Page 99 of Only Cold Depths
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.
PART THREE
RESCUES
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
VESPER
“Thirteendead,andmorethan three dozen injured,” Aldrich growled. “The estate’s defensive shield is still down, and Esmina, Pollux, Leland, and the mercenaries have vanished.”
He tossed a tablet down onto his desk and started pacing back and forth, his wing tips snapping out a quick, furious rhythm. Verona stood nearby, her hands clasped together, her gaze never leaving her husband.
Siya and Rigel were also in the library, standing stiffly at attention in front of the lord’s desk, while Beatrice and Wendell were sitting in chairs off to the side. Zane was leaning a shoulder against the wall, while Asterin was lurking a few feet away from him. I was cloistered in the corner all alone.
