Page 12 of Fate of the Fallen
“Long story short,” Kyle said, taking over the conversation, “we don’t think Evie’s in any more danger today than she was yesterday. If that message truly was just for Nick, with the increased security and sigils on your property, we believe she’s safe,” he concluded.
While I appreciated his take on things, I wouldn’t buy into his ideas so easily.
Again, I imagined the relief I would’ve felt if Evangeline had just … given in. If she’d just taken pity on me and let me hide her away somewhere no one, including Sebastian, could find her.
But she wouldn’t even consider it.
“So, this is another vote for there being a mole among us,” Dallas chimed in, referencing Ben’s theory. “If someone told them about our plan for the falls, that same someone could have let the cat out of the bag about Nick.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“Are we positive our intel for tonight’s mission wasn’t courtesy of this traitor? A set up?” Tobias asked.
Dallas shook his head and spoke with confidence. “Nope. Not a chance. Apparently, we’ve got ourownsecret weapon, some kid from the east coast. An old friend recruited him right after they were all released from the Damascus Facility. They talked him into joining Sebastian’s ranks, posing as a supporter.”
“Whatkid?” My brow tensed with the question, trying to imagine evenoneI thought capable of a task that big, thatimportant.None came to mind.
Dallas shrugged. “Beats me. He didn’t give a name. Not even the Elders know about this,” he added. “I suppose you could say my source has trust issues when it comes to depending on the higher-ups.”
I didn’t like it—that there were still so many secrets, so many factors we weren’t aware of.
“Why there?” Kyle asked. “Why set up camp in Ridge Borough of all places?”
Turning, I spotted beads of sweat forming on his brow.
Dallas noticed, too and asked, “Scared, pal?” He was still sporting a wide grin.
Instead of denying that there might have been truth to Dallas’ accusation, Kyle owned his feelings.
“Just seems like with all this talk of traitors and secret plans, one of us needed to say it out loud.”
Dallas, shaking his head, decided to ease Kyle’s mind. “As a military man myself, Ridge Borough isexactlywhere I’d set up camp if I was Sebastian,” he explained. “It’s both close enough and far enough away from Seaton Falls to carry out whatever plans he might have. Plus, it’s nestled right up against the Canadian border, which puts him at an advantage if any refugees fleeing their clans try to align with the Council to fight for the other side.”
Dallas’ rationale seemed to set Kyle’s mind at ease.
“Am I the only one thinking we should do more than just spectate tonight?” Ivan asked. His stiff posture oozed discontentment. His expression, too.
“What would you have us do?” Declan asked with a sigh. “Rush in like brutes and sabotage our one opportunity to understand the Sovereign’s plan?”
Ivan never answered, probably because he already knew why jumping the gun was a bad idea.
“We must be smart about this,” Declan reasoned. “Yes, one day soon, Sebastian will get what he deserves, but we have to accept that that day has yet to arrive.”
I sympathized with Ivan, but with so much riding on our success … this plan couldn’t be rushed. Now more than ever, with so much uncertainty, we had to proceed with caution.
The lives of our loved ones depended on it.
Chapter Four
Liam
Our drive came to an end and we trekked the rest of the way on foot. We couldn’t risk the sound of Richie’s engine tipping off the soldiers. With Ridge Borough being relatively small, and completely abandoned, it wasn’t hard to spot activity from a good distance away.
Light coming from a rundown warehouse was the first sign of life, and then the unmarked trucks parked outside it.
This was definitely the right place, but what went on in this one building seemed to be it. None of the others were lit. No sign of an army. No sign of Sebastian, Blaise. This looked more like a skeleton crew.
We stayed low, keeping our eyes focused on the few bodies that filed in and out of the building, each hauling material back inside like an assembly line—large metal rods, huge panes of glass framed in steel, clear hoses, vats of thick, silver liquid sloshing inside transparent cylinders. Dallas passed a questioning glance my way when we spotted the first. And even now, after they’d taken in fifty or more, we were still no closer to figuring out what the substance was.