Jordyn
Emrys was unusually quiet as we waited to leave. I chalked it up to the fact that he was probably going over the details in his head since I was doing the same thing in my own mind.
I was relieved when he finally told me it was time to go. Before we left the cavern, he gave me a quick hard kiss, which felt more like a goodbye than a good luck or see you soon. I told myself I was acting like a total chick. I was sure we were both nervous, so I pushed the worry aside. We were getting ready to venture out into enemy territory and there was no room for error.
We left the cavern behind and I couldn't help shooting it a wistful look as I followed after Emrys. I didn't want this to be the last time I would ever see him.
The series of tunnels were confusing as Emrys made multiple turns down small narrow tunnels. I felt like we had been walking forever before he turned into a shallow cavern that was roughly the size of my closet back home.
"The others should be here in a moment," Emrys whispered, grabbing my hand.
"Others?" I whispered back, wondering who else was meeting us. Before I could quiz him about it, a dark shape dipped into the cavern with us, putting me instantly in defensive mode.
"Relax, this is Maximus," Emrys said, dropping my hand so he could fist bump the large dark-skinned Soul Trader who had snuck up on us. In the dim light, I could see that Maximus was older. His hair was a shocking white and his face was a road map of wrinkles that suggested a tough life before he had died and become a Soul Trader.
"Jordyn, it's nice to meet you," Maximus said, reaching out a hand. I looked at it for a second, wondering if it was wise to touch someone I didn't know. Swallowing my trepidation, I accepted his handshake. His grip was firm and strong, but held none of the fire that both Emrys and Kale possessed.
"Thanks for helping us," I answered.
"It's all good. Emrys made it worth my while," Maximus replied. "Are we ready to head out?"
"Not without me," a familiar voice answered unexpectedly, making me bite back a groan. I wasn't the only one to have that reaction. Maximus also seemed put out as he shuffled to the far side of the cavern to avoid being right next to Due. She entered the small cavern that was now completely cramped with four bodies inside.
"I see you still can't get me out of your mind, big boy," she said, grinning seductively at Maximus.
Maximus blanched at her words. It was obviously a moment he didn't want to relive. With our disdain for Due in common, I could learn to like this guy.
"What is she doing here?" I demanded.
"What is she doing here?" Due parroted in my voice. I looked at her in shock as she transformed her features to become me.
"What the hell?" I asked, pulling out my dagger.
"Easy," Emrys said, stepping between us. "This is all part of the plan. Due has been kind enough to act as decoy."
"For what price?" I asked, wigging out at my own face smirking back at me.
"Wouldn't you like to know," she said, running a finger up Emrys's arm. I tried to brush past Emrys to get to her and wrap my hands around the neck that was identical to mine.
"Enough," Emrys hissed. "We have more important things to do. Jordyn, you need to keep your head in the game. Due, stop taunting her," he insisted, looking at us both.
"Hey, I can always leave," Due threatened.
"Don't do us any favors," I mumbled under my breath.
Emrys sighed, but didn't comment on my remark. "This is where we split up. Max, you have one job, get my girl back here after she rescues her friends," Emrys said, clapping Maximus on the back.
"Buzz in and buzz out. Got me? No showboating," he explained, gripping my shoulders in his hands. "Lynn and Robert need you. We'll rendezvous here and get the hell out of Dodge."
His words brought back the conversation I had with Haniel almost a week ago. I wondered if he had known it would come down to this. Was this their plan all along? Haniel had told me it would come down to choosing. At the moment, the only choice I wanted included the guy standing in front of me who was willing to risk everything for me.
"You too," I said in a ragged voice that sounded nothing like me. "Buzz in, buzz out. No showboating," I repeated his words through tears that were threatening to fall.
"Go kick some ass. Be the weapon," he teased, giving me a nudge out of the cavern.
"Shut it," I said, socking his arm before leaving him behind with Due.
"You two have a messed-up relationship," I heard Due mumble as I followed Maximus.
Emrys's parting words were all the encouragement I needed as I shifted into fighter mode. If there was one thing I knew, it was how to fight. Maximus led the way through the same maze of tunnels I felt I had already traveled. I kept my hand on my hip so I would have easy access to my dagger.
It didn't take long before we encountered our first set of daemons. Taking Emrys's advice to heart, I took them both out without giving conscious thought to it. My attacks were precise and lethal. The first daemon was decapitated when I kicked its head off its shoulders. I buried my sharpened wooden stake through the horned forehead of the second daemon before it had a chance to decide whether to fight back or run. Maximus and I stepped over their burning corpses and continued on.
"Damn, you've got some serious skills," Maximus appraised admiringly.
I cast a small smile his way, but my mind was already on my next potential kill as I sensed another daemon close by. I caught the next one by the throat as it came at us from behind a wall, hoping to ambush us. My nails dug through the skin of its neck as I burned it from the inside out. I wiped my hand across my jeans to remove the goo and continued on. Maximus watched every kill in awe and continued his praises. I took out half a dozen more daemons by the time Maximus halted our progress and placed a finger over his lips. Pulling me into a narrow opening in the wall, we squeezed through a space that seemed impossibly small. I felt the sides pinching in on me, so I had no idea how Maximus was getting his bulky frame through the narrow gap. I could see a bright light up ahead above his head. More noise radiated from the room than I had heard since I had entered the COG. Maximus stopped two feet from the opening in the wall. I couldn't see a thing beyond his large frame, but I could hear multiple voices. It was too muffled to hear what was being said, but I thought I could make out Gaab's and Kale's voices as multiple bodies rushed past the opening where we were hiding.
