Page 40 of Lies That Bind
“That’s great! Is he hurt?”
“No, but I think you’d better see this.”
I ran to my room, brushed my teeth and changed quickly. Five flights of stairs later, I was topside and staring at the blue griffin that had killed Colt’s creature.
Colt was riding it.
“You bonded him?” I staggered forward.
He nodded, grinning. “I’m still upset over the loss of Mara, but… it’s hard to explain. I couldn’t kill him. The bond started, and now I understand why he did it.”
I peered at Commander Ledger, who was watching Colt with interest.
“What are you thinking?” I asked him.
He glanced over at me with a questioning gaze. “Where did you find your Talanagi when you bonded Liana?”
Oh, that… well, might as well let that secret out.
“Luska side of the Wall. I found an old map that showed that’s where they are.”
“Those bastards!” Ledger slapped his thigh. “I knew it. I knew that’s why they had a higher concentration in their ranks.”
An idea sprang forth.
“I don’t think we should rip the Wall down. That would be a disaster. But what about at the next Lottery… we lead a select few candidates to where we know the Talanagi are?” I said.
To the Luska side of the Wilds is what I didn’t say.
The commander and Colt both nodded. “We need to even the playing field long-term,” Commander Ledger said.
It was decided. Next Lottery, we’d pick the strongest dozen candidates and show them where to find a Talanagi in the hopes we could add more of them to our ranks.
“Speaking of Talanagi, where is your creature, Empress?” Commander Ledger asked. “Didn’t you say she’d be back soon?”
I was starting to seriously worry, but I had way too much going on and I was too tired and hungry to let it affect me.
“She’ll show up,” I told him, then looked at Colt. “Congratulations on the new bonding. Let’s get underground until Luska is done with their retaliation.”
Chapter
Nine
All day and another night, it was eerily quiet. The base, the Wall, the surrounding area, there had been no attack since we took down their Red Palace and killed the prime leader.
Was it because they were grappling with their loss and burying their dead? Were they swearing in Maxim, and was he waiting until I replied to act? My mind swirled, and all the while, Onyx and Liana were unreachable.
Tonight, Tetra and the rest of our alliance would show up to fulfill their orders, and the base was currently in a lockdown, unsure of what to expect next.
After a full day of more meetings, as I was passing down a long hallway in search of the mess hall for a late dinner, a side door opened, and I yelped until I saw Kohen grinning. He pulled me into the small room and shut the door, pinning my back against it.
My heart fluttered in my chest. I’d barely seen him. I’d been busy in meetings and learning the ropes of the new base. I was still getting introduced to squad leaders and learning about what my new schedule would be. Student by day, empress by night. That’s what we’d decided on. I’d train with Tetra and the restof my squadron as rookie recruits from sunup to sundown, and then I’d have meetings at night to deal with empress things. On weekends, I was permitted to fly back to Riverine to see my sisters and have more meetings there.
I was already sick of the meetings.
“Tell me you have intel on our creatures. I’m freaking out,” I told him.
He smiled. “I don’t.”
