Seizing on that fire, I whirled on the coldblood woman next to me with a glare. “Fine, I’ll tell you rebels everything,” I spat, “if you take me to your boss. Not Ezra—I want the guy in charge of this whole place.”
The coldblood woman’s eyes widened slightly at my outburst, and she raised a brow. “You want to see Chief Orion?”
“Yes, whatever his name is.”
“Very well. Come with me.” She grabbed my arm and led me to the door.
I shook her off with a scowl, and cast another glare at her when she gave me a warning look. “I’m following,” I said bluntly. “Just do your damn job and lead.”
Her nostrils flared, and I could see she wanted to retaliate, but she bit down on her lip, apparently thinking better of it.
She sped up along the corridor, and I kept pace, my blood pounding in my ears. I was still shaking, but now it really was more from anger than shock.
We took a staircase and descended two flights, then stopped in front of a single towering metal door. I clenched my fists together, steeling my nerves for the man on the other side.
My escort knocked gently on the door. There was a pause, before a familiar, deep voice commanded, “Enter.”
The door clicked open automatically, and as it moved, it revealed a surprisingly bare room—bare except for a desk, a chair, a long tank filled with the strangest array of flora I had ever seen, and, of course, the coldblood chief himself.
He was standing in front of the desk, towering what must’ve been seven feet above the floor, his powerful arms crossed over his chest and his giant wings folded behind his back. I took in the deep scar that ran down the side of his face, then met his almost-black gaze head on. His expression was calm, near inscrutable, and I wasn’t sure if he was surprised to see me. Judging from the slight upward curve of his mouth, he wasn’t displeased.
“Stop torturing Navan,” were the first words to blurt from my lips as I dared take a step closer to him. “Just stop it. There’s no need. I’ve come to tell you everything.”
He gazed down at me, a spark of interest in his dark eyes, and I once again sensed that ancient aura coming from him. He didn’t look particularly old, but there was something about his gaze that told me he had lived far more years than his appearance let on.
A second later, he reached down into a drawer of his desk and pulled out some sort of comm device. He switched it on and said, “Ezra, no more until I say.”
He then switched the device off, planted it down on the table, and returned his full attention to me. “Well,” he said, his voice both soft and ominous, “what do you have to say?”
He pulled up a chair and gestured for me to seat myself. I looked at it uncertainly, and decided that I wanted to remain standing. I felt like I was barely half his size, and sitting down wasn’t going to help with that. Right now, I needed all the boldness I could muster.
I drew in a breath, and, although Navan’s warning not to tell any of these coldbloods anything was ringing in my ears, I did. Well, not quite everything. I explained to Orion how I had come across Navan in the first place, through to how we came to arrive here. I told him that the Fed were aware of shifters in the location, and had sent Navan and me to investigate. What I left out was Bashrik and my friends’ involvement, though I did mention Jethro and Ianthan at the start of the story since, well, they were dead. I was praying that the coldbloods hadn’t found Bashrik after they’d discovered the comm device on me. Hopefully, even if coldbloods or shifters had gone out to scope the area, to see if anybody had been accompanying Galo and me as backup, Bashrik or Ronad would be able to escape in time and fly our group to safety.
When I was done with my story, I paused, planting my hands on my hips and narrowing my eyes at the chief. He was watching me closely, that glint of interest still there in his eyes.
Silence stretched for several seconds, until he spoke. “I must say, you have guts for a human.”
I set my jaw harder, accepting the compliment.
“And it’s interesting to hear how and why you came here… First you with your coldblood friend, and then with the wolf. My men thought you and the lycan might be a little backup sent to look for those other agents we captured recently,” he continued, and my stomach dropped. “But according to you, that’s not the case?”
I shook my head, even as my throat went dry. Sylvan and his men had been captured. Though, given the sheer number of shifters and coldbloods in this place, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Still, it was a punch in the gut. Sylvan and his team had been the only ones who’d taken my intel seriously, and it made me all the more anxious about Bashrik, Ronad, and my friends. Please, guys, be smart and stay alive.
But I couldn’t think of them right now. I had to focus on myself and Navan, both of whom I also very much wanted to stay alive.
“So,” I said, clearing my throat and trying to sound businesslike once again. “I understand that you want to… cooperate with Navan in some capacity.” I had been about to say use, but could not quite get the word out. “I’m sure I can speak to him and get him to come to some agreement with you regarding your plans, if you’re upfront with me about your mission.”
“Naturally,” Orion replied. A slight amusement played across his lips as he gripped the edges of the desk and leaned gently against it. “Though, I believe you overheard much of what Ezra told your coldblood friend when you first came in here.”
My cheeks flushed slightly at the memory of him calling me out from under the bench.
“Put simply,” he went on, “all we really want is a place to call home. And isn’t that what everyone wants?”
“Well, it’s not just that, is it?” I cut in bitterly, almost scoffing as the vision of that billowing red smoke flashed across my mind.
