Page 47 (1/2)

"I’d like to knohat his people are doing with the cherubs," Adas, but right then, nothing else et these Telare "If we set up a trap and nail the"

I dis Elyssa stormed from the room I followed her up to the bedroom, and shut the door "Why are you so mad?" I asked

"My father hasn’t helped?" she said in a rhetorical tone "Really? After providing a pilot and a slider to retrieve the trailer? After providing a place to keep yourthe car you and I used in the operation? After leaving the decision for his intervention in your hands?"

"I didn’t et involved--"

"And he had a very good reason for not showing his hand," Elyssa said "You can’t just plow into everything, heedless of consequences, Justin Sometimes you have to use tact and tactics"

"Fine," I said, throwing up my hands "I’m sorry I insulted your father That wasn’tin her eyes I looked at her, co such an overreaction? I thought back to what I’d said, but aside fro Elyssa to tears As usual, seeing her cry madeher

"I’ive me"

She turned and buried her face in my shoulder "It’s not you," she said "It’s everything going on with the Synod and the Templars" Elyssa looked up at"They tried to murder my father, Justin They tried to kill you and everyone in a leadership position What are they going to do next? How can we stop the breath "I don’t knohat to do"

Her reaction suddenlyfro her father and other people she cared about It was one thing to fight an arroup of them on a suicide mission If Ivy hadn’t warned us, there would have been somy own

I kissed her on the forehead "I understand If we can get my mom out of that box, she’ll be oneto my mom like that, but it was true

"Then that’s e have to do," Elyssa said "Save your mom so we can save everyone else"

"How do you think we should do it?" I asked

She wiped tears from her face "I think your plan could work It’s sihtforward, and not as complicated as most of the stuff you co her a grin "You can say it"

She laughed, her hands absent it away "Those plans are usually the best" She surprised me with a kiss "You always kno to cheer me up"

I wished I knew exactly what I’d said to clear the air, but just s you set this party started"

Chapter 30

Twenty-five Te satchels full of other crowd-control iteh the portal and into the main cavern outside the El Dorado control room Thanks to our omniarch, they’d arrived a little over an hour after Elyssa’s request

I’d called ahead and spoken with Cinder to h we opened the portal farther back into the main cave for easy insertion and escape should that become necessary

"We’ll set up the perimeter," said the leader of the elite Teroup of dark-clad Te what looked like rocks in a loose circle around the area where the Darkwater people had stood the last tier theo off, we’ll knock them out with Lancer darts and secure the about," I said, feeling immeasurably better about our success We spent the next thirtythe men set up Shelton and the others remained on standby, but I didn’t think we’d need their help with the pros on our tea was set up, Hutchins and his men hid behind other boulders and debris they’d ic positions and waited Elyssa and I picked our own hiding spot with a good view We both had Lancers equipped and ready I figured with thisons, for their part,around the cavern as theas nobody tried to violate the boundary of their giant coiled bodies

The wait dragged on and on

"What’s taking Kassus so long?" I asked Elyssa

She leaned back against the rock "Tackling two leviathan dragons isn’t an easy task I’hed and sat down, trying to calh scenarios, each one ending withKassus’s blood with a siven ainst the man’s bare skin, activate it with a button, and it would draw and store blood

Tiht abouther feed off me the minute I burst inside and rescued her I wondered how Kassus planned to get past the dragons Would he use brute force, or try soed man earlier? He seemed like a violent person, but I kneasn’t stupid Nobody earned a reputation like his by being a fool