Page 87 of The Hive Queen

“Being possessed isn’t so bad,” Marc murmurs.

I glance up at him in surprise, but he doesn’t meet my eyes.

“Talk while we drive,” Sharpe instructs. “The drone is getting too far ahead of us.”

“Yes, sir.” Johannsson takes off the break, and the van rolls forward at a snail’s pace, keeping the drone ten yards ahead of us. “This is going to be the slowest chase in the world.”

My lips part with a retort before a familiar flicker catches my attention, and I look out the window, my gaze drawn to the rooftops, where I make out a dark figure creeping along, following the drone.

It looks like the drone isn’t the only one who took the bait.

team up

- Pen -

The drone leadsus out of the industrial area and toward the high school before veering off and heading into the woods.

Sharpe taps Johannsson on the shoulder and raises his walkie-talkie. “Pull over. We’re going on foot. Activate your earbuds, but keep your distance if possible. Remember, we’re not sure the noise canceling will counteract the buzzing.”

I check the placement of my batons before pulling the box from my pocket and popping the earbuds into my ears. Sound becomes muffled, then vanishes completely beneath anti-noise when I turn them on.

Sharpe’s voice cuts through the silence. “Can everyone hear me?”

Affirmatives come from everyone.

“Keep the chatter to a minimum,” Sharpe warns. “Troy, O’Hara, and Mayn, you three are on point. Mayn, if you see an opportunity, try your Voice on the drone. If possible, we want to take him alive to see if the effects of the venom can be reversed.”

Flint cuts him a disapproving look, which Sharpe ignores. Flint had warned that the conversion of energy into something inhuman wouldn’t be reversible, but Sharpe isn’t willing to give up on the Hive Queen’s victims without more proof.

While I usually trust Flint when it comes to souls, we’re in unknown territory, so I understand Sharpe’s hesitance. Conversion of energy doesn’t necessarily mean a loss of self. When I take on my firebird form, it’s a conversion of energy, but I still come back to myself.

We pile out of the van into the street, and Sharpe’s people from the sedans join us.

Troy, O’Hara, and Mayn head straight for the woods, and we give them a minute’s head start before following. As our best hunters, they’re in charge of identifying any new threats while keeping the drone in sight.

Marc sticks close to Flint, helping the other man limp over the uneven ground. Flint’s link to his zombie keeps us heading in the right direction, but with all of his focus on maintaining the link to his spirit, he won’t be able to sweep for other drones in the area.

When I fall back to walk beside Sharpe, he glances down at me and raises an eyebrow.

I tilt my head to the right and unclip one of my batons.

He frowns but nods, and I split off from the main group, in pursuit of another target.

When Flint alerted us that Amalia was following the drone, too, it felt like the gods were finally smiling on us.

With the drone leading us to the Hive Queen and Amalia coming in from the side with the Shard, instead of just locating the enemy, we have a real chance to take down this evil tonight, before anyone else dies.

First, though, we have to make sure Amalia will play nice. She wanted to hire Flint as backup, and we’re willing to team up if she still wants to.

Sharpe has no interest in the bounty, so long as we take down the Hive Queen, and he gets the win under his belt as far as his superiors are concerned. As for Amalia, she can take whatever she needs to claim the reward from the demon court.

Win-win for everyone.

So my job is to track her down and convince her before the drone delivers our dummy to the Hive Queen and she figures out her newest victim is already dead. If convincing doesn’t work, I’ll simply take the Shard, and Amalia can suffer the consequences of being uncooperative.

With our slow progress through the dark streets of Clearhelm, it had been easy enough to track Amalia’s progress once Flint alerted us that she was there.

Once we moved away from the multi-story buildings and headed onto the long road that led toward the high school, she was forced to give up her rooftop vantage and take to the street.

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