No estimate on the size of the army coming at us?Ryland asked.
Not at this time, but we hope to capture a couple of live scouts,Jonas said.That’s why I don’t have a lot of time. We’re going to ambush them and get as much information out of them as possible. I doubt Whitney would send an army after us, but you never know.
Again, there was a long silence while Kaden and Ryland talked over what little Jonas was able to give them.
We can send you a couple more men, Jonas. If these soldiers are enhanced, there’s only the three of you.
Four with Camellia. She’s worth her weight in gold,Jonas corrected.She’s stood with us so far and intends to until the end. Says Lily is family and she protects family.
You have to be certain about her,Kaden cautioned.
I’m as certain of her as you are of Tansy.
Jonas felt Camellia dig her fingers into his thigh, centering his attention back onto her.What is it?
Tansy.She whispered the name into his mind.I remember her. We were all so little back then. She couldn’t have been more than five when Whitney took her away. He said he found her a home with good parents. Is that true? Did she have good parents? A good life?
Jonas kept possession of her hand and reached out with his free hand to touch her face gently. At that moment, it didn’t matter that an army was coming at the two teams. She deserved to know about another one of her lost sisters.
Kaden?he prompted.Kaden is married to Tansy, Camellia. He would know better than anyone else.
She had a good childhood but was betrayed by her father. That hurt her very much. She will love catching up with you. Thank you for wanting to help defend her.
Jonas was very grateful Kaden took the time to give Camellia that brief explanation.Don’t send anyone to help us, Rye. If anything goes wrong, you’ll need everyone there. Make certain Team Two is prepared to get everyone out. You should move Daniel and Lily. Have the Nortons get their children out.
They can’t. Let me correct that. Briony and her twins can go. Her boys are about five months younger than Daniel. Healthy boys. Briony’s healthy. Marigold had major problems with her pregnancy and delivery. Her boys are only a few months old. I think they can travel, but she has an infection. From what I understand, it would be dangerous to moveher. If we had to, we could, but we might have to make a stand,Ryland said.
There was no question that Team One would stand with Team Two. If they divided to send some of the men with women and children away from the compounds, the others would stay behind. Jonas felt the energizing sparks running along his veins and traveling through the neurons to spread heat and awareness through his body. Now he knew what it was. His woman approving of his teammates. Of him. Recognizing their loyalty to one another.
Kyle suddenly turned his head.Those scouts are on the move, heading up the main trail, toward the top of the ridge. They’re running silently. Gray flew low and no one noticed, although the one they called Mott turned his head for a moment, so he might have caught the movement. Maybe not though, because at the time, they were still in the fog. They’re out of it now.
Are they staying to the main trail?Camellia asked.Did any of them appear suspicious when they crossed our trail? I wiped our tracks on the ground and through the brush and did my best with scent, but air is still the most difficult for me to manipulate.
Kyle nodded.They’re on the main trail. None of them noticed any tracks, and two in particular seem to be looking, although just in general I think, not because they believe anyone was watching them. They have one “sniffer.” He’s always testing the air. They’re coming up on the ravine. It’s deep, but not very wide. Not like the gorge we jumped. Mostly rock. There’s a large tree down, and they’ve stopped to maneuver it into position to use it as a bridge.
Jonas relayed the information to Ryland and Kaden. They couldn’t hear Kyle, and Jonas didn’t necessarily want to try to explain how Kyle was getting the information.
Again, there was that brief silence before Ryland spoke.These men are enhanced, and they didn’t jump the ravine? How wide is the ravine?
Sixteen feet,Jonas relayed.The second-in-command leapt thirty feet vertical. Kyle saw him do it.
When they let the tree trunk go, it smashed to pieces and fell into the ravine. Crawley just took off down into the ravine. He didn’t even try to jump it or find another bridge,Kyle said.The others have followed him down. The steep incline hasn’t deterred them or slowed them by much.
Do you recognize any of the soldiers?Kaden asked.
Jonas relayed the question to Kyle, who replied in the negative.None of them, Kaden. But we have to go. We need to find a place to intercept them. Once we have more information, we’ll get it to you, but prepare for war. If you decide it’s too dangerous to send Daniel and Lily away, stash them somewhere safe.
Keep the team alive, Jonas,Ryland ordered.
Always.
9
The morning sun beamed down through the forest canopy, streaking rays to spotlight the dense fog that rolled along the ground in grayish-lavender clouds. The fog crept along the forest floor, barely covering the vegetation in some places and in others rising up to form thick banks of fog that were impossible to see through.
Crawley glanced back at the men running behind him. This side of the mountain was steep with ravines and thick, nearly impenetrable brush in places. They were keeping to a game trail that was barely discernible. The attack was orchestrated purposely from this side of the mountain because it would be unexpected. His men were stoic as he expected, even in the nasty and unexpected fog from hell.
The trail veered slightly and he glanced at his GPS again. He’d studied the maps given to him and this didn’t feel right. He kept directions in his head easily. He never got lost, not in deserts or jungles. The GPS wasn’t making sense. The trail continued to windthrough a grove of trees and then was in the open for a moment. He felt a little better about that. When he pulled up the maps in his mind, he recalled a small clearing. Nothing was ever the same on the ground.
