Page 89 of Phoenix Rise

I sighed. I really didn’t want to talk about this, but I knew Haki. He wouldn’t shut up—or more importantly, pay attention to his driving—until I told him. “Matt. Yes.”

“Three. Wow.”

If Matt was right, there were likely four of us. But Haki didn’t need to know about Sebastian.

He seemed disappointed when I fell silent. I needed time to rebuild my walls and shove the past back where it belonged.

The road signs gave us warning of our goal long before we trundled up a hill and saw it. Haki braked to a halt, right there in the center of the road.

Galeran had already been here.

Gartaka had been obliterated.

Smoke hung over everything—none of the buildings had escaped the fire. Most were completely gutted, leaving nothing but blackened ruins. And along the horizon, more smoke billowed to both the east and west.

Haki’s nostrils flared. “Energy blasts.”

I sensed it too, the residue left when energy was used as a weapon. The flames had come from just such a use.

“Galeran.”

“Having you tell me is one thing,” Haki said. “But seeing it is quite another.” His gaze drifted to the ones in the distance. “Those too?”

I nodded. “I didn’t think he’d act so fast.”

Haki was perusing the alarming number of tarp-covered mounds across the main street. “Does he leave any survivors?” Haki asked.

I shook my head. “Never does. Male, female, children. He kills every single one of them.”

Despite being in a remote region, the entire place was already bustling with officials. Specialized vehicles worked to extinguish the fires. They were no doubt spread thin, working on all three towns at once.

Haki and I parked and lurked, fully cloaked, with a small group of sightseers and those recording the devastation with photographic devices. Then we sneaked away, past the officials.

The victims lay everywhere. Mostly covered—but they had obviously run out of tarps. We studied the marks on the bodies, and spotted hoofprints in the dust of an alley, as well as slashes left by swords in the metal siding.

“More than one kind of weapon,” Haki noted. “Not only spiral swords.”

I’d bent over to examine a clear imprint of a paw with long, wicked claws. “Galeran has recruited himself some mercenaries,” I concluded. “They are riding cloven-hoofed beasts. And he has Dires too.”

Haki and I were both assassins—killing had been our profession. But this kind of wholesale slaughter sickened me.

I wasn’t alone in that sentiment. “We need to find this guy,” Haki said.

I agreed, and not only to rescue Sebastian. “I want to check the other two towns. See if we can get an idea of the numbers he brings to the party.”

Haki merely nodded. As we made our way back to the vehicle, I debated Galeran’s movements.

I’d been right about Gartaka. Only time would tell if I could track his next target.

And then, maybe, we could nail this bastard.

29

Anna

I could lie here with you forever, Angel, but I think we have to face the day. Or someone will come looking for us.

I pushed myself to a sitting position, throwing my legs off the edge of the bed, and reached for the chronometer I’d placed on Talakai’s dresser. One glance confirmed that if we wanted breakfast, we’d better get moving. I rose and started pulling on my clothes.

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