Kail was furious at Foghorn for letting her come. Selestia looked back at him and smiled. She held her gun up high and continued to fire randomly in the guard’s direction. He was too frustrated to speak, so he didn’t. He just watched as the crew fought. Why Selestia? Why?
Though the question was asked only in his mind, his face asked the question all the clearer. “I couldn’t sit helplessly and wait to hear what had become of you,” she answered.
Kail decided that a mask like Keiran’s was a good idea. Hide his emotion. Hide what he was thinking.
“The Algathians should be in position by now,” Kail said completely ignoring his anger. “We should pull back.”
“And what about Takeo,” Foghorn asked pointing at the battle ahead.
Kail was now even more impressed with Pendola. He had managed to fend off a Nocturnal. Unbelievable. “He’s held Pendola here long enough. Bring him back.”
Calls for him to retreat were shouted from all three teams in the square. Nothing seemed to get his attention. He was too entrenched in the battle.
“We have to go now,” Kail yelled. “Their forces may be split now, but once they regroup, we are all going to die.”
Everyone knew what this order meant. It meant Takeo would be left behind. It meant Takeo versus all of the guards and Hawks in the area. It meant leaving him to die.
Keiran shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was going to say what he was going to say. “I’ll get the mummy.”
Before anyone had time to argue, Keiran leapt over the barrier that had shielded them and ran toward the side wall. He would have been an easier target if the Hawks weren’t distracted by the cover fire he was receiving from all three teams. His muscles ached. He was still stiff for being in that box for so long, and could feel it affecting his stride. He felt the rush of a bullet whiz over his shoulder. It hit the tip of an arrow inside a crossbow that was aimed straight for him. The shot had come from McMillan who was down on his level, after retrieving his gun.
Keiran knew that Tusk wanted Pendola for himself, but he figured that risking Takeo’s life wasn’t worth his ambition. He aimed as he ran. He and McMillan were instantly engulfed in a cloud of smoke.
It was a dense vapour consisting of liquefied spices. It was the Empire’s way of temporarily incapacitating the vision of everyone in an area. But where did the vapor come from?
Kail and the rest of the crew were far enough back to avoid the cloud, but it was too thick to see through. Kail looked to Terrence who shook his head. “It’s not a weapon I’ve ever seen before.”
“It smells like garlic,” Foghorn said sniffing the air. “That must be torture on the eyes.”
Takeo didn’t move. His eyes were affected as a normal human’s. He had trouble opening them, and even when he could, the tears combined with the mist were too much to see through. He felt a prick in his neck. It didn’t hurt much but his energy started to fade. A second prick just beside it dropped him to a knee. By the time the third hit he was already unconscious.
Four hooded wearing goggles quickly covered Takeo with a metal net. They tied it around his limp body and began to drag him to the north door. The smoke dissipated and only then could the crew see their actions.
