Hotbloods 5: Traitors

Within a few moments, a blaze had taken hold of what remained of the house, destroying everything inside. The hatch closed with a whirr, prompting me to peer through the windows instead. I could see into the skeleton of the mansion. I watched as furniture disintegrated, the staircases fell away to nothing, and the last of the roof caved in on itself. The fire spread to the garden and the trees, lighting everything up until the smoke was so thick that it hid the wreckage from view.

Ronad couldn’t watch any of it, while Kaido and Sarrask looked on with blank expressions. To Kaido, it was probably just a building, a material thing that held little emotional value. His parents were safe, though one had been arrested, and he had his laboratory neatly packed up in crates, at the back of his ship—he had everything he needed. The mansion didn’t matter. Sarrask’s emotionless face was a little more surprising. I’d expected something from him, but his features were unreadable.

“Where are we headed?” I asked solemnly, unable to tear my eyes away from the blaze.

“You can take refuge at my home, for the time being,” Sarrask replied, blinking rapidly. The merest hint of a tear trickled down his cheek, only to be brushed away a split second later. So, he was feeling something after all.

“Thank you, Sarrask,” I said softly, since nobody else seemed eager to speak.

As we drifted toward Sarrask’s house, with him moving through to the cockpit to take charge of the controls, Kaido disappeared into the back of his ship and reemerged a moment later, brandishing a glowing bottle. He seemed to have entirely forgotten that the only home he knew had gone up in flames, and more important matters were taking precedence in his mind.

“My unexpected visit to the lab reminded me that I had something to give you,” he explained, handing me the glowing vial. “Here is the special item that I mentioned the last time you agreed to aid in my experiments.”

“What is it?” I asked, taking the gift. In the time that had passed since that day, I’d been striving to remember the visions I’d seen, but nothing had come back to me. I could remember a sensation or two—a feeling of being cold and scared—but that was it.

“I designed it based on your neurological feedback during my experiment,” he said, his manner excited. “I am certain you do not remember much from our test, but I learned a great deal. This formula is designed to mimic the brain function that occurred during that experiment. In doing so, it will stimulate the production and utilization of the natural imocea present in your system, making the most of the small quantity that is there. The effects should only last a short while, but you will experience heightened speed, strength, focus, healing ability, and acute sensory improvement.”

I gaped at him. “All of that is in this little bottle?”

“It is not the size that matters, Riley, but the potency of what is held within,” he said, entirely serious. I almost burst out laughing and heard Ronad snigger behind me. At least it had taken his mind off the burning house.

“How many uses are in here?” I wondered, stifling a giggle. The wing serum had been a much larger bottle, and even that had been used up pretty quickly.

“One or two, depending on how much you consume, and how intense you wish the reaction to be. I would recommend you do not use it recklessly,” Kaido explained. “I hope to develop the formula more, in time, but I require space and further resources for such a thing. The location must be correct—I cannot be expected to work in a subpar environment.”

I wasn’t sure if Kaido was making a sly dig at the prospect of Sarrask’s house. Even if he wasn’t, I was glad Sarrask was busy elsewhere. Today was hard enough without tensions running high.

“Thank you, Kaido,” I gushed. “This is a wonderful gift!”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, I pulled him into a friendly embrace. His body stiffened before he offered me an uncomfortable pat on the back, which felt more like he was trying to burp me than hug me. Ordinary Vysantheans weren’t too thrilled by emotional displays of contact, and Kaido was even less impressed.

“It is your reward for being so generous with your time and your brain,” he said, evidently relieved that I’d pulled away.

I couldn’t believe the kindness of the gift I held in my hands. Kaido couldn’t possibly understand the extent of my gratitude, and no amount of unwanted hugs would ever be able to convey it. While the coldbloods could take healing potions, I had nothing to speed up the repair of injuries, or aid in my recovery from sickness. For once, it would be a godsend to have something I could use, if anything happened to me. Plus, if Kaido planned to keep working on it, there was no telling what he could do for me, to keep me on a level playing field with the coldbloods.

My only concern now was whether Navan would be able to find us, now that we’d abandoned the Idrax mansion. I had the black box device stowed away in my waistband and wondered if I could get Ronad to help me use it. The signal might’ve been blocked when Mort tried to reconnect with Navan, but that didn’t mean it was still blocked. Besides, with Gianne already in the know about Navan’s return, an intercepted transmission didn’t really matter anymore.

I walked over to him. “Will you help me with this thing?” I asked, holding out the black box device.

“No harm in trying.”

“I have something else for you, too,” I admitted, plucking Naya’s journal out of the makeshift bag. “I thought it deserved to be with its rightful owner.”

He stared at the book in disbelief, tears glittering in his eyes. Tentatively, he took it from me and held it close to his chest. For a long time, he said nothing, setting the black box device down on a nearby shelf and losing himself in the first few pages of her journal, turning each leaf with a nervous delicacy. Although I was desperate for news of Navan, I knew contacting him would have to wait until we landed. Right now, this was more important.

“You have no idea what this means to me,” Ronad whispered, at last.

“I’m just glad you have it now, so you’ll always have something to remember her by.”

“It’s like hearing her speak again,” he murmured. “When I read the words, it’s like she’s here, saying them to me. You’ve given me the gift of her voice, Riley. I don’t have enough words of my own to thank you for that.”

I smiled. “It was my pleasure.”

Twenty minutes later, the ship descended toward a small village tucked away to the side of a little lake, where those ghost-like fish I’d seen during my first visit to the South were twisting beneath the glittering surface. It was a pretty place, with only a handful of houses. It really didn’t seem like the kind of place that Sarrask would choose to live in, but it appeared I was wrong.

We’d just set down outside a quaint little cottage and were about to head down the gangway when another ship landed beside us. All four of us froze in the belly of the ship, staring outward, fearing the worst. Had Gianne caught up to us already?

There was a hiss of hydraulics as the other ship’s hatch slid up. The gangway slid down to the ground, and Navan stepped out.





Chapter Twenty-Three





I jumped out of the hatch and hurtled down the gangway, leaping into Navan’s arms with a shriek of pure joy. He gripped me tight to his body, spinning me around and around, his face nuzzled into my neck, breathing in the scent of me.

“Riley… Riley… Riley… My love, my only love,” he whispered.

I snuggled into him, holding on for dear life. “I love you, Navan. I love you so much!”

“I love you more than you’ll ever know.” A smile spread across his face; I could feel the happiness of it against my neck. “Rask, it’s good to have you back in my arms.”

With happy tears streaming down my face, I flashed him an ear-splitting grin. “I missed you so much.”