Dreams of a Dark Warrior

wielded
his
weapon.
Just as I’d threatened to do with Regin’s.
    “Yes, you returned,” Natalya’s eyes narrowed, “but you’ve got Wendigo scratches. You’ll transform into one of them.”
    “Luckily, I have salt.” He took a handful from his pocket, rubbing it into the laceration on his torso.
    Natalya raised her brows. “Salt halts the trans-formation?”
    “Do you know how many people I had to drain to come by that knowledge? You’re welcome, fey.”
    “Good to know. Now, what’s happening out there?”
    “More fighting. The facility is one giant kill box.”
    “What do we do now?”
    “We get information from Chase.” Lothaire winced as he tended a particularly deep gash. “How long before more mortal troops arrive?”
    “They won’t. I said the Order would strike. Not how. They’ll bomb after one hundred and fifty hours.”
    Lothaire said, “Why so much time?”
    “It’s a Hail Mary protocol. The island is seeded withincendiary bombs for a total self-destruct, but for some reason, they didn’t detonate.”
    Natalya said, “Technopaths could have detected them and disarmed them.”
    Declan had suspected the same. “The soonest the Order can deploy an aerial attack is six and a half days. They can’t strike before Friday at noon.” It didn’t escape his notice that he’d begun saying
they
instead of
we
.
    His life with the Order was over. But Webb had it wrong. That didn’t mean Declan had to throw in with these miscreats any more than necessity demanded.
    Unfortunately, it looked like they’d be along for the ride—all the way to the escape boat and beyond. “In the meantime, there are other adversaries to contend with.”
    Lothaire said, “Some of the vampires and demons will simply trace from here now that their torques are gone.”
    “Some?” Brandr swigged his Coke.
    “Others will remain to pick off the Vertas while they’re at their weakest. It’s what I would do. Actually, I’d trace more of my brethren back to this place and exterminate them all.”
    Brandr whistled low. “Fish in a barrel.”
    In a thoughtful tone, Lothaire said, “We will have to chance that they don’t.”
    “Then what?” Thad said. “How do we get out of this place? How do we get home?”
    Declan grudgingly said, “There’s a boat on the farwest coast of the island. It would take about three days through the forest on foot.”
    Brandr said, “Which is the Wendigos’ natural habitat. The woods will be crawling with them.”
    “The only other option is to stay above the tree line while crossing the mountains. Which will tack on two days.”
    Thad belched into his fist, then said, “Never been on a mountain before!”
    “So the mountains it is,” Natalya said. “Doesn’t sound too bad. We only have to stay alive for a spell, then we cruise home.”
    Declan gazed at Regin. And then she would leave him and never look back. Or maybe she would remember that he’d rescued her from those vampires and feel gratitude.
Aye, gratitude.
    Brandr added, “When we get back, we can get a witch to remove the torques. Regin’s good friends with several of them.” Then he frowned at Declan. “Wait a second. You said the mainland is eight hundred miles away. What kind of boat are you taking us to?”
    “A bloody big one.”
    “What do I do then?” Thad asked. “Can I go back home?”
    Everyone looked at Declan. At length, he said, “No. Your family is mortal, so they’re safe, but if you return, that magister will simply recapture you. Take you to another facility.”
    “There are more of these places?” Natalya cried.
    Declan shrugged.
Four others.
    Thad said, “Thanks for letting me know Mom and Gram are okay. I appreciate it.”
    Gratitude from the kid, after all that had been done to him.
    “Hey, is there like a witness relocation program for us?”
    Natalya said, “We’ll figure something out for you and your family, lad. I promise.” Then she turned to Lothaire, “So, vampire, who is La Dorada?”
    Thad asked, “What’d she keep screaming about a ring for?”
    Declan grated, “And how the hell did she get into my facility?”
    His tone dripping condescension, Lothaire crooned, “Ah, children, it’s not yet story time.” He closed his eyes and turned away, saying over his shoulder, “To anyone who contemplates even nearing me while I sleep: I will garrote you with your own viscera.”
    Declan was about to demand an answer when he heard a muted whimper. Was Regin