Page 53

The day the Convergence Peaks witnessed what happens when Council forces threaten what belongs to the storm itself.

CHAPTER 23

CHEMICAL WARFARE

Amelia's POV

The Gargoyle's death scream echoes across the mountains as Vex sends him crashing to the valley floor. For one precious moment, I think we might actually escape this.

Then I see the response.

Every Council force in the valley turns toward the sound. Heads snap upward, scanning the cliff faces. Communication devices crackle with urgent transmissions. And three more aerial units launch from concealed positions, their wings beating steadily as they climb toward our location.

Vex's victory just revealed my exact position to everyone hunting me.

"Move!" he roars from somewhere above, his voice carrying clearly in the mountain air. "They're converging on your location!"

I scramble along the narrow path as fast as I dare, but pregnant body and treacherous footing make speed impossible. Behind me, I hear the heavy thud of boots on stone—ground forces reaching the ledge system through routes I didn't know existed.

The path ahead narrows to barely the width of my foot. No choice but to continue, pressed against the cliff face as the void yawns beside me. One slip means death, but capture means something worse.

Wings beat overhead. Close. Getting closer.

I duck beneath an overhang just as talons rake the air where my head was moments before. A Feline flier—smaller than a Gargoyle but faster, more maneuverable. He banks for another pass, yellow eyes locked on me with predatory focus.

That's when hands seize me from behind.

"Foolish omega," Captain Kain purrs, his grip iron-strong around my wrists. "Did you really think you could escape me on these mountains?"

I spin to face him, heart hammering. How did he get ahead of me? The main path should have?—

Understanding hits like a physical blow. The ledge system connects. Multiple routes converge at chokepoints. While I followed Vex's carefully planned escape route, Kain simply took the faster path to intercept me.

All our preparation. All the hidden markers and secret passages. Useless against someone who knows these mountains as well as we do.

Two Gargoyles emerge from crevices I never saw, their stone forms blending perfectly with the cliff face until they moved. One carries a specialized containment unit—reinforced metal with blinking neural dampeners. The other holds equipment that makes my medical training scream warnings.

"Where's Vex?" I demand, trying to keep desperation from my voice.

"Your territorial protector is currently engaged with the remainder of our forces," Kain explains, dragging me away from the cliff edge toward a wider section of ledge. "Quite thoroughly occupied, I'd say."

As if summoned by his words, the sounds of battle drift from multiple directions. Roars of pain and fury. The crack of weapons discharging. Heavy impacts that shake the mountainside.

Vex is fighting for his life somewhere beyond my sight. And I'm trapped here, helpless to aid him.

"The Council has been very specific about your value," Kain continues, producing a control collar from his tactical vest. The device hums with electrical energy, neural ports gleaming with chemical residue. "Medical expertise plus confirmed Chimeric breeding compatibility. The first successful human-Prime hybrid pregnancy on record."

My hand moves instinctively to my belly. "I'm claimed. Conquest Law recognizes?—"

"Has exemptions for subjects of critical scientific interest." His voice carries cold authority. "Your unique situation qualifies for immediate appropriation, regardless of prior territorial bonds."

The Gargoyles spread out, cutting off what little escape the narrow ledge might offer. This high on the mountain face, there's nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Just sheer stone above and empty air below.

One activates the neural restraint collar, the device's hum growing louder as its systems charge.

"This will be easier if you cooperate," Kain says, reaching for my throat.

I back against the cliff wall, mind racing through options that don't exist. Three Prime enforcers. Specialized equipment. No weapons except the small vial hidden in my tunic—nerve toxin meant for emergency use against smaller threats.