Page 19 of Dark Rebel’s Mystery (The Children Of The Gods #92)

19

KYRA

K yra sat at her desk and scanned the latest intelligence reports while trying to ignore the way Zara kept glancing at her when she thought Kyra wasn't looking. The whispers about her strange abilities had grown louder lately, especially after her performance during the last raid.

She shouldn't have been as obvious, but lives had been at stake, and that was more important than hiding her oddities.

"A few of the new guards at the compound aren't normal," Zara said. "I don't know how they do the things they do, but I must assume drugs. People can do extraordinary things when they are high."

"Like what?" Kyra asked.

"One of our watchers saw a guard lift a truck to get a bottle of coke that had rolled under it. He held it up with one hand and reached for the bottle with the other, and he didn't even seem to strain too hard to do that."

That would have been an impressive feat even for her, so she doubted that the report had been factual. "Maybe you should check the watcher for drugs. He must have been hallucinating."

Zara put her hands on her hips and struck a pose. "And what about the guard who jumped from the roof and kept running to catch a kid who'd been throwing rocks at their windows?"

Kyra's throat tightened. "What did he do to the kid?"

"Nearly tore off his ear and then kicked him so hard in the ass that he nearly shattered the boy's pelvis. Rashid took care of him."

"Good." Kyra rubbed a hand over her chin. "Maybe they are enhanced with steroids or something like that. The regime has been experimenting with drugs and conditioning for years."

She wasn't sure about what she'd just said, but someone had obviously done something to her to make her abnormal. Until now, though, Kyra hadn't encountered anyone else who could do the things she could.

"I don't know about that." Zara's dark eyes fixed on her. "You can do strange shit, and I know for a fact that you are not taking drugs."

The accusation hung in the air between them. Kyra kept her face neutral, but her heart rate accelerated. "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing." Zara looked away. "Maybe some people are just stronger and faster than others."

Soran entered the tent, breaking the tense moments and bringing with him the scent of wood smoke. "The weapons shipment to the post arrived last night," he said. "But that's not the interesting part. Those new guards unloaded three tons of cargo in under an hour. No machinery, just pure manpower."

"That's impossible," Kyra said, even though she could envision several people like her doing just that.

"Is it?" Rashid's voice came from the tent entrance. The healer stepped inside, his weathered face grave. "As impossible as wounds that vanish within hours? As impossible as surviving falls that should kill?"

Kyra's fingers brushed against her pendant, seeking comfort. "We need to focus on the intelligence. Given the elite guard, the prisoners that arrived last night must be important. What do our watchers inside the compound report?"

Soran gave her a look that spoke volumes, but she ignored it. Let them suspect what they would, but she wasn't going to admit anything.

He pulled out a chair and sat down. "They overheard the prisoners being questioned about resistance cells across the region and about safe houses we didn't even know existed. Someone is coordinating a massive intelligence operation."

"The new commander," Kyra said. "Everything has changed since he arrived. The guards are different, the security protocols are enhanced, and our people are getting caught at twice the normal rate." She studied the papers, trying to piece together the puzzle while ignoring the weight of their stares. "Show me the new patrol patterns."

Soran produced a map marked with red lines. "They've completely restructured their rotations. No blind spots, no gaps in coverage, and they are actually doing their jobs instead of playing cards and shooting the breeze like the old guards. Even the unenhanced ones are out of our league."

There was a note of desperation in his tone that she could understand but didn't accept. Every organization had weaknesses. It was just a matter of finding them.

Kyra stood, pacing the length of the tent. "Where there is a will, there is a way. We can't storm the place like we used to, but we can nip at their heels, so to speak, and find out what's so special about them."

Zara snorted. "Whatever they are taking, I want some of that."

Soran pinned Kyra with a hard stare. "If you know something about these enhanced soldiers, now would be a good time to spill it out."

Kyra turned to face them. "I've fought beside you for fifteen years. I've bled for our cause. I've saved your lives more times than I can count. And you are questioning me?"

"We're grateful for your service," Rashid said. "But the knowledge you are keeping to yourself might be crucial to our success. Who are these soldiers? What are they capable of?"

Kyra let out a breath. "I don't know, and that's the truth." She braced her hands on the desk, studying the map to avoid their gazes. "I can no longer deny that I'm different, and in many ways I'm similar to those new special guards, but I don't know why or how it happened. I woke up in an asylum nearly twenty-five years ago with no memories, and abilities I couldn't explain. Those abilities allowed me to escape that hellhole and take other imprisoned women with me. They led me to the resistance. I don't even know my real last name or where I came from. The others called me Kyra, but even that might not be my real name. Now you know exactly what I know, and if you care for me and value my life, you won't tell anyone about what I just told you."

Each of the three punched a fist against their chest.

"Your secret is safe with us," Rashid said. "You are our secret weapon."

Zara nodded enthusiastically. "We couldn't have pulled off half the missions we have without you and your special abilities, but you are just one woman, and there are several enhanced soldiers in that compound. I say that we should move out of here before it's too late and establish a new base far away from here."

Kyra traced the patrol routes with her finger. "We can still do this. We just need to spend more time gathering intelligence."

"Are you going in yourself?" Rashid asked.

"I'm the only one who has a chance against them. I can switch places with one of the maids and spend some time mopping floors while observing and listening. No one ever pays attention to the cleaning staff."

They had two people working in the compounds—a kitchen assistant and a maid—who provided them with intel about the comings and goings in there, but neither had her superior hearing and eyesight. There was so much more she could learn than they could.

"What if you're caught?" Zara asked. "They might recognize you as one of them."

The question struck a chord of fear in Kyra but also intrigue. There had to be a connection between what happened to her in the asylum and these enhanced soldiers.

"Then I'll finally have some answers," she said, with more confidence than she felt.

As the meeting wound down, Soran lingered behind. "Can we talk?"

Kyra nodded even though she would have preferred not to have that talk with him.

He waited until they were alone. "You know I trust you with my life, right?"

"Of course. But?"

"But I'm worried. It can't be a coincidence that you have those special abilities and now these enhanced soldiers show up in our territory."

"You've known me for fifteen years. If they were looking for me, they would have found me a long time ago. It's a coincidence."

"I don't think so." He stepped closer. "We might not have been the only ones who noticed your abnormalities. Our enemies might have noticed them, too. That might be why they are here. They might have come for you specifically, Kyra, and it would be a great mistake for you to walk into the lions' den and give them what they came for."

Kyra sank into her chair, suddenly exhausted. "I don't think they are here because of me. I've been careful, and this place is in the middle of nowhere, which is why the regime chose it as an interrogation center. In either case, I have no choice. I have to find answers, and I'm the only one who can do that."