Coldbloods (Hotbloods #2)

“Why weren’t those ships stopped once they got over the border?!” she roared. “Get them shot down, NOW!”

Her team jumped to action, barking orders through their comm devices to the military leaders and skilled pilots on the other end. On the screens, I watched as Brisha’s ships maneuvered into position, blasting the enemy ships out of the sky… but the damage was already done. Blinking on a broken feed, I saw the remains of the alchemy lab, plumes of black smoke rising up from the debris. It was a pile of rubble now, nothing more.

Queen Brisha’s eyes lingered on the image, her face contorting into a mask of pure hatred. “This is an act of war!” she cried. “We will retaliate, and we will be smart about it! We will use strategy, and we will show Gianne what true triumph looks like! We will not allow this to stand!” As she shouted, her team whooped and hollered below her.

Indeed, it seemed her sister was wrong—Brisha had the full support of her people, by the looks of things, and now she was mad.

“Bashrik!” she barked, taking him by surprise.

“Your Highness?” he replied, hurrying to meet her as she approached.

“The alchemy lab I require of you, in return for Navan’s place in my realm, must be built a few weeks from now,” she demanded. “I had hoped we might have months, to make it truly perfect, but as you can see… we don’t.”

Bashrik looked aghast. “A few weeks? That’s impossible.”

Queen Brisha glared at him. “Nothing is impossible, Bashrik.”

He sighed, clearly not wanting to argue with the queen. “Well… I will do what I can. But I can’t promise beauty, Your Highness.”

“Then promise me practicality instead.”

“That I can do, Your Highness,” he replied.

With that, she turned to Navan. “My sister took me by surprise this time, but she will not get the chance to do that again. For that, I want your help,” she said sternly. “I need more bodies on the ground. I need more soldiers, Idrax, and we’re going to start with you. From this moment on, I am drafting you into my army. You are strong, you are fast, and you are smart—the perfect combination. I don’t doubt that you will become a great leader one day, but you will begin with the rank of infantry soldier. Your training will start soon.”

I gazed desperately in his direction, but his eyes were focused on Brisha. I could do nothing to stop this runaway train. It was out of my hands now—Brisha’s word was final, but where did that leave us? With him drafted into the army, and Bashrik engaged in building the alchemy lab, how were we ever supposed to find a way to leave Vysanthe now?





Chapter Thirty-Eight





Pandora took us into a large hut at the side of the cavern, but I could barely speak as we made our way toward it. Navan put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him. I leaned against him, feeling dizzy. In the space of a few minutes, everything had changed, and I didn’t know how to fix it. If Navan was being drafted into Queen Brisha’s army, what did that mean for our plan?

The whole day felt surreal, and unbelievably long.

“I’m starving,” Angie said as we entered the bare hut, breaking the tension.

“I’ll fetch something you can all eat,” Pandora said, before disappearing back out of the hut.

We sat around in silence, all of us entirely shell-shocked. I guessed this wasn’t what Angie and Lauren had been expecting when they snuck to Vysanthe—for a bombing to break out just hours after they’d landed. I wanted to hug them tight, letting them know it was all going to be okay, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know that it would be.

When the food came—Pandora and a few servants bringing it in—we descended upon it, filling up plates of fruit and steaming root vegetables I didn’t recognize. Angie and Lauren eyed it curiously, but I assured them that it was safe. Meanwhile, Bashrik and Navan approached a tray of warm bowls filled to the brim with a smoking red liquid, a look of confusion on their faces.

“What’s this?” Navan asked Pandora.

“Ferakor blood stew,” she explained. Whatever that meant.

They each curiously dipped a spoon into the mixture and lifted it to their lips. Apparently finding it not unpleasant, they began to eat, devouring the strange concoction. I guessed it wasn’t what they were used to in the South.

As Pandora departed once more, we sat down on the wooden chairs that had been set up. Angie, Lauren, and I snatched up furry coats that Pandora had brought for us. Wrapping ourselves in them, we glanced nervously at one another. It appeared nobody wanted to be the first to speak, after the events of the day.

“What are we all going to do?” I asked, breaking the tense silence. Someone had to, and I couldn’t bear another moment of it. “We can’t just sit around doing nothing,” I added, gesturing to Angie and Lauren.

Angie nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it… and I’d like to help with planning for the new alchemy lab. My dad’s an architect, so I’m familiar with blueprints and architecture. I figure I could be of some use, and it’d be something I could keep myself distracted with,” she explained, not addressing Bashrik directly.

Bashrik’s eyes widened, and he shook his head sharply. “Um, no. You’ll only get in my way and slow me down. I can’t afford any distractions—not when Queen Brisha wants it built in a few weeks.”

“I used to help my dad with his projects all the time,” Angie retorted. “I’m a good assistant when it comes to things like design, and I’m pretty handy, too. Trust me, I’m not saying this to get in your way—in case you think I’m that petty. Your job just happens to be where I’d do best, and hey, if I’m not useful, you can fire me.”

“Give her a chance, Bashrik,” Navan muttered, rubbing his temples, clearly not in the mood for arguments.

Bashrik pursed his lips. “Fine. Just don’t start crying when I let you go.”

Angie rolled her eyes. “Please. As if I’d shed a tear on you.”

“Lauren?” I prompted, turning to my other friend.

She pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I’d like to be useful, but I’m not as brave as the rest of you, and I don’t have the physical strength you guys have, either… I’m honestly not sure where I can help.” There was a sense of dejection in her voice, her gaze dropping to the floor.

I smiled, knowing exactly where Lauren might fit in. “The queen has a huge library. If you could get permission from her, you could help research more about the immortality elixir. I’m sure you could find something in there that nobody has found before—a different perspective, maybe? If anyone can find something new, it’s you. You’re the smartest girl I know.”