Darkness Rising

CHAPTER [ 26 ] OVERWHELMING FORCE

The tension in the limo was palpable. Lenore was squeezed between Patrick and Camila; pressed shoulder to shoulder with them.

She had a good view of her Uncle. His expression was relaxed, arms stretched along the back of the seat, shoulders slack, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Gods, did he think they were going out for a midnight stroll?

It made her want to lunge across the small distance and throttle him. Lenore didn't want his indifference. She wanted his suffering and fear like Kaiser promised. He turned to her and had the nerve to smirk; he knew what his presence was doing. Bastard!

"Lenore, behave yourself," Kaiser remarked as he got into the Limo, closing the door behind himself and sliding onto the seat next to her Uncle.

She clenched her jaw tight enough to feel the pain in her molars. The wall between them was sturdy but it seemed that he didn't need that to read her anymore. His gaze slid to her, warm and firm. Lenore snorted before turning her attention to the rolled up paper Kaiser carried in with him.

"What's that?"

"Blueprints." He slapped his palm against the roof of the Limo. In the next moment, the engine rumbled to life and the tires began to turn.

Lenore's stomach began to flutter wildly. She threaded her hands together in her lap, holding tight to herself to contain the nervous energy. Everyone around her was confident and collected. Maybe they weren't worried about what lay ahead; maybe that was the gift of being a fiend and not human. 

 "Everyone pay attention." Kaiser leaned forward and rolled open the blueprints. "Try to memorize this layout the best you can."

The 2D rendition of the main house for the Gillard family was overwhelming. Though the real thing was even more imposing. They might call it a house but it was more like a modern day palace. It was easy to get lost in the labyrinth structure. The only memories Lenore had were simple and short—one she only recently remembered.

Before that, she only recalled entering the main branch house once; on her seventh birthday her Uncle presented her to a group of people. And with the truth revealed, she understood that was him showing off the daughter of a traitor and future offering. It made her stomach twist and sour. This family was beyond disgusting, weighing in on the worth of a child as nothing more than a sacrifice. 

"What are all the red x's for?" Lenore asked, breaking the heavy silence. They were scattered throughout the layout, some areas more congested than others.

"The security detail for this event."

Her eyes grew wider, and she started counting, reaching thirty before Camila knocking into her as they took a corner broke her concentration. Still, that had to be only half from the look of things.

"We're not prepared for that!" Lenore hissed.

Kaiser shifted toward her, a tight smile fixing itself on his handsome face. "I'm a bit insulted. Not only are you underestimating me and my people...you're underestimating yourself."

"...you're all strong but this is the entire fighting force of the Gillard's we're talking about. Can you say we're ready to take that on?"

The limo grew quiet, everyone focused and waiting for Kaiser's response to Lenore's doubts. It's not that she intended to bail on the plan, but her confidence took a big blow when the reality of their situation was revealed.  They were far more outnumbered than she thought they would be. Even with the surprise, in the form of fiends, it might not be enough to turn things in their favor. The outlook for their situation wasn't positive from the beginning but Lenore didn't realize it was this desperate.