CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

VESPER

"V esper!" Beatrice yelled. "Be careful!"

I sucked down another breath and kept running. I didn't have time to be careful. Wendell was in trouble. I knew he was. My seer magic kept whispering it to me over and over like a rolling drumbeat warning of danger.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Pew! Pew! Pew!

The mercenaries fired their cannons and blasters, while the House Collier guards did the same with their weapons, trying to stop their enemies from breaching the main castle. Bright green and red energy bolts zipped through the air, and the battle began in earnest. Walls exploded, permaglass shattered, and yells and screams boiled up into the air.

"We are under attack!" I thought I heard Siya's voice, but the continued cannon and blaster fire drowned her out.

So far, all the fighting was on the ground level. Beatrice's tea had been on the third-story terrace, and the mercs hadn't managed to get this high. Since no one was firing at me, I kept going, running as fast as I could, my stormsword clutched in my hand.

Kyrion? Kyrion! I'm heading toward the guest wing! I think the mercenaries are targeting Wendell!

I called out to Kyrion through the bond. The sticky cobweb of him in my mind pulsed with icy fury, but once again, the emotion blotted out everything else, and I couldn't tell where he was.

I growled in frustration, sucked down another breath, and picked up my pace. Thanks to my O2 enhancement, I didn't need as much oxygen as other people, but running from one bridge to another and then going up and down the stairs in between was still taking a toll. I felt like someone had clamped a metal vise around my chest and was slowly cranking it tighter and tighter and squeezing all the air out of my lungs, but I kept going.

There was no other option. Not if I wanted to save my father.

And I did want to save him. I still didn't know how I felt about Wendell, Beatrice, or Zane, but I didn't want them to die before I had a chance to figure it out.

More blaster bolts zinged through the air, along with the answering boom-boom-boom of cannon fire. I couldn't tell if the mercenaries had breached the main castle or if the Hammers and House Collier guards were turning them back, but that wasn't my fight, so it didn't matter right now.

Kyrion? Kyrion!

I called out again, still trying to figure out where he was, but all I got was a sense that he was trying to find me as desperately as I was searching for him. As difficult as it was, I released the bond. I needed to focus on the here and now, not all the thoughts and emotions rattling around in my mind and heart.

I finally reached the guest wing and forced myself to slow down. Running blindly forward and getting shot by a mercenary wouldn't do me any good, much less save Wendell.

Cannon and blaster fire continued to boom through the air, punctuated by sharp shrieks of pain, but most of the fighting seemed to be around the main castle. Looking and listening for any hints of danger, I raised my stormsword into an attack position, then stepped through the archway.

I crept from one corridor to the next, moving as quickly as I dared. The guest wing was eerily quiet, and I didn't encounter anyone, not even a servant who'd ducked into a room to hide. I didn't want to get trapped in an elevator in case the mercs cut the power, so I headed for the closest set of stairs and quietly tiptoed down them to the ground level.

The lower I went, the more signs of battle appeared. Blaster fire had scorched many of the walls, while cannon blasts had blown out big chunks of stone and glass, decimating entire rooms. The acrid stench of electricity hung in the air, mixing with the nauseating aroma of burned flesh and singed hair.

I rounded a corner and stumbled over the body of a servant sprawled across the floor. Smoke was still curling up from the blaster wound in her chest, which now resembled a slab of charred meat. Bile rose in my throat, and I shuddered and looked away from the awful sight.

I tiptoed down the corridor until I reached the Zimmers' suites. I cautiously eased through an archway, but no mercenaries were waiting on the other side. Doubt and unease tickled my spine like hot, needling fingers, but I kept going, making my steps as soft and silent as possible, despite the broken stone, glass, and other debris that littered the floor.

" . . . no . . . please . . . wait . . ." a man's voice said, the muffled words coming from up ahead.

I quickened my pace, eased up to an open door, and peered into the suite beyond.

A Serpens Corp mercenary was in the sitting room. The merc's cannon was pointed at Wendell, who had his hands up and was backing away. But the mercenary followed Wendell step for step, as though the two of them were doing a painfully slow dance.

