Saven Defiance (The Saven Series Book 4) (31 page)

Haydn sends a challenging glare in Izzy and Ax’s direction, almost daring them to argue with him. Clearly, he still doesn’t trust them, and he doesn’t want them anywhere near the building when Logan inputs the clearance code. Izzy opens her mouth to protest, but one piercing look from Haydn is enough to stop her dead in her tracks. She scowls unhappily.

I can understand her frustration. She’s a highly skilled assassin, and she
should
be in that building with us. I send her an apologetic look. I’m surprised that Ax doesn’t complain about our separation, but he stares stoically ahead as if the statement has barely registered. Perhaps I should have waited until this was over before telling him about his mother. I was too impulsive.

“There are several more guards inside, so keep your weapons loaded and raised, your wits about you, and anticipate attack from every angle.” Haydn’s attention turns to me, and I brace myself. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

I understand why he’s asking me that. I’ve made no secret of my loathing of weapons in the past. However, what Haydn fails to grasp is how much I’ve changed.

I get it now. And knowing that I’ve an in-built wealth of target and combat practice and experience buried somewhere inside me has boosted my confidence. That’s probably the only thing I can thank Griselda for. Safeguarding Logan so he can get into the control room to ground the Saven air fleet is my sole focus. I won’t let anyone stand in his way or hurt him.

“I’ve got this,” I say confidently.

“Make sure you keep it together,” he warns, acknowledging me with a brusque nod. “The last thing I need is Logan distracted trying to keep you alive.”

Blood rushes to my brain, and fury surges through my veins, but I show no outward reaction to his slight.
I can take care of myself, asshat.
Logan squeezes my hand as he fights a knowing smirk.

The commander distributes weapons while we deposit our bags and jackets behind a large rock. Ax, Izzy, and the four soldiers on protective detail are given long-range weapons and a quick briefing by the commander. Izzy yanks me into a hug before she leaves. “Keep safe, and don’t worry about sulky pants over there”— she gestures with her head toward Ax—“I’ll make sure he’s okay.”

“Thanks, and be careful.”

Ax doesn’t even look at me as he leaves with the others to scale the hill.

I’m checking my weapon when Haydn approaches. “Take these, too.” He hands me two small knives. Wordlessly, I accept the offering, tucking them into the little pockets either side of my boots. He looks like he wants to say more but thinks better of it. Perhaps he’s recalling memories of our training sessions in the woods, like I am. “Right, let’s move out. We’ll reconvene in this spot after we’re done. King Coryn will send a craft to collect us. Stay alert.”

I keep my gun clamped in my hand as we follow Haydn in single file around the side of the mountain. He stops and extends his palm, keeping us back. Ducking out of sight around the bend, he reappears a couple of minutes later ushering us forward.

“Stay right by my side. No matter what, we don’t split up.”
Logan shoots me a serious look.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere without you.”

The ground is rocky and uneven and sloped downward toward a small hollowed-out basin. The curved roof of a small, flat, ground-level structure peeks out at us from its hiding place in the valley below. Sheer, sharp mountainous terrain borders it on all sides, and there’s a dense covering of tall, thick trees hiding the structure from plain sight. In contrast, the surrounding land—the parcel we are currently attempting to traverse—is wide out in the open, totally vulnerable and exposed.

On the one hand, it’s the oddest place to hold a Control Center, and on the other hand, it’s a genius idea. There is no way anyone can breach this facility without being detected, which is why, all of sudden, a huge ball of trepidation jumps up and slaps me in the face. I know Haydn said we are approaching from the rear and that it’s only manned by two guards, but I can’t believe that it isn’t being remotely monitored from somewhere in the facility.

No sooner has the thought crossed my mind than a volley of gunfire blasts from the building, running a trajectory straight for us. Fire ignites in my veins, and my body trembles with restrained power. “Down!” Haydn shouts, and we all drop to the muddy ground as Izzy, Ax, and the soldiers hidden in the hills retaliate. Shots crisscross over our heads as we shunt forward using our elbows and bellies.

