Hidden Enemies | The Prime Archives #2 ✓

five

Emily found herself hanging onto every single word Calypso spoke. If the woman had asked her to jump off a cliff, she would've found the nearest ditch and dove in headfirst.

And she had no idea why.

Her body had begun to feel like someone had wrapped a warm, weighted blanket around her. She could almost smell it too. It smelled like jasmine and tea—things that reminded her of home. A satisfied sigh left her lips as she stared dreamily at the beautiful woman ahead of her.

In the depths of her mind, she knew something was wrong. But she couldn't push behind that dull, aching thought. It was as if the connection between her brain and body had been severed.

Calypso was to blame. She had to be. Emily just wasn't sure how.

"Mustafa," Calypso said, her voice sounding softer than the clouds in the sky. "Please, close the case and put it back in your truck. This area doesn't look safe enough for us to continue." She cast Emily a dirty look.

Sandstorm straightened his posture and nodded obediently. Emily watched him as he closed the case full of stolen artifacts and loaded it into the pickup truck. As he did so, she noticed his dark eyes—which were no longer being shielded by his sunglasses—were glazed over. In fact, his movements had turned robotic and stiff as soon as Calypso spoke to him.

Emily's eyes widened.

She's a Prime.

That had to be it. How else would she be able to control people with just a few words.

Blinking a few times, Emily felt the groggy feeling that had swallowed her begin to wear off. She faced Lucky, who was still working on keeping the crowd behind them at bay.

"Field," she managed to get out. Her throat felt tighter than usual. She figured it was due to whatever Calypso's ability had done to her.

Lucky glanced at her over his shoulder. He immediately arched an eyebrow at her after seeing Mustafa climb into the pickup truck. "What're you doing?" He turned away from the crowd and approached her. "They're getting away."

Emily tried moving, but her muscles still wouldn't respond to her internal commands. Groaning in irritation, she gestured at Calypso with her chin. "She's...she's got me under some kind of spell. Call the others and make sure she doesn't escape."

Lucky nodded and turned his attentions to their targets. "Hey, stop right th—"

"Stay where you are," Calypso ordered, her sultry voice more commanding than before. She narrowed her emerald eyes, which seemed to be sparkling with power, at him.

Lucky furrowed his brows at her but followed her command. "What the? I can't...I can't move!"

Oh no.

Emily grit her teeth. Great. Now they both were stuck under the woman's control and the rest of their team had no idea.

Calpyso grinned at the two frozen Primes. The crowd behind them murmured in confusion as they kept their distance. The woman ignored them as she joined Sandstorm in his truck. "It was nice meeting you, but I'm afraid we have to go." She turned to her partner and he started the vehicle.

Straining her neck, Emily tried to reach for her bow on the ground. She still had no control over her body, though. Lucky didn't seem to be faring any better.

Fortunately, one of their other teammates had been lurking nearby.

Danai swooped down from the air like a bird attacking its prey. A cloud of sand and dust rose into the air as her silver braids settled on her shoulders. She looked around with a concern expression.