Page 44 of The Magic of Eternity
“Now listen—” I started, but was quickly cut off by Ashland.
“No, you listen. We’re here to help. Yes, we have our own agenda, but I can assure you that our end goals are the same. Asrael will be defeated here today. The reason why we do things has nothing to do with you, and quite frankly, it’s none of your business.”
I could hear the challenge in his voice and my hackles raised, though I knew that I didn’t want to piss these guys off, because we really did need them. They were powerful, and not only that, they were from this realm. Their reputation was widespread and it wouldn’t be beneficial to me or my family to push things with them. We didn’t need to get on their bad side. Our purpose today was to eliminate our enemies, not create new ones.
Gritting my teeth, I replied, “Fine. How does it work then?”
“This little canister is enough to saturate the air in a three-acre radius,” Felix boasted, clearly proud of their creation.
I frowned. “And you only have one? We have it on good authority that there are at least ten enclosures, so one can isn’t going to cut it.”
Rhodes waved off my worries. “Leave it to us. We’ll handle it. You know what you need to know, and that isallyou need to know.”
I glanced over at Kai from the corner of my eye and found him giving me a curious look in return. He knew we needed them too; we had to take any help we could get.
Fischer strode back over and reclaimed his seat. “So,” Kai asked, “is she okay? Where are they?”
Fish rubbed his temples. It was clear to see that all of the long distance telepathy was getting to him. “She’s fine. Her, Sloane, and Vaeryn’s dragon army are on the outskirts of the capital, in a little town about five minutes from here, flying. The plan is that they’ll break off into five teams to go free the captive dragons. I told her we want it timed so that they could create a distraction during the execution, and that’s when we’ll strike.”
“That works for us,” Ashland announced, wasting no time pushing himself up on his feet. “We’ll meet them at their current camp. That way, one of us could go with each team, so we can ensure the vapor is set off in the correct way.”
We quickly explained to Fischer about the vapor, since he’d been speaking with Saige when we got what limited information the Exiled had been willing to give up. But still, Fish seemed excited, impressed even about this new development. Maybe even a little bit relieved.
I’m sure he was concerned that we were going to have to utilize his power in order to free people’s minds from Asrael’s hold. He was already struggling, so a task that large would certainly put him out of commission. Still, I knew he would’ve done it, because he would do anything for us.
“What are we going to do with her?” Fish asked, pointing over at the lump on the floor in the corner.
“What do you think we should do?”
“I say we kill her and get it over with. That bitch has been nothing but bad news as long as I’ve known her,” Ashland piped up, and we all looked at him with our mouths open.
“What did you just say?” Kai found his words sooner than the rest of us.
“What? You seriously are surprised that we know who Laurie is?” Felix taunted.
“Honestly, I think there’s not much we should be surprised about anymore,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“You’re probably right about that. They always say to expect the unexpected. But I say fuck the expected and fuck the unexpected, and fuck everyone in the ass, because the only people who matter are you and your circle. Who gives a shit what anybody else does?” Talon held his hands out wide, letting a laugh that bordered on a giggle slip out from behind his gas mask.
Jesus. These guys are fucking nuts.
“We can’t kill her yet,” Balor spoke up, walking over to Laurie’s body and leaning down to make sure she was still breathing. “We may be able to use her to get out of a sticky situation. I’d hate to kill her now and not have her later if we need something.”
“Fine, but I’m tying her up. She has more lives than a cat and I won’t be blindsided by her again,” Fish said, his face stern as he looked around at each one of us, daring anybody to challenge him.
Nobody did, and he walked over to a counter area that had rope sitting on it. He quickly got to work, binding Laurie’s ankles together, along with her wrists. There was a steel pole, likely used as a support beam, running from floor to ceiling. He propped her into a sitting position before wrapping the remainder of the rope around her torso, securing her so that there was little chance that she would be able to escape without help.
I watched Balor as he walked over to one of the windows, pulling the curtain back slightly and taking a peek outside. “Nobody’s out there yet,” he told us.
My shoulders were tense—hell, my entire body was one big knot of tension. I didn’t want to think about seeing Bram, Faris, or Khol up on some executioner’s platform. I didn’t think I could bear it. When Saige had stormed in and taken over my life, showing me a love that I would never have believed possible, I certainly hadn’t expected to gain all of these feelings for the other men as well. I loved each one of them and I would always do everything in my power to keep them all safe.
“Fuck,” Balor cursed. My head whipped up. “They’re bringing the prince out now.”
Kai, Fischer, and I all hurried over to the window to get a peek of Bram. My heart squeezed as I took in the large demon. He was carrying a stack of what looked like blankets. His face was a careful mask, void of emotion. I couldn’t see any visible injuries on him, but that didn’t surprise me. Being royalty had its perks, even if you were being held captive and about to be executed.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Ashland announced, clapping his hands. “We’re going to need to move quickly.”
I dropped the curtain and stepped away. I felt a hand land on my shoulder and I took a deep breath, knowing who it was without looking. “It’s alright, boss.” Kai’s smooth voice calmed me. “This isn’t all on you. We’re in this together.”
