Page 590 of Shadowblood Souls
But we need to do this right.
“Maybe we don’t have to right this moment,” I say. “We will need to see exactly what we’re working with eventually—what they left behind, what they might have dismantled after we were taken away.”
Andreas turns on his heel, scanning the control room with a frown. “It’s a secure building, as buildings go, with only one escape route and at least one big room we could direct the rogue shadowbloods into. But how are we going to convince them to come here—to comeinside—in the first place?”
I worry at my lower lip with my teeth. I’ve been pondering that question since I first set us on this course of action. “We need to give them a really good reason to want to come in—and to think that wewouldn’twant them to, so of course it couldn’t be a trap.”
The fact that most of the shadowkind can’t tolerate the protections around the facility—and that those who can would still be severely weakened—is part of the reason I suggested it. Cutler, Nadia, and the others wouldn’t expect us to pick an ambush spot where most of our allies can’t back us up.
Dominic drifts through the room, his tentacles swaying against his back beneath his coat. “What would they want? They’ve already got all the power they need to attack the people they’re looking to hurt. Nothing’s really been able to get in their way for long.”
I think back to our past confrontations with the rampaging shadowbloods. The things they said, the ways they reacted.
The moments when they reacted the most.
“Maybe we need to focus on what theywouldn’twant,” I say slowly. “They hate the idea of us getting in their way, stopping them from getting the revenge they think they deserve. What if they started believing that there was something down here that could stop them?”
Jacob’s eyes light up. “Some kind of weapon designed to be used against shadowbloods. That would make sense. Why wouldn’t the guardians have something like that as a defensive tactic?”
Zian rubs his chin. “But why would the guardians be keeping it here when they’re not even using the building anymore?”
“The other shadowbloods don’t know that,” Griffin puts in quietly. “We were the only ones kept in this facility. They wouldn’t recognize it or have any idea of its significance.”
“Yeah.” I step back into the hall, taking in the dust and the stillness. “We’ll have to clean it up, make it look like it’s been in use.”
A sharper smile curves Jacob’s mouth. “Maybe even call in some guardians for the day of so it’ll look guarded when those lunatics show up.”
Andreas hums to himself. “Do you think the other shadowbloods will definitely fall for the trick? I’m not sure how we’ll pass on the message without them realizing it came from us. And they could just ignore the possibility.”
Griffin cocks his head. “I think there’s a good chance. They’re driven so much by intense emotion rather than thinking clearly… It’s made it impossible for me to have any sway over them, but that also means we can use the emotions they’re already feeling to drive them in the direction we want. If they believe there’s a legitimate threat, and they’re angry about the idea of the guardians attacking them, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s enough.”
Ignoring the growing queasiness pooling in my gut, I nod. “And if they don’t take the bait, fine. We try something else. We won’t have really lost anything.”
Rollick appears out of the shadows, standing in the doorway. “My people might not be much use for any actual fighting in here, but they can help pass on the message. I’ll send a few shadowkind who haven’t been present for the previous fights—they can approach the shadowbloods, pretending to be on their side. Claiming they support the killing of the mortals and want to give a warning about a possible threat.”
“They’d have to be careful about it,” I say. “The rogues have killed shadowkind before. But I can see that trick working.”
I can see the whole plan coming together in my head while we stand in the building I thought I’d never have to set foot in again. Somehow feeling the path toward our goal solidifying doesn’t reassure me the way I’d like.
My queasiness remains as we walk back outside for a gulp of fresh air and to survey the grounds before we venture deeper inside. Images flash by with each blink of my eyes: Tegan crumpling in Fang’s jaws, Lindsay’s wrists flayed open by Balthazar’s manacles, George lying dead at the edge of the desert town where Clancy sent us on our last mission.
There are so many shadowbloods dead already. By the time we’re finished here, there might be no one left at all except for us Firsts and the two we still have with us who weren’t affected too badly by Balthazar’s procedures.
As we fan out across the field, Andreas veers after me. He touches my arm with a gentle stroke of his fingers. “You look worried. If you think there’s a problem with the setup, we should deal with it now.”
“It’s not that.” My head droops. “When we found out about the younger shadowbloods, I promised myself—and them—thatwe’d help them too. Get them away from the guardians. And now…”
We slow as we reach the back fence. Andreas’s voice comes out rough. “And now we’re figuring out the easiest way to kill them.”
I shiver at his words, even though I was the one who set us on this course. “If I could see any other way—if we’d been able to get through to them at all… It isn’tfair. As if the guardians hadn’t fucked us up enough, Balthazar had to go and totally mess with their heads.”
Andreas grimaces. “Maybe I should have taken the chance when we killed him—when we were there with him, I could have erased his existence from everyone’s memories.”
As much as I’d like to erase everything Balthazar ever did, my mind recoils from Drey’s suggestion. “No. Just wiping out the memories of him wouldn’t have been enough. The shadowbloods he created and whose powers he beefed up would still have been crazed and angry about everything else. And thenwewouldn’t have remembered what he’d done.”
“Okay, fair point.”
The memory of our fellow shadowbloods’ rage pricks at me as deeply as the emotions our past here stirs up. Nadia is so angry about so many things…
