashrik had done the same for him after his love, Naya, had died.
“Can you really blame me?” Bashrik was grumbling. “With my most beloved brother in the hands of vicious rebels, how can I chitchat and laugh as if everything’s all right?”
“Hey,” Ronad said, “you know Navan means the world to me too.” His determined smile wavered, then fell, showing the real sorrow behind his steadily-voiced words.
“About that, Bashrik,” I said, pausing to try to find the words to say. Bashrik’s face was set in hard lines—like he wasn’t going to buy whatever I did say.
“I really am sorry,” I continued. “Like I said, I tried everything I could. I-I…” My voice shook as frustrated guilt welled up inside me. For failing Navan. For failing Bashrik—I’d promised him I’d watch out for his brother. For even failing myself here and now, not able to express to Bashrik just how sorry I was.
Bashrik’s face softened—maybe he saw the anguish on my face—and he exhaled. “Well, the important thing is that we’re all going to try to rescue him now. Right?”
He looked to me with narrowed, expectant eyes—eyes that, although a slightly different shade, reminded me painfully of Navan’s.
“So are you going to introduce me?” Galo asked.
“Ah, yes, of course.” I smiled and proceeded to introduce the eccentric lycan and fill them in on what had happened to me since I’d left Navan with the coldbloods—from trying to rescue him myself, to being picked up by the Fed, to how we’d ended up escaping the Fed’s HQ.
When I had finished, Angie and Lauren looked at me, dumbfounded.
“Girl, you sure have been through the mill,” Angie said.
I grimaced. “Yeah.”
Galo adjusted his hood. “Now that introductions are out of the way, shall we talk business?”
“So you’re really certain there’s no hope of the Fed helping us now,” Ronad said. It was more of a statement than a question, since I’d already told him it was unlikely, at least while Sylvan and his team were away.
Galo nodded. “I’d say that’s accurate, boy. Going back to try convincing anyone else would be dangerous at best, lethal at worst, and I don’t have access to Sylvan’s direct line. I’m not high enough for that, unfortunately.”
“Here’s a suggestion,” Bashrik said. “We rescue Navan now, with whatever force necessary.” He slapped his grayish palms down on the table, causing it to shake.
Ronad put a hand on Bashrik’s shoulder. “Seriously? Rush into a camp filled with countless coldbloods and shifters, without any actual plan? Riley already tried that, and it didn’t work out too well for her.”
I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, recalling that stupid incident.
“I didn’t say that exactly,” Bashrik said, crossing his arms across his chest. “Although the longer we wait here, the more likely it is that they’ve hurt Navan—or worse.”
“You’re right,” Ronad said gently. “So that means we should act quickly but intelligently.” He turned to me. “By the way, I assume your blood is still on its way to Vysanthe?”
Fear tingled at the back of my spine. So much had happened since then, I’d practically forgotten about the whole blood problem. “Yeah,” I said hoarsely. “I guess it is.”
“Well…” Ronad wet his lips nervously. “Hopefully, we’ll still have time to do something about it once we rescue Navan.”
“Continue your story,” Bashrik urged. “You haven’t filled us in on exactly how Navan got kidnapped. I want to know everything that happened since that last comm I had with you, right after you first arrived in this village. I also feel like I’m missing out on a bunch of details of what happened before then, too. Navan’s comms were always so brief, in between the two of you traveling.”
“You’re a glutton for punishment, aren’t you, Bashrik?” I said grimly. But I acquiesced. I told them the rest—the whole grisly story—filling them in on every detail to the best of my memory. The one thing I didn’t mention was just how close Navan and I had become… Sharing that hotel bed together, how he’d heated me with the hot wax, our lips touching in those last, fevered seconds we had together. Those memories felt somehow sacred, and I wanted to keep them all for myself—those moments that made me feel warm and whole.
“You really care for Navan, don’t you?” Ronad asked in a low voice once I had finished.
I shot him a startled glance. “How did you know?”