"It's nothing personal," the merc said. "You're just being used to send a message."

Wendell kept easing backward. "What message?"

"No idea. But I have my orders, and I get a bonus for killing you, so it's time to die, Lord Zimmer." The merc grinned, his finger curling around the trigger.

White-hot rage roared through me, blotting out everything else. I churned my legs, sprinted across the room, and barreled into the merc's side.

Boom!

The cannon blast went wide, slamming into the stone fireplace instead of Wendell's chest.

"Vesper! Look out!" Wendell yelled.

The mercenary swung his cannon toward me, but I lashed out with my stormsword, driving him back. The man tipped over a low table and fell on his ass. His hand banged into the floor, and the cannon slid out of his grasp.

I snarled, raised my sword, and charged forward, but the merc kicked out, sending the table skittering across the floor. I tripped over it and went down on my hands and knees. My stormsword slipped out of my fingers, and I scrambled forward, still on my hands and knees, trying to reach the weapon.

The merc grabbed my ankle and yanked me back toward him. My hands squeaked across the floor, but I couldn't get a grip on the slick stone. I kicked and flailed, but the merc must have had a strength enhancement, because he easily dragged me over to him.

I rolled over onto my back and flung my hand out, trying to use Kyrion's telekinesis to toss the man aside. Nothing happened. Frustrated, I tried again, with the same useless result.

The merc laughed and dragged me even closer. His hand darted up, and he locked his fingers around my throat and pinned me to the floor.

"Hold still," he growled, plucking a silver injector off his belt. "The boss told me this wouldn't happen, but I came prepared, and I'm going to collect the bonus for you too. And then Esmina will have a matched set—"

Boom!

A blast of cannon fire punched into the merc's back. He screamed and reared back.

Boom!

Another blast of cannon fire hit the merc, and his screams abruptly cut off. His hand fell away from my throat, and I raised my foot up between us and kicked him away. The merc tumbled over onto his side, and the injector slipped out of his fingers and rolled across the floor.

"Vesper! Vesper, are you okay?" Wendell crouched down beside me, the merc's still-smoking cannon clutched in his hand.

My father had just saved my life.

I'd never thought that would happen, but I didn't have the time to unpack the emotional implications of Wendell's actions right now. Instead, I grunted, scuttled forward, and grabbed my stormsword from where it had landed. Then I surged up and onto my feet and spun toward the open door.

I raised my weapon, expecting more mercs to hear the cannon blasts and pour into the room.

Ten seconds ticked by. Twenty seconds . . . thirty . . . forty-five . . .

The seconds turned into a minute. Shouts and screams ripped through the air, along with more cracks of cannon and blaster fire, but the fighting never got any closer, and no footsteps pounded in this direction.

I lowered my sword. No one else was coming for Wendell, so why target him in the first place?

"Vesper?" Wendell asked, still clutching the cannon. "What's going on?"

"No idea, but I'm going to find out."

I headed toward the open door. My foot hit something, and a silver cylinder skittered across the floor. I froze. For a split second, I thought someone had lobbed a solar grenade into the room, but then I realized it was just the injector the mercenary had tried to use on me.

I'm going to collect the bonus for you too. And then Esmina will have a matched set.

Matched set? My blood turned to ice. This whole thing had been nothing but a giant distraction. The attack on the main castle had drawn the Hammers and House Collier guards to that area, leaving the Serpens Corp mercs free to storm into the guest wing. Killing Wendell had been one of their objectives, but his death hadn't been the mercenaries' main goal.

No, Esmina had a different objective in mind, and it was far more sinister than anything I could have imagined.

"Stay in here! Lock the door behind me! Shoot anyone who tries to enter!" I yelled at Wendell, then sprinted out of the suite.

"Vesper, wait!"

But once again, I didn't have time to wait. This had never been about Wendell or me or even destroying House Collier.

No, Esmina had another target in mind all along: Kyrion.

