The Fourteen

Chapter 21: A Friend with a Tale

       "Put it away, Solway's here," my soul forewarned.

"Danver Solway?"

"No his son. Put the book away, get out and say hi. He's asking Boe where you are."

She needn't say any more. Promptly, the journal was stuffed back inside its hiding spot. Calling back my soul with a blink, I walked into the main room. Sure enough, Danny's rebel crew had joined the Imperials'.

"You might not trust us, but believe me when I say; all of you need to get out of here. Soon." My approach was cut short by Danny's words.

Had I heard that correctly? I shook my head. Perhaps it was the journal rubbing off on to me. I seated myself between Boe and Soren, a neutral expression on my face.

Danny kept talking, "I can't tell you the specifics, but you'll know soon. Something big happened today, and it has nothing to do with your little escapade. Whatever you need done, we can do it for you. Please trust me when I say, I will help you."

"Sorry, but this raises all kinds of red flags for me. Suddenly, you go subterfuge on your Dad? Not possible. Probably another rebel trick." Boe replied.

My packmate only stopped when I nudged him, rather hard. Apparently, that made me eligible for conversation.

"What do you think Mae?" Hue prompted me.

I didn't say anything at first, as I intently stared at the ground, formulating my words. Boe did have a valid point; this could be a trap. Instinct told me to never place my faith in the rebels. It told me to reject the offer and Danny's kind persona.

But what stopped me from immediately rejecting Danny's words, was the journal. That book alone, fought against my gut feeling.

"Prove it." I challenged the rebels; their confusion drove my words, "Prove that this isn't a scam. Prove you've actually had a change in heart."

"Fine." Danny threw his hands up, "But I've never had a change in heart. This is how I always was. This is what am."

A dramatic exit followed. I knew that Danny would take that challenge. Now, it was a matter of how he delivered.

"You do know what this means right?" I addressed the group. "We've got weapons, the code for the elevator, a general layout of the compound, and insurgents on our side. It's time we get serious."

"What's the code? Where are we getting the key card?" Shelly rapidly fired the questions.

"The code is with Neo and Brooke. As for the card, leave it to me."

In affirmation, my Alpha nodded her head. For the card, I had every intention on borrowing it from my mercenary ally. Contacting him would prove difficult. No matter, I would deal with it.

~~*~~

We had a few rough ideas bouncing around, when the sliding door opened again. All eyes locked onto the battered figure. Collectively, we drew in a sharp breath as his eye's met ours.

Fingers cracked and bloody, hair coated with sweat and mud, Dexter's face sullenly met the crowd. He collapsed where he stood, unable to hold himself on his marred and worn legs. Red splotches tainted his shirt and flesh.

My eyes narrowed to slits. His skin and clothes bore the telltale signs of torture. Despite his impromptu escape, my heart went out to him. The rebels had run him down and taught him a very gruesome lesson.

A shrill shriek of terror brought me out of my moment of fury. Astrid bolted to our fallen ally, checking him for any fatal injuries. Cursing my lack of intuition, I quickly joined her. Together, our shayman abilities had staved off some of his trauma. But there was still a lot left for us to do.