The room exploded into a roar of noise. He continued to shout above the snarls, growls and hisses. “Brothers and sisters, many of you may lose your lives tomorrow. But know that you fight for a cause greater than yourself. A right to be free of the HASEA! To sweep aside the human vermin. To prepare Earth for Hades reign!” He thrust his fists into the air and the roar from the crowd was so heavy, it made the window vibrate. I shrank back from the glass. I didn’t need to hear any more. My mind was racing. I needed to get back. I needed to warn everyone.
The SOS were coming to kill us.
“I’m going to rip his frigging head off!” hissed Scarlett. “I trusted that bastard with my life.”
“Scarlett, calm down,” interrupted Tyler, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Faru, how did no one know that Dakin’s maker was Rahuman?”
The whole of Orion — minus Sophia — as well as Scarlett and Tyler were standing in Faru’s office. After witnessing the SOS meeting, I’d sprinted all the way back through the maze of corridors to The Black Tap. The bar had been crawling with agents, loading our attackers into armoured vans. Gabriella and the rest of the team had still been there. I’d breathlessly explained what I’d seen to a horrified reception. We’d headed straight back to the Warren and called an emergency meeting with Faru, where I’d repeated what I’d witnessed again.
Faru placed his hands down on the desk and shook his head slowly. “He made us believe that his maker had been a Bloodling long since dead. He had always been such a good Guardian, I had no reason to doubt his words.”
“But what about the mind thing? Surely you would have seen?” I said.
“No. I cannot see into the minds of Pandemonians, or hybrids. I can only establish a communication link with them. That is all.” His face seemed to crumble with distress. He bowed his head and took a deep breath. “Sage Asmund was a dear friend to me; I have known him for over a century. How could he do this to us? Dakin, served this base for decades. Never once did I suspect he had ulterior motives.” His hands coiled into fists on the desk.“And Sylvia. All of these years, supporting the Alliance and protecting the Earth from the threat of Hades. How could I have been so close and failed to see it? Even Lafelei’s words alluded to her betrayal.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Betrayed by the Moon and Stars.” The words sank in and it dawned on me. “Moon’s edge. The name of the Coven. And Witches, they worship the stars don’t they?”
The Sage nodded and lowered his voice lowered until it was barely audible. “I thank the Elementals that you were able to discover the meeting Alexander. If not, I truly believe it may have been the end of the Warren.” He bowed his head. “I am truly sorry for my failure. I should have known.”
I looked around at the room. Everyone seemed beyond uncomfortable at seeing our leader so upset. I tried to think of something to say, but couldn’t find the right words. Rachel found them instead.
“Don’t blame yourself Sage Faru. We all trusted the wrong people. Dakin was my friend. I can’t believe he was part of something like this.” She gestured towards Echo. “Scarlett and Tyler worked with him every day and had no idea. We all feel hurt, but there’s no point in going over why he did it. Tomorrow night, this base is going to come under attack. We need to protect Alexander and everyone else from what waits beyond the Veil.”
Her words were met with sounds of approval. Faru raised his head. “Rachel is right. We must not allow personal emotions to cloud the facts.” His tone shifted. “We need to prepare ourselves for battle. I shall speak with the other Sages and request additional support. Tyler, on my orders I want you to take a group of Chosen and place Sylvia under arrest. Put her in the prisons.” He took a deep breath. “I am disbanding Echo. When tomorrow comes, you fight with Orion. If Dakin does return for any reason — which I doubt he will — no one is to speak a word of this. Are we clear?”
Tyler nodded, saluted and left the room. Faru turned to face the redhead.“Scarlett, I want you to take Alexander’s brother as far north as you can, to one of the Outposts. Tell no one here which one you choose. And stay there with him until the battle is over.”
Scarlett reacted as if his words were blows. “What? No way!” she shouted. “My teammate betrayed me, I want to be part of this fight too. I can drop Mikey somewhere safe and come back.”
Faru stared at her with his white eyes, which seemed to be shimmering with a newfound intensity. “You will do as I command Scarlett. I understand your passion and we all truly appreciate your commitment to the Alliance. However, if tomorrow’s assault does not go to plan for the SOS, they may attempt to use Alexander’s brother as insurance. We cannot bring him here, because that would only endanger him further. We must get him as far away from Chapter Hill as possible. And I need someone I can still trust to keep him protected.”
I nodded an agreement. “He’ll need you to protect him Scarlett. And besides, if anyone was going to protect him, I’d want it to be you.” The Bloodling folded her slender arms across her chest and clenched her jaw. “You want him to be safe don’t you?” I added. Her shoulders slumped. “Of course I do. Okay, I’ll do it.” “Thank you Scarlett, you’re commitment has not gone unnoticed,” said Faru. “Alex should go too.”
I spun around to face Gabriella, who purposefully avoided my gaze. She cleared her throat. “The SOS are coming here to free The Sorrow. The Sorrow wants Alex. It’s better if he isn’t here in case…you know, they succeed.”
Scarlett nodded. “She’s right. He’ll stand a better chance, the further away he is.”
Faru looked pensive. “Perhaps it is better if you were not here Alexander.”
“Are you kidding me?” I almost shouted. “Not a bloody chance. I’m not going to let everyone around here die for me, while I’m hiding hundreds of miles away.” I tried to calm myself down. “Besides, The Sorrow found me. Running is only delaying the inevitable and puts people I care about at risk.” I shook my head. “When I took the oath of a Guardian, I swore to stand by you all, even if that meant dying. So when the SOS attack tomorrow, I’m going to be standing right there next to you.”
I stared at each person in the room. Most of them looked impressed, which hadn’t been my intention. I didn’t want to impress. I wanted them to understand how I felt. I’d spent so long feeling powerless and afraid. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I had friends and people to care for and protect. I had a cause to fight for. One I believed in. I looked at Gabriella, who returned the gaze. Our eyes stayed locked together like they had the first day at school.
She smiled.
Faru stood up straight. “Thank you Alexander. Your selfless courage epitomises what it means to be a Guardian and a Chosen. You do your forbearers proud.” He gestured towards us all. “I shall sound the sirens to gather everyone together so that we can begin to prepare for tomorrow.”
As he said the words, a sudden thought clicked into my head. My stomach burst with adrenaline. “Sage Faru, is there a way to prevent the sound of a Siren affecting non-Chosen?”
Faru raised his woollen eyebrows. “A simple Witch’s spell could easily do so, yes.”
I clapped my hands together. “Okay, we’re going to need loads of speaker wire. I think I’ve got an idea.”
The clouds were the colour of burned flesh. Loud growls of thunder boomed in the distance. Streaks of lightning ignited the sky and crashed down to the ground in jagged forks on the horizon. The rain fell in thick sheets, belting against the glass.
I turned away from the window and headed back to the fireplace. Gabriella was sitting on the sofa, dressed in a sleeveless top and jeans, her bare feet curled underneath her body. Her hair spilled over the back cushions. She ran her fingers absently along the exposed flesh of one of her arms.
It was a few hours after our meeting with Faru. Sylvia had never managed to make it to the prison — a connected policeman had found her in a dumpster not far from where the meeting had taken place. Her throat had been slit.