“You seem to know a lot about me,” he mumbled, his eyes wide.
“I’m observant,” I replied. “So, what is it? Are you unsure? Don’t know which side to bet on? Are you hoping to see more of how this fight unravels before you pick one?”
“Listen, I don’t like what Ta’Zan is doing any more than you do,” Cassiel burst out. “I think it’ll blow up in his face, sooner or later. But, for the time being, he’s incredibly difficult to kill, and he has a ton of secrets and tricks that he isn’t sharing with us. Not even with his Arch-Perfects, his most trusted.”
“So, you’re afraid of him,” I concluded.
“Well, I do have a survival instinct, and I can see the long-term effects of any potential rebellion. I’m just trying to be smart, here. Smarter than my predecessors, anyway,” he replied. “I mean, Raphael’s in a glass box now, and Araquiel is a pile of ashes. I’d like to make it past the month, at least.”
The shadow of a smile fluttered across his face.
“Tell you what. You worry about what’s going on by the southwest entrance and let us do what we came here to do. You slither back to your master and keep pondering whether you’re a coward or the Arch-Perfect you claim to be. We’ll do our part. We’ll fight for what we believe in. And, if you decide you want to be on the right side and take Ta’Zan down, once and for all, I’m sure you’ll find a way to let us know.”
Cassiel grinned. “You know I can’t let you walk away now.”
“Of course you can. You let Elonora go,” Angelica replied.
“Lenny was stealing devil-vipers. You’re doing something much more dangerous in here, and I’m not sure I want to be held responsible in any way. Others have already seen us together,” Cassiel said, pointing at Perfects who passed us by. Shortly after they were gone, the hallway remained empty—except for us.
“See, this is why my faith in you is faltering,” I replied. “You’re inconsistent in your choices.”
“You sound like you’re quite a fan.” Cassiel chuckled.
The swish of a blade threw my senses into a frenzy. Before I could blink, I saw the red line dash along Cassiel’s throat. A second later, his head was on the floor. His body followed. I stepped back and put my red lens on. Araquiel was standing in front of us, his short blade covered in blood.
Angelica and Uriel were quick to react. They picked up Cassiel’s head and body and tossed them into the nearest storage room, two doors down from where Deena was busy planting the explosive charge. Fortunately, only the body regenerated once the head was cut off, and not the head, too—otherwise we would’ve doubled the trouble with two Cassiels. I shuddered at the thought.
“Sorry, he was wasting our time with his inability to make a decision,” Araquiel said, still invisible to most. “Maybe this will help him. I don’t know.”
Angelica and Uriel came back, both aggravated and breathing heavily. “We need to get away from here as soon as possible,” Uriel replied.
Deena came out and joined us. She frowned at the sight of blood on the diamond floor.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Cassiel. Not to worry, that’s just one less problem for us, for the time being,” Araquiel said. “Let’s go.”
Speechless, we followed Araquiel through the hallway, headed farther north. With just a few more explosive charges left, we were one step closer to the conclusion of our first mission for GASP. I had to admit, I liked it.
Being surrounded by my people, still-brainwashed, did make me feel uneasy. But the weight in my stomach was quick to dissolve whenever I thought of Amal and Amane, who were currently working on their mass memory wiper—the one tool that would give our brothers and sisters a chance at a better life.
A life without Ta’Zan’s lies.
Being here wasn’t as troublesome as I would’ve thought. I had a focus, a clear purpose, and four incredible fighters by my side. The Faulties were doing their part, shedding their own blood and putting their lives at risk to make all this happen. The Draenir, already close to extinction, were also out there, fighting for a better future—one where they weren’t hunted or infected with genetically engineered plagues.
On a different level, in another corner of the colosseum, Douma and Raphael were suffering in captivity for our freedom, in a way. Everyone involved was engaged, sacrificing something for GASP to defeat Ta’Zan and prevent this world from coming to an end.
We had our part to play. And I was more than eager to do it.
Harper
Tensions were running high on Mount Zur.
Every single GASP agent around was on edge, quietly waiting to hear from our people on Strava. To avoid a nervous breakdown, most of them kept themselves busy with various tasks—liaising with our other bases in Eritopia and on Neraka, checking on the new recruits, and preparing various activity reports. Anything to take their minds away from the fragile, yet incredibly important operation currently taking place on Strava.
Caspian and I were in the command center, along with Amelia, Arwen and Brock, Field and Aida, and Phoenix and Viola. Caleb and River were back in The Shade, but they had their earpieces on at all times, so they could talk to Rose and Ben. Victoria and Bastien were with little Voss and Vita, who was finding it increasingly hard to even move. I didn’t think we’d get Bastien out of the command center to begin with, but Victoria had convinced him that he needed a bit of a break—his nerves were stretched too thin. He was bound to come back soon. Nobody could keep Bastien away for too long.
Whether it was supposed to be like this for Vita or not, we weren’t sure, since we’d never had a fae-incubus hybrid before, but she was doing her best to keep herself calm. Bijarki was a prisoner in the diamond dome, and that couldn’t possibly help with her condition, but still, I had to admit that I admired our little fae. She was as fierce as ever.
The Daughters and Arwen occasionally checked her vitals and general health. Everything pointed to a good pregnancy, but her mobility issues didn’t seem natural. Then again, maybe we were all just more worried than usual.
“The fae ship is in orbit,” Phoenix announced, keeping his eyes on one of the telescope screens.
The seven hundred and forty-two fae sent by Sherus and Nuriya were on that shuttle, patiently waiting for a green light to pierce Strava’s atmosphere. We had Araquiel, Herakles, and the diamond dome prisoners on the line, but we kept it clear, in order to make communications easier. The entire operation was remarkably complicated and time-sensitive, so having a clear comms channel was essential to pass crucial messages along.
“How are they holding up?” I asked Amelia, who checked the message screen and their vitals, all transmitted through a plethora of experimental sensors Phoenix mounted inside the ship, with Arwen’s help. I had to admit, Phoenix and Arwen made one hell of a team when it came to combining technology and magic.
“They’re okay. Their vitals are relatively steady. Some of them are off-the-charts nervous, but who can blame them?” Amelia replied.
“They’ve picked up some space debris from orbit,” Viola added, narrowing her eyes at the video feed. “I think it’s helping them stay hidden from potential eyes on the ground. We don’t yet know what space observation technology Ta’Zan has.”
“Was it on purpose?” I murmured.
“I don’t think so. I think it’s pure physics. Objects in orbit tend to be drawn to larger objects. In this case, the shuttle,” Phoenix said. “Either way, it works for us.”
“I wonder what Nathaniel and his crew are up to now.” Arwen sighed, leaning against the back of her chair. “We haven’t heard from them in an hour or so.”
“I think we’d know if they ran into any kind of trouble,” Field replied. “Amane and Amal have eyes and ears on the place, plus Isda’s around. I don’t think we’re lacking intel right now. It’s just the calm before the storm.”