“Yes and no,” Orion replied coolly. “We want to restore Vysanthe to the home it should be for all coldbloods, regardless of political affiliation. Those child queens had no right to drive us out, and Vysanthe is suffering under their petty, divided rule. It could be ten times the nation it is today if it were handed back over to the people, and that is really what we’re all about. The immortality elixir is merely a means to help us achieve that.”
“Oh, really? How?”
Orion smiled. “That’s a good question. You’re right that merely prolonging our lives wouldn’t help us win a war. But we’re seeking to create a true immortality elixir—one that not only extends life indefinitely, but preserves it. One that protects us from disease and fortifies our physical strength far beyond that of a regular coldblood. Immortality wouldn’t be true immortality if we could be as easily killed as any old coldblood, now would it?”
I bit my lip, but didn’t respond. The logic made sense, though.
“If Navan were to agree to help us,” Orion continued, “he could go down in Vysanthean history as a hero, be remembered for generations into the future. He could play a pivotal role in all of this. He could be the key to Queen Gianne’s downfall.” Here he paused, and glanced casually over at his tank, his eyes fixing on a particularly vivid plant with purple, tentacle-like leaves. “If he were to agree,” he repeated softly, “it would also mean that we would spare your lives, not to mention, give Navan a real purpose to his life. I’m sure he’d rather be a hero than the lackey boy of some impetuous young queen?”
I nodded stiffly. I wasn’t buying his speech, but I couldn’t miss the underlying threat in his words. I kept my voice bold as I replied, “You clearly have a lot of conviction for your cause, and while I’m not going to pretend to agree with your methods, I will agree to talk to Navan and get him to hear out your proposition—if you agree to a few terms of my own. Trust me when I say that he is way more likely to listen to me than you.” At that, I intensified my glare, but if anything, it only seemed to amuse him.
“I don’t doubt that.”
“Then you will grant me three requests,” I stated. “First, untie Navan. Second, release him and give the two of
us a decent room with some privacy. And third, provide us with enough potions to fix whatever damage you have done to him—as well as something to heal his wing,” I added, remembering the wound that the traitorous shifter had inflicted on Navan just after we’d discovered the coldblood base. I wanted to demand Galo’s safety as well, but knowing how much the rebels despised the Fed, I knew I couldn’t push my luck. If I asked for too much, then there was a chance Orion would grant me nothing—given that he didn’t exactly need to bend to any of my demands in the first place—and that would help nobody. I needed to tread carefully to not blow my chances, and somehow figure out a way to help poor Galo later. One step at a time.
Orion drew in a light breath, but I could already see from the look in his eyes that he was not going to deny me. If anything, he looked curious as to whether I, a little human girl, could really pull this off—could really bend a stubborn beast like Navan to my will.
“Pernixa,” he said sharply, his eyes moving to the coldblood woman who was still standing behind me, close to the door. “You heard the girl. Grant her requests.”
The woman nodded and then opened the door, gesturing that I follow her.
I looked back at Orion one last time, at his unnerving gaze that seemed to be X-raying my brain, and then I nodded curtly before turning and following the woman out of the room.
As we ascended the stairs and returned to the corridor, I couldn’t ignore the writhing feeling in my stomach. I didn’t trust Orion, not one bit, and the last thing I wanted to do was try to persuade Navan to have any kind of dealings with him. But… I just had to take this one step at a time. At the moment, it was all I could do.
Chapter Nine
The coldblood woman stopped outside a door on the highest level of the bunker, away from the cells and torture chambers. This was a residential part of the building, judging by the coldbloods milling casually about. They cast both glares and curious glances my way, but I ignored them all, my mind focused on only one thing: making sure I got my end of the deal.
As my escort pushed open the door, it seemed like one of Orion’s promises, at least, had been fulfilled. I stepped inside and found myself looking at a much more pleasant room than any I had seen so far in this building. There was a single bed in one corner, along with a bedside cabinet that held a clock and a bottle of water. There was even a thick, albeit grubby, carpet lining the floor. It wasn’t going to win any TripAdvisor awards, but it would do.
I turned expectantly on the woman, who was already heading for the door. “And you’re going to fetch Navan and the medicine now?” I asked.
She grunted, apparently not wanting to give me the satisfaction of more of a response than that. It was probably too humiliating for her as it was, to be put at the service of a human.
As she disappeared down the corridor, I pulled the door closed. I felt like downing the bottle of water in a few gulps, but something told me Navan would need it more than me, so I ignored my thirst and sat on the bed instead. I waited nervously, listening to the footsteps pounding outside. I got anxious more than once as they swerved a little too close to my door, worrying that some unruly coldblood was suddenly going to burst in. But none did, and, as I watched the seconds tick by on the clock, I managed to relax a bit and settle into my own thoughts.
Navan. I was going to see Navan again. Properly this time, without any of that inselo twine crap stopping him from holding me. What was more, I was going to be alone with him… completely alone. How long we would have, I didn’t know, but for now, the thought of seeing him again was enough to lift my spirits. I had still barely had a chance to process the kiss we’d shared. A part of me couldn’t believe we actually had kissed. Everything had happened so fast, and I’d been trapped in a relentless nightmare ever since. The one thing I did know was that we needed to make every second we had together count.
