Page 163 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Zacharia opened the box and examined the head with a bitter expression.

He slammed the lid shut and sat down on the nearest bench. “What do we do now?”

Jasmina pointed a finger at the box. “Could we get this thing out of here? The stench is almost inhuman, like something no human should endure.”

Presiyan raised an eyebrow at her. “Baby, how many timesdo we have to talk about immortal etiquette? There is no ‘human’ among us. And as for unpleasant smells, you’ll need to learn to tolerate them.”

Jasmina’s eyes widened. “Sorry…”

Mikhail waved his hand. “She’s right. Better get rid of it. It makes me want to break something.”

“Since no one will miss it…” Presiyan whistled, and one of the agents entered. He ordered the box to be taken out, and when the table was cleared, he unfurled the scroll of paper he’d been holding under his arm.

Mikhail leaned in to see what was on it. It was a map of the Hospital and the surrounding area.

Presiyan turned to Kathrine. “Now tell us how your former mother would position her soldiers. We have reptilians, humans, traitors from the Tribunal, and harpies. Am I missing anything?”

“Yes.” Kathrine stared at the map. “The Queen and Sevar. Both of them, individually, are deadlier than an entire squad of humans or other creatures. He has the rare reptilian ability to shoot paralysing poison with his tongue, and she can kill a creature faster than a blink.”

“The Queen has a sort of telekinesis,” Amelia said. “When we first met her, she strangled a man from afar, then planted a suggestion for him to forget the incident.”

“She has a weak ability to control human minds,” Kathrine explained. “Her gift doesn’t affect immortal kinds, so it shouldn’t trouble us.”

“Okay, I hope you’re right.” Presiyan nodded. “Where would those two be positioned?”

The reptilian examined the map. “Here.” She pointed at the main entrance. “If the Queen’s leading the battle, she’ll be here. Around her and inside the building will be the Chosen and the reptilians, because she trusts them the most. The Tribunalguards will be positioned along the perimeter.” Kathrine ran her fingers across the map. “She relies on their strength, but is willing to sacrifice them. You must know that she was planning to give them a regeneration serum.”

“Oh, I know.” Presiyan gritted his teeth.

“The humans will be positioned in the mountains. They’re the weakest link. Their purpose will be to wear you down before you reach the real resistance.”

“And the harpies?” Zacharia asked, without standing from his seat.

“The harpies will remain concealed. They’ll show themselves when she considers it suitable.”

“We can kill humans and harpies with firearms. That won’t be an issue,” Mikhail said. “But the agents enhanced with serum and the reptilians? The only sure way to kill them is decapitation.”

“The serum doesn’t work that way,” Kathrine said. “Its effect is short-lived after ingestion. Enough to heal already inflicted wounds or to unlock a secondary form, but it can’t keep you in that state permanently.”

Jasmina scoffed, crossing her arms. “And we suppose the Queen won’t be walking around the battlefield, giving serum to her wounded soldiers.”

“Doesn’t mean the battlefield won’t be crawling with rookies who just unlocked their secondary form and can’t wait to test it out,” Mikhail said.

“Let them try!” Jasmina hissed.

Presiyan patted her knee. “Fine, we’ll handle the rookies. What do we do about the reptilians?”

“We kick their asses,” Mor interjected, having entered the room in the meantime.

Callan approached them, casting a distracted glance at the map. “And what about the Queen?”

Presiyan spread his arms wide. “We’ll bombard her and stab her from all sides, and try not to get hit by her powers.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Zacharia smirked.

Kathrine distanced herself from the map. “My advice is, don’t go.”

“Why?” Mikhail asked.