Adrenaline surges through my veins, mixing with the caged fire-power of my incendio gift, and it’s a potent combination. When we reach the edge, we flip onto our backs and slide down the incline, landing in the small forest that borders the unit. The sound of impending footsteps has everyone on high alert. I clasp my weapon firmly in my hand, my finger poised over the activation button. Garish voices accompany a small unit of armed guards as they emerge from a clearing up ahead. Haydn and the commander immediately open fire, and we follow their lead. The guards duck and dive for cover behind trees. I shove Logan off to the side, and we conceal ourselves behind the blackened trunk of a particularly large tree.

Retaliatory shots ping back and forth until our enemy is quieted. We’ve lost a couple of men in the shoot-out too. I make a conscious effort not to look at their faces as we step over them.

Haydn races through the forest as if he’s running on battery-operated limbs. He is a few paces ahead of us, having dropped out of sight, when more shots ring out in proximity. My heart beats furiously in my chest. Logan and I exchange worried looks.

We both emit sighs of relief when Haydn resurfaces. “They’ve sent more guards to the back entrance, so we’ll have to fight our way in. Keep alert,” he cautions everyone. “You three”—he points at Logan, me, and Fern—“Stay at the rear.”

Crouching down in a huddle, we carefully inch our way forward as a group. Haydn stops at the corner of the unit, speaking in hushed tones with the commander. The commander takes off, with a handful of men, back the way we just came. The remaining soldiers form a line in front of us with Haydn and Rylan. They converse in low tones, then Haydn waves his hand through the air, and they dart around the bend. Shots are traded and my heart is in my mouth. It feels wrong to be hanging back while the others are risking their lives. Fern’s eyes are awash with alarm. I squeeze her hand.

Another volley of shots dispenses from close by. Bullets whizz by us in rapid succession, and we flatten our backs to the side of the unit. A sharp crack behind us spurs me into action. There isn’t time to think, only act. Raising my weapon, I whip around and fire off three rounds. Two rounds ricochet into empty space, but the third one hits its mark, lodging firmly in the skull of the guard sneaking up on us. A tiny movement out of the corner of my eye snags my attention in the nick of time. I fire at the second guard at the same time he fires. “Get down!” I yell at Logan and Fern.

The guard howls, falling to the floor, as he clutches his knee. He’s injured but not incapacitated. Heaving himself up at the waist, he points his weapon straight at us. Cold, dark eyes spear us with the extent of his hatred. Before he can get off a shot, a bullet embeds in his chest, and he slithers to the ground, stone cold dead. I look up at Logan with his arm still outstretched, his finger hooking around the trigger of the gun.

Silently, he helps Fern up as Haydn comes careening around the bend. He visibly exhales when he sees we are okay. “Come on, we’re in.”

We sprint behind him and step cautiously through the busted rear doors. Bodies of dead guards litter the passageway. The stark, vacant eyes of a Narik soldier stare up at me, and I offer up a silent prayer for his soul. The commander and six of his mean are standing with their backs flat to the wall, at the end of the corridor, on either side. He mouths instructions at Haydn, and then they charge around the corner, shooting indiscriminately. Haydn motions at Rylan and he moves to take up position behind us. Turning, he keeps his eyes firmly on the rear entrance, ready to deal with any unwanted surprises. We edge slowly forward behind Haydn.

“Clear!” comes the directive from up ahead, and Haydn hurriedly steers us forward. More bodies, both Saven and Narik, lie motionless on the ground. I avert my eyes again as we step over them.

“Your Royal Highness,” the commander says, addressing Logan formally. “The staff have barricaded themselves in the control room with the last remaining guard.” Fixing a round chip onto the wall beside the door, he presses his finger into the center of the device, right where a flashing green light flickers on and off. A holo of the interior room gradually appears in front of our eyes. Two men sit on seats in front of a digital display frantically pressing buttons and issuing pleas for help.

“I don’t want to blast the door as we’ll probably kill them all, and we risk damaging the equipment.” A petite woman with wide, scared eyes trembles as she cowers behind a rigid guard. His weapon is raised and pointed squarely at the door. The commander clears his throat. “I can override the control room communications system if you would like to appeal to them.”

“Do it.” Logan’s tone is urgent. The commander nods and Logan starts to speak. “This is Prince Logan. Please listen to me.” All four people in the room stop and stare all around them. “We do not wish to harm you. That is the last thing I want. But we need access to that room because it is my intention to reclaim my throne and to bring peace to our planet. The fighting must stop before more innocent lives are lost. I am asking you to lay down your weapons and open the door. If you don’t, I will have no choice but to permit the soldiers to force entry into the room. Please give me your cooperation. I don’t want anyone else to die here today.”

