Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

32 - Last Will

 

I curled under a tree as Vladimir and Belial discussed about our plan of attack. Luci, Levi and Grigori were huddled in a corner, talking in hushed tones.

We had been on the move for a few hours, not without encountering small squads of sentries. And like the others, they smoldered into ashes before they knew what struck them.

Amyr sat beside me, elbows on his thighs. "They're already dead anyway."

He knew me so well I despised it.

"They don't even do it because they want to," I murmured to my knees. "Those dead people have families too. Defiling corpses and using them like this is just... sick."

"Tell that to Hector," he groaned. "Honestly, I'm not sure how we can through this anymore. Y'know, with just... us."

I looked around. I could see how even Amyr's unlimited supply of optimism ran out. There was just too few of us.

Besides the Elementals-Antoinette the werecat and Louise the fruit bat-there were a few addition to the group such as Kyoshiro and his three familiars, a huge guy with the Santa beard and a pale skinny brunette in tight leather cat suit.

"When the three of you left, Max and Alex spearheaded the attacks. Those two?" He shook his head smiling. "They're the bomb. Literally. With Max's explosives and Alex's brain, we totally wreaked big time havoc in the castle. We got halfway down the dungeons and freed tons of captives. They've sided with us."

He craned his neck westward, towards the direction of the abyss where an ancient monster lurked. "Speaking of which, the old man should be here by now for the briefing." He flexed his neck and stretched a shoulder. "But after Hector's gone to the Grandmaster's side, it's been hard, Noob. They sent too many sentries around the labyrinth. Lots of 'em ended up with the Ethereals." He winced. "But there's like a gazillion of them. One night, they just... caught us outnumbered. Took us by surprise. Captured the Herondales. You should've at least brought Flynn with you."

"Yeah..." I smiled apologetically. "I thought it's going to be hard for him to return to his... old self."

I gave Amyr a briefest version of the story. How I broke my deal with Hector. The escape to Halja. Byron Flynn's transformation. I left out that part about Sathariel's secret though. If Vincent must know the truth, it had to be from Sathariel's mouth.

"Vincent knows, doesn't he?" My eyes strayed deep into the woods. "About Rosario."

In silence, Amyr nodded.

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing." He looked down. "Not a word since."

A twinge of pain awakened in my chest, but before I could wallow in it, Amyr got up patting the dirt off his pants. He shrugged on a leather jacket that very much wanted to be leather armor and offered me a hand.

"He's here," said he, tipping his chin towards an approaching form.

From behind the trees emerged a familiar old man. I remembered him from the castle dungeons when I rescued Vincent. He was the first one to get out of the cell and rally the other prisoners to beat up the sentries pursuing us.

Vladimir and Belial looked up from the diagrams they had drawn on the dirt. Archie motioned at the others to gather into a circle.

"Manu," Vladimir acknowledged the old man. "Are your troops ready?"

Manu's beetle-black eyes glinted as he grinned, revealing a set of mottled teeth. "Jush give de ordersh, Young Mashter. Deesh low-lives have awaited hundreds of yearsh for dish."