Page 60 of Shadow's Chosen

Nezka let out a short, bitter laugh. "And the others?"

"Jazlin went on ahead. I only caught up to her today. We've hidden ourselves close to the deposit, taking turns to keep watch. Vijnn was with me for a time until he took to the sewers. Ruumas and Wruk are gone."

Nezka might have felt something for the loss but, either from years of training or from the other emotions still grating at him, he couldn't feel much of anything. "Too bad, they were good men. I assume they got caught in the bridge attack?"

"Wruk did. But Ruumas was a different story. Something real nasty got to him."

"What do you mean?" Nezka asked.

"I don't know. Right after we found a way out of the gate, I saw him fighting...something. Whatever it was, it was on the Red Blades’ side for sure, though it didn't wear their signature gear and mask. It could fight like nothing I ever saw. Once me and Jazlin caught sight of it and saw Ruumas practically gutted, we went into hiding and started making our way slowly to our mark. Shit wasn't easy. We had to go way out of our way to slip through one of the less heavily guarded gates that had a few cracks in its wall, which was lucky in itself. I had got your message and agreed it was better not to contact you until it was safe...I was going to wait until I heard from you again, assuming you were getting close to the deposit. You are close?"

"Yes. Only a little ways off from where you are now," Nezka confirmed.

"Right. I was going to wait. We had been trying to find a way in for some time. The place is crawling with men, no surprise, but it seems a lot less than we might have thought. And even less now. I think they've been ordered to spread out, searching for us and guarding the gates. Either way, it was going to be hard, but I figured once you got here, we'd make a plan."

"That's a sound idea."

"Until today," Silfres continued. "I got a message back from Vijnn. Thought he might have slipped away somehow but it turns out he had taken the sewers all the way up to our mark. And not only that, he found a back tunnel leading inside."

Nezka stilled. "You can confirm this?"

"He sent coordinates and images and everything. He didn't say much else, mind you, as he was trying to be discrete, but it was all the evidence we needed."

This was good. They could use this back entrance to slip inside. "Send me the information."

"You got it."

"Is Vijnn with you now?" Nezka asked.

"No, I think he plans to wait out in the tunnel. I'm sure he'll contact us soon enough."

The coordinates and images popped up on his screen, and Nezka looked over them carefully. Yes, it was perfect. Already, he could feel a plan forming in his head. He could lead Elise in through the sewer up to the tunnel entrance and meet with Vijnn from there. They'd go on through together while Silfres and Jazlin attacked from the outside. "I want you and Jazlin to wait on my signal," Nezka said. "You will distract from the outside while me and Vijnn make our way inside." He hesitated a moment then continued with, "One of the humans is with me too. One of the women from the team back at the station. She is helping as well."

"Really? You got one of them out?"

"Yes," Nezka said flatly. "Why? Did you see what happened to the others?"

"No. I assumed the Red Blades got to them or they got crushed. We were fighting our way through one of the tunnel passageways when all the chaos happened."

He'd hoped to get some good news to tell Elise but all would have to wait till tomorrow when they saw for sure. As nice as it was to know they now had a plan of attack and wouldn't have to wait by the deposit to look for a way in, Nezka's mood was still a raging storm he couldn't quell.

"Be ready for tomorrow. We move at sun up," Nezka said. He ended the call and stared out at the half-moon shaped dome in the distance.

No matter what happened after, whether for the sake of his mission or for Elise, he would find the humans and get them out. He would make certain of it.

Twenty

Nezka stood alongside Elise by the temple's back doors as light began to filter down from above, accompanied by a heavy mist that clung low to the ground. Those of the temple, including Modella and Worik, came to see them off and give them a small pack of provisions. Though their journey wasn't far, Nezka took them gladly.

They also gifted Nezka a set of new armor plates to replace the mediocre ones of the Red Blade's and a new gun to Elise, equipped with a heatscope. Her face lit up as she handled the gun and clipped it to her side, thanking them.

"What need does peaceful folk such as yourselves have for weapons and armor?" Nezka asked with a half-amused expression.

Modella huffed. "We don't. They were just precautionary items found while scavenging by the walls."

"We can't thank you enough," Elise said as she adjusted her now gray and worn-looking armor.

Modella trotted over and clasped Elise's hand. "Be safe. Find your people. Trust in yourself." She released her and stepped away. "If you ever have a need to return to the undercity, you are always welcome here. But I hope that you won't." Modella's eyes met his. "I hope you will find peace."

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