Chapter Twenty

Kassian

He guided the Jeep back down the road, his heart racing. The sun was still out, giving the day a bright, cheery look to it. It certainly didn’t feel that way to him. Things were going in his favor so far, but he wasn’t sure how long that would last. The motel was coming up on his left. The final elements of the plan were about to be executed. They would either work or they wouldn’t.

A helicopter flashed by overhead, low to the ground. It slowed, coming to a halt a mile, perhaps two down the road. Kassian, already nervous about driving for the second time ever—he’d had Mila give him some dry-run lessons the night before in her parked vehicle, but it was nothing like the real thing, as he’d soon discovered—kept his eyes on the road, with only the occasional glance. It looked like it was landing in the field across the road from the motel.

The Jeep rumbled along, eventually pulling up to the building. The helicopter was, as he’d suspected, parked in the field. Four men with the obvious swagger of bear shifters stood in front of it. It was a big vehicle, capable of carrying ten or more people, he suspected. Kassian couldn’t tell though, because all the windows except for those around the cockpit were tinted.

As he came to a halt in the parking lot, the doorway slid open slightly, and a figure he did recognize emerged. It was Director Burnatawiz. He had come, in person. Kassian parked the Jeep, casually ignoring the fact that he was straddling the yellow line, occupying two spaces, and headed across the field. Behind him, his brothers filed out of the room. There was no sign of the women. That was good; it meant things were going according to plan. Kassian just hoped it stayed that way.

“I take it it’s done?” the elderly director called over the sound of the helicopter, the blades thwump-ing through the air, at a slow, constant rate.

“Just as you asked for,” Kassian snapped, projecting as much anger as he could. “Now where is my brother?”

Director Burnatawiz eyed him suspiciously. This was the biggest kink in the plan, and one that Kassian hadn’t been able to plan for. The director expected him to be dead, as proof to the humans about who had killed the target.

“Where is Gregory?” he asked. His tone brought the guards with him a step closer, as they recognized something was amiss.

Making no sudden moves, Kassian just slowly raised his arm, and pointed behind them. The director turned, and was greeted by the sight of the massive gryphon, a lion with the head and wings of an eagle, coasting in to a landing well clear of the helicopter.

“There you are. Tell me, Gregory, why the change of plans?” Director Burnatawiz asked, clearly unimpressed.

“We decided that killing me wasn’t the most efficient use of me.”

“You did?” the elderly man turned back to Kassian, adjusting his glasses. “Well that’s interesting. How should we use you then?”

Kassian smiled. “A dead body is one thing, yes. But what about a confession?”

“A confession?”

“Yes. I’ll admit to it all.”

“Why?”

Kassian rolled his eyes. “To stay alive, obviously. I live, you get what you need. Everyone wins, no?”

The director considered this, looking over at Gregory, standing there, imposing. The gryphon just shook his wings out and settled them back against his body, looking behind Kassian at the other brothers. He clacked his beak once, eagerly.

“No, Gregory,” Burnatawiz said, staying the big beast with one hand. “I don’t think you need to kill them all.”

He snapped a finger at one of the guards. The bear shifter hurried back to the helicopter and reached inside. Kassian watched as he unceremoniously hauled Maximus out from the back and tossed him on the ground. His brother rolled and got to his feet, trying to fight his attacker, but it was useless. He was clearly drugged. The big shifter stumbled left and right, nearly falling twice, before the guard finally got his point across.

Maximus turned, and saw Kassian. He started to move toward him, but the guard tripped him, and then placed a foot on the fallen shifter’s back. The director moved to the left, blocking Kassian’s view. He snarled at the aging human, but it didn’t have any effect.

“Let him go,” he growled. “I did as you said.”

“Did you now? Well, where’s the proof then?”

“Ask him,” Kassian snorted, tossing his head in the direction of the intimidating shifter. “He was there, he saw the whole thing. Your guy is dead. Once Maximus is free, and you depart here, I’ll go back and turn myself in. Gregory has…graciously, shall we say, agreed to ensure that I do just that.”

Director Burnatawiz turned to look at Gregory. “Is that true? Did you agree to all of that…without my permission?”

The gryphon rolled its head around, until the one eye on its near side focused on the director. Kassian had never seen a gryphon display contempt before. He’d never even realized it was possible. But damn if that look didn’t say it all right then and there.

“Well, that puts a bit of a crimp in things. That was not the plan. I need a dead body. Not a live one, that can talk. You see,” the director said, his gray ponytail looking ridiculous as he tried to act evil, “I need a dead body. So I’m going to have a dead body. It’s not like you were ever going to be allowed to live. The whole point of all of this is to get rid of Cadia after all. Damn, are you all so shortsighted?”

He snapped at the guards, then motioned at Gregory. “Kill them. Kill them all,” he said lightly, as if he hadn’t just sentenced eight people to death. Then the director turned and began to stride back toward the helicopter.

The four guards advanced, looking warily at the massive gryphon, to ensure they would have his assistance in the matter. After all, the four of them would have no chance against Kassian and his brothers if they didn’t get help from the gryphon.

Behind it all, Maximus lay in the field, forgotten for the moment. Kassian hoped he would stay that way. In the meantime, the four bear shifters advanced. Readying himself, he hoped that the next part of their plan would work as well. So far it had been going as he’d hoped, but that could only hold out for so long.

After that, everything would go to hell.