Page 73 of Shadow Warrior
“No. You’re wrong. He’s still Harmon. I can see it in his eyes. He knows who he is and what’s happened to him.”
And he wanted to die.
I stepped closer to the containment chamber. “They’re going to fix you, Harmon. You just need to hang in there.”
Harmon lunged at the port. “Kill me.” He slammed his fist against the metal, and the sound echoed around the chamber, blasting out of the intercom. “Kill. Kill. Kill.” He hammered his fist against the walls.
Henrich turned off the intercom, and the lights in the pod died. “He’ll calm in a few minutes. We’ve discovered that the darkness soothes him.”
“You have to help him.”
“We’ve tried everything,” Henrich said. “The head weaver has been working around the clock to find a way to reverse what they did. Right now, she’s back at headquarters in their high-tech lab working on a solution.”
“So, there’s hope.”
“Tenuous hope. But I’m not one to give up on my men.”
I looked across at him in surprise. He wasn’t an ass like I’d thought.
He smiled as he caught my look. “It’s not an easy task being Shadow Master,” he said. “The decisions I make aren’t always popular, but I never make them in haste. I’m responsible not only for my knights’ physical welfare but also their mental health. I’m responsible for making sure the men I put on the front lines are strong enough in both mind and body to protect this world.” He tapped something on his tunic, a black metallic disc. A badge. There was an emblem on it, a raven wreathed in tendrils of smoke. “This tiny badge carries the weight of the world. The Shadow Master disc handed down from one Master to another. It means leadership, it means using your head, not your heart, and it’s not something everyone is able to do. But you … I think you might be able to. One day.”
I’d been thinking with my emotions. With my heart and not my head. I guess a Shadow Master didn’t have that option.
Henrich looked at Harmon. “They did this to Mr. Black, and goodness knows what’s become of Venrick. We have no clue what’s coming, what their plan is, or when they’ll attack. But we must assume it has something to do with gene manipulation. That they may be wanting to attack us on a biochemical level.”
“How do we fight that?”
“Winterlock Enterprises is working on modifying the mist to detect foreign agents in case the attack is airborne, and the weavers are working with the Nightwatch scientists to create a vaccine to prevent knights from being genetically tampered with.”
“And if they attack in the meantime?”
Henrich was silent.
Fuck.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “All we can do is gather our best men”—he smiled—“and women, and defend our borders from any threat we can see.”
“And the tunnels.”
“We’re in the process of manually blocking those off. But knights are guarding the entrances as we speak.”
I’d misjudged him. Assumed things. “I’m sorry. I didn’t understand.”
“You’re not expected to understand, Justice. You’re expected to follow orders.” He sobered. “But I suspect that’s something you’ll need to work on.”
“Can I come see him again?”
Henrich sighed, then nodded. “Get through your trials. If you make it as a knight, I’ll give you access to the dungeons. I ask only one favor. Keep this to yourself until after the trials. Can you do that?”
Keeping a secret from Brady, from Hyde, from the guys felt wrong, but that feeling was one that came from my heart and not from my head. My head told me one day wouldn’t make a difference. My head told me telling them about Harmon, about the possible magnitude of the threat, would serve no purpose but to throw them off their game.
“Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut until after the trials.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’ll be back, Harmon.”
With a final look at the unit, I allowed Henrich to lead me from the room.
I had a trial to complete.
