Page 34 of Dark Destiny: The Fates' Bargain

"The strategist," Dimitri said.

"That's right." Turner took one of the paper plates and helped himself to some of what was left. "I'm here to help you settle in."

"Thank you for the five-star treatment," Petrov said, gesturing at the room around them with his chopsticks. "I could get used to living like this. Where are the soldiers? Are they getting a nice apartment like this one?"

Turner smiled, and it seemed forced, but Dimitri didn't think it was because the man was in a bad mood. He was just not a smiler. "The Eight are settling into the dungeon level."

"The dungeon?" Mattie set her chopsticks down. "Why did you put them in a dungeon? They are heroes, not criminals."

"It's not like it sounds." Turner didn't seem offended by her accusation. "The cells were converted a long time ago into comfortable rooms with private bathrooms, televisions, etc. It's the most secure part of the building, which is the actual reason they're there. It's just a precaution."

"They saved us." Mattie's voice turned even sharper. "They shouldn't be underground while we're up here with a jacuzzi tub and a view of the city. It's not fair!"

"No, it's not," Turner agreed. "Life isn't fair. The Eight are dangerous. They are powerful in ways we have no defense against. So, despite their acts of heroism, we need time to establish trust, and until then they need to be assessed in a contained environment. That's not a judgment on their character. It's just how it has to work, for now."

Dimitri felt the same discomfort as Mattie, but he understood Turner's caution because he knew how dangerous the collective actually was.

"I get where you are coming from, but it doesn't feel right."

"It's not meant to feel right," Turner said. "It's meant to be prudent and cautious, and we are all committed to making their lives as comfortable as possible in the meantime. Which means that you need to start working on their next dose. They need it urgently."

"They do." Dimitri set his chopsticks down.

"Arran and Rhys moved your equipment into the industrial kitchen on the underground level. It seemed like the most practical space until something more permanent gets built. How soon can you be ready to start?"

Petrov groaned. "I need a shower, a few hours of sleep, and a bottle of vodka."

"You need a shower and sleep," Anita said, fixing him with a look that could have stripped paint. "The vodka can wait indefinitely, or forever, whichever comes first."

He glared back at her. "You can't be serious."

"I mean it. You were shot two days ago, Doctor Konstantin Petrov, and even you know that vodka is not good for your healing body."

Dimitri exchanged a look with Mattie. Finally, someone was managing Petrov, and it was deeply satisfying to watch.

"I can handle it by myself," Dimitri said. "Petrov should rest. I desperately need to shower and change, but I can do all that in ten minutes."

Turner nodded. "I'll come back for you in an hour."

15

SULLHA

Sullha watched the scenery passing them by through the bus window, and she still couldn't believe that she was in America.

The land of the free, Yamanu had called it.

Was she free, though?

During the flight, the Guardians had talked about a place that sounded like paradise, about life that was free of worry, with everything they needed handed to them with no strings attached, but that sounded too good to be true, and she didn't trust it.

They had flown through the night, and Sullha had dozed off for a few minutes here and there, waking each time with a jolt, reaching for Tomek before her eyes had even opened to make sure that he was next to her, and each time she'd found him in exactly the same spot as the last time, curled against her side under a blanket someone had draped over them both.

He was asleep again, stretched across the bus seat with his head in her lap and his feet propped against the window, so shecouldn't move, but she didn't mind. His weight was reassuring and comforting. Without it, she might have floated away, made buoyant by this fantastic new reality she found herself in.

Fantastic didn't necessarily mean good, though.

She didn't know how Yaaf and his friends were doing, and whether the scientists had made the medicine for them yet, or whether the shaking in his hands had gotten worse.