When I exited the last room on my side, Charlie approached. I couldn’t see her, but she allowed sounds to come through her cloaking spell for my benefit.
Finally, I faced the final room at the end of the wide hall. I opened one of its large double doors and held it as Charlie slipped in. Inside, it was much like the other rooms except on a bigger scale. Larger metal tables, massive overhead lamps, different types of machinery I had no name for. I wasn’t sure, but this seemed like the room where they’d tried to take my blood for their experiments, where I first saw Bor and realized Vaughn’s claim about captive children were true.
“It’s like a big operating room,” Charlie said, disappointment coming through in her voice.
I walked further in, my frustration mounting. Would this second attempt also be a failure? I shook my head which helped me notice a door tucked away in the back of the room. There was something familiar about it, something that sent an icy shiver up my back. I approached cautiously, Charlie following behind. As we walked past a large column that had been blocking the view, I spotted an oversized electronic device next to the metal door.
A retina scanner, Vaughn had called it.
My stomach tied in knots as images of floor-to-ceiling tanks filled with murky liquid flashed before my eyes.
“There,” I said, pointing with a finger, even though Charlie couldn’t see it. “That’s where they create their monsters.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Makes sense. I feel a very strong magical field coming from somewhere around here. Maybe it’s the power source that’s creating the dome. We should check inside.” Charlie stared hard at the door as we both seemed to brace for the worst.
“Can you get past that device?” I finally asked.
“Piece of cake,” she said, which, by the tone of her voice, probably meant no problem.
I thought it would take a minute or two for her spell to work, but it was instant. The heavy metal door swung open, an eerie blue glow spilling out.
We’d made it.
We were about to step inside when the doors behind us burst open. Heart hammering out of control, I whirled to face the threat. To my surprise, a lone figure strolled in.
Karen.
She wore her usual military garb: camouflage pants and shirt and heavy black boots. A thick belt with two handguns circled her waist. But there was something new in her attire. A strange helm with cables and flashing lights around her head.
What in the gods?
“Go in, Charlie. I’ll take care of her.” I whispered, then without waiting for a response, I tiptoed around the column, drawing closer to the heartless woman. She’d stolen me from my bed in the middle of the night and delighted in my suffering during every trial I’d endured on the island, but she would not stop us today.
I tiptoed forward as her frosty gaze surveyed the room. She had no magic, no way to see me or Charlie. When I was close enough to see her face, I noticed a big smile stretched her thin lips.
“I knew we would meet again, fae bitch,” Karen said, freezing me on my tracks. “You couldn’t resist sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, could you? I can’t say I’m mad about it, though. You and I have a score to settle.”
My hand itched to draw the sword at my waist, but I knew better than to underestimate this human. She was cruel, and the air hung thick with her desire for revenge. I had bested her just yesterday, knocked her unconscious, and stuffed her in her Jeep. I wagered every time she remembered it, her gut tightened with anger, which could be helpful or cause rash action.
“How does it feel to be the laughing stock of your fellow guards?” I asked, then swiftly darted to my right.
Karen’s eyes snapped to the spot I’d just vacated. Her face went red, letting me know I had been right. Anger poisoned her blood, clouded her judgment.
“No one will be laughing when I pin you to the wall like a butterfly in a museum,” she snarled.
The image sent a shiver across my wings. I would bet she dreamed about that every night. She probably even woke up refreshed and giddy the next morning.
Well, I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
Drawing my sword in a swift motion, I attacked. The blade sang in the air, cutting a diagonal line in front of Karen as she jumped back just in time. She kept retreating, stepping out of the ajar double doors.
I expected her to draw out a gun, but she didn’t. Instead, she kept walking backward with measured steps. She might not be able to see me, but her hearing was keen. I stood watching, my sword held high. I wanted to lunge again, but an eerie feeling bubbled in the pit of my stomach, telling me to stay put.
“C’mon, Tally, are you afraid?” Karen taunted.
I threw a glance over my shoulder, wondering if Charlie had found anything. She would let me know if she were back, which meant she was still in that room, and I needed to buy her more time. I wasn’t here to take out Karen, as much as I would like that. Bigger things were at stake.
Karen cocked her head to one side, the lights in her strange helmet flashing gold and red as her eyes acquired a different level of intensity.
That awful feeling in the pit of my stomach redoubled, then dropped heavily like an anvil. An instant later, a gigantic shape lumbered into view.
Horror gripped me.
Just yesterday, he had been normal and now… He should have been unrecognizable, but I immediately knew the monster standing behind Karen.
Bael.
His beautiful crow-like wings were void of feathers and had turned leathery like tough, dead hide. They loomed above his head, larger than before, bony spikes protruding from their joints. His back hunched over under the weight of them. His lavender skin had washed out to a translucent white that made thick, blue veins visible.
Karen stepped aside, looking like a child next to his hulking shape. His torso and massive legs were naked, and what appeared to be his old, tattered robe wrapped around his middle like a loincloth. Gnarled talons tipped with three-inch claws had replaced his hands and feet. They clicked against the floor as he trudged closer, his pink eyes shining with unnatural light, his mouth dripping something black and fetid that sizzled when it hit the floor.
Oh, Bael! What have they done to you?
He was a monster just like my beloved Sinasre, and now Karen presided over every move with her strange mind-controlling helmet. That evil device had to be my target. If I destroyed that, he would regain his senses, wouldn’t he? Maybe Sinasre would, too.
Either way, I had to try. But first, I had to get out of this room and give Charlie more time to find as much information on the Habermanns’ experiments as possible. If we came away empty-handed, all this trouble would once again be for nothing.
But drawing Bael and Karen out, making them chase me, seemed like a terrible idea. I couldn’t hurt Bael, but he could certainly hurt me. Yet, I had no time to follow each action to their logical reaction since Bael began lumbering forward, scenting the air as his nostrils flared. He couldn’t see me, but perhaps he could smell me. That seemed to be the case as his massive head tracked in my direction.
“Remember your friend, Tally?” Karen gave a nasty chuckle. “Isn’t he lovely now? Best of all, he obeys my every command.” She tapped her helmet and smiled with pleasure.
I saw it in her eyes. There was only one command she could utter. I knew nothing would give her more pleasure than to see me fight my friend. But not here. I had to lead them away from Charlie for her to have a chance back to the ship.