Chapter Eighteen
When Atticus woke he was surprised to find himself in a small bedroom. The walls were unfamiliar to him. Even the smell of the place suggested he’d never been in it before.
Worry filled him as the events of the last few days flooded over him. The last thing he remembered was Celine’s hand.
Atticus breathed in deeply, surprised when the woman next to him moved slightly in her sleep.
They had made it out, and they were both safe. It was all he wanted.
"She hasn't left your side since we brought you here," Rem said from the door of the room.
Atticus turned to focus on his leader, his mind still trying to take in everything around him. Nothing was really registering.
As quietly as he could, Atticus pulled himself to an upright position. His body still ached, but he was feeling better than he had before.
"How long have I been here?" he asked, and glanced around the small room once again. “And where the hell is here?”
Rem stepped into the room and sat down in a chair in the corner of the room. "Well, you’ve been here about three days now."
Atticus’s eyes widened. He expected a day, maybe two, but three was serious business for his people. Even if they weren’t immune to illness, they tended to heal faster than humans.
“It was touch and go at first,” Rem said. “What passes for the doctor here wasn’t so certain you would make it. Of course Celine informed him that you had better, or she was going to make his life a living hell.”
Atticus glanced down at the small woman laying next to him. The bruising on her neck was already starting to fade to an ugly yellow. She looked better than she had the last time he’d seen her.
He glanced around the room again. There was something familiar about the place, and yet he’d never been there before.
"Like I said, where exactly is here?" Atticus asked.
Rem leaned back in his chair. "The Azilian compound.”
Atticus raised a brow. First, they were enemies, and now they were allies? A bit of helpful information here and there didn’t make the Azilians trustworthy. He wasn’t so certain this was such a great idea. Yet they had taken care of him.
"That was quite the cut that Thrax gave you," Rem said. "I've seen something similar before. The ability to infect. A deadly combination. A way to make sure a hybrid doesn’t heal so quickly once the Glycon has attacked."
Atticus glanced down at his leg. He wiggled his toes, glad they had feeling.
“So they were engineered to be that way,” Atticus said more than asked. It was like he suspected all along.
Rem nodded. “There must be more out there like him.” Rem sighed. “Even if Agatha is running some rogue operation, the Group never does anything without making a whole line. After all, Thrax is a Glycon, a servant. It just wouldn’t be good science.”
His stomach rolled. Rem was right. If there was one like Thrax, there were at least a dozen more just like it so they could test them. He couldn’t even imagine his people going up against a force like that.
"With your combined gifts,” Rem said, “you were able to heal the wound, but that only sealed in the infection. It was lucky that Celine was able to get help in time. Any longer and you likely wouldn’t be here."
It was no surprise to Atticus that Celine has saved his life. The woman would never cease to amaze him.
“From what we can tell, the Glycons guarded the forest line for two days,” Rem said. “I’ve never seen them so well disciplined.”
Atticus nodded. He had been thinking the same. These Glycons were different than what they had dealt with before. Even setting aside Thrax. They took commands, even when those commands might bring them pain.
“They crossed the sound line,” Atticus said. “Thrax said they had incentive. But listening to them, it sounded as if they were in pain.”
Rem nodded. “We think Agatha used some sort of mind control. That’s part of how she’s able to keep such a tight reign on them.”
Atticus frowned. “Although it doesn’t look like she’s doing that all the time,” he said, thinking of all the missing animals in the area.
Rem shrugged and ran a hand across his face. “Her control over them might be limited. We still don’t know exactly how all this works, but our intel says that there should be some sort of tower, a transmitter. We’ve already got men out looking, but it’s hard to tell just where. The forest is dense, and there are many places for them to have one.”
Atticus nodded. It wouldn’t be easy, and even if they did find one, it would be hard to explain why they had taken it down. They were already on thin ice with the townspeople. Trust was at a minimum thanks to the missing animals and deaths.
"A Glycon stole the stone," Rem said, his face tightening. "Quintus mentioned you were in pursuit of a Glycon before it disappeared. We searched, and we found a tunnel they dug out and linked with the compound. Who knows how long they have been planning this?” He shook his head. “Agatha always was a smart woman."
Atticus grunted. Not the ideal situation there hoping for. Now the enemy had the stone. The hybrids didn’t trust that stone to begin with, and they already knew it contained great power.