He smiled sadly. “He called me one night when you were sleeping—extremely agitated. He made me promise not to tell Bashrik because he knew he would worry too much. He begged that I didn’t ask any questions, that I just remind him what the punishment for interspecies mingling was back on Vysanthe. It had been so long since a case was reported that he’d forgotten what punishment was doled out, he claimed. I think he remembered, just hoped it wasn’t true. Anyway, I told him: the punishment was death for both involved. He thanked me, and then he hung up.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach at the thought of Navan already putting that much thought into… whatever it was we had. They were shaky, sputtering butterflies that brought tears to my eyes. God, Navan had been so stoic… and yet he’d clearly cared so much for me. I wished I had known sooner.
Everyone’s gaze was now on me, and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. “I do… care for him very much,” I stammered.
Bashrik eyed me. “I hope you realize just how taboo this is. It’s comparable to you or your friends coupling with… well, a dog.”
Anger flared through me, but Angie and Lauren exploded into disapproving objections before I could make my thoughts heard.
“You’re comparing humans to dogs?” Lauren said, her eyes goggling out at him.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Angie said to Bashrik sarcastically. “You guys are better than dogs.”
A pink tinge appeared in Bashrik’s cheeks, and he bowed his head. “I apologize. My statement was a bit rash. I just wanted Riley to understand the seriousness of her… possible relations with Navan.”
“I do,” I said. “I… I didn’t plan for any of this to happen, and I don’t have any idea what will happen once Navan’s free. All I know is that I’d do anything to save him.”
“So let’s get him back!” Bashrik said forcefully.
“Okay, okay,” Ronad said. “Although I think we should be making these plans back at the bed and breakfast we’re staying at. We’re not exactly alone here.”
He cast a glance at the kitchen door, where a boy who looked to be about twelve ducked out of sight. A group of rowdy teenagers had also arrived while I’d been talking and had seated themselves on the opposite side of the room.
“Good point. But first I’m ordering some food,” Galo said, his belly rumbling out the seriousness of his statement. He turned his gaze to me. “You want to order, or should I scare the poor waiter into good service myself?”
I rose quickly. “I’ll go.”
I walked up to the kitchen door and gently knocked. The boy poked his shaggy brown-haired head out.
“My friends and I were wondering if we could be served—just stew or anything hot you have, really,” I said to him as gently as I could, hoping he, like many in this old tourist town, spoke English.
I wondered why he was ducking down like that, what he’d seen that had scared him so much—whether it was Bashrik and Ronad’s hulking forms or Galo’s angular face. Or maybe he was afraid of the tonrar, just how people had been when I was here with Navan.
The boy gave a quick nod before scurrying off and fetching a cauldron-like bowl of soup. I followed him back to the table, where he plopped it in the center. After shakily handing out four wooden spoons, he moved swiftly back to the kitchen.
?
??My friends and I can share,” I offered, handing a wooden spoon to Lauren.
“Good,” Galo said. He grabbed a spoon and took a few hearty slurps. Halfway through one, he raised his shaggy, still half-hooded head. “There’s nothing like food in the belly to get the brain going. Anyway, where were we…” He did a figure-eight in the air with his spoon, stopping it to point to me. “Ah yes. We’ll make the plan back at the bed and breakfast. Luckily for us, I brought some invisibility suits and some other superior Fed technology, too—one of the best ships we have.”
“We have superior technology, too. We just don’t have access right now—it’s back on Vysanthe,” Ronad pointed out with a grumble.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you do,” Galo said patronizingly, as if he were consoling a child.
Bashrik was fiddling with his spoon, eyeing Galo with apparent distrust. “How do we really know that you’re telling the truth, and not trying to betray us so your other Fed agents can pick Ronad and me up?” he said. “I’ve seen how your kind treats mine.”
“And I’ve seen how your kind treats every other kind in the galaxy,” Galo replied smoothly. “But as to your question: you don’t know. I can only assure you that I believe I am supporting Riley because of the noblest of reasons.”
