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9
Mercy
We tramped through the forest,our flashlights set on the lowest brightness so they only lit up the underbrush a few feet in front of us. We had to be sure we wouldn’t be seen from a distance. Around us, thick branches of trees tangled together with a thick canopy of leaves that all but blotted out the moonlight. It’d rained briefly in the afternoon, and the smell of damp soil filled my nose.
Something snapped a few feet away. Wylder and Rowan whirled around. There was a flash of bright eyes and a reddish-brown body as a small fox scurried away.
“There used to be some of them in the city around the parks,” Rowan murmured as we walked on. “I haven’t seen one in ages.”
“Well, at least there aren’t any snakes,” Kaige said, and then looked to the others for confirmation. “Right?”
Wylder gave him a reassuring swat and motioned for him to get a move on.
We were about half a mile away from the Storm’s secret facility and drawing closer with every step that we took. Beckett had informed us that the buildings were surrounded by a high chain-link fence that was electrified, and armed guards patrolled the property. But he’d given us a way in that would avoid all of the security measures.
A metallic glint caught my flashlight. It was the jaws of a hunting trap with a rabbit caught inside it. It looked like the trapper hadn’t come around in a while, because the fur was eaten away by maggots. Its empty eye sockets stared at me as I walked past it.
“Still think this is a good idea?” Kaige asked.
I took a deep breath. “Rowan’s a good judge of character. If he thinks the kid was being genuine, I’m okay trusting him with this. It’s not like we won’t be careful.”
“It’d be an awfully convoluted plan for screwing us over,” Rowan pointed out. “And I think we all know a thing or two about growing up quickly and wishing we could change the course our parents set us on.” His dark blue eyes scanned our little group.
He was right about that. There was one thing we all had in common—our parents had thoroughly fucked us up.
Wylder nodded. “We had to do something. We’re already through the second day of our week. I don’t totally trust the kid, but that’s why we’re here—to find out whether weshouldtrust him. At least we’re taking the risk ourselves. My dad would probably have sent his least favorite underlings out to take on the danger.” He grimaced.
“I think anyone who sends us stumbling around in a forest in the middle of the night has bad intentions,” Kaige grumbled, before turning to me. “Mercy?”
I peered off into the darkness, and my stomach twisted. “So many people have already died. If Beckett can give us a way to win this war without tons more death and collateral damage, I think we should take it. Maybe this and a couple more definitive strikes will be what it takes to end this once and for all.” I paused, ducking my head. “I’ll fight as long as it takes, but I’ve got to admit I’m getting tired of it.”
Kaige grunted. “I never get tired of fighting. But Iamtired of seeing assholes trying to gun you down, so if this means that part’s over, I guess I’m okay with it.”
“Glad to have your support,” Wylder said dryly, and then held up his hand, bringing us all to a halt.
Unless we’d deviated from the directions Beckett had given us without realizing it, the faint pinpricks of light that showed between the trees from up ahead were the distant security lights of the Storm’s facility. There was another short stretch of forest and then an expansive field between us and the compound, but the “doorway” we were looking for should be right around here.
Wylder cast his flashlight around, veering to the right as he scanned the ground. After several seconds, he let out a triumphant sound and pointed his beam at a tree with a subtle marking on the bark. We hurried over and helped him pull over a layer of moss that covered a circular metal hatch in the ground.
The four of us eyed it cautiously. Wylder rubbed his jaw. “Let’s take the lay of the land up here first, make sure everything looks the way the kid led us to expect.” He reached into the pack he was carrying and pulled out a pair of binoculars. “Want to do the honors, Kitty Cat? You’re the best climber between us.”
I smiled and accepted the binoculars. Glancing around, I picked out the nearest tall tree with branches spaced decently well. With a running start, I leapt up to grab a lower branch and hoisted myself onto it. It took less than a minute for me to clamber above the thicker canopy to a spot where I could see more easily between the thinning treetops.
I raised the binoculars to my eyes, my other arm pressed against the rough bark of the tree trunk, and peered toward the security lights. With a couple of flicks of the dials, the building came into focus.
The place looked like some kind of storage facility. Beyond the metal fence, I spotted a few men going about their usual patrol. A narrow dirt road snaked away from the facility and probably led back to the main road. Two huge trucks were parked just inside the gate. Beckett had told us that his father moved shipments of supplies through this place, sometimes stashing things there for later use, and that some of his underlings went through additional training inside the building.
I climbed down and reported everything to Wylder. The Noble heir cocked his head. “That all matches up with what the kid told us.” He turned to the hatch. “Now for the real question: is this a brilliant plan or a devious trap?”
We all knelt down around the hatch. I swept a few stray bits of soil away from a small electronic keypad off to the side. Rowan tapped in the code Beckett had passed on.
Immediately, a faint sound of air whooshing reached our ears. Wylder snagged his fingers around a small latch and pulled it up with little effort. He shone his flashlight into the opening, where the steel rungs of a ladder fell away into the thicker darkness of a tunnel that supposedly led under the ground to the Storm’s facility—a secret escape route for the inhabitants. Now it’d become a secret entrance for us—although we weren’t even going all the way into the building.
Some of us weren’t even going into the tunnel itself. I wished I could have joined the guys, but I’d anticipated the effect the sight would have on me. Taking in the tight space and the darkness pooled inside it, my skin crawled with an eerie chill. My heart started to thump faster.
I closed my eyes against the prickles of panic, focusing on the hoot of a nearby owl and the brush of the breeze over my bare arms.
“It’s okay,” Rowan said gently. “None of us can do everything. Wylder and I will manage just fine.”
