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The contingency was to capture the leader in case they were not there, and leverage was needed to get them released.
"Yes. Kian wants us to bring the leader to the ship for questioning."
"I don't know how wise that is," Kalugal said. "Leadership positions in the Brotherhood go to the older members of the order. The leader might recognize me even though I left a long time ago, and even if he doesn't remember me, he will recognize Lokan for sure. Getting rid of him as soon as possible is the safest strategy."
"Don't worry. He's not leaving the ship alive. You and Lokan are safe."
Kalugal didn't trust reassurances that weren't backed by an iron-clad plan. "I'd rather err on the side of caution. I want to know exactly what Kian plans to do with the Doomer."
"I give you my word that the bastard won't live after we are done questioning him. I'll personally see that he's dead."
Kalugal was sure Bhathian had every intention of fulfilling his promise, but the law of unintended consequences was a bitch, and shit happened.
"Just make sure that he's subdued the entire way. I don't want the bastard to have a chance to escape."
"I will. We will knock him out with venom if necessary."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." He ended the conversation and turned to Dagor. "When do you want to start shrouding?"
"We should start now. It will take us fifteen minutes to get to the meeting spot, and both Negal and I can easily shroud for that long."
Kalugal waved a hand. "Then let's do it."
As Dagor and Negal's shrouding enveloped them, rendering their small group invisible to the outside world, it was an eerie sensation.
Seeing Dalhu and the two gods disappear was a very disconcerting experience.
Kalugal knew they were there, but he couldn't see them, and he could barely hear them. Would he feel it if one of them touched him?
"You will need to drop the shroud when we are in position, or they won't hear me. Please touch my shoulder if you got it."
"I'm not shrouding for sound," Dagor said. "Negal and I are trained to move nearly soundlessly, but from now on, we shouldn't communicate verbally."
Kalugal felt the god's hand on his shoulder. "I was afraid that I wouldn't feel that. Can you keep your hand there? I don't want to accidentally veer off the path and walk away from you."
The hand on his shoulder tightened a fraction in confirmation.
As they progressed, Kalugal found himself adjusting to the sensory deprivation this new mode of operation created. It was a strange dance, moving in sync with an invisible partner, especially since Kalugal wasn't the trusting type.
The only person in the world he trusted implicitly was Jacki. He would follow her blindly wherever she led him. But Dagor wasn't even a friend, and relying on him was a struggle.
Dagor
As their group made its way through the last mile separating them from their enemy, the dense foliage around them rustled gently in the breeze. The canopy of trees swayed, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow on the ground, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves played tricks on the eye, creating an almost surreal atmosphere.
Occasionally the distant call of a bird pierced the air, adding a layer of authenticity to the scene, with the subtle hum of cicadas and the occasional buzz of a mosquito providing a backdrop to the anxious anticipation.
As they entered the clearing and Dagor's eyes fell on the immortal and human scum, his jaw clenched. They looked so nonchalant, lounging in their roofless jeeps, chatting and laughing as if they and their comrades hadn't committed the most heinous crimes just days before.
Scanning the treetops surrounding the clearing, he expected to find goons hiding in their canopies, but there were none. Evidently, the leader of the thugs was confident in their numbersand their firepower and did not think that posting hidden snipers was needed.
Dagor would have loved to finish the job the other immortals had done and tear them apart with his fangs, but their firepower was too formidable. The armor-piercing bullets could do massive damage, and while he was incapacitated for even a few brief moments, they could end him by beheading him or tearing out his heart.
It had to be done the way they had planned.
Squeezing Kalugal's shoulder, Dagor let him know that he was about to drop the shroud.
Kalugal activated the megaphone, put it next to his mouth, and nodded.
