Chapter Twenty-Six

 

Yara snorted lightly in Deacon's arms, eyes fluttering faintly, but quickly fell back asleep. He reached up and grabbed the loose flesh of her cheek, pinching and tugging. Yara continued to snore, oblivious to his increasingly aggressive attentions.

He slid out from under her, letting her settle back onto the wide cot. The hut still smelled like sex. After he'd gotten the message from Gregor, he'd plied Yara with drinks, spiking the last one with a knockout drug that would keep her under until after the raid was complete.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I hope you'll understand."

Deacon knew there was a good chance that she'd hate him for what he'd done, but on the other hand, she was more bloodthirsty than the average Razor member. She might see it as an opportunity to scrap, even if it was for a new clan. And if not, well then he could always find a new girlfriend.

After slipping into his city clothes—he didn't want to be confused for a Razor clan member in his Academy uniform—he stepped outside and stretched. Yara had pinched a nerve in his shoulder when she'd passed out on his arm.

"Going somewhere?" asked Juliana from her perch on a rock wall. She stared at him suspiciously then gestured with her beer bottle towards him. "Where's your uni?"

No answer came at first. He looked back to the hut. "Got it dirty."

Juliana smirked as she hovered the bottle before her lips. "I heard." She jutted her chin. "What you mean when you told Yara that you're sorry?"

A chill went through him. "You creepin' on us?"

She cocked her head, looking to the ceiling. "Not on purpose, but you know, you're both kinda loud. I was enjoying the fresh air when I noticed dust falling from the ceiling. When I really concentrate, I can feel a vibration."

The drill. He smiled at Juliana to hide his concern.

"What do you think it is?"

Juliana pumped her shoulders. "Dunno. Some weird wayhos project, or maybe it's a generator going out."

"Seems plausible."

He cracked his neck. "I'm gonna stretch my legs."

"What did you mean?" she asked when he hadn't even gotten ten feet. "I'm sorry, I hope you'll understand. What kinda bullshit is that?"

The urge to draw his blades and attack her was strong. He knew he could kill her even though she'd recently gained an emerald. She was too new to the stone. Barely made it past the rings on the training course. He could overpower her with his topaz, break her neck. He'd have to hide the body. Probably shove it into his room with the unconscious Yara.

Deacon put his hand on his side, bringing it close to his hilt as Juliana stared at him, the bottle slowly returning to the top of the wall. Their fight felt inevitable. He sent out a quick burst of amber to confirm no one else was near.

"You're not fucking some other girl, are you? I will tell Yara and then she'll cut your balls off."

Laughter broke from his lips. Juliana appeared offended by his outburst.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?"

"That's what you thought? I'm sneaking off to fuck some other girl?"

"You look like the type," she said, cocking a grin. "Besides, if you weren't with Yara, I'd let you sleep in my hut."

He gave her a two-finger salute. "Noted." He took two steps and turned back. "I was sorry about her father. I know there's been a bit of conflict between Niran and Brazio, and my boss asked me who we should support if it came to a clan vote. I know, I know, we're Crows, we don't get a say in how Razor does things, but these little things can sway people. Yara's father's a badass, but if Razor and the Crows are going to take over the Undercity, I think Niran's the man for the job."

He left Juliana musing on his words. It wasn't a lie. He truly believed Niran was the better clan leader. Yara's father saw things only in black and white. My enemy or my friend. The reality was somewhere in between. That's what he'd learned working for Gregor all these years. He’d turned a two-bit gang into a major force in the city, and now he was expanding his empire beneath the ground, and as an up-and-coming member of the Crows who had facilitated the takeover of Razor, the rewards would be plentiful.

There were three main entrances into the Machi. One of them went directly into the main building and was heavily guarded, including warding enchantments and other surprises. It was the one that led to the tunnels, making it the most heavily trafficked. The second entrance was the one that went between the settlement and Big Dave's Town. At any one time, there were at least five clan members—usually two waku and three soldados—at the station. The last entrance was the one that they took to the Terreno. It was guarded similarly to the second, except for one major difference. It was at the far edges of the Machi, where even gunfire wouldn't be heard by an amber. The third entrance was also where his fellow Crow, Syn, was working. After five months, Razor saw the Crows as almost clan members. A mistake on their part.

On the way, Deacon picked up a small black bag hidden beneath a carpet of edible fungi. He slung it over his shoulder, pulled out a compact handgun and checked it for bullets, then switched off the safety.

Each entrance to the Machi had two halves. The front half, well hidden with clever placement of stone walls, was manned by two guards. The inside part had the other three, as well as the controls for an enchanted door that couldn't be blasted through even with heavy explosives. The Machi could be locked down with a simple press of the button and then alarms sent through the settlement on wires.

Before he reached the third entrance, he slipped into a climbing harness and shimmied up the wall, finding the insulated black wire running along the stone. He drove a piton into the rock and hooked on a carabiner from his harness so he could work hands-free.

Clipping the wire would only sound the alarm, so he had to bypass it. He pulled out a simple box from the bag, something he'd rigged up with materials he'd pilfered over the months. Making simple tech was something of a specialty for him. Deacon snapped the ends of clamps over the black wire. The serrated ends bit through the rubber shielding and a green light appeared on the box, signaling that the alarm had been disarmed.

Back on the ground, he headed to the entrance, letting his hand rest inside the black bag on the handgun. If everything went to plan, Syn would be working at the inner door. But when he arrived he found two soldado and one waku, each one he barely knew, seated at a table playing cards.

"You aren't on duty tonight," said a soldado as he shuffled the cards.

The waku, an amber named Mika, reached for her blades. Deacon pulled the handgun from the bag, firing twice into her chest. The second soldado kicked out the fourth chair, which hit him in the knees, knocking him onto his side. As an automatic weapon was brought around, Deacon fired into the soldado, catching him in the shoulder. The spray of bullets sent chips of stone into Deacon's cheek. Before the third soldado could reach his weapon, Deacon fired three more times, killing them both.

"Fuck," he said, climbing to his feet while holding the side of his face. Blood was running down his shirt, but he ignored it and moved to the warded door. He pressed the release button, then pointed his weapon at the entrance. It slid open, revealing a lone Syn. He sighed in relief and let the weapon drop by his side.

"Broke his neck as soon as I heard the shooting." She wrinkled her nose. "Get hit?"

"Exploding stone."

"Clean yourself up. I'll make sure they're all dead."

Deacon found a first aid kit in the little kitchen that served the guard station, bandaging his neck and cheek. He'd have an opal heal it later once they were finished mopping up the Razors.

With the station firmly in their control, the only thing they had to worry about was replacement guards, or unexpected visitors from the Terreno.

Syn had the black automatic weapon clutched to her chest. "I'll keep an eye on the inner path."

He nodded.

"You have any idea how long until they get here?"

He shrugged. "Soon is all I know. The drill is almost through the ceiling near the Academy."

Syn grinned. "They'll never know what hit them."

"Nope. And then we'll have control of the Undercity." He slapped a new clip into his weapon. "Keep sharp. Don't want anything to stop us now."