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MARA

B en had one job to do—one very important job.

He was to run back through the tunnels until he was back at our plane.

From there, he was to contact Dissenter forces requesting to speak to Giza and Giza only.

The Sergeant Major needed to know what was happening.

He needed to know that there was no communication going in or out of the city using our tabs.

That was a problem because even if we managed to convince Raúl to surrender, there would be no way of communicating that victory to Northern or Dissenter forces.

But there was something even bigger, more imperative that Giza needed to be aware of.

Telvia had finally woken up.

But this was more than that. This was the best-case scenario .

The citizens were fighting back.

They themselves were fighting for their own liberation, eyes finally open to what my father had done.

There was hope. Hope that the city could be saved.

But we had to act quickly. Because if the citizens didn’t receive support from outside forces, I didn’t know what my father would do. I didn’t know what he was capable of.

So Ben’s job was extremely important because he was our only hope of convincing the Dissenters that the city was finally ready for freedom.

Our one shot at communicating to Sasha that her people were not lost, and all I could do was pray that she would relent and fight for them.

That she would help them fight for themselves.

Nora spread the map of the city on the coffee table while we crowded around it. A small black X was crossed in District 1, someplace in the residential zone. A big circle drew my attention, and I recognized the geometric shapes that represented the Presidential Palace.

“We’re here,” Nora said as she tapped the X. “The Presidential Palace is three miles to the west”—her finger glided across the page until it stopped on the circle.

“Fifty minutes to an hour, give or take,” Lin announced.

“If we hustle, we can make it in forty,” Javi added.

“We have to assume Ben won’t make it in time,” my mother explained.

“We need to make it there as fast as possible. Once we convince Raúl or find the kill code, we’ll need to see if we can figure out a way to use the Telvian computers to get a message out to the Dissenters.

” My mother pointed at me. “That’s your job, Mara. ”

“That’s right,” Lin said. “Computers are your thing, right? Edith says you’re good with tech like your brother.”

“More or less,” I muttered, not feeling even an iota’s worth of confidence in the affirmation.

Nora traced her finger on the map once more. “This is the most direct route to the palace—Davenhurst to Calmgrove to Nearglen Avenue. ”

I knew all of those streets. Remembered them like it was only yesterday I was walking them as a little girl.

“Our compadre said we’ve got hounds, right?”

“That’s right,” my mother confirmed. “When Apex blew, handlers lost control of them. The majority have formed a pack and are roaming the city.”

I cringed at the thought. Why did it have to be hounds? I was so sick of dealing with freaking devil dogs.

“The good news is, District 1 is mostly under control since these citizens weren’t modified. My suspicion is the nobility are staying tucked away in their houses. That means the hellhounds are probably roaming District 2 and 3.”

“Lunch, anybody?” Javi said dryly.

“Uck,” I uttered, placing a hand on my stomach as my mother gave him a matronly look of reproach.

Lin shook her head. “Those poor people…”

Nora tapped the map again, snapping our attention to the plan. “We have two hours before the airstrike, and we need as much of that time as possible to deal with whatever awaits us at the palace. Stay small, stay quiet, and stay light on your feet. Got it?” We all nodded. “Good. Let’s move out.”

***

The skies were dark as ever, with the sun still tucked safely away below the horizon.

Street lamps provided orbs of whitish glow on the black asphalt, but they were few and far between.

The homes were dark, and the streets were mostly quiet.

Dawn was approaching within the next couple of hours, but until then we had the cover of darkness to help us hide as we skulked around the district .

Just as before, my mother took the lead, followed by Javi, myself, and Lin.

And just as Ben had explained, the streets of District 1 remained uneventful, with the nobility hiding in the safety of their homes just as he had been doing.

But despite the visual serenity, screams floated on the air like ghostly moans.

They were distant, but so shrill and so many.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“How can these people just sleep when the rest of their world burns?” Liddy remarked behind me.

“No tienen remedio, mi vida. They have no choice.”

My gaze drifted up from the black surface of the asphalt to my cousin, but all I saw were the muscular lines of his back. I blinked and looked back to the ground, watching the rough road pass by. I wondered if Wes was still sleeping? Or had he woken up and found—

Another cry in the distance. More distinct, clearer.

