Predatory

RIKA POV

“You mean, wipe out their entire species? Destroy humankind completely?” Sasha’s voice crackles through my headset as Zoe and I make our way through fae-crafted tunnels, courtesy of Tempest and Ariadne, to our assigned station for the upcoming coup. The video feed on the tablet in my hands is fuzzy, despite my best efforts—damn internet doesn’t know where we are, probably—but Berach’s malevolence, at least, is unobscured.

“Holy fucking shit,” Zoe whispers, a sentiment I echo. “What do you think she’s going to do?”

“Ask questions and try to find another solution, at least at first,” I mutter. Turbo Frog’s still at least an hour out, even with their crazy speed, I calculate, looking through all the different data feeds at my disposal. And that’s before we factor in getting them into the Ruling Council’s chamber from the low docks.

“But after that. Sasha’s never cared much for humans.”

“She does care about justice, though. And about us. She knows I need those damn warm-blooded idiots to survive.”

“You get yours through WASP’s blood banks, though, right? Surely there’s enough—”

“Not for eternity, babe. Blood goes bad after a while.”

“Anisha can’t possibly agree to a total extermination, then.”

“No. We’ve heard that from her. How much Berach cares about preserving vampire-kind remains to be seen, but it does sound like they plan to preserve at least some humans.”

“Probably remote tribes, people not dependent on modern technology and industry. At least, that’s how I’d try to do it, if I was going to…. But I can’t imagine…”

“No. It’s a terrible choice to have to make. And one of the worst things that could have happened for our plan. Fear is likely beyond her, but doubt…”

“You think she’ll falter? That Berach will get a hold on her?”

“Faced with a conundrum of this magnitude…. It’s anyone’s guess.”

“Please, forgive my impudence, to ask this. I recognize that you offer me a great opportunity, and I am grateful, but….” Sasha begins after a long silence from the headset. Based on the video I’m getting from her jewelry, she’s speaking more to Berach than anyone else.

“But what? Say your piece,” Ruadh prompts, impatient as ever.

“Whatever we decide, millions or billions of lives will be lost. We WASP say to each other, when we part ways after meeting in the field, ‘for the good of all—that all may survive.’ And I…. I should like to review at least some of the research and data myself, or hear from WASP’s experts on this matter. I do not doubt that you all have done due diligence, and you have served WASP well and faithfully for many years, but I do not think I can live with myself if I do not do the same, before committing to this plan.”

Silence again as the five of them in that cursed sterile room look at each other, weighing their options, contemplating their next moves. It’s like a giant game of multidimensional mental chess. and from where we’re hiding, we’ve no good way of gauging who might have the upper hand.

“I did not expect an assassin who’s taken nearly two thousand lives to have such high moral standards,” Berach sneers.

I hate his voice. Maybe it’s just the audio distortion natural with this kind of equipment, but Berach grates and needles. Listening to him makes me feel like there are ants crawling under my skin.

“We all contain multitudes,” Sasha responds, still cool as a cucumber.

“I don’t know anyone else who could have lasted this long without taking any of that bastard’s barbed bait,” Zoe hisses with admiration for our teammate and hatred for Berach.

“As you have said, our plans cannot be set in motion this day, regardless,” Anisha’s smooth voice reminds Berach. “Why not have a few of our experts come in and speak with her? It would not harm any of us to hear it all again, before we commit to a particular method of executing our plans.”

It happens, on occasion, that vampires have powers of mental manipulation of their own. I have no talent for it, myself, but I find myself wondering if maybe Anisha does. Or maybe she’s just worked with him enough years to know exactly what to say to him. She’s the only one in the room who hasn’t been targeted by Berach’s evil eye, despite not agreeing with him in every particular. It’s possible that she, and not he, is actually the most dangerous one in the room.

“The ones with the greatest talent for brevity, then,” Berach relents, tapping at something in front of him—perhaps a touch screen, but in any event some device allowing communication with his flunkies. I did not have the privilege of setting up the technology in the Inner Sanctum, which is probably why it has been laughably easy to gain access to everything in there—security feeds, communications, the electronic locks on the doors, all of it. Everything is ready, if only Sasha can hold it together until her rescue team gets here.

“Should we tell Drake what they’re discussing in there?” I ask Zoe softly.

“He’ll be furious. He’s the last person I’d want in Sasha’s shoes. He would have gone for Berach’s throat already, a dozen times over, and lost his life for it,” Zoe replies.

“I know. But he’s not in there now, and we’re not getting Sasha out of there without a fight.”

“How’s he seemed, when you’ve talked to him so far?”

“Nervous. Worried.”

“Give him the fire, then. Can’t hurt us to have him out for blood when he gets in there.”

“Might hurt him, though. And how might that affect Sasha?”

“If she wanted to get with him, she’s had time to do it, while we’ve been holed up with Samson.”

“You and I both know she doesn’t know how to have a romance, and any thought of pursuing one would have left when Samson first suggested this mission.”

“I guess that’s fair. Still, if we don’t win this thing, they never get a chance to figure things out.”

“I’ll tell him, then.” Just a quick typed message. His reply comes through moments later:

EXCUSE ME WHAT?!—Drake.

She’s stalling them. For now. Admirably. Keep faith. Come quickly.—Rika

Those bastards interrogating her are DEAD FUCKING MEAT once we get in there.—Drake