Rage of Vendetta (The Vendetta Series #2)

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

At dawn, the others arrive. Sasha is the first to reach us, fresh as a daisy while I still have hay sticking to some hard-to-reach places.

“It’s so great to see you guys!” she exclaims, tackling me in a hug. 

I stumble back from her force. Before I can even make a confused reply, she lets go and leaps down onto the sand, knocking aside some of the pebbles Jesse had tediously set.

"Sash, watch it," he chides, pushing her aside lightly and reassembling the pebbles. “This took way too long, and it is not getting messed up.”

Courtney and Vee approach, the former with her nose crunched. "What is it?"

"A path," I reply proudly. "One we've ensured to be—"

"Oh, excuse me," Jesse interrupts, holding up a finger. Hours going at this has made him huffy. "We've ensured?"

I roll my eyes at him as Eric, who’s taken a seat on the ledge beside me, snorts.

"A path Jesse's ensured,” I correct, “to be completely clear of obelisks, so no Nephilum can go bye-bye today and blame it on us."

“But why?” Courtney asks plainly.

“I… just… said…” I reply, unsure to what’s being questioned.

Courtney sighs. “No, I mean, why go through the effort? Why didn’t you just create a thin energy shield over the entire beach? It would probably last a day or two if no one tried to smash it.”

I stare at her for a good moment before my hand twitches. I have to resist the urge to face-palm while Jesse makes the noise of a dying seal. He turns his accusing expression on me, and I smile weakly.

“You didn’t think of it either,” I remind him before he can burst. “Now get off the beach. You too, Sasha.”

While Sasha primly clambers back up onto the grassy field, Jesse practically has steam blowing out his ears. Once they’re off, I splay a palm in front of me, and it takes less than a second for a shiny, gold film to settle on top of the sand.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

I whip my head back, heart thudding in fright. Valencia has teleported herself and four other Nephilum behind us.

“A warning would be nice next time!”

“Maybe you just need to work on your slow reflexes,” she shoots back. “Now why is there an energy tarpaulin over the sand?”

“There might still be some obelisks,” I answer. “You’ll have to tell Cyreel to clear them once the shield fades.”

There’s a loud, sardonic laugh from the woman next to Valencia. It’s the one with the spirit-controlling ability, her crimson lips being the first thing that jumps out at me. I wonder if that’s the first thing people notice about me too.

It’s loud for an ability that’s hardly used.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” a man behind the red-lipped woman mutters. He turns his head to ask Valencia a question, and then the Nephilum are talking amongst themselves about battle techniques.

“Don’t tell me that’s the boat we’re using.” 

Courtney’s disdainful voice turns everyone’s attention towards the horizon, where a boat barely better than the dinghy we got here in is being motored towards us.