Page 79 of Lost

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Other Aphrodite

“You’re sure that this is the right field?” Stark asked Aphrodite.

“Positive.”

“And this is the only flatbed you saw with hay bales?”

“This flatbed is the one I saw during my vision. I was inside that middle bale there.” She pointed. “I don’t know what else to tell you. I don’t know why no one’s inside. We must be early.” Aphrodite chose her words carefully. Contrary to what Neferet and Stark and the rest of them might think, she despised liars. She’d been raised by one, and at an early age had sworn that, if nothing else, unlike her mother she would try to always tell the truth. And that’s what she was doing. Technically telling the truth. Sure, she was leaving out some things, but Stark would have to get a lot more specific with his questions for her to divulgeeverything.

“All right then. Lieutenant Dallas, first get the vehicles and men hidden in that pecan grove across the street. Keep every damn Red Army soldierinsidethose vehicles. We don’t want the Resistance smelling them. And no lights—no noises. None. Remind those soldiers the only way they’re eating tonight is if the Resistance springs our trap. Then get back over here with a few of the other officers and make those bales look right again—or at least right enough that the Resistance won’t notice they’ve been disturbed until it’s too late. We’ll wait ’em out and capture them when they finally show up.” He turned his gaze to Aphrodite. “Could you tell what time the attack happened?”

“No. Sorry. I was too busy being eaten to look at a watch.”

Stark frowned at her and then continued to Dallas: “Okay, we’ll wait as long as we can, but the Red Army has to get back to the tunnels before dawn. And remind those soldiers that they canonlyeat the humans. Blue fledglings and blue vampyres are to be captured alive.”

“Yep. I’ll tell ’em, sir. But they’re stupid, so don’t expect much.” Dallas gave him a sloppy salute and started shouting orders.

Aphrodite found it difficult to stop staring at the soldiers of the Red Army. She’d never been around this many of them before. She pitied them almost as much as they disgusted her. They were milling around the flatbed and the empty hay bales. They looked agitated and confused. She thought several were actually drooling.

“Aphrodite, you can get back in our lead vehicle with Lieutenant Heffer. Heffer, you can drive, right?”

“Sure, yeah,” the kid said.

“So, drive her across the street and wait.”

“Actually, I need some fresh air first,” Aphrodite said. “I’m taking a walk.”

“Not a good idea,” Stark said. “If the Resistance is around here you’re not safe.”

She raised her brows at him. “Not safe? There’s a whole herd of ravenous red vampyres within screaming distance. Plus, you’re here. With your unmissable bow. I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine.”

Stark’s sigh was filled with annoyance. “Heffer, follow her. Aphrodite, do not be gone long. The Resistance could show up any minute, and I promise you won’t want to be out here when the fighting starts.”

“Oh, please. I was already out here when the fighting started. That’s why I had to join you on this shit show, remember?”

She turned her back to Stark and Dallas and the horde of red things, and began to pick her way carefully through the field to the trees lining its far side. She didn’t need to look behind her. She was certain Kevin would be following. She didn’t care. The sense of relief that had been flooding her body since she saw only one flatbed with no Resistance members hidden inside those bales was dizzying.

There were two trailers in my vision. I was in this one, but there was another. Filled with even more fledglings and young humans. But it’s gone! Goddess, please let them have gotten away. Please don’t let them return tonight. Please, please, please.

She heard rushing water as she approached the tree line. The underbrush went from neatly cut hay to tall winter grasses and what looked like blackberry bushes. Aphrodite picked her way around a sticker-filled cluster of sleeping plants and a wall of evergreen juniper trees to look down on a lazy creek.

And then her mind didn’t understand what she was seeing.

Are there people down there?

In the water? Just below me?

What the hell?

She must have made some sound. Must have gasped in shock, because the person at the rear of the line that was sloughing their way downstream in hip-deep water turned his head and looked up at her.

The moon shined off the water, intensifying its wan light so that the ornate sapphire tattoo of dragons breathing fire at a crescent moon in the middle of the vampyre’s forehead was clearly visible.

Ohmygoddess! It’s Dragon Lankford!Aphrodite’s gaze swept the silent line of people and she recognized several of them from her vision.It’s the Resistance! They were tipped off! They didn’t get slaughtered!

She didn’t have time to overthink it. Aphrodite acted on instinct. She rushed down a few feet more to come close to the edge of the bank. Staring at Dragon she mouthed,Go! Get away!as she made a shooing gesture at them.