"Indeed. It's fascinating."
Elyssa looked behind Underborn and opened her eyes in alarm.
The assassin turned his head to look. Elyssa snatched at the key. A gloved hand gripped her wrist too late. The cold metal of the key pressed against the inside of her palm. All she had to do was escape three trained assassins.
Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. Well, more like difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.
Elyssa twisted her arm from the big man's grasp. Opened her mouth to shout for help. A heavy foot caught her in the back. She somehow kept her balance and spun sideways as the same foot whooshed by her head. Underborn and Phissilinth stood nearby. The tiny man's face held an expression of concern. The assassin looked entertained. The big man in black lunged for her arm again.
Elyssa jumped away and jammed the key into her jeans pocket. The big man's arms blurred for her. She fell back on learned instinct, blocking and diverting his blows. He was fast, but she was faster, unencumbered by all that muscle. In fact, every move he used seemed familiar. This was, in itself, strange, considering most people learned the same moves and executed them with their own unique mannerisms. Everyone had their own tics and nuances, even masters of the fighting arts.
Her mind flashed back a few years. She'd fought this man before. In fact, she'd fought him many times before. No one else moved like—no—it couldn't be! Disgust and betrayal welled inside her. Rage broke the surface in the form of a snarl on her lips. The man's foot lashed out. Elyssa threw her hands down in a blocking motion, simultaneously using the power of her opponent's kick as a springboard, launching her straight up. Twisting in midair, she slammed the side of his face with a brutal kick. Landed lightly on her feet. Danced back.
The big man staggered back a foot, grabbing his jaw.
Elyssa bared her teeth. "Come get me, traitor."
"Oh dear," Phissilinth said. "Perhaps you should—"
Underborn laughed. "And spoil the fun?"
The big man's fists tightened. He straightened and stared at the assassin. "Get your own key, Sorenson," he said in an unnaturally deep voice, one which Elyssa knew to be magically altered.
But he could talk like a midget for all she cared. She knew who he was now. And her heart ached.
Another laugh erupted from the assassin. "Why do I need to retrieve that which I already possess?" He pulled another key from his pocket.
Elyssa looked at the skeleton key in her hand. "You're lying."
Underborn shut the door to the tool shed. Put the key in the lock and twisted. The door opened to a grassy glade. Birds twittered and butterflies danced in the sunlight. He shut the door. Opened it again. The hallway once again presented itself.
"The key you possess opens a footlocker in my bedroom." Underborn smiled. "I knew you couldn't resist."
His brawny companion cracked his knuckles and said, "Enough with the games, Underborn." He turned to Elyssa. "I know how you must feel now, but I'm doing this for the greater good. I'm not a traitor, no matter what you think."
"Just get the hell out of here." Elyssa's throat was raw with anger and grief. How could he go over to this man, this evil, psycho killer? "The next time I see you, I'll break your jaw."
Underborn and Phissilinth stepped through the doorway. The big man hesitated at the threshold. "You can try, Ninjette." He closed the door behind him, leaving Elyssa alone in the dark.
She sank to her knees and let the tears flow. So many emotions assaulted her at once—hope, fear, anger, betrayal—she hardly knew what she was feeling. He had to have his reasons. He couldn't be a traitor. He'd helped her before, tried to help her escape her father when he'd wanted to make her take the White. She took deep breaths to banish the tears. He had to have a reason for this.
Think logically, damn it!
The jumble of emotions cleared and her breathing eased. Now she felt foolish. What if she'd blown his cover? What if he was working against Underborn and now she'd exposed him? She jerked to her feet.
No, Underborn knew who he was. It should come as no surprise whatsoever that he would use Michael, her own brother, against her. Until she had time to dig deeper, she had to remain focused on the task at hand.
Gripping the key, she cocked her arm back to throw it over the wall surrounding the Templar compound.
"What are you doing back here?" Fausta said.
Elyssa jerked and looked at the other woman. "Thinking."
"Haven't you heard? We're not supposed to do that. That's what the commanders are for." Fausta wrinkled her nose. "I do not like this plan of attack. Stealth squads? Your father is wrong. Dead wrong. It's the stupidest plan ever."
