She dusted off her hands. "Perfect."
The golem's expression never changed, but I figured if he had a miserable look, this was it.
"Am I sufficiently disguised?" he said.
"Yeah." I ducked into a room and grabbed a ball cap and shades for myself, slid them on. I waved toward the stairs. "Lead on, Katie."
She went up to the archway and peered through. Motioned us to follow. "Clear."
The compound looked like a fortress. A tall wall ran around the perimeter. Adobe buildings of varying size crowded the edges while a large brick-paved courtyard held the center. The shadowy forms of vampires patrolled the tops of the walls, and the courtyard was full of vampires. I'd expected them to be partying it up like the humans below, but they were all business.
Several long lines wended through the area. At the end of each one stood vampires handing out rifles and ammunition while yet another shouted squad assignments. Almost without exception, each vampire wore a band around their arm with the pierced heart of Blood Rush emblazoned upon it. No matter how raw these recruits might be, this place was obviously built with defensive capabilities. The Templars were walking into a slaughter. I had to get out of here and warn them.
Gunfire erupted from somewhere across the courtyard. Vampires shouted and raced toward the conflict, rifles at the ready.
"Oh no," I breathed. "I think the Templars are here already."
"We can get out and warn the others," Katie said, tugging my hand. "That's about all we can do."
"What the hell are you newbs doing out of the dungeon?" said an angry male voice from behind.
I turned and came face-to-face with an armed vampire. "Just wanted to see what's going on, sir."
He grabbed my shirt and pulled me close. "We told you—wait a minute. You don't smell human." His eyes went wide and he opened his mouth.
A gray hand gripped his throat and squeezed. The vampire struggled, but couldn't dislodge the hand. I walloped him in the face and he went limp. Katie took the rifle from his shoulder and slung it over hers.
"Carry him," I told the golem. "We can't leave him here."
The gray man tossed the unconscious vampire over his shoulder.
Somehow, we made it to the short tunnel and emerged in the middle of overflowing dumpsters. Despite Felicia's assurances, I spotted an arm poking out from one and shuddered.
The gray man tossed his unconscious passenger in an open dumpster and closed the lid.
"Where is Felicia?" Katie said, looking around the dumpsters while pinching her nose tight.
I checked the time. We were five minutes past due, but surely that wasn't enough time for her to assume something terrible had gone wrong and go looking for us, was it? Katie vanished behind a dumpster. A moment later she made an excited noise and reappeared.
"I found the exit Underborn told me about and opened it. We can go."
"Not without Adam's sister."
"At least don't stand out in the open—" Katie's mouth dropped open.
Amanda and a cluster of vampires rounded the corner, guns drawn. Some had rifles. Others held pistols. They all looked ready for blood.
Chapter 20
Elyssa
Fausta clenched her fists. "Punishment? Commander, have you ever known me to do something stupid for no reason?"
He shook his head. "And that's what has me so puzzled. You were on track to become an officer. But you've thrown it all away by recklessly acting on misguided notions. You'll be lucky to ever make up for it." Christian turned his gaze on Elyssa. "And you." He shook his head. "You've been given more chances than most."
Meghan appeared with Healer Delgado in tow. "Before you condemn these loyal Templars, perhaps you should defer to the experts, Commander."
He looked at Healer Delgado. "Do you have anything to add?"
The woman looked a bit off balance, Elyssa thought. Hardly surprising considering what Meghan might have told her on the way over.
"I'd like to hear a full recitation of events," Healer Delgado said after taking in the faces of the others in the group. "Healer Andretti explained a few things on the way over, but I'm afraid my mind is a bit discombobulated from all the commotion."
Christian set his jaw but let Elyssa explain everything, including her own experience with taking the White and the dreams she'd had about the house with fog and rain in the back and sunshine in the front. She also gave the healer the inside scoop on Daelissa, the blonde so-called angel whose sanity seemed to hang by a thread.
"Why have I heard nothing about this Daelissa person being the Divinity?" Delgado said. "My god, if everything Recruit Borathen says is true, we're in terrible danger."
"Our discovery about Daelissa was very recent," Christian said. "Commander Borathen and I were discussing how to proceed with the information. As you can imagine, this revelation would be a shock to Templars."
The healer's eyes tightened. "Better to shock them now than lead them to their deaths, Commander. We need to question everyone and discover if these dreams are plaguing anyone else, or if they're limited to Lieutenant Martinez."
