AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Now, get every available soldier, guard, fighter, whatever that we have. If they aren’t currently on shift protecting our guests, I want them gearing up to storm Conii’s compound. It’s time to end this.”
AMBER
“I want to go with you.”
From the way Ryrik suddenly tensed up, I already knew what he was going to say. “Amber,” he started.
I cut him off before he could argue. “You guys still don’t know your way around the compound. I do. Besides, you guys aren’t the only ones rearing for a fight. Conii has Isa, and I am not leaving her with those monsters any longer.”
It had weighed on my mind to no end that I had probably been so close to Isa the last time I was there. And yet, there was nothing I could do. I had to leave her there in order to get the information back to the Vinduthi. Not this time.
A war of emotion raged on Ryrik’s face. I stood my ground, not showing any signs of weakness. Not giving him an excuse to leave me behind.
Finally, he let out a resigned sigh. “If Draven approves, you can come with me.”
I relaxed a little. “Thank you.”
Ryrik grunted, and we walked back to where the others were gearing up. “I’m more than likely taking you with me into imminent danger, I don’t see how that could be anything good.”
“You’re trusting me enough to help you. And you’re giving me the opportunity to take back a little of what Conii stole. That’s no small thing to me.” I made sure to look at him so he knew just how much it meant to me.
He glanced at me and then quickly focused his attention forward again. “Right. Of course,” he said a little too quickly.
I looked away from him but I couldn’t help the small blush that spread across my face. It was nice to see him a bit flustered now and then. Especially since I had been the one to do it.
Draven and every available fighter he could muster had gathered in the large arena normally used for boxing matches at the casino. The room buzzed with restless tension. Everyone there had either dealt with Conii before or had recently been screwed over by her.
And now, they wanted blood.
We walked up to where Draven and the rest of his inner circle had already gathered. For a moment, I was surprised to see Alkard and what must have been his own inner circle there as well. The boss of the Grimfangs had always seemed more of a legend than a real person, his cold eyes sweeping the room.
But now the looks on his men's faces made me wonder if they had their own history with Conii to settle.
Draven glanced up at Ryrik and then shot a questioning look in my direction. Ryrik jutted out his chin. “She’s coming with us.”
I stood straighter and lifted my chin as well. I would show them that I was just as needed here as anyone else.
Draven seemed to ponder this revelation for a moment before nodding once. “Very well then. I assume you’ll be acting as our guide once we break into the compound?”
“Long before that,” I said, taking the initiative and stepping up to join the circle. “Conii has Quilthar stationed all over her district. If an alarm goes off, they’re all going to catch onto us. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“What do you suggest?” one of the Vinduthi, Thelev, I was almost certain, asked.
I began to lay out the guard stations, routines, and important locations, and let the Vinduthi build a plan from there. As I spoke, I glanced at Ryrik a couple of times. Every time, his eyes shone with pride.
At one point we locked eyes, only briefly, but his approval was obvious. Warmth bloomed inside my chest. It made me feel bolder. Like I really belonged.
Once the plan was set, everyone rushed to prepare to move out. A twinge of fear entered my mind as the full weight of what I was about to be a part of really hit me. Ryrik came up beside me and brushed his hand against mine.
“No matter what happens, I will protect you.”
And just like that, all my doubts and fears vanished. They all seemed small when Ryrik was by my side. I took his hand in mine. “And I will stand with you.”
Ryrik opened his mouth to say something else, but Draven called for everyone to move out. He turned back to me and gave my hand one final squeeze before we joined the others.
The first part of the mission was the trickiest. Our group was too big to sneak past all the patrols. So, we utilized a two-pronged strategy.
For part one of the plan, I went into the busiest section of the part of the ship. My mission was a simple one—start a riot.
