She moved her finger to the side of the trigger.
Come on, you son of a bitch…
Black matte armor moved around the bend left of the torn bulkhead. She aimed the crossbow at head level for a Siren, then took her finger off the trigger. It was Michael.
He held up a hand to her, then moved to the bulkhead, took a look, and swore. He hurried over to her on his hands and feet.
“It’s gone,” he said. “We’ve got to hurry before it causes more damage.”
Magnolia turned around and started back the way they had come.
The comm link fired. “I think I know where it’s going,” Michael said.
“We’re listening,” Les replied.
“The nuclear reactor. That’s the biggest power source on the ship.”
“Damn, I bet you’re right,” Les said. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier. Meet me in engineering.”
“Can you do a scan for life-forms in that compartment, Timothy?” Magnolia asked.
“One moment,” replied the AI.
Michael and Magnolia clambered back down the tunnel to the exit hatch. She got more Siren scat on her armor going back.
The speakers crackled in her helmet.
“I think we have another problem,” Timothy said. “The life scans in engineering are picking up two life-forms.”
“Do we have an engineer down there?” Les asked.
“No, sir,” replied the AI. “We don’t have anyone down there.”
The militia guards closed the shutters over the stained-glass windows in the council chambers, blocking the view of the sunny morning.
The wind rattled the metal as X eased himself onto the throne. He was starting to regret turning down the painkillers Dr. Huff had offered, but he couldn’t afford to dull his senses. Right now, the most important thing he could do was keep his wits.
Flouting the doctor’s orders could end up biting him on the ass, but it wasn’t the first time he had broken orders, and he needed to show his face and scotch any rumors about his health.
He also needed to set the record straight about the mission to Rio de Janeiro and about the ambush at the Purple Pearl—especially after Imulah’s report on the rumors spreading through the Cazador ranks. If the soldiers believed that his people had sunk Star Grazer, even Rhino’s sacrifice wouldn’t stop a war between the two societies. They had already gotten away with mass murder after Ada killed most of the Lion’s crew—something that Rhino and X had not seen eye to eye on.
Not having General Rhino made him feel vulnerable in a way he hadn’t in a long time. But he still had plenty of people here to protect him from enemies. Ton and Victor flanked the throne, both armed with spears and slung rifles. X looked at the former Cazador prisoners, but they kept their gaze forward, like statues.
So did Lieutenant Sloan, standing at the base of the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder to give X a frustrated glare. She didn’t seem to believe him when he said he had been sicker than this many times in the wastes.
He knew that Sloan and Dr. Huff were right. He should have stayed in bed to rest. The fever was rising, and the pain radiating from the inflamed wounds was hard to conceal. If the antibiotics didn’t kick in soon, he would be in trouble. He was doing everything in his power not to shake from the chills.
Miles let out a whine and curled up at his sandaled feet. The dog looked up as the double doors cracked open. In walked the last person X wanted to see. Colonel Carmela Moreto, cockatoo perched on her shoulder, strode into the chamber wearing ceremonial armor. Her black cape sported the octopus crest. Four Cazador soldiers followed her.
Next came Colonel Forge, also in ceremonial armor and black cape. His iron jaw was set, and his gleaming dark eyes roved the room, revealing no trace of emotion.
Samson and a group of sky people filed in after them. The chief engineer, his face red from coughing, sat at the table with Carmela. With several council members still en route aboard Discovery and with General Santiago dead, the council was down to just these two and X.
Wind rattled the shutters. X focused on his breathing and tried not to shiver. His body trembled from the bone-deep chills. It was too late to call off the meeting now.
More people entered the room. Most were militia soldiers and new Hell Divers, but the Cazadores were well represented with soldiers, Imulah and his scribes, and two accountants in suits.
Lena, Hector, Alberto, and Ted took the front row of seats, with the other new Hell Divers sitting behind them. They all stared at X, clearly disturbed by his condition.
X wondered whether Ted had his silver flask with him. A bit of shine could do him good right now. At the very least, it would warm his gut.
“Let’s go,” Sergeant Wynn called out. “Close the doors.”
He gestured for the two militia soldiers to close the doors as soon as the last civilians walked into the room—Cole Mintel and his wife, Bernie, accompanied Les’s wife, Katherine. They all looked anxious for news of their loved ones on the airship.
X put his hands on the armrests of the throne and pushed himself up, trembling again. Spots darted about in his vision from the exertion.
Sloan glanced over her shoulder again, her lazy eye on X. He managed to wink at her and walked over to the edge of the platform, trying not to stagger like a drunk. He was so unstable, he felt as if he had just polished off a bottle of shine and then fallen down the stairs.
“King Xavier,” Imulah said, joining X on the platform to translate the proceedings.
“Discovery is still flying home from the mission in Rio de Janeiro,” X said in a loud, clear voice. “Their arrival has been slightly delayed due to electrical storms, but they should be home by this evening, with the thirty-one survivors they rescued.”
The Hell Divers and sky people in the crowd applauded the news, even though it wasn’t exactly fresh. Rumors had already spread like windblown spores across the rigs.
X watched Carmela and Forge, wanting to assess their reactions if his vision would cooperate. It blurred for a moment, then cleared. Another chill washed through him, making him shake slightly.
Imulah finished translating the first few statements, but the Cazadores in the audience didn’t seem as thrilled as the sky people. Not that he blamed them. Only two soldiers were returning home from the mission.
X continued. “As many of you know, General Santiago, Lieutenant Alejo, and most of the Lion’s crew were killed on this mission, and Star Grazer was attacked and sunk by a pod of mutant whales.”
Imulah gestured with his hands as he translated.
Several grunts came from the Cazador soldiers in the audience, but Forge and Carmela looked on with stony expressions.
“That brings our fleet down to only a few vessels,” X continued. “And with the added loss of Colonel Vargas and General Rhino at the Purple Pearl, it severely diminishes the Black Order of the Octopus Lords.”
That didn’t seem to get much of a reaction, either, but what came next would. X turned his attention to Carmela and Forge, watching for the reaction.
“What we haven’t told you is exactly how the Cazadores and several of our people were killed,” X said. “Since I’m told there are those who doubt what happened out there, I’ll show you.”
While Imulah relayed his words, X nodded to Samson.
Samson turned on the projector, and footage from the airship’s drone, Cricket, played on the metal bulkhead. The robot had captured some of the battle with the skinwalkers.
The footage wasn’t great, but even with his limited vision, X could see the armored men covered in human skins. Horn and his demon warriors seemed to act like defectors, hunting humans and wearing bits of them as trophies.