"But they're just dreams," Christian said, shaking his head. "I can't recall and abort a mission based solely on one officer's unusual dreams."
"Wait," Elyssa said with a gasp. "Did you say recall? You mean, the assets are already in the field?"
Christian paused as if considering whether he should answer the question, but relented. "Commander Borathen got wind of Artemis's unofficial visit and knew he might try to stop our offensive. In case you hadn't noticed, nearly half the legion isn't here. We sent the stealth teams ahead and the remainder of the force is waiting in the wings."
"Crap!" Elyssa's chest tightened. "You have to recall them now. They're walking into an ambush."
"What is going on over here?" Thomas Borathen said in a low voice as he pushed into the circle. He looked Elyssa and the others over with his cold blue eyes.
Christian pondered the question for a moment before turning to Elyssa. "Perhaps you should explain. Again."
Elyssa wanted to throttle him. "We don't have time. When are they going in? Is it too late?"
"Someone had better explain the meaning of this immediately." Despite the blaze of his eyes, Thomas's voice was low and calm but not without menace.
Seeing no alternative, Elyssa spit out the story once again, taking time to read the diary entries. Her emotions warred within her as she read. Would Underborn still go ahead with his rescue mission? Elyssa traced the outline in her pocket of the arcphone Underborn had given her. She had to contact him immediately and tell him what was happening. But she couldn't let hundreds of Templars walk into a deadly ambush. This legion had already lost good people during the attack on the drug lord, Franco's, compound barely more than a week ago while trying to apprehend Justin. Sadness nearly choked her as she read the diary entry. Poor Justin. He'd been kidnapped by Franco, only to have Maximus do the same thing to him.
The thought knocked loose the memory of a conversation she'd had with Justin a few days ago. He'd recounted his imprisonment at Franco's compound. How he'd nearly been beaten to death before tricking them into bringing him a woman so he could feed and regain his supernatural strength.
Franco and his right-hand man, Marcel—both of them vampires—had supposedly kidnapped Justin for Maximus. In return, Maximus was supplying them with weapons and ammunition. Ammunition. The cursed bullets Franco's thugs had used tore through the Templar's Nightingale armor like it wasn't even there. Elyssa cursed. So much had happened between that conversation and now, but it was no excuse. Forgetting to tell them about the cursed ammo was a deadly oversight.
"What is it?" Meghan asked.
Elyssa shook her head. "The ammo Franco and his gang used to penetrate our armor wasn't something they made. It was supplied to them by Maximus."
"Our people are still investigating those bullets," Christian said. "We still don't know where they originated, so how in the world could you know?"
She shook her head. "Justin told me. He said Franco was bragging about Maximus being their supplier. If that's the case, it doesn't matter if Daelissa knows our plan of attack. Our armor can't stop those bullets, and our people don't know it. They'll never even know what hit them."
Christian cursed.
Thomas pursed his lips. "Recall them," he said. "Now."
The Colombian commander put an arcphone to his ear. "Lieutenant Martinez, the operation is Foxtrot Utah. Do you copy?" He gritted his teeth. "I don't care. Do what you have to do." Christian lowered the phone. "We might be too late."
Gigi Martinez was in charge of the attack? This was worse than Elyssa had imagined. True, just because Daelissa had invaded her dreams didn't mean the woman was under the angel's direct control. But Commander Salazar obviously didn't believe Elyssa's warning about the diary enough to remove Martinez from command.
Thomas nodded. His eyes betrayed not a lick of uncertainty or stress as he said, "Sergeant Gaetano, I'm placing you in charge of a rescue team."
Fausta stiffened and saluted with a fist over her heart. "Yes, Commander."
"Healers Andretti and Delgado will be part of the team. You choose the others and get to the front. Understood?"
She nodded. "Borathen, you're with me."
"Add me to your number," said a deep voice. Michael Borathen appeared, two katana hilts protruding diagonally above his muscled shoulders.
"No way in hell," Elyssa snarled, as anger boiled up inside her. It took all her control not to fly at him with everything she had. Unfortunately, it would mean she'd have to explain her reasons. Now was not the time to settle this. Rescue Justin first. Beat the crap out of Michael second.
"Explain yourself, recruit," Christian said, eyes puzzled.
