Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

My pulse quickened as I was reminded of our nerve-wracking journey from Alaska to New York. “Whoever it is, they’re good at hiding.”

Passing across the icy flow of the river, Navan took my hand and led me off toward the left, straying from the central route that led back to the Observatory. Using the shadow of the nearby trees to shroud us, we peered through the gaps in the boughs to see who was on our tail. My anger pricked as I spotted the skeletal frame of Aurelius, his single wing flapping double speed to keep him in the air, while a fake wing trailed hopelessly, rising up and down only when it caught a current of air. Despite his disability, he seemed like an adept flier. His rheumy eyes scanned the landscape, narrowing as they glanced into the forest below.

Why had he followed us instead of sounding the alarm? After all, he wasn’t exactly a prime specimen of strength. Could he be working for the rebels, like Pandora, reporting from Gianne’s side?

Suddenly, he took out a gun, the metal barrel glinting in the sunlight. A moment later, a projectile shot through the air, whizzing past us before exploding into a tree behind. The wood burst outward in a flare of splinters. I clutched Navan’s hand, confident now that Aurelius was not working for the rebels. If he were, he wouldn’t be trying to kill us. Maybe Aurelius was just trying to use a heroic deed to impress his beloved queen—or even Seraphina.

Swooping low, Aurelius hovered on the outskirts of the forest, his gun raised to the dense canopy. “Who goes there?” he called, firing another shot into the darkness.

He didn’t know whom he had been tailing. Pulling the hood of my jacket farther over my head, I signaled for Navan to do the same. If Aurelius hadn’t spotted who we were already, I certainly didn’t want him finding out.

“No one of concern,” Navan replied, altering his voice to a higher pitch as he spoke. “Allow us to leave, and we will say no more about it. We are harmless merchants, come to visit Regium on business!”

I realized the only way to escape was to keep the advisor talking, so we could rocket past him unawares. Already, Navan was gesturing for me to brace against the tree trunk behind us, to increase my momentum outward. Meanwhile, he was doing the same on a neighboring tree.

“You are trespassers!” Aurelius bellowed, though his voice wavered. “You are trespassers, and you will be punished!” With that, a round of bullets peppered the surrounding area.

“Go!” Navan urged.

I bent back as far as I could, before pushing forward with all my might. I shot up through the trees like a bullet, perfectly streamlined, my wings tucked flat against my body. Navan followed straight after, and we stretched out our wings only as our momentum faded. As we’d hoped, the sudden burst of movement took Aurelius by surprise, causing him to tumble downward before he regained his composure.

We flew away as hard and as fast as we could, but Aurelius twisted his body around, aiming his gun straight at us. I could hear the unmistakable whistle of the projectiles as they surged past, one narrowly missing the tip of my ear, the screech of the bullet deafening me for a moment. Even so, I pressed on, desperate not to be shot out of the sky. Navan was just up ahead, leading the way, letting me know where to go. With my heart thundering in my chest, I kept my eyes on him, my wings beating hard, churning the wind behind me.

On the steep incline upward, I tried to find camouflage in the cloud cover, but a sudden twinge of pain made my blood freeze. It was a dull ache, just below my scapula, leaking forward into my chest cavity. It was a sensation I immediately recognized. The wing serum was starting to wear off. I could feel it in the way my wings were slowing, my body struggling to keep hold of them.

In a panic, I pawed at my pockets, trying to find the one that held the last vial of wing serum. I delved into my jacket pocket and pulled out the vial, but my hands were too sweaty, my fingers too shaky. It almost slipped from my grasp, but I held on tight, determined not to drop it as I took out the stopper and lifted it to my lips. The liquid was almost in my mouth when a shot tore through my right wing, knocking me off balance, sending the vial plummeting toward the ground. I watched, horrified, as it hit a stretch of stone below me, the glass shattering on impact.

A moment later, I followed the vial, my wings disappearing completely, leaving me exposed and helpless. I flailed my arms, as if it might miraculously keep me in the air, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself from falling.

I closed my eyes, bracing for impact, when I felt Navan grab me under the arms, holding me up. Lifting my gaze, I saw him above me, his wings beating steadily as he lowered me carefully to the ground. Shots were still firing all around us, but his focus was entirely on me.

“Meet me at the house with the silver archway,” he said hurriedly, before dropping me down into what looked like a Vysanthean garden, the landscape too manicured to be naturally made. Letting go before I could say a word in protest, he flew upward once more, his expression determined.

From my vantage point, I watched as Aurelius approached, forcing Navan to feint away from the projectiles that were firing from the barrel of the advisor’s silver gun. Twisting around in the air like a tornado, Navan drew the two blades from his back, using them to deflect the projectiles as they hurtled toward him. With each explosive impact, a shower of sparks erupted into the sky, looking like fireworks on the Fourth of July.