Bloodrose
Page 11
Anika surveyed the map on the table. I knew the conversation about Ansel was over. Fury bubbled up inside me. If I couldn’t fight for him, at least I could fight. Edging forward to peek at the map, I saw mountainous terrain.
“That’s where we’re going?”
She nodded. “Mürren, Switzerland. At dawn. We’ll send in the decoys first. The cave is here. We’ll draw the Guardians away from the entrance and then send in the stealth team.”
“You up for early morning bear baiting, Pascal?” Connor laughed.
For the first time Pascal cracked a smile. “Of course, mon frère. It’s what we do best.”
“Huh?” I frowned at Connor.
Connor cocked his head at me, then his eyes went wide. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Oh, man.” Shay glanced from me to Ren. “The other Guardians are bears?”
“What?!” Ren and I exclaimed in unison. I looked at him. The other alpha’s face mirrored the shock I felt.
“Just the Guardians of Tordis,” Silas replied. “You really didn’t know about the other Guardian forms?”
My skin felt too tight. I wanted to shift and bolt from the room.
Ren managed an answer. “No. We didn’t.”
“Was that bear that attacked me when we met a Guardian?” Shay asked me.
“No,” I said, still shaken. “That was just a grizzly.”
Not once in my life had I considered the idea that other forms of Guardians might exist. Our wolf packs were closely knit. We were proud of our ferocity and of our skill as warriors. The Keepers made us feel like we’d been chosen. That we alone could serve them in the war. More lies.
Ren threw me a puzzled glance. “You saved him from a bear?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I folded my arms across my chest. “I want to know more about these other Guardians.”
Silas puffed up. “It’s quite genius, actually. Keepers created Guardians naturally suited to each environment they would protect. Wolves in Colorado. Bears in Switzerland.”
A stocky, dark-haired Searcher from a team I hadn’t been introduced to smiled grimly. “Y las yaguares en Tulúm.”
“Sí. Las yaguares.” Silas shuddered. “La muerte en las sombras.”
I didn’t speak Spanish, but I knew he was describing another type of Guardian. My stomach twisted. I’d always felt that we were special somehow. Even if we were servants, I’d felt a sense of privilege of lives marked by exception. Now it turned out that we were just convenient.
The shock of learning wolves weren’t the only Guardians created by Keepers wasn’t the only thing gnawing at me. Everything about this scenario—the strategizing, the strike teams. Haldis Tactical was the place where Searchers planned their attacks. Where they’d planned their attacks on Vail. I didn’t have any doubts about whose side we should be on, but I wondered if I would ever feel at ease here.
Silas was still talking. “It would be the perfect system, except for the—”
“If you call them a sin against nature again, I will end you.” Ethan’s hand was on his dagger’s hilt.
“Look who’s a born-again Guardian evangelist now.” Connor laughed. “What’s up with that?”
A blush slid up Ethan’s neck. “Nothing. They’re our allies. That’s all.”
“Sure it is,” Connor said.
Ethan swore and turned his back on Connor.
FOUR
BRYN HAD BEEN RIGHT about Ansel’s quarters. They weren’t so much a cell as a sparsely furnished bedroom. Though from looking at Ansel, you’d have thought he was back in the Keepers’ dungeon. He was curled up in the window seat, head pressing against the glass.
In the distance you could see the sea lapping at the shore, but the idyllic setting had no effect on Ansel’s blank stare. I could see now why the Searchers posted outside the door were so relaxed. Their ward seemed to have no interest in escaping, and even if he did escape, he had the strength of a wet noodle. My bones ached as I watched him. Why did it have to be Ansel who suffered?
Bryn sat next to him, stroking his hair. I was surprised to see Tess sitting on the opposite side of Ansel, a plate of oatmeal cookies in her lap. As they sat opposite each other, Tess looked almost like Bryn’s older sister. Tightly curled ringlets crowned each of their heads; Bryn’s bronze locks glinted in the sun while Tess’s blue-black curls took on an almost violet hue. The former Haldis Reaper turned mother-like caretaker of my little brother watched Ansel with a kind but worried expression. Mason stood near her, munching on a cookie. Nev and Sabine were a short distance apart, speaking to each other in soft tones.
Nev saw us first. His mouth opened and closed, but rather than speak, he jerked his chin at Sabine. She turned. And hissed when she saw Ren.
“You.”
Ren didn’t move when she flew at him. Her fists pounded his chest. “How could you?! How could you let that happen to us?!”
With considerable effort Nev pried Sabine off Ren. She struggled before turning to bury her head in Nev’s shoulder, sobbing.
“Sorry, man,” Nev said, stroking Sabine’s ebony hair.
Ren shook his head. “I deserve it.”
I couldn’t decide if I agreed with him or not. When Nev and Sabine had left the Bane pack, Ren stayed behind. He was their alpha. His duty was to lead and protect them, but he’d thrown his lot in with Dax, Cosette, and my old packmate, Fey. Their betrayal stung. Did Sabine blame Ren for how she’d suffered? Did she think it was his fault Dax and Cosette were still with the Keepers?
Bryn didn’t leave Ansel’s side, but she gaped at us. “Oh my God. Ren.”
Mason hesitated before coming to Ren and catching him in a quick hug. “Good to see you, man. In one piece and such.”
“You too, Mason.”
“How?” Sabine sniffled, still clinging to Nev. “How is it that you’re here? I thought you left us.”
Ren looked at the floor. I had to help him. Even if I still felt uneasy about why Ren had briefly chosen the Keepers over us, he was here now and we needed him. A broken, grieving alpha was no good to our cause.
