I roll my shoulders and crack my neck, pushing those thoughts aside.
I may not be the noble ruler Ekios deserves, but I sure as fuck won’t stand by and let Caligos do this to innocent kids. ToWetrankids.
“Here they are!” Ri points at two more carriages arriving.
It’s Bart and Hel, and Hojo and Tanaka. The moment they’re out of the carriages, Bart and Hel go to scout the perimeter of the warehouse.
“What if the kids are not there?” It dawns on me. “What if they brought them to a different location to confuse you?”
Vera looks at the building grimly. “Then we have failed. Nothing we can do but accept it and do better next time.”
Just when Ri’s girls arrive, Bart and Hel return from their scouting mission. Bart doesn’t have to say it, it’s written on his face.
Something’s wrong.
“You said twenty kids?” He looks at Ri. She nods. “There are only ten.”
My heart sinks. Those fucking bastards.
“They split them up,” Vera tells Ri. “An insurance policy. They know we can only ambush one place per night with our resources.”
Ri nods gravely.
“Not all is lost.” Jax looks between the women. “We can torture the location out of one of the Caligos for the second place and then head there after.”
I’m about to open my mouth to agree. My fingers are itching for violence. It would be my pleasure to peel the skin off thesebastards inch by inch while they scream and beg for me to spare them.
But Vera says, “No. We’re not prepared, and spread too thin as is. We don’t know what we’d be walking into. And Caligos are trained to withstand torture. What prevents us from knowing if they’re lying?”
“You’re right,” I say with a sigh. “Well, at least we can save these kids.”
“Exactly. So, the plan remains the same,” Vera says. She jerks her chin at Bart. “How many Caligos? Where are they keeping the kids?”
“The kids are in the large cage inside the main area of the warehouse,” Hel says. “We counted ten Caligos lurking around the cage.”
“Shit,” I say at the same time Vera says, “Gods damn it.”
More Caligos than I expected.
“How many of them do you think are Decarios?” I ask Vera.
She shakes her head. “It’s hard to guess. Last time there were none, but this time…Clearly, they’ve come prepared. One Caligos per kid, as far as we know, means they expect us.”
“Sooner or later it would have happened,” Ri says and locks gazes with Vera. “We’re not prepared to face them if they’re expecting us.”
Vera doesn’t back down. “We’re not giving up. Phoenix, how many Caligos can you handle?”
“All of them,” I say without missing a beat. “It will be easier if they’re not Decarios. But even if some are, it’s fine.”
“I can help, too,” Jax chimes in.
Arching an eyebrow, I look at him. “You fight?”
A mischievous half smile stretches across his face. “Absolutely I do.”
I’m not convinced, but before I can argue, Vera nods. “That’s what I like to hear. Let’s get ready to go in.”
“It would be easier if I go in alone,” I say. Vera’s about to protest, so I add, “I know a back entrance that leads to a place where I can have a view of the whole warehouse from above. I can take at least half of the Caligos with my bow.”
