Hello, readers. Sorry I haven't updated in almost a week, but I was on a trip and didn't have access to the internet for a while...
Nyla Zaviera hated waiting. It seemed like that was all she did for the past five years, just wait. But she knew that was about to change.
Soon, I will fulfill my destiny.
She shoved her way through the throng of people, her impatience for her task making her restless.
I'm not a helpless little girl anymore. Look out, Cahills. My time has almost come.
...
"I contacted the plane. They will be here in about twenty minutes." Elias reported, checking his phone. The group were all lounging on plush sofas, save Amy, who was making revoloutions around the center of the room at astonishing speeds.
"Finally!" she exclaimed, halting her tormented trek. It was with such anxiety that she was circling the room that she had left a track of footprints in the red carpet. Matt looked up from his laptop.
"The plane will take us directly to Namche Bazaaar." he said. "When we arrive, we'll all have to be vigilant; Vespers have been swarming the town. Once we locate a hostile agent, we'll extract the information from them."
"Can I handle extraction?" Dan piped up. All heads in the room swiveled toward him incredulously.
"Not a good idea, kiddo." Nellie snorted, pulling out her earbuds. "You want to be fresh and ready to rescue your uncle. Those Vespers are seriously gangster."
"I will be handling extraction." Matt declared. Before anyone could protest, he held up a hand. "I've been dealing with Vespers for...for many, many years. I practically grew up with Vespers as a part of my life. I know how to handle them."
"Fine. But you take Dan and I with you." Amy huffed. Dan nodded. Matt smiled at them, then turned to look out the window. This concealed his face, and nobody else saw the smirk spread across his face.
Fat chance, children.
...
Accross the European continent, Natalie and Zai were having their own issues.
"Lighten up. You look too tense." Natalie whispered to her companion as they strolled through the Chez Castel, which was packed with important figures in the Parisian society. "This is supposed to be a relaxed event; you look like you want to kill somebody."
You have no idea. "Elizabeth is in here somewhere." Zai replied, ignoring her suggestion. "If we let our guard down, we could be wiped out in an instant. Is that what you want?"
"She won't try anything in a place like this." Natalie hissed back. "And would it kill you to smile?"
"You never know." Zai replied, his lips twisting into a cruel, grimace-like imitation of a smile. All around them, people were swaying and dancing to the music, glasses of champagne everywhere. As Zai and Natalie veered away from the music, a young woman with platinum hair crossed their path.
"Bonjour, my friends!" she smiled sweetly at them. "Is it not refreshing to see other teenagers at an adult-infested event like this?"
"Exceedingly so." Zai replied dryly. Natalie elbowed him. He promptly put on his most dazzling smile, showing his teeth and dimple.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." He nodded at the girl. She smiled brightly and sashayed away, casting one glance back as she disappeared into the crowd.
"Was that so hard?" Natalie asked once she was gone. Zai rolled his eyes.
"Maybe." he answered, his face returned to it's usual dark impassiveness. Natalie sighed.
"I suppose you were a big hit at school dances." she muttered.
"Hardy har har." Zai replied. "Never been to a school, never been to a dance. Now let's split up. If you see Elizabeth...find someway to let me know." With that, he turned and stalked off in the opposite direction. Natalie sighed.
He probably would be a hit at dances, she surmised, watching his back vanish into the background, if he decided that his prescious time and emotions were worth wasting on another human being.
...
Dan sat deep in thought, watching his travelling companions preparing to depart.
When we get to Nepal and rescue Uncle Fiske, will the Vespers be after us? We me have the element of surprise now, but there's no way we can hide from them.
He looked around the room. Uncle Alistair was dozing on a chair, his cane leaning against the back. Dan's eyes narrowed.
What's hidded in that cane? Uncle Alistair said he had top-secret Lucian files on Zai's family and past. What else? Maybe something that could help us against the Vespers. But how to access that information?
He knew that Alistair's cane was fingerpring activated, and Alistair guarded it with his life. Seperating it from him would be even harder than getting into it.
I love a good challenge.
"Plane's here!" Elias announced, jumping up. Everyone, including Alistair, swiftly got to their feet and watched as a sleek jet taxied to a stop outside the lounge building.
"Don't worry, Dan. We'll find him." Amy said solemnly as they filed out into the night air. Dan nodded, his mind elsewhere.
I need that cane.
...
Zai pushed his way through crouds of dancing Parisians, scanning for Elizabeth.
Elizabeth.
He cursed Elizabeth in his mind for making him do these things. First involving the Cahill siblings with his revenge, then making him drag Natalie around the world in his exclusive quest to find her.
What have I gotten myself into?
Natalie trusted him, and he was experiencing odd hesitations about breaking her trust. But he had plans, and they couldn't be changed.
No trust. No emotions. No mercy. Since he was orphaned, Zai had stuck to these three principles. They had served his well, but he didn't know how much longer he could keep it up. His pills had run out back in England, and he felt different. He felt more...clear. He didn't know how he'd acted so nice to Amy back in Hong Kong and at the Kabra's mansion. He felt like he was freeing himself from some sort of vice.
It's nothing, he told himself. Just a natural reaction to the stress. But even he doubted himself.
He was just about to return to the front door when a shrill cry rang out through the club.
"Someone's stolen my necklace!"
Zai's whipped his head around, eyes narrowing. Natalie had found Elizabeth.
Zai slipped through the crowd, trying to remain inconspicuous. If Elizabeth was aware of her pursuers, their chance of getting information out of her would be ruined. Zai found Natalie near the drinks bar, anxiously clutching at her neck. People nearby, sympathetic or perhaps familiar with the Kabra name, were trying to help. When Natalie spotted Zai, she pointed to her neck and then to him. He nodded, understanding.
"I've found your necklace!" He called to her. She hurried over, and when she reached him, she withdrew a necklace from her purse and fastened it around her neck.
"Thank you!" she cried, nodding behind her. Zai looked over her shoulder and saw Elizabeth, relaxing at a table and sharing a group of well-dressed guests. She was laughing, completely unaware of the two teenagers about to approach her.
"Have you got your gun?" Natalie whispered. Zai nodded, patting his hip.
"We'll circle around and appreach her from behind." Natalie decided. "Then, we'll sit on either side of her..."
"...And we ask her where they are keeping Fiske Cahill, why they attacked your estate, and why she sent Cheyenne to abduct us in Calais." Zai finished. He sighed. "And maybe where your brother and the others are."
"Let's go." Natalie nodded and slipped away. Zai cast a wary eye around and melted into the throng, feeling his gun against his leg.
...
The Shadow slunk among the dancers, keeping an eye on both the boy and the girl. The information sent by Waverley was accurate; the Shadow marveled how they were keeping tabs on the Cahill's every move without really physically following them. The information Daniel Cahill so carelessly gave away was especially helpful.
The Shadow grinned as the subjects drew nearer to their target. Soon, Cahills, you will walk right into our trap. And you will be completely at the mercy of the Vespers.
...
I really, really wanted to include more in this chapter, but I prefer updating more frequently, even if it means slightly shorter chapters.