There was a rapping at the door exactly two minutes later. It swung open, revealing the coldblood woman carrying a tray of familiar-looking silver vials, and behind her… Navan stepped into the room.
As his eyes fell on me, I felt the breath leave my lungs. I could barely wait for the coldblood woman to back out of the room before I raced over to him and launched into his arms.
“Riley.” He groaned softly, hugging me back, but as I caught a glimpse of the side of his face I realized he was wincing. I pulled away, fearing I was hurting him. If I thought I’d been to hell and back… I didn’t know where he’d been.
The last thing I wanted to do was place distance between us, but I took a couple of steps back, eyeing him from head to toe. As earlier, he was in his full-on coldblood form, with grayish skin, bruises scattered across his face and arms, and his clothes were tattered. I caught his hand and pulled him to sit on the bed, then immediately brought the tray of vials over and presented them to him.
“Uh, you need to drink this stuff. It’s supposed to fix you, and your wing.” I was relying on him knowing what to do with these substances.
But he wasn’t looking at the vials. His slate eyes were glued to my face, his expression a mixture of concern and confusion.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice painfully scratchy. “Why have they brought us here?”
I reached out to grab the bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to him. “Drink, Navan. You need it.”
He took a few sips, while I took a deep breath. I knew that he wasn’t going to like what I had to say, but he wanted answers.
“Navan I… I got a meeting with Orion—that chief coldblood who sniffed me out— and, in exchange for telling him our story, I bought us some time, and this medicine for you.”
“You… You told him everything?” he asked, his eyes widening.
“Everything except your brothers’ and my friends’ involvement,” I said, feeling a flare of impatience. “And I’m pretty sure you would’ve done the same if you were forced to watch me being electrocuted to death.”
He swallowed hard, then leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I get it,” he muttered.
“Now, will you get to work on some of these potions? I don’t know how much time we have.”
“What happened with Orion, exactly?” he asked, as he started examining the vials.
“By the way, you seemed to recognize him back there,” I said. “Have you seen him before?”
“Orion is pretty infamous back in Vysanthe,” Navan replied, downing one of the vials. “He was a known rebel leader back in the day. I guess I was just… surprised he’s still at it.”
“Well, here’s the bad news,” I said. “He didn’t do all of this for us for nothing. I told him that I would talk to you and persuade you to hear out his plan. He wants to involve you in their mission—he mentioned you playing a key role in bringing about Queen Gianne’s downfall.”
Navan grimaced. “Yeah. I guess that’s not really surprising to me. Ezra already hinted as much.”
“Orion also said they’re trying to develop a ‘true’ immortality elixir. One that not only extends their natural lifespans, but fortifies their strength as well, so they become close to invincible.”
“I didn’t realize that.” Navan’s brows rose. “That takes my father’s theory to a whole new level. I’m not even sure how it’d be possible… but it makes perfect sense Orion is trying. If they want to build an army powerful enough to take on Vysanthe’s military, they’re going to need every last scrap of strength they can find.”
“Orion wants to meet with you to talk about everything, and he wants you to actually cooperate. Honestly, Navan,” I said, looking at him worriedly, “I don’t know whether you’re going to have a choice in this. I can’t stand for them to take you back into that… into that room and…” I paused, trying not to choke on my words. “If you refuse to help, I honestly don’t think you’ll make it out again. The only thing that’s keeping you alive right now is their perceived value of you.”
He set down the vial that he had been about to drink from and
reached out to touch my hand, apparently sensing I was close to tears. Our eyes met, and he nodded stoically. “I know, Riley. I know. I’m stubborn, but I’m probably not stubborn enough to want to die.” He withdrew his hand and ran both hands down his face, letting out a low groan. “I’m going to have to meet with him, and… Well, we’ll take it from there.”
I nodded, even though I was terrified what this mission was going to mean for Navan.
“Honestly,” he went on, “I’ve got to return to Vysanthe at some point soon anyway. Remember I’m a Chief of Exploration—I don’t want any of my team getting suspicious as to my whereabouts. But yeah, before I agree to anything, I want more details.”
He set me with another look, one that told me he was also worrying about my safety in all of this, about what his involvement would mean for me. I sensed he was about to bring it up, but I didn’t want to talk about me right now. He needed to get himself fixed up while he had the chance.
I stood up and hovered over the tray of vials he had resting on his knees. “One of these is supposed to be for your wing. Maybe an ointment? Do you know which one?”
He sighed, but allowed me to distract him. He opened each vial and sniffed its contents, before finally settling on one that was slightly larger than the others. “Yeah. This one is an ointment. This other stuff is supposed to be drunk, mostly for bruises and general post trauma.”
I waited for him to finish downing the other liquids, and then lifted the tray away from his lap. I took the ointment vial from his hand, trying to ignore the tingle that ran up my arm as our fingers brushed.
“So, you gonna get out those wings, or…”
He had stood up, pulled off his shirt, and spread out his wings before I could finish my sentence. I felt my breath hitch involuntarily as his back, in all of its full, toned glory, came into view. I would’ve taken more time to admire it, had I not been distracted by the myriad of dark bruises and scars.