Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3) (15 page)

“You were saving my life when she barged in and took over,” snapped Illyria.

I smiled. “Technicality,” I said, and Illyria laughed in response.

“I suppose you are right. She was placed here long enough to have killed us all in our sleep if she wanted to, but all she did was watch. But just to be sure…” She tilted her head in the direction of her general and said, “General W, do a little investigation among the senior officers as to Cassandra’s behavior and her actions while she has been with us. And find out how she got here in the first place. I’m curious how Sentinel knew how to get someone inside our compound without alerting a single person. Says a lot about our security.”

I shook my head. “All it says is Sentinel is pretty good at their job. Nothing is impenetrable to them. If they want to get in, they find a way and they get in. They have incredible technological advancement at their disposal. You really aren’t much of a match for them if they wanted to storm the place and take over.”

Illyria laughed. “That’s comforting to know.”

“Sorry.” I shrugged an apology, but she waved it away.

“Either way, we still need to find out how my cousin was turned. And who else they have hiding out in our compound until they find the right moment to strike.”

***

She rose, disbanding the meeting, and everyone scattered. “I would suggest a meal and a good night’s sleep. You will need it for the journey.” Then she glanced at Lily. “I was wondering if I could enlist the help of your friend?”

I glanced at Lily, whose head shot up, her eyes wide and curious. “Sure,” I said, wondering what Illyria was up to.

“Since there are so many of you going on the mission, I thought it would be best to have one of your team remain with me, just in case. There are dangers to having all of one’s officers on a mission. Particularly if something goes wrong.”

I stared at Illyria, impressed and hurt all at once. I knew exactly what she was asking, and from the stiffness of Anjelo’s spine and Lily’s clenched hand, I could tell they were both on the same page.

Illyria wanted collateral.

I lifted my head and met Lily’s eyes. There was nothing for it. She couldn’t demand to come with us without offending Illyria and without raising suspicion. Lily visibly relaxed. Then she smiled and said, “It would be my pleasure. You could show me around and maybe we could gossip a little about Anjelo.” I had to hand it to her. Her acting skills were beyond reproach.

Illyria laughed and the tension in her own shoulders eased. “Of course. As long as Anjelo doesn’t mind.”

“No way. Anjelo has to mind for it to be worth it.” At Lily’s words, everyone laughed and then got up to leave.

I rose to follow them out, but as I neared the door, Illyria’s voice stopped me. “Kailin. I am sorry I had to do that.” Her expression, even with her tight Wraith skin, was very apologetic and more than a little sad. “It’s hard to place one’s trust in every person who crosses one’s path.”

I shook my head and pursed my lips. “Not to worry. I believe I would have done the very same thing.”

Illyria inclined her head in thanks, and then I left her alone to contemplate her conscience.

***

Outside, Anjelo and a rather dejected Lily waited in the tunnel. Lily opened her mouth, but I shook my head and she took the cue, falling to silence as Anjelo led us to our rooms.

Once safely inside the small room, Lily turned and faced us. “Do I really have to stay?” The tone of her voice said she knew she had to, but I understood how she felt.

“I’m sorry, Lily. But maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe this way you can stick to our Rebel leader like glue, make sure she’s not orchestrating some plan to have us killed on the way to the compound.”

That seemed to perk her up a bit. Anjelo laughed as he opened his arms for a hug. “That’s better.”

Lily went to him without a word. “I just found you,” she whispered into his shoulder.

“I’m not going away forever, Lily. We go to Wrygos, rescue Celeste, and come straight back.”

She shook her head, then let go of him. “I’m sorry, Kai,” she said, staring at me with moist eyes.

“What for?” I asked, sinking into the nearest of the beds with a sigh. There were two single beds, what seemed like rope springs and mattresses stuffed with something soft. A strange fur covered the bed, and I wondered what types of animals lived in this world.

Lily cleared her throat. “The mission is to save your mom, and here I am sniffing like a baby because I have to stay behind.”

“Oh, Lily, you are certifiable sometimes,” I said, and she giggled. “Now can we get something to eat around here?” I looked at Anjelo hopefully.

“What do they eat here anyway? Hope it’s not worms or larvae or something.”

Anjelo laughed hard. “What makes you think that? Of course they have livestock here, but this is like any normal barracks. Mostly bread and soups supplemented with chunks of meat. And don’t worry. Everything is edible and definitely not human.”

Lily snorted. “I didn’t think they ate humans,” she said, clicking her tongue.

Anjelo headed to the door. “Come. If we get there now, we’ll be the first ones in. Then we can grab our dinner and bring it to our rooms without anyone asking any questions.”

“Brilliant idea. Lead the way.” We headed to the dining hall, which turned out to be the same hall we’d first walked through to reach the war room. Now, the far corner of the room contained a few small, sturdy tables bearing platters of hot bread. Beside them sat two gigantic metal pots, the contents of which steamed and bubbled. To say it looked unappealing was putting it mildly.

On the way back, Lily and I stared dolefully at the grey mush, and I knew she was wondering the same thing.
Is this stuff even edible?

But once were in our room, we were both pleasantly surprised. Where it lacked in looks, it made up in flavor, and soon the bowls were empty and our hunger appeased.

***

Later, we were readying ourselves for bed in the small, cold room. With no fire, we were in for a freezing night, but I suspected the furs would be warm enough. Lily took the far wall, undressing in silence, then diving under the covers.

Fatigue pulled me to sleep, but I shoved myself up onto my elbow. “Lily?”

“Mmh?”

“Are you going to be okay here without us?” I asked, determined to find another way to do this if she even hinted she couldn’t do it by herself.