“He was manipulated,” I said, and he smiled weakly, keeping his eyes downcast. “Ren is here because he has a sister who wanted to save him.”
“That’s where we’re going?”
She nodded. “Mürren, Switzerland. At dawn. We’ll send in the decoys first. The cave is here. We’ll draw the Guardians away from the entrance and then send in the stealth team.”
“You up for early morning bear baiting, Pascal?” Connor laughed.
For the first time Pascal cracked a smile. “Of course, mon frère. It’s what we do best.”
“Huh?” I frowned at Connor.
Connor cocked his head at me, then his eyes went wide. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Oh, man.” Shay glanced from me to Ren. “The other Guardians are bears?”
“What?!” Ren and I exclaimed in unison. I looked at him. The other alpha’s face mirrored the shock I felt.
“Just the Guardians of Tordis,” Silas replied. “You really didn’t know about the other Guardian forms?”
My skin felt too tight. I wanted to shift and bolt from the room.
Ren managed an answer. “No. We didn’t.”
“Was that bear that attacked me when we met a Guardian?” Shay asked me.
“No,” I said, still shaken. “That was just a grizzly.”
Not once in my life had I considered the idea that other forms of Guardians might exist. Our wolf packs were closely knit. We were proud of our ferocity and of our skill as warriors. The Keepers made us feel like we’d been chosen. That we alone could serve them in the war. More lies.
Ren threw me a puzzled glance. “You saved him from a bear?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I folded my arms across my chest. “I want to know more about these other Guardians.”
Silas puffed up. “It’s quite genius, actually. Keepers created Guardians naturally suited to each environment they would protect. Wolves in Colorado. Bears in Switzerland.”
A stocky, dark-haired Searcher from a team I hadn’t been introduced to smiled grimly. “Y las yaguares en Tulúm.”
“Sí. Las yaguares.” Silas shuddered. “La muerte en las sombras.”
I didn’t speak Spanish, but I knew he was describing another type of Guardian. My stomach twisted. I’d always felt that we were special somehow. Even if we were servants, I’d felt a sense of privilege of lives marked by exception. Now it turned out that we were just convenient.
The shock of learning wolves weren’t the only Guardians created by Keepers wasn’t the only thing gnawing at me. Everything about this scenario—the strategizing, the strike teams. Haldis Tactical was the place where Searchers planned their attacks. Where they’d planned their attacks on Vail. I didn’t have any doubts about whose side we should be on, but I wondered if I would ever feel at ease here.
Silas was still talking. “It would be the perfect system, except for the—”
“If you call them a sin against nature again, I will end you.” Ethan’s hand was on his dagger’s hilt.
“Look who’s a born-again Guardian evangelist now.” Connor laughed. “What’s up with that?”
A blush slid up Ethan’s neck. “Nothing. They’re our allies. That’s all.”
“Sure it is,” Connor said.
Ethan swore and turned his back on Connor.
FOUR
BRYN HAD BEEN RIGHT about Ansel’s quarters. They weren’t so much a cell as a sparsely furnished bedroom. Though from looking at Ansel, you’d have thought he was back in the Keepers’ dungeon. He was curled up in the window seat, head pressing against the glass.
In the distance you could see the sea lapping at the shore, but the idyllic setting had no effect on Ansel’s blank stare. I could see now why the Searchers posted outside the door were so relaxed. Their ward seemed to have no interest in escaping, and even if he did escape, he had the strength of a wet noodle. My bones ached as I watched him. Why did it have to be Ansel who suffered?
Bryn sat next to him, stroking his hair. I was surprised to see Tess sitting on the opposite side of Ansel, a plate of oatmeal cookies in her lap. As they sat opposite each other, Tess looked almost like Bryn’s older sister. Tightly curled ringlets crowned each of their heads; Bryn’s bronze locks glinted in the sun while Tess’s blue-black curls took on an almost violet hue. The former Haldis Reaper turned mother-like caretaker of my little brother watched Ansel with a kind but worried expression. Mason stood near her, munching on a cookie. Nev and Sabine were a short distance apart, speaking to each other in soft tones.
Nev saw us first. His mouth opened and closed, but rather than speak, he jerked his chin at Sabine. She turned. And hissed when she saw Ren.
“You.”
Ren didn’t move when she flew at him. Her fists pounded his chest. “How could you?! How could you let that happen to us?!”
With considerable effort Nev pried Sabine off Ren. She struggled before turning to bury her head in Nev’s shoulder, sobbing.
“Sorry, man,” Nev said, stroking Sabine’s ebony hair.
Ren shook his head. “I deserve it.”
I couldn’t decide if I agreed with him or not. When Nev and Sabine had left the Bane pack, Ren stayed behind. He was their alpha. His duty was to lead and protect them, but he’d thrown his lot in with Dax, Cosette, and my old packmate, Fey. Their betrayal stung. Did Sabine blame Ren for how she’d suffered? Did she think it was his fault Dax and Cosette were still with the Keepers?
Bryn didn’t leave Ansel’s side, but she gaped at us. “Oh my God. Ren.”
Mason hesitated before coming to Ren and catching him in a quick hug. “Good to see you, man. In one piece and such.”
“You too, Mason.”
“How?” Sabine sniffled, still clinging to Nev. “How is it that you’re here? I thought you left us.”
Ren looked at the floor. I had to help him. Even if I still felt uneasy about why Ren had briefly chosen the Keepers over us, he was here now and we needed him. A broken, grieving alpha was no good to our cause.
“He was manipulated,” I said, and he smiled weakly, keeping his eyes downcast. “Ren is here because he has a sister who wanted to save him.”
