Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

“Indeed,” Pandora muttered, before turning back to the rest of the group. “Now, please take a belt each and strap them firmly to your waists,” she instructed, handing out several straps that each held a row of small black orbs. These were the explosives, I supposed, taking my own belt and strapping it over the set of knives I already had, resting just above my hips.

“Do not touch this button before you are instructed to, unless you wish to blow yourselves out of the sky,” Pandora warned, gesturing toward a small blue button on the side of the black orbs.

A few of the meatheads in our group chuckled among themselves, pretending to push the blue button, much to the evident disdain of Pandora, who flashed them a threatening look. Instantly, they stopped, looking down at the ground in shame.

Pandora cleared her throat. “We will be flying into enemy territory. Ships will be too conspicuous, so you’re all going to have to rely on your own strength and stamina. Don’t waste your energy on speed. Stealth is what we need here, on the way in,” she began. “All of you will follow Commander Korbin here, who will be your ranking officer on this mission,” she added, gesturing to one of the grizzled, older coldbloods who had joined us. His dark hair was streaked with white, shorn close at the sides, with jagged tattoos coiling beneath the remaining bristles. His eyes were a pale blue, his face broad and stern. I felt anxious at the very sight of him; he did not look like the kind of guy anyone would want to meet in a dark alley.

Korbin nodded, the movement tugging at a long, silvery scar that shot up his neck, curving all the way up his skull, where it stopped just shy of his eyebrow. “In the air, now!” he yelled, startling me. The other trainees sent out their wings, taking to the skies in a rush of wind and a cacophony of leathery flapping.

Padding around my pockets for my wing serum, I quickly took out the stopper and downed the remainder of the second vial. I only had one left now. After it was finished, I would have to ask for more. Navan grabbed me under the arms, lifting me up into the air so I wouldn’t be left behind. I flushed, feeling humiliated at having to be carried in front of my fellow soldiers. Still, I knew I would rather be carried than fall behind, uncertain whether I’d be able to catch up.

Navan clutched me to his chest as my face twisted in agony, the serum leaving no muscle free of pain. I gritted my teeth against it, unwilling to show weakness in front of the others. I felt the familiar razorblade sensation of the wings forcing their way out from under my scapula, before they stretched out behind me, catching a current of air beneath their silky tension.

“You good?” Navan asked.

“You’d think it would get easier at some point,” I gasped.

Navan released me, letting me fly solo with the rest of the flock. He flew beside me, his wings beating steadily, my own wings copying his almost mechanical motions as we soared up the side of the jagged mountain range, the cold air whipping our faces. We came down the other side ten minutes later, flying over the spot where our Snapper still rested, forgotten about in the secret glade that stood before the tunnel entrance. It was strange to see it sitting there, abandoned, especially as we were about to reenter the domain it had come from.

Feeling the twist of fear in my stomach, I focused my eyes forward, taking in the impressive sight of the soldiers flying in formation ahead of me. Off to the sides, I could make out the glitter of Northern Vysanthe’s frozen lakes, and the fanged horizon of far-off mountain ranges. In the driving rain, it looked remarkably bleak, though there was a certain type of beauty to it.

A savage beauty, I thought, reminded of Lazar’s words. It had been a long time since I’d thought about Navan’s uncle and what might have befallen him. As much as I resented him for keeping the tracker in my neck, I couldn’t help wondering if he was okay. He had helped Navan and me escape Queen Gianne’s soldiers, after all.

In the distance, the shimmering wall of the barrier between nations came into view. It was like catching the silk of a spider’s web in the right light, only seen in glimpses. As we neared, however, I could hear the steady thrum of it, the energy crackling upon our approach. How we were supposed to get through it without being noticed or destroyed, I had no clue. We’d managed to get through in the Snapper, but even that had been a rocky entrance. Without anything to shield us from the barrier’s energy, I worried we might explode.

Korbin came to a halt a few yards from the first patch of barrier, urging us all to hide behind a parapet of rock that jutted out from the jagged mountains. We did so, keeping our eyes on him as he took something out of the backpack he wore between his wings. I squinted for a better look, seeing that he carried a large, peculiar, net-like square in his hands.

He approached the thrumming barrier with the square, the crosshatched surface bursting into life as he placed it against the sheen of raw energy. A small explosion crackled through the air, and my eyes darted toward the Southern side of the wall, expecting ships to approach at any moment. When they didn’t, I turned my attention back to the square, suddenly realizing what it was for.

It worked like a circuit breaker, as far as I could tell, the square cutting out a section of the barrier so we could all filter through without setting off the border patrol alarms. A genius move, and one we definitely couldn’t have achieved in the Vysanthean ships.

“Get going!” Korbin hissed, ushering the first of us through the gap.

I brought up the tail end of the soldiers, with Navan the only one to follow. When it came to me, however, Korbin shoved me roughly between the shoulders, aggravating the tender spot between my scapula. With the sting of it searing through my chest, I glared at him, knowing he hadn’t laid a finger on anyone else. He glared back, letting me know he didn’t want me on this mission any more than I wanted to be on it.

Navan looked furious at what Korbin had done, but I silenced his anger with a warning look. I didn’t need him starting a fight. It would only get us in trouble. I’d grown used to coldbloods looking down on me, and as long as Korbin didn’t try to blow me up with the rest of the Observatory, I could handle whatever derogatory behavior he threw at me.

As I reached the other side, coming through the barrier unscathed, a thought dawned on me. What was the real reason Brisha had changed her mind all of a sudden? Why had she decided to send me on this mission? A shiver of dread ran up my spine as I began to doubt that she had solely been acting under the influence of her broken heart. Thinking on it more clearly, I realized that if anything happened to me, Navan would do whatever Brisha asked to get me back—including more attacks against innocent civilians.

This was her way of showing her power over him, with the perk of making him suffer for what his brother had done. I could see it now. It was important to her that he bend to her will, with no doubt as to his loyalty. Considering his knowledge of the South and who his father was, he was a valuable asset, but only as long as he was malleable to her requirements.

I knew he would do anything to save me. And I had no doubts now that she knew he would, too.





Chapter Twenty