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For some reason, these words lightened the moment and laughter traveled around the group. Only recently, Endelle had battled Greaves out at White Lake, and ended his world-encompassing campaign to take over Second Earth. Of course, the army he’d built had splintered into three factions each headed up by a general full of a similar type of ambition. Second Earth was in a worse state now that Greaves was gone. And there was strong indication Yolanthe’s father, the powerful Chustaffus who’d enslaved two-thirds of Third Earth, was making a bid to rule Second as well.
Rachel entered the discussion. “What do you mean, Yolanthe’s deviant side?”
Duncan turned to her and answered the question. “I told you about her sex pool.”
“Sex pool?” Alex grinned. “This is getting interesting.”
Another chuckle went round the group.
Duncan grimaced, however. Yolanthe had kept his attention focused on all her activities through her Third Earth voyeur window and it had not been pleasant. He decided to set the record straight. “When you’re forced to watch for hours on end, believe me a certain monotony follows. I couldn’t shut her voyeur window down. And she used sex slaves, which enraged me since I couldn’t do a damn thing for any of them.”
He turned to Rachel. “I’m sorry about what happened, but I wanted you to know the truth.”
She lifted her chin and her lips curved. She took his hand in hers. “Spoken like the man I know and love.”
For several intense seconds, Duncan couldn’t breathe. The way Rachel saw him was the man he wanted to be. “Rachel,” he said softly.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Endelle blurted. “The breh-hedden sucks donkey’s ass.”
Laughter traveled the circle of warriors. Even Merl smiled, a true smile, something he no doubt hadn’t done in a long time.
CHAPTER SIX
Freedom comes in a thousand different forms.
Collected Proverbs -- Beatrice of Fourth
Endelle sat on the bottom row of the workout center risers at Apache Junction HQ. She’d changed into black leather pants because she kept flashing the warriors inadvertently in her red tulle skirt and small modesty slip. She didn’t mind, not giving a damn who saw the beauty between her legs. But Owen took a skin burn across his abdomen when Josh got distracted.
She just wasn’t much for keeping her knees together.
But she still wore the bejeweled dagger vest and her hip boots.
Her gaze drifted to Merl as she leaned her elbows back on the bench. The warrior had transformed into a dynamo so that between the efforts of Jean-Pierre who could enhance powers and Merl’s new motivation, the team had finally started responding. Each showed evidence of the grayle power, a Third Earth ability having several ramifications. All the warriors had improved in faster wing-release as well as wing-retraction and quicker response with sword and dagger-work.
Duncan’s vision had delivered a brutal blow to the one-time leader of the Third Earth Warriors of the Blood. Merl’s secret about how he’d ended up on Second had finally come out. But after all was said and done, the result had put him on the right course.
Apparently, Yolanthe had kidnapped his sister, Katlynn, and used her to send Merl to Second to serve as Yolanthe’s spy. She’d even paid for his personal portal, the one in the wall of his living room, which the black ops team used to enter the darkening grid. But she’d held the threat of Katlynn’s death over his head for fifty years.
What he hadn’t known was that Yolanthe had afterward lured his What-Bee team into a trap, though Merl still didn’t have a clue how she’d done it. Yolanthe’s ability to somehow take control of so many extremely powerful Warriors of the Blood at the same time and hold them for five decades, spoke volumes for the woman’s natural level of power.
Yolanthe’s apparent obsession with Greaves made less sense than anything else Endelle had heard, but, whatever. Although the thought of Yolanthe and Greaves together sent a shard of fear wiggling her tailbone. Thank the Creator Greaves was locked up on Fourth. From Beatrice’s last report, Endelle’s former Nemesis was suffering acutely in Beatrice’s redemption pools.
Endelle smiled. Imagine Greaves developing a conscience.
Merl called out a new drill and each of the warriors, including Rachel, lined up, knees bent, eyes forward. He was improving their wing-mounting speed. A lot of Third Earth powers seemed to be connected to the wing-locks, including the grayle power.
He called a three-count and on three, each of them released their wings at Third Earth speed and it was magnificent. She almost applauded. Only Owen was late, a full three-seconds after the others.
She considered Owen for a moment. Damn, but he was good-looking with his hazel eyes and a lick-able cleft chin. His hair was brown but with blond streaks like Jean-Pierre. The latter was with him now, a hand on his shoulder, feeding Owen his bump-up power surge to help bring his lagging abilities forward.
Owen scowled, however, and wouldn’t look at Merl. The chemistry was really off between these two warriors in particular and nothing about the recent revelations had softened Owen’s attitude. Endelle had asked him what bug was still reaming his ass, and had gotten a clear response, ‘I can’t respect a man who gets his team imprisoned. How can I trust him now?’
Endelle knew she could offer no words to alter Owen’s opinion. Time would hopefully change things, but Merl had a lot of proving to do.
The next drill involved retracting their wings, but at the same time holding onto the wing-release power in order to jump-start the grayle abilities. Both Joshua and Alex had grayle smoke rising from their bodies and Merl gave a shout of triumph because of it. Joshua’s had a violet hue and Alex’s leaned toward silver.
Endelle shifted her gaze to Luken. He stood with eyes closed, concentrating fiercely. The next moment, a heavy stream of smoke emerged swirling from his wing-locks, three colors at once, all flowing together: gold, violet, and teal.
