Page 47 of Shadow Weaver
The knights had to intercept the fomorians and get Harmon and Venerick back.
Hyde entered the room a moment later. His expression was grim. “The knights have done a sweep. No sign of the raiders or our missing people.” He took a deep breath. “Henrich has issued new orders. We’ll be tightening security here at barracks six and into sector three. All second years will be reallocated to new positions. First years will be manning barracks three and four under my supervision. The tunnels there will be shut down soon, so they won’t be considered a red zone any longer.”
Wait. “What about Harmon and Venerick? They’ve taken them beyond the mist, so we need to go after them. We need to get them back.”
“No one is going beyond the mist,” Hyde snapped. “We have our orders.”
“But—”
“Justice!” His eyes blazed with wrath.
I snapped my mouth closed, impotent rage simmering in my veins.
I looked over at Brady for support, but the hulking ogre-tainted’s expression was neutral, his attention on Hyde. He was a cadet following orders. But it sounded like they’d given up on Harmon and Venerick. This was wrong.
“Has this happened before?” Aidan asked. “Knights being taken?”
Hyde’s jaw ticked. “No. This is new. And we will figure it out. We always do. In the meantime, everyone must play their part. Brady, your troop will man this barracks. I’ll send the others to you once I get back to four. Henrich will send further instruction via radio shortly.” His gaze fell on me. “First years, grab your weapons and come with me.”
I looked at Brady, and this time, he met my eyes. He inclined his head and mouthed,You got this.
I grabbed my holster and weapon and followed Hyde from the room.
* * *
Thomas sat on his bunk,head bowed, hands clasped. “I should have gone. I should have gone with you.”
I took the spot beside him. “It was chaos. Your being there may not have made a difference.”
“Yes, it would have.” He looked up at me fiercely. “I always have Harmon in my sights. I always know where he is. I would have seen. I would have stopped them from taking him.” His eyes filled with tears, and he squeezed them tight and then wiped his sleeve across them. “Fuck it. We can’t just sit here doing nothing. We need to be out there looking.”
“The knights are on it. They’re not about to let fomorians get away with taking our people.”
But even as I said the words, I heard the lack of conviction in my tone. They’d done a sweep. They’d come up empty. Hours had passed, and the chance of finding them on this side of the mist was dropping fast. We needed to go beyond, but that wasn’t happening. So … What now? My throat tightened. I’d lost Minnie and found Harmon, and now he’d been taken, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Thomas shook his head. “Who am I kidding? They probably took tunnels back through the mist back to their side. Tunnels we haven’t found yet. We’re fucked. They can come and go as they please.”
I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him in for a sideways hug. “Not for long. They’re gonna blow the tunnels. They have an expert coming in. It’s all connected down there, and the knights are going to shut it down.”
He looked up at me with glittering eyes. “And what if Harmon’s down there? Eh? What if they have him down there when they blow it up?”
My chest tightened in apprehension. Fuck. “I need to speak to Hyde.”
* * *
I foundHyde in the watchtower staring out into the mist.
“Lloyd’s troop is fixing the AM posts,” he said. “First years will stick to a tight perimeter for the next few days.”
“What if Venerick and Harmon are being held in the tunnels?”
Hyde tucked in his chin. “Then it would be unfortunate.”
Anger and apprehension mingled to make my chest burn. “What? That’s it?” How could he be so cold about this? “Those are our people. Harmon is my friend.”
He turned to me, his mouth a grim line. “And Venerick is mine. This is war, Justice. The lives of a few to save the many. It’s always been this way. Venerick understands this.”
“And what about Harmon?” I stepped closer, my hands balled into fists. “Did anyone tell him that he’d be abandoned? Huh? This is wrong, and you know it.” I glanced down at his leg. “I can’t believe you of all people could be okay with this decision. After what they did to you?”
