Page 384 of Shadowblood Souls
Jacob looks over at Griffin and nods. There’s still a bit of tension in his stance when he interacts with his brother, but even when we were speaking apart from Griffin, he hasn’t expressed the slightest doubt about his twin’s loyalties now.
With the understanding they reforged that day in the jungle, he probably recognized Griffin’s gambit with Celine more clearly than any of us.
We’re back to how we were—or as close as we can get to the old days while there’s damage not fully healed and Andreas and Dominic are back in Clancy’s mobile military base, torture instruments poised to make them pay for any missteps on our end. We’re allhereas the family we were meant to be.
More than just the six of us.
I glance down the opposite side of the low hill to where the four younger shadowbloods Clancy sent along with us are crouched. He picked out the few he thought would be the most useful for the mission.
Lindsay can use her earthen talents to jolt the ground beneath our enemies’ feet, setting them off balance.
The older teen who’s joined us, a guy named Sully, can conjure distracting illusions. I have the feeling the five of us Firsts encountered his ability before, during our time out in the wider world, attempting to avoid re-capture.
George can hop not just over short distances but through walls, in case Zian notices something we need to grab quickly within one of the buildings.
And if worse comes to worst, Tegan can hit any attacker nearby with the toxic smoke she can expel from her lungs.
But having them with us means more people we need to watch out for, more people to protect. I can’t help suspecting that Clancy included them at least as much to ensure we’d take every care to pull off this mission well as because he thought they’d contribute with their powers.
He’s keeping track of us through the monitoring bands around our ankles that we know from past experience are picking up our voices too. We have to be careful about what we say.
I catch the gazes of the three guys around me. “We’re going to save everyone today.”
Griffin dips his head. Determination hardens his features so that just for a moment, he looks even more like Jake’s mirror image. “Everyone.”
His swift gesture encompasses the four of us and the younger shadowbloods behind us.
One corner of Jacob’s mouth curls up in a harsh smile. “And takeallof the villains down.”
Zian bares his teeth. “Like they deserve.”
We’re all in agreement that after we destroy the terrorists, we’re turning our abilities on the guardians who’ve terrorizedus. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to figure out exactly how to do that until we see what we’ve got to work with after this part of the mission is over.
I wet my lips, my pulse picking up to an even faster tempo. “Okay. So we split up now? Jake, you could go with Zian to pick off the men in the buildings—and bring George with you in case you need him to hop inside. I’ll stay farther back with Griffin, Lindsay, and Sully where we can keep an eye on the bigger picture.”
I hesitate at the thought of Tegan. Her talent won’t do any good unless she’s close to her targets… but she’s only twelve.
I don’t care how useful her power could be in a pinch. Clancy is sick for sending any of the youngest shadowbloods out here, but especially her, when she only could be useful if she’s right within reach of a murderous attacker.
“She’ll come with us,” Jacob says firmly. “Zee and I can make sure nothing happens to her.”
Somehow it’s a relief to have one decision taken out of my hands.
We scuttle down to the younger shadowbloods and convey the plan in murmurs. Sully’s expression firms with the resolve of someone who’s been in the line of fire before, but the younger kids look understandably jittery.
“Stick close to us, and don’t do anything unless Griffin or I say so,” I murmur. “If everything goes the way we’re hoping, you might not need to get involved at all.”
Lindsay clenches her hands. “I want to help if I can.” But she doesn’t look any less terrified.
I squeeze her shoulder. “I know. Come on—we don’t have much time left.”
We creep back to the crest of the hill, diverging into our two groups when we reach the top. My heart stutters as I watch Jacob and Zian pull away from us, even though I can sense exactly where Jacob is whether I can see him or not.
We can do this. We can protect these people, as much as this mission is really designed to protect them, lull Clancy into a brief complacency, and then strike at him too.
The scattered scrubs and gnarled trees give us enough shelter that we can steal halfway down the slope without being seen as long as we stay close to the ground. We move in spurts, Griffin gesturing when none of the men are looking in our direction and he can sense a lapse in their wariness, holding up his hand to stop us when they start to turn our way.
He’s scanning the emotions of everyone in our vicinity—including the insurgents staked out in the two-story buildings that give them a higher vantage point over the village and its surrounding terrain. After a few minutes, he pauses and lifts his hand toward me with his forefinger raised.