I raced out of the suite and sprinted down the corridor. I also reached out with my magic. For once, the truebond worked, and I could sense exactly where Kyrion was—and just how much danger he was in, given the anger and frustration surging through the bond.

Every scrap of my seer magic was screaming that I needed to move faster, so I barreled through the first archway I came to, then another one, then another one . . .

Kyrion! Hold on! I'm coming for you!

No, Vesper! he shouted back through the bond, and for once, I heard him loud and clear. Don't! It's a trap . . .

His voice trailed off. A small sting pricked my neck, then something cold, slick, and oily flooded the bond. The sensation was so strong, so very wrong , it made me recoil in shock and disgust. My boots slipped on some loose stones, and I almost lost my footing. My right shoulder banged into a broken wall, but I bounced off and used the momentum to regain my balance and keep going.

Once again, that metal vise clamped around my chest, but this time, it wasn't because of a lack of oxygen or how hard I was running. No, this time, the sensation was my own fear, squeezing out everything else. My heart roared in my ears, but I sucked down another breath and forced myself to run even faster.

"No! Stop!" Asterin's voice ripped through the air, panic ringing through her words. "Leave him alone!"

That horrible, horrible fear squeezed my chest a little tighter, and I ran faster still, my arms pumping by my sides, my stormsword swinging up and down in a sharp, dizzying motion.

I veered past a pile of smoking rubble. The guest wing courtyard appeared up ahead, and I finally forced myself to slow down and slip behind an archway. I drew in a breath to try to slow my racing heart and peered around the side of the stone.

Several mercs surrounded Zane and Asterin, who had their weapons lowered to their sides. A few feet away, two mercs were propping up Kyrion, who was sagging between them, his body limp, his stormsword lying on the ground.

My heart seized, and for one awful, terrible moment, I thought he was dead.

But then his head lolled to the side, and he mumbled something I couldn't hear.

Esmina was standing next to Kyrion, a silver injector in her hand, with Pollux lurking nearby. Esmina tossed the injector aside, and the spent cartridge tumbled over the rubble in the courtyard. That must have been the phantom sting in my neck I'd felt, and whatever drugs Esmina had given Kyrion must also be interfering with our bond.

A snarl rose in my throat, but I swallowed it, not wanting to give my position away. Esmina froze, then spun around and looked directly at me, despite my hiding spot. Once again, her precognition had told her exactly where I was.

"Let's go!" Esmina yelled. "We got what we came for! Kill those two! Now!"

The two mercenaries dragged Kyrion backward. Pollux went with them, along with several other mercs. Four men stayed behind, stepped forward, and took better aim at Zane and Asterin.

My gaze darted back and forth between Kyrion and my friends. As much as I wanted to save him, I couldn't let Zane and Asterin be killed.

Esmina smirked at me. The arrogant bitch already knew what I had chosen.

"Kill them!" she yelled again, backing out of the courtyard.

I sprinted toward the closest mercenary and flung my hand up, hoping, hoping, hoping that this time I could tap into Kyrion's telekinesis . . .

But once again, nothing happened.

The cold, oily sludge that coated the truebond made it impossible for me to get a grip on Kyrion's magic. I snarled with frustration, but I kept running forward.

One of the mercs swung his cannon in my direction. I snapped up my stormsword, but I doubted I would be able to swat away a blast from a weapon that powerful—

A violent burst of telekinesis ripped through the courtyard, throwing the mercenary back into another man and knocking them both down to the ground. Zane thrust his hand forward, then pulled it back. Another burst of telekinesis surged off him and yanked a third merc forward.

Zane snapped up his hand cannon and slammed the butt of the weapon into the merc's forehead. A sickening crunch sounded, and the man dropped without making a sound. The other two mercenaries yelled and scrambled back onto their feet. Zane flipped his cannon around and shot one in the chest, while I came up behind another man and sliced my stormsword across his back.

The last merc cursed. His cannon wavered between Zane and me before he focused on Zane. The merc's finger curled around the trigger—

Pew! Pew! Pew!

Asterin shot the mercenary three times in the chest, and he joined his dead friends on the ground.