"That's our cue," Maximus whispered. "Let's give it a second and then head out."
"Okay," I answered, making sure I had a firm grip on my wooden weapon. The beating of my heart was thunderous as the adrenaline pumped through me. Just when I felt I couldn't stand waiting anymore, Maximus slowly began to creep out of the space where we were hiding. I followed cautiously behind him, not sure who or what was waiting for us. Entering the massive cavern, it looked like it had from the window in Gaab's apartment. I could see the bottoms of the cages where Lynn and Robert were being held in the air above us. It had to be at least three stories up. The vatcans appeared to be sleeping where they were perched on large beams that they gripped with their long menacing talons. Movement off to our right revealed two daemons heading our way. I shoved Maximus behind me and prepared for a fight.
"Lookie here. I believe you're the girl everyone is looking for," one of them taunted. "Capturing you is bound to guarantee us a trip to the funhouse," it said, laughing gleefully. Any enthusiasm it had was soon extinguished as my boot came up and snapped its jaw closed, causing it to bite off its serpent-like tongue.
"Yobick," he gurgled out.
"I think it's trying to call me a bitch," I said to Maximus, who was looking at me with amusement as I head-butted the daemon before it could wrap its arms around me. In one movement, I reached behind me for the daemon's head and twisted. I put my foot in its back and thrust kicked, sending it flying forward with its detached head still in my hands. The daemon's body flew into its partner who was planning to rush me, but had hesitated. I threw the decapitated daemon's head, which was now a ball of flames, at its partner that cursed at me and sprang forward.
Using my wooden stake, I struck the daemon through the throat as it made an attempt to tackle me. The stick went through its neck. Pushing it all the way through, I grabbed the other end of the stick and pulled it out the other side in one fluid motion before it even knew what had happened. "I think you have something in your throat," I taunted before sending it to Ashville with its friend.
In all, it took me less than a minute to take them both out.
"You are a machine, girl," Maximus complimented. "I could watch you do this all day." He beamed. "Looks like you woke the big boys," he added as one of the vatcans swooped down like a jet. Holding the wooden stake steady, I waited until it was almost on me before shoving the stake through its eye. It slid in as easily as it had gone through the daemons throat. The mutant bird was dead at my feet before its bat-like wings had even finished flapping.
The death of the first vatcan caused a chain reaction as the remaining two shrieked their displeasure at their fallen comrade. Both swooped down so fast I didn't have time to protect myself as they came at me with their sharp beaks. Hurling myself to the ground, I curled into a ball as one beak pierced through my shoulder while the other found its mark on my leg. Pain sliced through my limbs, making me swear in one constant stream. The moment I heard their wings flapping, I seized the opportunity and jumped to my feet, ignoring the pain in my leg. Reaching over the large flying creature I had already exterminated, I extracted the wooded weapon from its eye.
I was ready when one of the vatcans nosedived straight for my face. I waited until the last moment to bring the stake up and plunged it into its throat. The stake broke off in my hand as the creature tried to brake at the last moment. With the broken stake buried in its throat, the vatcan flapped its wings halfheartedly as it tried to reach its perch. It was almost there when it fell from the sky and dropped to the ground in a deadfall, causing the ground to vibrate around us.
I was now two down and had one to go, but my weapon was no longer effective since it had broken in half. The small dagger on my hip would be of no use. Trying to formulate a plan, I ducked out of the way as the last remaining vatcan screeched its displeasure for its fallen friends and swooped down at me, enraged. This time the bird's beak found its mark, nicking my right side. I reeled back and punched it in the side of the head, stunning it. Sudden inspiration struck and I reached up and grasped its leg before it could fly away. Hanging on tight, the ground disappeared beneath my feet as the last vatcan soared into the air with me dangling from its talons. Feeling my weight, the vatcan dipped its head, snapping at me with its beak as I twisted out of its reach while holding on for dear life. I worked to climb up its body, searching for something to grasp. Since its body was covered in thick black skin instead of feathers, I found nothing that I could get a hold of to help me climb up. As the vatcan turned and swooped toward the ground again, my plan no longer seemed like the best idea. In an act of desperation, I withdrew my dagger and plunged it as high up as I could reach into the side of the monstrous creature. It screeched and clawed its razor-like talons while flapping its wings to try to dislodge my dagger. Avoiding its wildly flapping wings and its talons that threatened to rip me to shreds, I pulled myself up the flying beast by using my protruding dagger as a handhold. My feet dangled as the vatcan tried to throw me. I made it a point not to look at the ground that was far beneath us as I concentrated on pulling myself up. My dagger began to slip through the skin as my weight pulled at it. Knowing time was short, I used all the strength I could muster and jerked myself up the rest of the way. Straddling its neck so I would be out of reach of the vatcan's beating wings, I extracted my dagger from its side. I climbed on top of its head and gripped firmly with my knees so I could use the force of both my hands to bury the dagger into its head.
