Page 45 of Broken Fate
Wounded and crippled shifters were everywhere. Leaning against walls, hobbling with the help of those who could still stand, wandering aimlessly, lost in the shock. Most were drenched in blood, some of which had to be their own based on the horrific wounds that had yet to heal.
Elsewhere, in one corner, solemn shifters stacked bodies, reverently crossing arms and closing eyes, whispering prayers to the dead as they did.
There were no sounds of battle, however. No cries of pain, no clang of blades. The guards, who should have been busy holding the cave entrance, were busy helping out the injured and wounded.
“Whathappenedhere?” I asked, stunned at the brutality I saw. “What is this?”
The bitter tang of iron was the first thing I smelled, so strong I could nearly taste it. It filled the air. The stench of death came swiftly on its heels, a mixture of rotting skin, off-gassing, and voided bowels. I wanted to retch, and my stomach roiled uneasily.
No. You will not show disrespect like that. Not now, not in front of those who have suffered so much just to get here. Do it later.
“This?” a familiar feminine voice said. “This is how the Alphas maintain their rule. This is what you don’t see, what nobody talks about, because they don’t want to hear about it.Thisis the reality of the Canis empire and the world we live in.”
I glanced to my right as Andi paused at my side, surveying the barely contained chaos.
“These people are our Helisson cell,” she said, exchanging soft nods with a bedraggled but mostly unharmed female who hobbled past on a leg that had clearly been broken and not set right. “Wereour Helisson cell.”
I grimaced at the correction. Andi was right, though. There was no way anything left behind could be functional.
“Does this happen often?” I asked, rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the disaster in front of me.
“No,” Andi said just a little harshly. “But after your little act in Arcadia, it looks like the Alphas must be cracking down on any leads they have about us.”
My act?
“I’m surprised they were able to hit Helisson so hard, though,” Andi continued, either not noticing or not caring how her words had stabbed deep. “That’s always been one of our more airtight cells. What with the docks and all, it’s easy for people to come and go, new faces, people asking questions, all that. I wonder what happened.”
“Yeah,” I breathed softly, still stuck on her last comment. “So, I caused this?”
Andi snorted. “Don’t go making such a big deal out of yourself. You didn’t do this, not directly. It’s a risk of the life we lead. This is why we train. Why we work hard. Not for fun and games. There’s no room for arrogance and being cocky when this happens to us regularly.”
I stiffened, recalling my attitude on the training floor.
“Maybe this will help you understand a bit better,” Andi said.
“I think I’m beginning to,” I said heavily, overwhelmed by the level of violence. “So many more than I thought.”
“What do you mean?” Andi asked as more shifters arrived. There was no real need for us by the time we arrived, and by then, the new arrivals were way outnumbered. Most of the newcomers were standing around, waiting to see if they could help.
“Well, everything just seems to keep growing. I thought that the team at the manor was it, that they were the rebellion. Then we come here, and suddenly, it’s huge, like another pack, a couple hundred. There must be what, another forty, fifty here that just arrived? How many more are there?”
“Lots,” Andi said. “We have cells in every realm. Some larger than others. Others scattered around the empire. Some are just waiting, watching. Others are actively working to feed intelligence back to us. Some strike back when and where we can. Like rescuing wayward shifters from prison and certain death.”
I blushed, looking away. “So many …”
“Never enough, though,” Andi said bitterly.
“How come I never heard of this? Why did word never spread?” I asked. “Hundreds of people fighting back. Rumors must exist.”
“The Alphas. They eliminate not just any trace but any trace of a trace. Even those who heard rumors are often ‘dealt with.’ You don’t think every family who suddenly ‘moves away’ does so because they found a better life, do you? How many people do you know who havetrulymoved to a new home?”
I opened my mouth to say plenty. Only to close it as her point struck home. Of the families I could recall who had left our town, only one had returned to visit. The others had simply left. Disappeared, almost. Had Arcadus ordered all their deaths just to keep word of the rebellion covered up?
“Calli take that man,” I growled. “Someone needs to kill him.”
Andi opened her mouth.
“I know, I know,” I said with a wave. “They’re immortal. Can’t be killed. But still.”
