Fated Insurrection (Book 3)

Chapter 8

"She wasn't look for a
knight. She was looking
for a sword."

~~Atticus

****************

~Nevada~

"I feel kind of like an assassin in an action movie," Nova commented as he finished tying his boots.

I rolled my eyes. "Assassins are quiet, stealthy. You on the other hand…"

"At least I don't stub my toes on invisible nothings," he scowled playfully. "Do you need help with that?"

Huffing out a breath, I glared down at the strap in my hand that belonged to one of the leg holsters August had thrust at us moments ago. I wasn't bad with a sword but the ones we currently had in our possession were a bit too large for me so I had opted for an alternative since August wanted everyone in battle mode. Dark clothing that was easy to move in but not loose enough to snag if we were forced to run; weapons strapped on and the larger ones at least next to us at all times.

"I've already got this twelve inch dagger on my hip," I complained. "Do I really need throwing knives on my legs too?"

"They have more experience than we do so I'm just going with it," Nova replied, taking the tangled holster from my hands and smoothing it out. "Besides, what's the point of learning if we never use it?"

"I don't particularly want to use it," I pointed out, taking the blasted thing back from him and fastening it around my leg. "I'm not a fan of violence."

"You can't smile and hug your way out of everything, sis," he said, standing up and reaching for the katana Robbie had gifted him with. "And unless you want to drain yourself, we can't use magick for everything even if it is easier."

I focused my attention on slipping the smaller blades into the sheath, doing my best to keep my voice nonchalant. 

"I know, I just don't want what I saw at Michael's to come true."

"Just because we can kill everyone doesn't mean that's the only option," Nova reassured me while securing his own sheath across his back. "And we have no idea what it was that you saw. It seems more likely to be some sort of stress induced hallucination combined with the strain of being away from August at the time."

I looked at him skeptically.

"Ok, fine," Nova said with a grin. "If you make sure I don't go all psycho killer on everyone, I promise to do the same."

A smile tugged at my lips, a small flutter of relief bloomed in my chest despite his teasing tone. 

"Deal," I promised.

"Are you two ready?" Robbie asked as he stepped into the room.

Nova and I both nodded, neither of us speaking as we followed him out and down a short hall that I had never bothered to venture further into. Two wide double doors, the wood heavy and stained dark, stood at the end and I watched curiously as Robbie slid them open with familiarity. My eyes widened as we followed him in, trying their best to take in everything at once.

The walls were lined with weapons and shields, a suit of armor on a rack in one corner. There were a few shelves that bracketed the fireplace, books and scrolls of parchment crammed together precariously on the shelves. A large, stone fireplace was set into the back wall, but no flames burned. 

In the center of the room sat a large table,the ancient wood worn and chipped in places as if it had been struck on more than one occasion. A giant map was spread across the surface, the more rolls of parchment littering the edges as if awaiting their turn. Dominic and August stood on one side of the table, brows furrowed as they studied the map. They both looked up as we came in.