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And there was rubble and people everywhere. The lobby was littered with the unconscious, dead, and wounded. Most of the bodies belonged to the capitol guards, but she couldn’t tell if they’d died from the explosion or from the dissenters.
Given the lack of dead civilians, she was afraid she knew the answer.
Different colored blood coated the floor, and as she slipped on some of it, bile rose in her throat, fear settling in her belly like a fifty pound weight. She forced herself not to turn back and search for Ezul, trusting him to be hurrying back to her. Needing him to come back to her.
He could handle himself, she trusted in that. But seeing him face down so many people, all intent to kill him, struck fear in her heart. Anxiety clung to her with each step away from her mate, only growing as the seconds ticked by without hearing his voice coming up behind her, or knowing that he was safe.
“Watch your step,” Jakkar instructed, helping her over a column that had fallen onto its side, large broken chunks blocking the closest exit.
“Hurry!” Vermile yelled over his shoulder, leading the charge from the building. She blindly followed as he led them outside and toward the safety of the transport. She didn’t know if it would even still be there or if something would happen before they arrived, but she followed the man anyway, Jakkar at her back.
Cordelia’s shoulders sagged in relief when she spotted the vehicle, though the lack of security around it was disconcerting. The large crowd that had once surrounded the gate was gone.
She didn’t question it, just thankful they were going to get the fuck out of here. Where was Ezul? She glanced around frantically. She couldn’t leave without him!
A pained hiss came from behind her as she reached the vehicle’s door. Cordelia whirled around, a startled shout escaping her as her father-in-law stumbled forward. The same dart that had rendered Ezul unconscious weeks ago, a neutralizer dart, was now sticking from his shoulder.
Jakkar collapsed onto the ground, going lax in an instant.
Cordelia lurched toward him as several men dressed all in black, more dissenters, poured from the exit of the building, beelining straight for them. They were holding several weapons, just like the batch from before, only these people were covered in blood. The same blood she’d noticed painting the walls and floor of the lobby.
Vermile cursed, grabbing her and yanking her back toward him and the transport. Cordelia flinched at the harsh contact, more fear pricking her heart. He ripped his hand back when a faint static shock seared his palm, a loud crackle sounding between them.
“What was that?” Vermile asked, staring at the mist around her in concern. He shook his head, jaw clenching. “We must go! Your safety is paramount, for you and your child.”
She hesitated, not wanting to leave without Ezul. Besides, they couldn’t leave Jakkar alone and defenseless! What if the dissenters killed him just like they had those guards? She clutched at her stomach protectively, torn on what to do.
She couldn’t fight them, and if they got ahold of her, what would they do to her? To her baby?
Dissenters approached lazily, clearly intending to intimidate her as they closed in on Jakkar’s prone form. The door to the transport opened, and Vermile shouted at her to follow him.
There was nothing she could do for Ezul’s father. She had to go.
Her eyes welled with tears as she turned away from Jakkar’s still form and rushed to Vermile, taking his hand. There was another shock of static between them, but this time he ignored it as shouts sounded from all around them. Twisting to look behind her, Cordelia’s eyes widened in shock as she caught sight of guards pouring out from the lobby, attacking the dissenters.
It looked like reinforcements had arrived.
Cordelia couldn’t help but feel a measure of safety as she stepped into the vehicle and collapsed into a seat, Vermile following behind her.
Her breathing was heavy, and she was shaking like a leaf when she looked toward the front console, desperately clutching her stomach.
“We should go back to Jakkar,” she told Vermile. “Now! While the dissenters are distracted.” He ignored her, pressing a button to seal them inside. “Stop! Did you hear me?”
The transport door began to close when Arombk suddenly appeared, shoving his way inside. Cordelia stiffened, mouth dropping open in shock.
Where had he come from?
“Arombk? I thought you’d left.” Vermile sneered at him, jaw ticking as the door slid shut.
“You should come with me, Cordelia,” the older man uttered to her, but she reared back when he attempted to grab her. She didn’t want Arombk anywhere near her.
They shared one tense moment, his eyes shining as he looked at her, trying to convey something she didn’t understand. Arombk finally sighed in resignation, dropping into a seat across from her.
He shot a lethal look at Vermile, adjusting his robes before discreetly sliding a sleek, black device from his hand to his robe’s pocket, the movement only noticeable because he was sitting directly in her line of sight. She stared in confusion before turning toward Vermile, expecting him to have seen Arombk’s sleight of hand.
But he hadn’t. Vermile was as startled to see him as Cordelia was, but instead of kicking the man from the vehicle, he merely shrugged, moving to the front console.
Punching in the coordinates Cordelia gave him for her home, Vermile took a seat next to Arombk. She eyed the older man warily, her distrust growing as the vehicle slowly began moving, gaining in speed for every second that passed.