My gaze zipped back and forth, but the rest of the mercenaries had retreated with Esmina and Pollux, and no more enemies were left to fight. I tightened my grip on my stormsword, scooped up Kyrion's weapon from the ground, and ran past both Zane and Asterin.

"Vesper, wait!" Asterin called out.

But yet again, I didn't have time to wait, and I kept running. Zane's and Asterin's footsteps pounded on the ground behind me, but I didn't slow down. I had to reach Kyrion, even though my seer magic was screaming that it was already too late.

I left the guest wing courtyard behind and sprinted forward. More rubble appeared, along with more and more bodies, showing where the mercs had carved a swath of destruction and death through this part of the estate. I veered around a crumbled archway, and the central topiary garden popped into view.

I plunged into the garden and raced along the center path. My body brushed up against one of the peony bushes, and blue petals swirled through the air like spearmint-scented snowflakes. The aroma reminded me of Kyrion, and I forced myself to run even faster.

Through the topiary trees and hedges, I could see the mercenaries racing through the garden. But instead of heading back to the transport they had landed in, Esmina, Pollux, and their remaining men veered in the opposite direction.

Where were they going?

A familiar buzz sounded, and in the distance, I caught sight of rotors whirling around and around. My heart plummeted into my stomach, but I kept running.

Finally, I made it to the edge of the garden. Another, much smaller transport was waiting on the lawn here. This transport was painted House Collier green, and Leland was already on board. He waved at Esmina, Pollux, and the two men dragging Kyrion along with them, urging them to move faster. Not only had Leland lowered the protective shield around the estate, but now he was helping the mercenaries escape. Fucking traitor.

Esmina jumped up into the open side of the transport, then whirled around. She barked out a command, although I couldn't hear her words over the buzzing rotors.

Pollux stepped forward and aimed his cannon at me. Once again, my heart seized in my chest, but I lifted my stormsword to deflect as much of the energy as I could.

Pollux grinned at me, then lowered the weapon and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

A blast of green cannon fire slammed into the ground three feet in front of me. Grass and dirt flew into the air, and the shock wave threw me back. I hit the ground hard, losing my sword and Kyrion's weapon, but I shook off my daze, scrambled back up onto my feet, and started forward—

Strong arms closed around me from behind, pinning my own arms to my sides.

"No!" I yelled, trying to break free. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"No!" Zane yelled back. "It's a trap! They're trying to get you too!"

He was right. Several mercs rushed around the side of the transport. They must have been waiting for me to get close enough so they could surround me. A couple of the men raised their cannons and headed in our direction—

Pew! Pew! Pew!

Asterin stepped up beside me and Zane and fired her blaster, driving the mercs back.

"Let's go!" Pollux's voice roared out. "Move, move, move!"

The mercs retreated to the transport. Helpless, I watched as two men dragged Kyrion on board. They dumped him onto the floor, and he didn't move a muscle.

"Kyrion!" I yelled. "Kyrion!"

No response.

The last of the mercs leaped into the transport. Pollux followed them, and the vehicle lifted off the ground.

Pollux leaned down and punched Kyrion in the face a couple of times. He and the mercs disappeared inside the ship's dark depths, dragging a clearly unconscious Kyrion along with them, but Esmina hung on to a strap beside the open door. The transport picked up speed, and the wind whipped her long scarlet cloak around her body, making her look like an undulating viper. She had already sunk her poisonous fangs deep into my heart and ripped away the man I loved.

See you soon, Vesper. Esmina's voice slithered through my mind, and she lifted her free hand to her lips and blew me a mocking kiss.

The transport's thrusters fully engaged, and it shot up into the sky before dropping down into the chasm on the back side of the estate.

Zane finally released my arms. I elbowed him aside and rushed over to the permaglass barrier that cordoned off the lawn from the steep drop below.

The transport was zipping through the chasm, moving farther and farther away with each passing second. The ship zoomed around a corner and disappeared, and a hard truth punched into my heart, stealing my breath.

Kyrion was gone.