“What do you mean a puppeteer? I’ve never heard of a Scourge with powers like that,” Nyla asked with a crinkled nose.

  Just like Quinn, she’d been angry that we’d killed the soldiers at first. The fact that they belonged to the country’s military made it a legal nightmare, and something likely to put Nyla and her squad in court.

  I shrugged. “Don’t know about what powers Scourge usually have, but this one was a puppeteer. The soldiers were controlled and beyond saving. It was them or us—there’s really nothing more to it.”

  She chewed on her nails, eyes moving away from mine. A steady beat drummed out from under the table as she shook her leg. “Did you see more soldiers?” she asked and muttered the next part under her breath. “We can probably get away with a few casualties, just as long as it doesn’t become a habit.”

  “We didn’t stick around long enough to find out,” I said and leaned closer to her, lowering my voice. “I am worried though. If we’re up against a puppeteer there’s no telling who we can trust. All mundanes need to be put under surveillance.”

  Her eyes stopped flitting around and moved to mine. Scraping against the floor, she edged the chair closer, shutting the rest of the squad out. “Gabi?”

  I shook my head. “She’s not safe. Nor is it safe for the others to stay here. Have you heard anything from the outside?”

  “No, not even a peep.”

  I bit my lip. “What about running to the Forgotten lands? We could travel to the closest anchor. At least there the other fighters would be blessed, and resistant to the puppeteer.”

  Gerrard loudly slurped on a cup of coffee, making us both turn to stare. He shrugged and continued.

  Nyla sighed. “We don’t know for sure that the puppeteer can just control whoever he likes. Like all powers, there are conditions. Limitations.”

  “Even for the Scourge?” I scoffed. “I’ve seen a snake-person fire laser beams. As far as I could tell, that power had no limitations or conditions at all.”

  “Argh! I get it. But we can’t just leave, we’re still blind.”

  “Better to be on the move and blind than dead. There are enough enhancers planted for your signal to reach outside. You can keep trying as you run.”

  “You?” she asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Yes. You.” I glazed over the others, my eyes lingering on Gabi before I sighed. This was going to be a pain. “I’d like to request our contract be voided. Things have changed. I will not be able to leave before I settle some things.”

  “What the fuck are you saying?” Gabi exclaimed, bursting up from her chair. “You’re just gonna leave us?”

  “This is better.” I tried to smile. “Better for everyone.”

  “How?!” she demanded. “How is this better for you? How is it better for us that our second strongest fighter just up and leaves the moment things get hard?!”

  She stepped into me, close enough that I could smell the scent of sand and smoke lingering on her. I leaned back in the chair and craned my neck to meet her eyes.

  “It just is.”

  She cocked her shoulder back to punch me, but Quinn caught her arm before she could. She whirled on her friend. “Let me go!”

  “Don’t do anything you’re going to regret,” Quinn said.

  Gabi shook her off, and stormed out of the tent screaming, “This is not fair!”

  None were stupid enough to tell her that I hadn’t been released from the contract just yet. Though I supposed wanting out was as good as actually getting out.

  Silence hung heavy inside the tent walls for a couple more moments before Gerrard and Stewie excused themselves. They both wore dark circles under their eyes, having worked themselves to near death the last few days. Rest was well-earned in their case.

  Only Quinn and Nyla stayed with me. Nyla walked over to a coffer and dug out a bottle of amber liquid, handing us each a glass before pouring.

  She offered a silent toast and we all drank. It was my first time drinking alcohol. It burned my throat as it went down and I strained not to cough, all the while staring down Quinn. I still had a bone to pick with her. She’d been the one to make the last engagement so dangerous. If they had just run when I told them, then I wouldn’t have had to take a rocket blast. I’d pretty much recovered already, even from the gunshots. The wounds and burns still lingered, but they didn’t actually hinder me in any way. I took another drink and looked her over. In the end, I chose not to push it.

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  I’d always known it but never really wanted to admit it. I liked their company and all. But they were dragging me down. Even with their skills as a mechanic and a scout supporting me, I would probably be better off just massacring my way through the tides of Scourge.

  If nothing changed I wouldn’t have said anything. It would just have hurt needlessly. But with the puppeteer moving, and moving against me of all people—I couldn’t stay.

  “May I ask why?” Nyla asked and filled our glasses again. I saw the label this time, whiskey.

  I smirked. “You may, but I may not answer.”

  “Why?”

  My smirk fell. I swirled the whiskey around in the glass, catching glimpses of my mirror image in it every now and then. Sera probably wouldn’t care if I told people that I was blessed by the Wayward Daughter. People didn’t know who that was anyway, or so I assumed. She’d been locked up her entire life—the Layered Empire’s best kept secret.

