The Pyramid Chronicles: Fortuna Guard (#2)

Chapter Thirty: A Deal's a Deal

We're attacking Scorpion tomorrow night.

Eric's announcement replayed again and again in Raveena's mind as she snuck down to the cell block. She'd wanted to bring an end to Claudia's empire for years, and now she had twenty other altered ready to charge into battle with her. It was suddenly all too real.

Raveena might see the woman who'd shot her and left her for dead tomorrow.

She might also see her brother.

Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. She needed rest if she was to be of any use in the attack, but that wasn't possible tonight. The past couple of weeks had been a blur of exhaustion and training and that stupid tower in the Dreamvoid.

Raveena was also unsettled by how strange Eric and the others had been acting when they returned from their last mission. Nervous, shaken, dodging questions. Rumor had it they'd run into some kind of monster in the forest.

They'd faced Scorpion, soldiers, government agents, and an entire lab collapsing on them. How terrible was this creature that it had them so scared?

Malcolm was waiting by the bars of his cell when Raveena entered the cell block. "Ready?" he asked when she reached him.

"I guess," Raveena muttered. She settled into her usual position on the floor. "How much longer is this going to take?"

"We're close to the top. I can feel it." Malcolm's head tipped to the side. "You're attacking Scorpion soon, right?"

Raveena hesitated before answering. "Tomorrow, apparently," she said.

Malcolm smiled. "Good."

"I don't know what you think is going to happen, but they're not going to let you out."

"We'll see," Malcolm said. "I do have a backup plan, though. In case you make the mistake of continuing this war without my help."

Raveena rolled her eyes. "Great. We have enough problems as it is, so yeah, why not add some more?"

Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "Something happen?"

"Stuff's always happening. Eric and the others were pretty freaked out when they came back from their last mission, though."

Raveena mentally reprimanded herself. Why was she still talking? They needed to get started. And though she wasn't exactly handing over valuable information, the less Malcolm knew, the better.

"Interesting," Malcolm murmured. "Well, I think that's enough chit-chat. Let's get into the Dreamvoid."

Right. The sooner this was over with, the better.

Everything began as it usually did. Raveena and Malcolm returned to the last place they'd been in the tower and continued climbing. Raveena was seriously beginning to doubt they'd ever reach the top, but Malcolm continued to insist they were close.

After what felt like ten minutes, Raveena paused for a quick break.

The step she was standing on exploded into flames.

Raveena cried out and stumbled backwards, almost losing her footing on the stairs. Her arms burned. Her hands screamed in pain. It's just a dream, she reminded herself. This isn't real.

Before she could even make an attempt at stopping it, the world crumbled around her. The tower walls faded into darkness. Raveena's eyes fluttered open, and she was on the cell block floor again.

"What are you doing?" Malcolm demanded. He rose from his cot and crossed the cell to the bars. "Why'd you wake up?"

"I didn't do it on purpose—" Raveena gasped as pain flared in her arms. She held them up and found the burns had followed her to the waking world.

"What is this?" She held out her hands for Malcolm to see. A soothing warmth took over as her power kicked in. "You said the Dreamvoid couldn't hurt me in real life!"

"It shouldn't," Malcolm said. He sounded more intrigued than anything else. That just made Raveena angrier. "I'm not sure why—"

"This is ridiculous." Raveena pulled herself to her feet, wincing in pain. Maybe if she'd gotten some decent sleep the past few days, her healing would be working faster. "I'm going."

"You promised you would help me," Malcolm said.

"And you promised I wouldn't get hurt." Raveena didn't dare look back as she stormed out of the cell block.

When she reached her room, she collapsed into bed and buried her face in her pillow. Sleep took her quickly. Real sleep, safe in her own dreaming mind. To her relief, Malcolm was nowhere to be found.

~

The night air was thick with the smell of the sea and the sound of lapping waves. Adam sat on the Fortuna's deck, staring at the harbor lights glowing in the distance. The ship would be staying out on the open water indefinitely, until the altered found a way to kill whatever had attacked Eric in the forest.

Adam's gaze moved down to the phone in his hand. To the number he'd typed out, copied from Wilson West's business card. It was a little late to be calling, but he figured he could leave a voicemail if no one picked up.

Now, he just had to decide if he really wanted to make the call.

He didn't want to hand Willow over to her father. Every part of him screamed that it was wrong.

But working for Scorpion was also wrong. And dangerous. Willow might not have an ability that would interest the Director like Wren did, but she had been kidnapped at one point. Eric and Sam had, too, and now Scorpion was hellbent on capturing them. They might not be planning to let Willow leave at all. What future did she have with them?

It wasn't Adam's business. She could make her own choices.

He traced a thumb along the side of his phone. He could make his own choices, too. Willow was actively working with an organization that was hurting people. She was designing tech and possibly weapons.

Even if she wasn't fully on Scorpion's side, she was still helping them.

The right thing to do was stop her.

With the attack on Scorpion looming, this was starting to feel like now or never. What would happen to Willow after the battle if she insisted on siding with Scorpion? Maybe getting her dad involved would help her in the long run. Even if she hated Adam for it. Even if she hated him forever.

Adam dialed the number and took a deep breath.

"Hello, Mr. West? This is Adam. I have information about where Willow is."