For a moment, I was unsure if the knife had done any good as the giant vatcan continued to circle the room. I debated if I should make a jump for it and hope for the best. The decision was taken out of my hands when the creature's wings stopped flapping and the vatcan quickly lost altitude and fell from the air. I braced myself for the crash, but was still jarred when we hit the ground.
Taking a moment to recover, I cringed at the blood that was dripping not only from my shoulder, but also my leg and side. The vatcans had definitely gotten their fair share of licks in.
"I'm convinced. You are without a doubt the biggest badass I have ever laid eyes on," Maximus said, rushing to my side to help me to my feet. "Now what?" he asked, looking up at the cages where my friends were climbing through the bars.
"Now I catch them," I said, thinking about the boulder toss I had done a few days ago. That training would be put to the test. "Jump," I yelled to Lynn, who looked over at Robert for guidance. He looked down at me for a moment before giving her the go ahead. Without pause, Lynn stepped away from her cage into the air, falling into my arms. I bent my legs slightly to brace myself for her weight as she fell toward me. She was surprisingly light and I didn't even let out a grunt. I tried not to think about how thin or how rough she looked as I set her gently to the ground. Looking back up at Robert, I flashed him a thumbs up to let him know it was his turn.
Robert wasted no time letting go of his own cage. His weight was almost double that of Lynn's, but I barely flinched as I caught him. His height threw me off slightly, so I felt sorry when his legs hit the ground, but he didn't complain.
"Are you okay?" I asked as Maximus and I pulled them toward the crevice in the wall.
"Yeah," Robert replied, although he didn't sound convincing as he worriedly eyed Lynn. I couldn't blame him. Now that the adrenaline had left me, I was able to really look at her. I couldn't help the small measure of panic I felt at her shrunken features. She had to be twenty pounds lighter than she had been when I last saw her, which led me to believe Gaab had only fed them enough to barely keep them alive. Her hair hung from her shoulders in a matted mess mixed with dried blood from obvious head injuries. It was the dead expression in her eyes that concerned me the most. Hidden in the crevice in the wall, I paused for a moment to extract the four remaining power bars and the two bottles of water I had left. Handing two of the bars over to Robert, I opened one of the remaining two for Lynn. Her hand reached for it weakly and I held it steady as I guided the bar to her mouth. She took a small bite, but I could tell it required a lot of effort for her to be able to swallow it. Opening one of the water bottles, I tipped it toward her mouth to help her take a sip. Some of the water ran down her chin, but she greedily sucked it down. After a moment, I pulled the bottle away so she wouldn't get sick. Robert managed to drink his water and eat one of his power bars without assistance, but he didn't look much better than Lynn.
Maximus and I exchanged looks. We needed to move fast, but it was obvious that Lynn was barely able to stand on her own. I could easily shoulder her weight, but it would make it hard to fight off any daemons. Robert was definitely in no shape to carry her, which left Maximus.
I could tell he reached the same conclusion as me when he nodded his head. "I am not as strong as you are, but her weight won't slow me down," he said, reaching for Lynn.
"Whoa, what?" Robert said, stepping protectively in front of Lynn. Having his Guide in the arms of another man would be hard for him to handle.
"It's the only way, Robert. Look at her. She can barely stand on her own, let alone walk," I said, nodding to Lynn who was sagging against the wall, giving no indication she had heard us. "And you're in no shape to carry her," I added before he could suggest that option. "You'll be no good to us if you exert all your energy trying to carry her. I need you to be able to walk out on your own two feet."
He didn't look happy about my decision, but he stepped back, giving his permission. Maximus stepped in, scooping Lynn into his arms. She hung limp, but at least her eyes were open. Leaving the safety of the crevice, we headed back through the maze of tunnels we had traveled before. We were halfway back to the rendezvous point and I was on high alert, wondering why we hadn't encountered any daemons even though I sensed several ahead. I pushed Robert and Maximus into a shallow indention in the tunnel wall as I faced off against the approaching danger. The two daemons came around the bend in the tunnel and snarled just as all my senses were cut off.
All sound, sight and smell disappeared. I was standing in a void of nothing. I had trained for this. I knew what was expected of me. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I waited for my moment. I felt the brush of air moving toward me and I darted to the side at the last moment as a fist grazed my cheek. Pivoting around, I punched out with an open hand so it would ignite its target. I smiled with satisfaction, feeling my hand burn its way into soft waxy flesh. The second daemon attack came from behind. I felt the weight of its heavy nasty body on mine as it jumped on my back. I was grateful I couldn't smell its rank body as it tried to wrap its arms around my neck. My hands were prying them apart before the daemon could even start to tighten its chokehold.
My senses were returned when the daemon burst into flames behind me. My eyes met Maximus, who eyed me with open admiration. His face broke into a broad grin that I returned.
"I guess they didn't want to stick around," I joked, making him laugh.
"Well, well, lookie here. I knew your boyfriend was trying to pull something," a familiar voice said behind me.