  “My patron,” I began and Sera grinned. “She’s… special. And her being special forces me to be the same. You see, my power came with more conditions than most. And more enemies than any.” I sipped on the whiskey and crinkled my brow. “One of these enemies is here, and my pledge demands I throw myself at the problem, no matter the outcome.”

  Both Nyla’s and Quinn’s eyes went wide. “Pledge?” Nyla barely managed to keep her mouth shut. “You said a pledge? You’re a scion?”

  I shrugged. “No idea what a scion is, but I’ve signed a pledge with my patron, and I am her only blessed.”

  “Holy fuck he’s a scion,” Quinn muttered and covered her mouth with her hand.

  Nyla slumped deep into her chair with a bewildered expression. “Well. That explains a lot. Imagine if you’d told me that during questioning, then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

  Still not fully understanding the situation, I did notice that there was weight to the word scion. And weight wasn’t something to be used lightly, no matter the case. I rolled my eyes. “You probably understand why I wouldn’t be open about it.”

  Nyla nodded absentmindedly and sipped her whiskey. “Quite the wicked patron then?”

  The corners of my mouth tugged into a wide grin. “Oh you have no idea.”

  “No chance we could get you to escort us out first?”

  I shook my head and lied. “That would go against the pledge with my patron. Sorry.”

  “What about placing the last enhancers?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You’re still planning on doing that? The city is not someplace you can just waltz into anymore.”

  She shrugged. “We’ll go en masse. We could use a few more vehicles anyway.”

  What the hell was she on about? Marching into the city with a bunch of mundanes was the same as offering up a platter of fighters to the puppeteer. She might as well have said she wouldn’t let me go.

  “I think that’s a bad idea.”

  Quinn downed her glass and laid her hand on Nyla’s, earning her a warm smile from the captain. “It’s not an idea, it’s our plan.” She turned to me. “Get some rest, we leave in the morning.”

  “And the pledge?”

  She waved her hand through the air theatrically. “You’re released.” I couldn’t quite pinpoint what, but something in the veil shifted. Breathing came easier, as if I’d been wearing a noose all this time.

  The two of them left the tent as I whispered. “Thank you.”

  I sat alone with the bottle. In truth I didn’t want to be alone. Who in their right mind would? I downed my glass and refilled it. Spreading warmth, the whiskey settled in my stomach like a small ember. It filled me with a false sense of courage. I could see why my dad used to like it so much. Even though it tasted like shit.

  Sighing, I grabbed the bottle and headed off to bed. I’d need to settle things with Gabi before leaving.

  Silence reigned in camp. Returning with a car shot to shit had brought some unwanted blows to the morale in general. Everybody knew things were changing, otherwise me and the girls would already be back on the road with the last set of enhancers. That had been the plan all along. We do all the heavy lifting, and the rest of the squad sit tight and protect the civilians.

  The doc greeted me with a wave. I could just about make out Julia’s back inside the medical tent. She’d clammed up after the injury. Rumors said she didn’t even speak to Daryl anymore. Shame, maybe. Or maybe she blamed him more than she blamed me. That was probably it, I told myself and took a swig. She’d been there after all. She’d both seen and lived through the ambush.

  No way could she blame me for that shit-show.

  After walking for a bit, I stopped outside my tent. Brushing my coat and clothes free from dirt, and leaving the bottle out in the sand I took a breath. I stepped inside. Looking around I couldn’t see her. The curtain to her sleeping quarters had been pulled shut. I stopped just outside. “Gabi?”

  Covers crinkled on the other side. She didn’t speak.

  “I’m not leaving because I want to. I wouldn’t do this if there was another choice.”

  Still no answer. I sat down cross-legged and drew on the tarp floor with my finger.

  “This morning when we were ambushed, I was scared to death.” I scratched my head. “Honestly, if Quinn had just listened and run when I told her to, things would have been so much easier. But at the same time, having you close means it’s easier for me to protect you. With the puppeteer though, it’s not the same.” I leaned back and glanced at the entrance. Lowering my voice I continued. “Between you and me, this last attack wasn’t random. I didn’t know it was coming, but it was aimed at me. Not you or Quinn. Me. If I stay with you, they will just keep coming.”

  She stirred on the other side. “So what? You’ll play hero and lead them away?”

  I smiled. “No. I’m not playing hero. Dealing with it on my own is selfish and dangerous. But at least that way I won’t be the reason you get hurt.”

  The tarp floor on the other side crunched. “At least you know you’re being a cunt.”

  “I do,” I chuckled. “I hope that’s alright with you.”

  “Why are they after you?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “We’ve got all night,” she said and pulled the curtain to the side.

  She wore nothing but a large T-shirt, hanging on her like a short dress, and motioned for me to enter. I swallowed and stood up. She crinkled her nose. “Is that… whiskey I smell?”

  I breathed into my hand. It was. My cheeks flushed.

  She giggled a little. “Got any more of that?”

  I hurried back out for the bottle, then into her bed.