Page 9 of Sergi
“I’ve already sent out some feelers, and I’m confirming what I can from his report.”
“We’re getting close. I can feel it.”
Sergi grunted. “Like Vienna.”
Devon chuckled. “That one was a bit of a surprise. I never thought Geiger had it in him to consider that strategy.”
“It didn’t help him in the end.”
“Those were some good days.”
They each reached over to clink their snifters together.
“I’ll need a couple of days to complete my investigation.” Sergi wouldn’t skimp on a mission with such risk. “Will Remus wait that long?” The Wolf wasn’t always a patient man, and after losing shifters, restraint would be hard to come by. A sentiment Sergi understood.
“He’ll have to. We need a solid plan before we send anyone in. No more losses.”
Two days later,Sergi entered Devon’s office before anyone else. He reviewed the data before connecting his tablet to the display on the wall above the hearth. The map indicated an area in Romania that ran along some of the most rugged terrain in the Carpathian Mountains.
It had been centuries since he’d fought in one of the worst campaigns he could remember. The battle had been won, but both Houses had suffered heavy casualties. Not all the deaths could be attributed to the battle. The area had been rife with wild shifters, and they had taken advantage of the weakened and injured warriors.
A couple hundred years later, not much had changed. The wild shifters, according to Decker, still lived in the forests. Their numbers had declined with increased civilization, but they were dangerous and shouldn’t be discounted. If that wasn’t enough risk, the weather conditions, even in early fall, could be deadly.
“A difficult task for any team.”
Sergi glanced at the door and nodded at Simone. “There are many caves that run through the area. Any one or more of them could have been excavated to build a lab.”
“It would have taken some time and a great deal of labor. Most likely built a hundred years ago. How would they keep the local villagers quiet after all this time?”
“Many villages are probably gone, and those left are likely under Venizi’s control.”
Simone shrugged, not disagreeing as she dropped into her regular seat. She leaned back and stared at the screen, rubbing her right thigh. Her recent injury still plagued her, but her recent training with tai chi seemed to be helping. “A small strike force makes the best sense.”
“We agree.” Devon strode in with Decker behind him. “Let’s give Lucas and Bella a moment to arrive and we’ll get to it.” Devon strode to his desk while Decker took his seat at the bar.
“Was Colantha of any help?” Simone asked.
Devon shook his head. “She’s not aware of any dreamwalkers in the area. The closest ones don’t have the mental power to be of use.”
While they waited, Sergi received an update from one of his contacts and made an adjustment to his data. Though interesting, the new data didn’t make the mission less risky.
When Lucas arrived with Bella and Jacques behind him, Devon waited for them to take a seat before providing an overview of the mission. “As Simone suggested, we’ll use a team of three.”
“Not much of a strike force,” Simone said. “I was thinking five to six.”
“This won’t be an actual strike.” Sergi tapped a key, and the map zoomed in to a specific area of rugged terrain. “The mission will be to seek the lab, confirm its location, and return. The Carpathians are an unforgiving group of mountains, volcanic activity, and wild shifters. An area that Remus has been focusing on for some time. It doesn’t matter how deep someone wants to hide a lab, unless you fly in supplies and resources, you need roads.”
“There are places all over the world where it would be safer to fly people in and out,” Lucas suggested.
“We believe, as Remus does, that this lab was created long before flight, let alone airplanes that could handle transports required to keep a lab operational.” Sergi zoomed the image closer to show a group of small villages surrounded by narrow roads. “There’s no doubt the lab would have been smaller at one time, but knowing Venizi, he would have planned for a long-term operation. We’ve suspected the lab is creating Magic Poppy, but we’d be foolish to believe that’s the only thing he’s developing.”
“It’s long been believed that the ability to change humans to halfling vampires was somewhat miraculous.” Simone tapped a nail against her chin as she stared at the map. “And House Venizi was one of three Houses who were first to use the practice.”
“You think Venizi’s lab created a formula to hasten the change?” Lucas asked.
“I do.”
“Remus first got word that shifters in this area had been disappearing from local communities for several decades.” Decker held a bowl of nuts he’d taken from the bar and picked through them. “Not many. Nothing that couldn’t be blamed on the wild shifters, who were known for stealing members from local packs. But the number of disappearances has increased over the last five years. Remus began sending teams in about a year ago, but they disappear.”
