Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

The alchemist looked at him blankly, his mouth hanging open, his brow creased in thought.

Then he lunged forward and headbutted Navan, hard. Staggering back, Navan tried to grasp at Yorrek again, but Yorrek managed to dodge him. I realized we’d forgotten to tie him up, as per the plan. We’d been lured into a false sense of security by the hypnosis serum, thinking that would be enough to hold him. With it fading from his system, he shot toward the door and yanked it open with all his Vysanthean speed and strength, before tearing out into the hallway beyond. Back toward the party.





Chapter Fourteen





“We can’t let him escape!” I gasped.

Navan immediately launched after Yorrek, spreading out his wings. He glided over the balustrade of the landing and dropped to the ground below, where Yorrek was already weaving through the crowds of revelers. I glanced at Angie, who hurriedly shoved the cap back on the syringe of Elysium she had just pulled out, and put it down the front of her dress. With that, we sprinted from the room as fast as our gowns would allow. I kicked off my heels and carried them under my arms as we descended the stairs. If only my wings were permanent.

Up ahead, Navan had almost caught up to the alchemist, though he’d had to tuck his wings away to avoid hitting the faces of those around him. People were already looking at him as though he were something nasty on the bottom of their shoes, given the intrusive way he’d landed among them. Regardless, Navan’s eyes were focused on his prey, who had slowed down, thanks to the after-effects of the hypnosis serum.

Yorrek paused, catching his breath at the far edge of the grand entrance hall, but within seconds he was running again, heading for the archway that led to the garden party. Navan was closing the gap, but it wasn’t small enough. If Yorrek got outside and told anyone what was going on, we were done for.

Hurtling after them, Angie and I reached the steps that went down into the gardens just as Navan barreled into Yorrek, knocking him to the ground behind a row of bushes. Yorrek removed the stopper of a vial he had seemingly retrieved from nowhere and threw the contents in Navan’s face. Navan dodged, and the curious liquid landed on the gravel pathway with an almighty hiss, smoke rising from the earth. I stared at it in horror, wondering what it might have done if it had hit Navan. Already, I could see tiny spots where some of the fluid had splashed against his clothes, boring holes into his suit jacket.

Taking advantage of Navan’s surprise, the alchemist got to his feet and bolted. Navan followed as Yorrek darted toward the nearest ice sculpture and toppled it with one savage push, causing the whole thing to come crashing down on Navan’s head. He managed to knock some of it to the side, but the rest hit him square in the skull and shoulders, and his knees buckled as he sank down beneath the weight.

Partygoers stopped, looking at the scene in horror and disgust, their hands raised to their mouths as they tried to decipher what was going on. Was it a family dispute? A quarrel over love? Something to do with money? I heard every kind of gossip on the lips of the revelers, but my mind was elsewhere.

Feeling torn, I glanced between Navan and Yorrek. I wanted to check that my boyfriend was okay, but I knew there were more important things at stake right now. No matter what happened, Yorrek could not be allowed to reach the high table where Queen Brisha sat. Right now, the alchemist was staring down at his aggressor, apparently taking a moment to catch his breath.

Seizing the opportunity, I bolted along the sheltered pathway that led toward the dancefloor, sprinting down a narrow track sandwiched between two high walls of hedgerow. I waited at the end, knowing it was one of only two paths that Yorrek could take. I just had to hope he wouldn’t take the main route, especially not after the commotion he’d caused with the ice sculpture. No, this was the way Yorrek would come if he wanted to reach the queen quickly. It had to be.

A moment later, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps on the gravel path, the pace hurried. Within seconds, Yorrek would pass by the spot where I stood.

Taking a deep breath, I jumped out from my hiding place and landed a savage kick to the backs of Yorrek’s legs. It was an Aksavdo move I’d learned in training, though it had never worked against my fellow trainees. Now, I realized it probably worked better with the element of surprise.

Yorrek stumbled, crumpling to the ground with a heavy thud. Dipping low to the ground, I used another Aksavdo move, gripping his arms behind him and jerking them upward, right up to the back of his head. He fought hard against me, but I sat on his spine, rendering him immobile.

Fortunately, I had managed to floor him in a spot that was hidden by the hedgerows. Here, we were secluded. Yorrek tried to cry out, but with me pressing his face into the dirt, the sound came out strangled.

Turning, I saw Navan and Angie running up the pathway behind me. Thank God. I was holding Yorrek for now, but I knew he had greater stamina than I did, and I was already beginning to tire.

“Nice work!” Angie whispered. Navan knelt beside Yorrek and held his head, exposing his neck.

“Inject the serum, now!” Navan ordered.

Nodding, Angie whipped the syringe out from the bodice of her gown and bit the cap off, injecting the serum into the alchemist’s neck before he had a chance to struggle.

For several moments, Yorrek continued to thrash around, the serum working its way through his body, until at last, the alchemist went still, his muscles relaxing, his body collapsing beneath me as Elysium’s oblivion took over. Even so, I was reluctant to let him go, just in case he was pulling another stunt like last time.

“You can get off him,” Navan said, offering his hand to help me up.

Slowly, I stood, keeping one foot pressed into Yorrek’s spine. When he still didn’t move, I relaxed, stepping away from the splayed-out figure on the ground.

“That was close,” Angie muttered, putting the cap back on the empty syringe and burying it deep in the foliage of the outer hedges, where no one would find it.

I whirled around at the sound of more footsteps thundering down the narrow pathway behind me. It was Lauren, her purple dress shimmering in the dim light of the garden lanterns. Her brow was furrowed in distress.

“Guards! Coming this way!” she said breathlessly. “They saw the ice sculpture and they’re coming to investigate!”