The Uprising (Book #3 in The Inception Trilogy)

chapter thirty

(sorry this is late, I sort of had to graduate high school... and my birthday is today--may 30--so I've been a little swamped lmao. this is such a shitty chapter, I'm sorry. I'll try to post again tomorrow. love you all xx)

CHAPTER THIRTY

NICOLA GLANCES OVER HER shoulder when she hears footsteps approaching. Harry gives her a disgruntled look that she acts like she didn't see.

"You were eight minutes off," she remarks.

Harry doesn't reply as he chews his bottom lip, staring over the edge of the gate. He can see Nicola's crowd of men gathered and ready, armed to the teeth, but that doesn't comfort him. He's never satisfied before a fight. He never lets himself get hopeful because once you get hopeful, it all comes crashing down. He'd rather stay grim and suspicious as opposed to jinx their chances.

"Our odds?"

Harry really wishes she didn't try to make conversation.

He sighs and remains friendly. "About like they always are: hard to tell."

"Hmm. I sense you aren't telling me everything."

"How many men do you have?"

"Down at the gate alone there's fifty."

Harry snorts. "I hope they're tough."

She cuts her harsh glare to him. "Tougher than they look. I don't allow cowards into my ranks."

"Cowardice has nothing to do with strength," he says, shrugging indifferently.

She humphs, clearly in disagreement but doesn't bother to argue. "Can you tell how many there are? I heard them saying you're some sort of miracle."

Harry scoffs are that. "A monstrosity more like. But I do have better senses." He turns to walk off, then says over his shoulder, "There's going to be two waves. The first will be a piece of cake, but I suggest your men stay humble. The second is going to be a group they've never dealt with before."

She blinks. "What do you mean by that?"

He doesn't have time to explain, so he simply shouts, "The worst of the worst!"

He has somewhere to be, after all. She'll understand what he means soon enough when she sees the deformities stagger into view.

In the meantime, he's piecing together what's really happening here. Yes, partly a rescue mission like Micah suspects, but it's much more than that. Besides, there's more than one hostage being held at this camp. The doctor isn't the only prisoner with allies.

He needs to see Wolf.

***

Wolf smirks despite how terrible he looks. With a busted eye that's taking longer to heal due to the lack of food he's been given and dried blood staining parts of his body, he looks two seconds from collapsing. It's obvious Leo's men have been enjoying the torturing stage. After all, Harry understands they have aggressions to let out on this man, who's taken so much from so many people. Still, the sight of him makes Harry cringe in pity.

He knows the horrors of torture far too well.

"I knew this would happen," Wolf says smugly. "You need my help, don't you?"

Harry grits his teeth. "I need you to call them off."

Wolf barks a horse laugh.

"I'll free you in return. But you have to call them off first."

"Not gonna happen," Wolf replies with a chuckle, hoisting himself up onto his feet. He grips the bars of his cell, which are wrapped with barbed wire. "I'd rather rot in here than spare all of the pathetic lives in this putrid camp."