“Is that so?” Bashrik said.
“Yes,” Galo declared stoically. “Because it is right.”
This had a less-than-impressive effect on the table—Bashrik scoffed outright, while Angie and Lauren whispered tensely between themselves.
“I’m a veritas,” Galo declared. “So when I say that I know it’s right, I’m not kidding.”
Ronad and Bashrik stared at him for a long moment.
“No,” Ronad said, shaking his head. “Veritas are a myth among the lycans—no one’s ever met an actual truth-smeller.”
Galo lowered his hood partway so he could direct his lime-eyed gaze at Ronad.
“Not many, I’m sure. Except for you now.”
This brought a hush over the table, which was broken by Bashrik. Directing his glare at Galo once again, he said, “So let’s just say you’re telling the truth and that we can trust you. What do we do now? Just march you to where we’re staying and have you help in the plan?”
Galo smiled sanguinely. “Yes,” he said. “That’s exactly what you’ll do.”
“And Riley, what do you think?” Angie asked.
Everyone’s heads swiveled in my direction.
I exhaled. “I think Galo’s right,” I said slowly. “I do trust him, and I think he’s our best chance at rescuing Navan. He’s already proven his loyalty by rescuing me. If he were going to betray us, it wouldn’t make sense for him to steal a ship, steal invisibility suits, and take me out of the Fed Headquarters. Navan’s deep in that coldblood camp, and there are thousands of them in there. We have to give this a shot—for Navan.”
There was a span of silence. Ronad nodded, while Bashrik had stopped outright glaring at Galo.
“Okay,” Bashrik sighed. “Let’s head somewhere quieter and hash out this plan.”
We paid for the meal, and as we all left and walked through the village to the bed and breakfast, I hurried ahead to join Galo. As he removed his hood, I glanced at his wizened face. Although I really did feel that I trusted him, something in me just couldn’t help but ask him quietly, “Did you mean everything you said back there?”
“Every word,” he said, gliding ahead quickly. “The trouble with always smelling the truth is that it predisposes you to want to tell it most times, too.”
He was already a few feet ahead of me, and he cast a derisive glance back as I fell farther behind to join Lauren and Angie.
“Now hurry up, we have a bed and breakfast to get to.”
Chapter Five
The bed and breakfast looked pretty dingy from the outside—walls of dirty off-white bricks and a crumbling roof. Nevertheless, the inside was surprisingly homey. It was in Lauren and Angie’s room, all of us flopped on their bed’s multicolored quilt comforter, that we formulated our plan. With the help of a pad of paper Lauren had brought, we laid out what we were going to do.
“We have only two invisibility suits,” Ronad said. “So the safest option would be that only two of us go into the camp, keeping in contact with the others, who will be nearby, with the comm devices.”
We all agreed on that one. Even Bashrik gave a begrudging nod. “The real question of the hour is who those two will be,” he said. “Considering Ronad and I have the most experience dealing with coldbloods, we’d be the best bet. Not to mention that I’m easily the strongest of you all.”
“That may be so,” Galo remarked drily. “But you aren’t the most reliable.”
“What do you mean?” Bashrik said, his eyes flashing.
“What I mean is—what’s stopping you from making a deal with the rebel coldbloods if it means your brother gets free? How do we know you wouldn’t betray us to save him?” Galo said. “Anyway, I’m the one who best knows how to use the Fed weapons and suits, and I’ll die before I trust a coldblood.”
“Oh really?” Bashrik said, glowering at him.
From the way his chest had started to heave, I sensed Bashrik might be about to do or say something he’d regret. He was so stressed out by Navan’s situation that I feared any provocation might cause him to snap. I stood up and positioned myself between the two men.
“Guys—please. We’re on the same team,” I said.
Both men pursed their lips, but remained glaring at each other.
“Riley’s right,” Ronad said. “This is only wasting valuable time we could be using to work on saving Navan.”
