“I don’t love it,” Eleana grumbled as she flew beside me, Axel still flying further ahead as he scouted, while pushing his affinity out to ensure we were shielded from all angles.
“What do you love about secret missions?” I asked as I glanced at the female beside me.
“That’s not fair,” she retorted with a huff. “Mostof your side missions don’t involve breaking into the enemy Quarter the night before we move into action to destroy the very same Quarter.”
“Maybe not,” I confessed. “But nothing will go wrong, I promise.”
Eleana just scoffed from my side.
We flew in silence as we began to follow along the outer edge of The Wall, still far enough away to avoid being detected from the RSG’s surveillance monitors. We were careful to glide along the shadows, ensuring our wings didn’t disturb the sands below us as we moved further and further along The Wall, searching for the indicator for Raelyna’s apartment on the outer edge.
My gaze caught on a lone ribbon flying in the desert night, the silk material reflecting as the moon hit it, and I began toturn toward the marker, thanking the stars I’d given her something to indicate which apartment was hers.
“Be quick about it,” Eleana confirmed, her voice barely audible as we flew toward the singular ribbon floating in the wind like a beacon. I began to veer away as she spoke once again. “It’s supposed to be in and out. You drop off the tools she needs to break her sister out, and you comerightback.”
I nodded as the wind brushed my skin, the cool desert air wrapping around me as I headed closer and closer to her window, leaving my friends off in the distance, monitoring the perimeter in case of any complications.
I knew I didn’t have much time . . . but I didn’t need much. Just enough to ensure Raelyna understood what was coming over the next week. Enough to ensure mystarboundwas safe.
35
CALLUM
1 Day Until Mission
The momentI stepped through the open window, I knew something was wrong. The lights were off in Raelyna’s living room, with only a soft glow coming from her bedroom. Even the stars-damned fox, Loxl, was nowhere in sight.
I pushed out my vitas affinity, feeling for heartbeats as I stopped where I was, not moving until I confirmed the coast was clear.
I’d already given the signal to both Axel and Eleana to proceed with caution as they remained on the outskirts of the desert, just out of range, until I gave the all clear.
I frowned as I scanned the room, only sensing one heartbeat in the apartment, and the starbound mark on my wrist was pulsing with a force that led me to believe Raelyna was the only one here.
Lowering my hand to the pistol on my thigh, my fingers rested on the handle as I moved through the shadows, heading toward her door.
I debated the possibility that a trap might be in place as I stopped before her bedroom door and listened in. Only, I didn’t have any other options. With only one pulse in the apartment, I pushed the door open, confident that I could handle one attacker, should it be an ambush.
The door had barely opened before something flew through the door frame, hitting me firmly in the chest. I stumbled back slightly, a flare of dull pain stemming from beneath my combat vest. Still, I’d already drawn my pistol, weapon raised as I entered the room, eyes assessing as I stepped further into the space.
Another object flew in my direction. This time, I sidestepped the assault, catching a glimpse of pages in my peripheral vision as a book flew past me, landing with athudin the apartment hallway.
I whirled in the direction the object had flown from, gun raised as I caught sight of Raelyna, book raised in hand as she prepared to throw another toward me. I lowered my gun and reholstered it as I took a step forward, then reconsidered as the female raised the book higher in my direction . . .then threw it.
I side-stepped, easily avoiding the volley. “I’ve got to admit,” I spoke lowly as I leveled a stare at her. “Of all the welcomes I was expecting, this was not one of the options.”
She laughed, a kind of harsh sound I despised hearing fall from her lips. “Did you know?”
My brow pinched in confusion as I studied her. “Did I know what?”
“Did you know?” she repeated the question, and a growl of frustration nearly burst from my lips.
“For the love of Aeternus, Raelyna. I’ve got no stars-damned idea what you’re talking about. If you want to be mad at me, throw books at me, go ahead. But at least clue me in to what it is I supposedly know.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stalked toward me, the scent of jasmine rolling off her as she stopped before me, raising her left arm and pointing to a mark.
A golden mark of three interconnected triangles.
Our starbound mark.
