Page 54 of Xerxes Ascendant
“Indeed. I’m sending a task force there tonight to take out the grid.”
There was an expectant silence.
“And...?” Kyle prompted, which made Sinead’s mouth stretch out into a darkly gleeful smile.
“And…none of my men have ever been inside the Rise. But your Master has. I need him to get them where they have to be.”
“So if he draws you a map of the building, you’ll let us go?” Kyle asked dubiously. Even he wasn’t stupid enough to think it wasthateasy.
“No, sweet boy. Epsilon will be accompanying them.”
She wanted Akira to march himself right into Benedict Mackenroth’s own office? By thestars.
“Even without previously visiting the building I’m sure it has not escaped the Carrion’s notice that it isnot attached to the ground,” Akira said scathingly in that tone of his that could rip shreds from misbehaving employees. “The top ten floors of the Rise, in which the mayor’s office is located, are separated by a propulsion field that quite literally levitates it into the sky. Only the mayor and his personal staff have the requisite deactivation access to allow the two parts of the building to be traversed by themselves or their authorised guests, and there are runic security measures all over the controls. The type that turn your brain to liquid if you try to circumvent them.”
Kyle blinked. “But that’s...that’s different to the kind of rune-based security we have at House Epsilon, right? Ours aren’t brain-liquifying.” He frowned when he failed to receive confirmation. “Right?”
Akira raised an eyebrow. “Am I supposed to be agreeing with you?”
“Forget I asked,” Kyle said hurriedly, trying not to snicker at his boss’ murderous sense of humour, and then looked expectantly at Sinead. “Tell me you have a plan that doesn’t involve excruciating death by magic runes.”
She inclined her head down at him in the chair. “The propulsion field can be avoided entirely if one enters the building from the opposite direction.”
“Opposite? From the...top?”
“Precisely. Whoever said you were as dumb as concrete, dear, clearly hasn’t seen that bright mind of yours at work.”
“Diving!” Kyle yelled, blurting out the first word that came to mind to distract Akira from furiously throttling the gang leader and earning them both a bullet through the head. His boyfriend froze, already halfway to his target, and looked back at him in wordless question.
“Your plan is to Dive down onto the surface of Xerxes,” guessed Kyle, tugging fruitlessly on the handcuffs that still bound him to his chair. “Land on the top of this Rise thingy and get to Mackenroth’s office that way, right? But how would you get the Divers high enough?”
“A plane,” Akira offered, looking thoughtful – and thankfully less homicidal now he had his plotting hat on. “Derelict and useless since the other skyborne cities were destroyed, the dock shouldn’t be particularly well-guarded. An organisation like the Carrion could commandeer an aircraft and have it transport Divers onto the surface before the alarm is raised.”
“What clever little bunnies you are,” Sinead cooed. She squeezed up her face in exaggerated cutesiness. “You worked out in seconds what it took my best generals two weeks to devise. If the Coterie do end up kicking you both out, come see Aunty Sinead, won’t you? There’ll always be a job in the Carrion for two pretty boys like you.” The fingernails that had almost pierced Kyle’s eye now traced her gang markings meaningfully, scratching down her cheek.
Kyle swallowed down his immediate impulse to ask how she knew about the inner workings of the secretive Coterie. Both organisations likely had spies within the other, although it was disconcerting to hear the threat to Akira’s Mastery mentioned so casually.
“We’ll do this for you,” he said instead, short and abrupt, “and nothing else. You’ll clear Epsilon’s debt and then you’re done with using him. Do we understand each other?”
Sinead blinked at his forcefulness. Kyle didn’t often channel his dominance into everyday conversation, but this was non-negotiable. She was demanding something incredibly dangerous, and she’d get it...but Kyle would sooner bring down all the stars in the sky than allow a criminal gang to permanently hold a leash around Akira’s neck.
“Not so sweet after all,” Sinead murmured, eyeing Kyle with a newfound wariness.
His boyfriend was less impressed. “We’renot doing anything of the sort,” Akira said icily. “You will not be accompanying me, Kyle Randall. You’re staying on Lower Xerxes where it is safe...safer,” he amended, gratifyingly faltering when Kyle gave him an incredulous stare.
“Nonsense. Where you go, I follow. And that’s all that’s being said on the subject, sweetheart.”
The words were spoken with fondness but Akira must have heard something else in them for he bowed his head, offering reluctant and irritated, but nonetheless willing, submission.
Sinead’s gaze flared with delight as she watched their exchange. “Excellent. I’ll let the team know they have another addition. Someone will be along tonight to collect you when they’re ready to go.”
“Tonight?” Kyle shot her a sharp glance. “It’s only just gone dawn. You can’t expect us to stay here all day!”
“No,” agreed Akira. “We’re leaving.”
The gang leader raised a perfect eyebrow. “Is that what you think?”
“We’ll come back-”