"So the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Rem said with a yawn. "Or something like that for now. Anassa has the information we need to come out ahead, and since she lost a number of her best fighters, I’ve suggested some of our men stay here."
“Are you sure about this?”
“Sure enough.” Rem leaned forward and stared at the small woman nestled into Atticus’s arms. "Plus it allows us the opportunity to keep an eye on certain situations.” He stared knowingly at Atticus. "The Azilians seemed to have experience in that field. Her dreams are dangerous, and the more they are allowed to go on unchecked, the greater danger she will be in."
Atticus shouldn’t have been surprised his leader knew about her special ability. It seemed he knew everything.
"The Shadow Man, as she calls him, came when she was sleeping," Atticus said. "Seemed like it wanted to attack but didn't. Somehow she fought it in her sleep. She sent out a blinding blue light, and the thing just went away."
For the first time since Atticus had known him, Rem seemed surprised.
"Does she know about this?" Rem said.
Atticus shook his head.
"I think it might be best if she didn't," Rem said.
“I agree.” He offered his leader a quick nod.
A small amount of guilt at the deception ate at him, but Celine had enough to worry about. Her whole world was about to get flipped upside down all because of her connection with him.
“From what Anassa has passed on, she claims this is some sort of ancient evil god that is trying to access this world through the Vestals.”
“Do you believe that?”
Rem shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a god or not. It’s real, and it’s dangerous. That’s all I care about.”
Atticus thought that over for a moment. It’s the same conclusion he’d already reached. It didn’t matter what labels they used. They had allies, and they had enemies, and that’s all they needed to know.
"Thrax said he was looking for his mate,” Atticus said. “He was certain that Celine knew where she was.”
Rem sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've sent Vitus to help with that," he said. “She’ll need her mate to protect her.”
It seemed like ages ago now, but Atticus remembered the other hybrid taking off when Anassa mentioned their women being in danger.
Vestals. Meaning Celine and whoever Vitus was meant for.
“Could Thrax take a Vestal? He seemed so certain.”
Rem shrugged. “I think anything is possible right now,” he said. “His DNA is more similar to our own, but he is not in command of his own emotions. Agatha is playing with fire, and things will not end well.”
Atticus nodded. He couldn’t imagine that things would turn out well for the woman if things kept as they were. The power of the stone seemed to corrupt whatever it touched, and he doubted she would be any different, especially since she already seemed to have only a tenuous connection to sanity.
"The stone’s power is getting stronger,” Rem said. “Its reaching out farther and pulling in any Vestals from the nearby areas. Almost like a magnet. It is building off their power, and in doing so, is making them far more powerful as well," Rem said. "Erebus, or the Shadow Man as your woman called him, is using it as a catalyst to break through the barrier between the two worlds. He is using our women as a way to siphon power for himself so he can be free in our world."
Atticus looked down at the woman next to him. Worry set into his heart. Thinking about that creature free in their world made him shiver inside. "Will it hurt them?"
Rem nodded. "Anassa fears that this is only the start," he said. “It will keep feeding until it has finally broken through. At that point, it will be virtually unstoppable.” He shook his head and sighed loudly.
“What if we left?” Atticus said. He’d kept such thoughts to himself, but he wanted to see what his leader said.
“We left before, and we still ended up deep in shit. Maybe that’s how it’ll always be.”
“What? Like fate?”
“Who knows? We can’t run from this. The enemy is coming, and we have to take him out. If we don’t do it, who will?” Rem shrugged. "For now, we need to get back that stone," he said. “It’s our only chance to win the battles that are still to come.”
Atticus nodded slowly. "So we stand our ground and take this head on," he said. “We will come through. It is what we do. It may even be what we were made for.”
Rem nodded and gave a small smile. Atticus was glad to know their leader had no problem taking on whatever enemy lay ahead.
Celine stirred in his arms.
Rem smiled down at them. "I'm glad you found your Vestal," he said. “Something to fight for.”
Atticus nodded and stared down at the beautiful woman. She certainly was something to fight for.
"Get some rest,” Rem said as he headed toward the door. “I’m counting on you to keep our people safe here when I can’t.”
Atticus nodded and watched Rem slip out the door. He gently stroked the back of Celine’s head as she slept.
If a battle was coming, he would do whatever was needed to keep her safe.