This seemed to calm Bashrik down somewhat. When Angie softly added, “Please,” he nodded, leaning back in his chair.
“I apologize, lycan,” he said gruffly. “Sometimes my concern for my family makes me a bit… difficult to deal with.”
“I understand,” Galo said, though he didn’t take his eyes off the coldblood.
“Okay, so, we need to make a decision,” I reminded them as I sat back down.
“You’re right,” Angie said. “But I should be the one to go with Galo. You’ve been through enough as it is, and Lauren, well….”
“I’d probably collapse with terror at the sight of the camp,” she admitted, looking terrified at even the thought.
Angie and I gave her a reassuring squeeze as Galo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Yes, yes. That will do. Riley and I will be the ones to go.”
The whole room erupted into angry noise.
Angie was the angriest of all. “What? That’s not what I said—!”
Galo waved his hand. “Yes, I’m aware. And while your concerns do take into account the wellbeing of Riley, which is important, they do not take into account the success of the mission. Riley has the most experience with the invisibility suit; not to mention, I have received word that she has an uncanny skill for knife-throwing. What can you offer us that she can’t?”
Angie’s hazel eyes were set into an expression of exasperated surprise. “I’m in better shape, so I can run faster,” she said, mouthing a “sorry” at me, “and I once took out this big guy who was trying to mug me.”
“Hm,” Galo said. “Good points, but sadly still not quite enough. I think we can all agree that Riley is more suited to the task. After all, she’s infiltrated the base once before—she might have failed in her mission, but she knows the area now better than any of you.”
All eyes went to me. They looked as uncertain as I felt. After all, the mission would be a dangerous one. Not to mention an incredibly important one, and I’d already failed at saving Navan once before. And yet, once again, Galo was right. I’d been there in the coldblood camp—I knew where Navan was; I knew the layout of the bunker. And more than from a merely logical standpoint, there was the whole heavy sense of responsibility I felt about Navan’s capture. I’d left him there, with those brutal monsters, and I wanted to be the one to rescue him fro
m them. I wanted to be the first one he saw when he was freed. I wanted to see his lit-up grateful face—and kiss it.
I exhaled and rose. “I have to be the one to do this. I’m the only one who was there at all. More than that, I won’t be able to rest unless it’s me in there saving him.”
Lauren took my hand. “Are you absolutely sure, Riley?”
I nodded, giving her a sad smile. “Absolutely sure.”
Silence fell between us.
“I suppose Riley is right. She does have the know-how,” Bashrik said. He glanced at Angie, who, frowning, nodded her agreement. “And as for Galo accompanying her instead of me… I’ll admit I’m not of the most stable mindset right now, so perhaps it is for the best.”
Galo nodded in appreciation, and it seemed we’d finally come to an agreement. Now that we’d established who was going into the camp, we laid out the rest of the plan: together we’d fly into the Siberian wilderness, landing the ship a safe distance from the coldblood camp. It was in this ship that the others would wait while Galo and I snuck into the coldblood base. We were to keep in contact whenever we could using the comm devices, and to turn back at the first sign of trouble.
“And I mean the first, slightest, tiniest, eeny weeniest sign of trouble,” Angie said, looking me sternly in the eye.
“Yes, yes,” Bashrik replied impatiently, although I could tell he was thinking, Yes, turn back at the first sign of trouble—as long as you have Navan, that is.
“Agreed,” I told Angie, managing a wan smile.
The more we talked about the mission, the more nervous I was getting. It was just me, a weak human, and Galo, an elderly lycan, going into a base filled with thousands of merciless killers—coldbloods and shifters alike. Sure, we had our invisibility suits, but I’d barely made it through the camp undiscovered last time. And what if Galo got himself caught? Was I really willing to leave him behind if the mission called for it?
“You okay, Riley?” Lauren asked, looking at me with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, the strain audible in my voice. “I’m just going to drop off these mugs downstairs.”