They look hesitantly at one another, and the woman springs into action. Stepping out from behind the guard, she stalks toward the door and opens it. The guard readies his weapon and takes aim, but a bullet lodges in his skull before he has even had time to depress it. Haydn keeps his weapon elevated, training it on one of the men at the desk. “Step away from the desk.” He gestures with his gun. “Over there, all of you.”

They get up and shuffle into the corner. One of the Narik soldiers steps forward to monitor them as Logan races to the control desk. His fingers fly fluidly over the control panel. “Do you see that large black unit over there?” he calls out to Haydn without looking up from what he’s doing. “Destroy it.”

“On it.” Haydn strides with purpose toward the only unit in the room.

The next few minutes shave a couple of years off my life. It all happens as if I’m watching it in slow motion.

One of the men in the corner whips out a hidden weapon and quickly takes out the Narik soldier and the commander. With military precision, he raises his weapon and trains it on Haydn. I don’t hesitate. I pull the trigger on my weapon.

But it jams.

I roar something as I dash toward Haydn, the gun dropping out of my hand and clanging noisily on the floor. Logan’s panic threatens to distract me so I rapidly cut the line. Lunging at Haydn, I slam into him, knocking us both onto the ground as the man’s shot whizzes over our heads, narrowly missing impact. He stalks toward us, lining up another shot. Quick as a flash, I yank a knife out of my boot and lob it at him. It lands solidly in his chest, piercing his heart on impact. Dark red blood oozes out of his chest and coagulates in his mouth, spilling out and dripping down his chin. His weapon pings off the floor as he falls face forward. Haydn tugs me back as the dead body collapses on the ground mere millimeters from us. Blood starts to pool under his body, and I shunt back, scrambling to my feet.

Rylan grabs the other man and woman and quickly checks them for additional weapons. They hold their hands up in the air, clearly terrorized. Rylan binds their hands and secures them to the side of the wall. Logan and Fern glance at Haydn and me with slack jaws. “Hurry, Logan! We don’t have any more time to waste!” I shout, nodding at him. Spinning into action, he taps heavily on the keypad.

Haydn stands up in a daze. He opens and shuts his mouth as he gently grasps my arm. We stare at one another but no words are spoken. Removing the gun from his frozen fingers, I sidestep him and fire a couple of rounds at the black unit. Sparks and smoke emit from the blackened mass as tiny flames flicker in the charred core.

“Yes!” Logan exclaims, pumping his fist in the air. “The comm network is temporarily down, and all air fleet are grounded. We’re good to go. Send word to King Coryn.”

“I’ll do it right now,” Haydn confirms, snapping out of it.

“May I?” Rylan asks, approaching Logan and sitting down beside him. “I can inject a temporary virus into the STSS systems which will buy us some extra time.”

“Great idea. Go for it.” Logan tells him, rising from his chair. His look grows frantic as he observes the billowing black smoke weaving a burgeoning path from the burning unit. “Be quick. We need to get out of here.”

Logan ushers me and Fern out of the building while Haydn escorts the man and woman out through the rear door. Fern bites down on her lip, drawing blood. Rylan sprints out of the door two seconds later, and she flings herself at him.

“Run!” Haydn yells, and we all take off, sprinting through the forest, weaving in and out of trees as we propel ourselves forward with urgency.

We have only climbed back up the ledge, onto the grassy mound, when a massive boom pierces my eardrums. A succession of shrill pops rings out as chunks of debris fly through the air. We all drop to the ground like pros. Logan scoots on top of me, covering my body as pieces of wood and steel rain down on us.

After a few minutes, it’s all over, and we stand up, dusting ourselves down. Ax and Izzy race toward us, the other Narik soldiers following hot on their heels.

Slowly, as one, we turn and survey the place where the control unit once stood. All that’s left is a smoky pile of charred ashes, smoldering as the last remnants of the fire fight for survival.

A low purring noise emits from above, and the air swirls heavily around us. We all raise our heads and stare at the ship lowering toward us.