"For once, we agree," Elyssa said slipping the key into her pocket. She regarded the strong-nosed woman for a moment. They'd only met recently, but Elyssa had been through hell and back with her in Justin's quest to apprehend Vadaemos. Finding the traitor in their midst would require help, and Fausta might have inside knowledge of Christian's organization.
"There's something more going on with you," Fausta said. "I can see it in your eyes."
The Italian woman was nothing, if not blunt, and Elyssa didn't have time to be anything but straightforward. "I need a list of anyone who'd know about our arrival yesterday."
"Practically everyone in the compound."
"Yes, but how long before we arrived did they know?"
Fausta shrugged. "Christian announced the motor pool duties only half an hour before, so probably around that time."
"How far in advance did Christian know about our arrival?"
"I wouldn't know. Beck might." Her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. You think someone set us up?"
Elyssa folded her arms. "Don't you?"
Fausta tapped her chin. "Things happened so fast, I really didn't give it much thought. Christian said Maximus has been watching La Casona. I'm sure he has eyes everywhere."
"Yeah, but would he assign a vampire army complete with scroll casters to watch the place? No way. You can't hide that many vampires for a long time, especially raw recruits. I think they used a scroll spell to mask their presence."
The other woman leaned against the stone wall of the tool shed. "You think someone on Christian's advisory council betrayed us." Her eyes hardened. "But of course you believe your father's council is blameless."
"That's because I know how my father operates."
"And because you think nobody in your legion could possibly betray you, right?" Sarcasm dripped from her words.
"Absolutely not." Elyssa slashed a hand through the air. "My father's advisory council consists of my brother, Michael, when he's around, and my mother. He hardly tells them anything. Most of the time he keeps his plans close to his chest and springs them at the last moment."
"And you think he told Christian his plans to come down here in advance?"
"He must have. Christian wouldn't appreciate another commander popping in unannounced, especially when he wants to convince him to start a joint military operation against the vampires. That requires a lot of planning."
Fausta held up a hand. "Fine, fine. Your father is paranoid. Assuming this is true, we can concentrate on Christian's council."
"Has he had problems with other operations?"
"Problems, yes. But I wouldn't point to a traitor as the cause for those problems."
Elyssa pursed her lips. "Hmm, so nothing stands out to you?"
"No."
Elyssa had hoped to discount Beck as a traitor, but if this was the first disaster Fausta could point to as the possible product of betrayal, her question might have done the opposite and pointed to him as the likeliest candidate for a good ass-kicking. Beck had sold them out to Thomas Borathen after they'd captured Vadaemos, all so he could earn a few brownie points, no doubt. That had led to a duel between Thomas and Justin. Then Daelissa had shown up and freed Vadaemos. The demon spawn had killed several Templars, including her brother, Jack, that night. Her chest tightened. What if Beck hadn't called her father to win favor, but to start a fight so Vadaemos could escape?
His actions had led to chaos. Or would Daelissa have shown up anyway? Elyssa couldn't say. She conveyed her suspicions to Fausta.
The Italian woman arched an eyebrow. "Beck is a culo, sure, but I don't think he would betray us."
"What if he resents my father for sending his family away from Atlanta?"
"For kissing you?" Fausta snorted. "So your father is paranoid and overprotective. Are you sure he's fit for duty?"
Elyssa held back an angry retort. "Okay, fine. If it's not Beck, who else is on the council?"
"Lieutenants Jean-Claude Ville, Gigi Martinez, and Ludovico Maracci."
"Three people?" The task ahead seemed even harder, especially given the time limit involved.
Fausta shook her head. "Ludovico died in the ambush, so I sincerely doubt he was involved."
"Definitely dead and not disappeared?"
"I saw his body. It was him."
"We need to question the other two. Check their stories."
"What makes you think they'll help?"
Fausta had a point. These people might give Elyssa the time of day simply because of her last name. But if she started questioning them about treachery, they'd boot her out and probably complain to Christian and Thomas as well.
"The wheels are spinning," Fausta said. "Who are you going to beat up first?"
"This isn't time to be joking," Elyssa said. "In case you don't remember, we're supposed to be attacking Maximus tomorrow. What if he already knows we're coming?"
A curse escaped Fausta's lips, and her face sobered. "Come on." She motioned for Elyssa to follow.
"Where are we going?"
"We have no time for, how do you Americans say it—pussy-jumping around."