“What do you think is going on?” Lin asked. I wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but my mother answered.

“Hounds maybe? It’s too hard to tell.”

“Whatever it is,” Javi said in front of me, “it’s getting closer.”

I cocked my head and strained my hearing to listen. Sure enough, he was right. The next shriek did sound closer… a lot closer. I frowned. “It can’t be hellhounds,” I reasoned. Memories of those blood curdling howls sent shivers down my spine.

“Why’s that?” Lin asked.

I halted—only a second—then I kept walking. “Hounds communicate during a hunt. They call to each other when they catch the scent of blood, and then it’s a freaking symphony of hellish sounds.” I shook my head, licking my lips. “It’s not hounds.”

“It could be Telvian Enforcement or the REG, I suppose,” my mother added. “But I prefer we didn’t stick around to find out.”

“Agreed,” Lin said as we came to a crossroad.

Nearglen. We’d made it to Nearglen. We weren’t that far now—maybe only a mile to go. I checked my tab. One hour and thirty minutes to strike. “We gotta move faster,” I said. They didn’t need explanations. They all knew the same thing I did—we were running out of time.

“You’re right,” Nora affirmed. “Let’s hustle. We don’t have much—”

BANG!

A shot rang out, loud and thunderous, shattering the night.

“Get down,” my mother screamed just as I spun around.

“Lin!” I didn’t know if it was me or Javi or both of us, but someone screamed her name just as I watched her stunned eyes shimmer, lips parted in a silent gasp as she blinked.

Liddy pressed a hand to her stomach, and then pulled it away, staring at it. And it glistened. Her fucking hand glistened , catching the light of the street lamp.

“Oh my god,” I muttered in disbelief. What happened? What the hell just happened?

She blinked, lifting her gaze, looking past me as she dropped to her knees.

“Lin!” It was a guttural yell of despair. A sound so deep and anguished, so pained and mortified, it cut my soul just to hear it. Javier rushed past me as Liddy collapsed to the floor.

I had been so focused on her, on the fact that Liddy Le had just been shot, I didn’t notice the dozen individuals standing beyond her. I didn’t see the Telvian Enforcement officer with his plated white armor and sleek black assault rifle. I didn’t see when he aimed…and pulled the trigger.

“Shit!” I yelled as another shot pierced the night. I dove, gripping Javier’s collar and yanking him with me to the left, diving behind a parked car for cover. Javier crashed into me. “Nice of you to drop in,” I groused.

He got to his feet, remaining crouched at my side as he unholstered his gun. “Yeah, well, you know how much I enjoy being close to you,” he muttered, peeking around the fender of the car .

Two shots fired, piercing the night.

He whipped back around as a bullet struck the asphalt. “ Carajo ,” he cursed.

Reaching for my sidearm, I searched across the street for the rest of our team. My mother had made it behind another parked vehicle, but Liddy was down. She was moving, but barely, right in the middle of the street.

“Liddy’s in trouble,” I reported, peeking over the car.

Javi slammed the back of his head against the vehicle with a deep growl. “ Fuck . How many?”

“I count twelve. All Telvian Enforcement. No REG.”

BANG!

Liddy cried.

“Lin!” Javier moved to run to her, but I grabbed his jumpsuit and yanked him back against the car. “Let go of me!”

“ Hell no,” I yelled at him. “Are you crazy? Running out there is only going to get you shot, and then you’ll be of no help to her.”

His eyes narrowed on me, a scowl on his face that would have rivaled Wes’s, but he nodded and I let him go. My gaze swept across the street to my mom as she popped off two rounds—a guttural yell, and then two plopping sounds.

“Ten,” I amended.

“And now,” Javi whipped out from around the car and fired three shots in quick succession— BANG, BANG, BANG —“there’s seven.” He pressed his body back against the car.

I let out a sardonic chuckle with a shake of my head before catching Javi’s eye. “Plan?”

“We’ve gotta get Liddy out of there.”

I nodded. “How do you—”

A long, eerie howl cried through the night, and everything inside me crystalized into glistening ice. “Oh shit,” I muttered. “Hounds.”