Lily shifted in her bed and the rope springs creaked. “Yup. I’ll be fine, Kai. Don’t worry about me.” She faced me and smiled. “What are sidekicks for?” she asked, giving me a wink.

“You know, I forgot to say I’m going to have to hold interviews when we get back home.”

“Interviews?” Lily asked sleepily.

“Yeah, for the position of sidekick. You know… considering Anjelo will be back.”

Something came sailing at me, and I heard a soft spludge as Lily’s shirt hit the floor. “Shut up, Kai. You should be sleeping instead of talking crap.”

I snorted and snuggled down and was asleep before I even got comfortable.

***

The next morning arrived with Anjelo shaking us awake. He handed us bowls of something hot and very similar to oatmeal. Lily grimaced as she ate and so did I. It was like eating the worst bowl of oatmeal ever, like shoveling globs of glue or paste into our mouths. I swallowed it courageously and dressed as fast as I could while Anjelo and Lily said their good-byes.

With my satchel over my shoulder, I waited by the door as Lily and Anjelo came to me. She leaned toward me and I gave her a hug, then held her away to look her straight in the eye. “Keep your eyes open, okay. You just never know what you’ll see. And don’t trust anyone. Stick as close to Illyria as you can without making it look suspicious.”

Lily nodded, although her eyes had a sad droop. “Sure, I’ll just complain I’m lonely. She should believe that.” She shrugged, her mouth turning down. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“Don’t be silly. Illyria doesn’t have the time to like or dislike people. She’s too busy trying to fight a war.” I gave her one last hug, then set her away and walked to the door. Lily had never been known to be clingy, but I was afraid more for me than her. I had to admit to myself that I was very afraid. If something went wrong, what would happen to Lily?

With Anjelo and Lily behind me, I hurried down the tunnel toward the meeting hall. I glanced back at Anjelo’s face, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Then I cleared my throat. “I need to talk to Illyria for a moment before we leave.”

“Sure. If you see her, grab her. I’m sure she won’t mind.” I nodded and followed him as he turned into the entrance to the hall.

We’d just stepped inside when Illyria walked off the podium after having addressed her troops. She headed for us, and I gave her a weak smile. “Thanks for allowing us to go.”

“It sounds to me like the most logical option. You need to find your mother, so you will be an asset more than anything else.” I nodded, unsure of what else to say. She made it easy for me by saying, “Good luck and take care of yourselves.”

She shook my hand and headed off to one of her generals peering at a map spread out on a nearby table. He was eating an apple and had stuck a small dagger into one corner of the parchment to keep it from rolling closed.

I caught sight of Cassandra striding over to Anjelo and Lily. She glanced over in my direction, and I waved at her before beckoning her to join me.

When Cassandra drew abreast of me, she smiled. “Good morning.”

“Hope so,” I responded wryly. “Could we talk for a moment?” She nodded and led me to the farthest corner of the hall without actually having to leave the room.

“So what do you need to know?”

“It’s not… that. I just needed to make arrangements just in case.”

“In case of what?” Cassandra asked, seemingly oblivious of my tumultuous worries.

“We have a dangerous mission ahead, and that’s not even bringing in the fact that we have to attack a garrison of powerful Wraiths. I just want to make sure I put certain measures in place in case Anjelo and I don’t make it out alive.”

Cassandra blinked as if the possibility had never occurred to her. Then she cleared her throat. “Okay, what do you need from me?”

“What method do you have of leaving Wrythiin?”

“I was brought here by a Teleporter since I’m not one myself. But I have a way of letting them know there is trouble.”

“How does this method work?” I asked. I was more attentive when I heard her mention a Teleporter. I’d gone to so much trouble to obtain a key to Wrythiin; I’d be really pissed if I found out there was an easier way to get here.

“The Teleporter that brought me does a daily quick trip to check on my messages.”

“Do you have a specific place?” I asked, and she nodded. “And you can leave messages to let them know you need an extraction or backup? Okay. Is it possible for you to tell Lily where this place is?”

Cassandra fell silent for a moment. Then she sighed. “I see. Should something happen to us, you wish for your friend to have a method of leaving this place safely.” I just nodded. There was no need to elaborate. “I think in this particular situation, I would be allowed to provide Lily with the correct information.”

“This situation?” I asked.

“Yes. Given that my orders were to ensure your friend and mother were safe, and then you of course. In your absence, the girl is my responsibility, so I will speak with her before we leave.” Cassandra glanced around the room and spotted Lily beside Anjelo. She turned and headed over to them, and I followed closely. The moment we arrived, Cassandra said, “Lily my dear, there is some information I need to impart before I head off to the mountains with your friends.”

Lily frowned. “What information?”

“Your way out of here in case we don’t make it back,” said Cassandra, as if it were no big deal.

Lily went white. “What? she asked, her voice a little too high-pitched for comfort.

Both Anjelo and I shushed her. “Lily, keep it down,” I whispered. “Not even Illyria knows about this. We need you to have a way to get out of here if something does happen to us. Now relax and talk to Cassandra.” I nodded to the Sentinel agent, and she and Lily took a step away.

When I looked at Anjelo, I found him glaring at me. “What?” I asked.

“Why are you letting them talk without us?” he asked, his eyes still on Lily.

“Because it’s safer for Lily to be the only one to have the information. Besides, I don’t think Cassandra would have given the information to anyone who didn’t need it. And we don’t need it.”

Anjelo opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Good call.

***

As the teams readied themselves to leave, Anjelo disappeared within the throng of bodies, only to return minutes later with three gigantic cloaks.

“These are for you. Essential wear for the journey.”