“I can’t from here,” he smirks. “But if you would kindly accompany me to my temporary
office…”
I tremble with rage and hatred. If only I could rip the tongue from his mouth and swallow it whole — that would wipe the smirk from his face. But he has the upper hand, at least until I know that Dervish is safe. I’ll have to allow him his smugness for a while. I start to agree to take him to his office, but Timas speaks before me.
“There’s no need to relocate. I can see a radio unit in one of the boats. There are telephones and computer terminals set in the walls. We can communicate with the outside world from here.”
“No,” Antoine snaps. “There are things in my office that I need.”
“Such as?” Timas asks with a little smile.
Antoine glowers. I see in his features that he had a plan in mind. The office was an excuse. He thought he could trick us and escape some other way.
“Don’t play games,” I say softly. “Your only hope is to prove that Dervish is alive and that we need you to protect him. If I think you’re trying to weasel out, all bets are off and all promises are revoked.”
“Come with me,” Timas says commandingly, taking Antoine by the elbow and leading him to one side. “We’ll work on it together. Tell me everything you did and how to undo it. I’ll see to the rest.”
“But… my equipment…,” Antoine says weakly.
“We have all the equipment we need,” Timas says, taking a radio unit from a boat and fiddling with the dials.
With a bitter sigh, Antoine casts aside whatever plan he had in mind, sits beside Timas, and talks.
The minutes pass quickly. Part of me is sure we’ll be too late. Antoine’s Lambs will have caught a strong wind and picked up Bec sooner than anticipated. Gunned Dervish down and dumped him in the sea for the fishes to feast on. I’m prepared for the worst and ready to rip Antoine to pieces when he breaks the bad news. My wolfen half is looking forward to that. It doesn’t care about Dervish or anything except slaughter and feeding.
Dimly aware of Timas and Antoine talking on the radio, Antoine issuing codes and commands. Meera and Prae are listening in, but I’m too agitated to follow it all. I have very little patience since I changed.
Thinking about Juni’s prediction again. I want to dismiss it. Me? Destroy the world? Ridiculous!
Except… it isn’t. I’ve known since that night in the cave outside Carcery Vale that I have the power to annihilate not just a world, but a universe. Beranabus believed the Kah-Gash could be used against the Demonata, but it’s a demonic weapon. Why should it work for us against those who created it?
I wish the contrary old magician was here. I need advice and guidance. But according to Antoine he’s dead, killed on a ship, lost at sea. I should be in shock. I never liked the old buzzard, but he’s protected this world for more than a thousand years and he’s been my mentor for the last several months. His death should have hit me hard. But I only feel annoyed — why did he let himself fall into a trap now, of all times, when he was most needed?
“There we go,” Antoine says, turning away from the radio. He salutes me with a sneer.
“What’s the story?” I bark at Timas.
“We converted the assassination squad into a rescue crew,” Timas says. “I was going to send Disciples, but it was simpler to use those already close to the scene. They’ve taken the survivors onboard and are flying back, but not to the city where Juni had arranged to meet them.”
“Dervish?” I mutter, dreading the response.
“Alive,” Timas says. “In bad shape — all three of them are — but breathing.”
“Three?” Meera echoes.
“Dervish, Bec, and a Disciple called Kirilli Kovacs. You know him?” Meera shakes her head. “Apparently he was onboard when they went to the ship.”
“What about Sharmila?” Meera asks.
“Dead,” Timas says simply. “Along with Beranabus. Maybe Kernel too, but they weren’t sure about that. A few thousand passengers and crew were murdered also.”
“A good day’s work,” Meera snaps at Antoine.
“You can’t blame me for what happened on the ship,” he huffs. “I had nothing to do with that.” He smiles thinly at me. “Those onboard the helicopter have orders to release the hostages only in my presence. A little insurance policy.”
I stare at Antoine without blinking. “Dervish is safe?” I ask Timas.
“Yes.”