Blood Curse - Red Queen Fan Fiction

Chapter 15

Mare POV

The call to retreat comes just before noon. In the end, I did feel too detached from the battle with merely causing a blackout and blocking the streets below. I want to see Maven suffer and die and yet all I could watch were the storms called by Ella and Tyton, which have calmed a while ago.

I need minutes to release the remaining voltage in my body and still I zap everyone touching me, even Kilorn and our teleporter. But we're urged to haste and can't spare time. I wonder why.

The series of teleports makes me too dizzy to think much and our final destination can't offer quietness either. It's different kind of battlefield, a loud, dim and crowded space underground it would take me while to register. For now I'm glad to take Kilorn's arm.

"Can't someone bleeding help me!" a girl with large headphones, standing to my left, screams. "And the signal down here is fucking awful as well!" She's quite tiny despite her strong voice. Another woman runs to her through the ruckus, many of them new arrivals like Kilorn and me.

"Grace Winters!" the woman calls, "I heard you five minutes ago. You can go into a room a little higher up, and I'll find someone to watch and help you, okay?"

Winters gathers her utensils and disappears, still looking very stressed. The other woman sighs and finally, I recognize her. Saraline, Farley's friend from Corvium. I greet her but Saraline has no time to spare. "Barrow! Warren!" she calls. "Good to see you two safe. The premier would like to meet you, he's over there."

So she guides us to a small room, separated from the crowds in the hall. It's barely furnished and debris lies in the corners. Davidson is there with General Akkadi and two other persons, likely Guard members, and they talk fervently. Before he so much as glances at us, Saraline is already gone, occupied by new tasks.

Davidson clears his throat and turns to the young man in front of him. "Your companion didn't arrive as planned," he says. "You haven't heard from her either?"

The young man hesitates. "No, sir," he says quietly.

"Calore's team reported back," Akkadi says. "They found no one in the royal apartments. No bodies, hardly any blood."

My eyes widen. Curiosity takes the better of me and I can't wait to hear more of this topic. A part of me wishes I'd been in that team.

The Guard operative becomes even gloomier. "You recommended her for this task, Operative Ives," Akkadi adds.

"And I still vouch for her loyalty to us, ma'am, sir," Ives retorts. "I'll hear from her sooner or later, if she's alive." He looks to the fourth person in the room, a woman of my age with brown hair, light skin. Her arms are crossed in defiance. "Unless you have a general suspicion against Silvers in your ranks," he mutters and rises from his chair. His bitterness isn't going to improve the situation but I can't say I wouldn't feel the same. He meets my eyes at the door and for a moment, his expression changes to respect. He must be Cal's age but with rather small built and warm brown skin, hair and eyes. Like Davidson, he has an Asian appearance.

"Hope, are you coming?" he calls to the woman in the back. She steps out of her shadowy corner but stays scowling. Unlike Ives, she's Silver and now she walks straight to Davidson.

"Sir, we'll take care of the safe conduct of the refugees crossing here now," she says. "But what will you do for them? You agreed with Anabel to destroy their homes." Her whole appearance is a challenge, a demand. It's not an unfamiliar behaviour for Silvers who learn posturing from birth.

"Operative Lerolan, we have them in mind," Davidson replies. "Thank you for your concern."

Lerolan nods.