Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Outside the fence was heavily patrolled by four teams of two shifters each, with AK-47s hanging easily on their shoulders. Trees had been cleared right up to the fence, leaving the ground bare. The road leading to the fortress was paved and kept in good shape with no potholes. The ground sloped in gentle swells for miles, with little or no brush or trees thanks to the continual clearing being done.
Gedeon timed the patrols. The shifters were fairly consistent in their routes and how long it took each of them to make the circuit back to the front gate. Gedeon tracked them one by one. Meiling had infiltrated the grove of fruit trees that stood outside the tall fence. The grove had its own fence but wasn’t within the much more protected fortress. When they had checked out the fruit trees, Gedeon could understand why. In the winter, the fruit trees had to be protected from the biting cold. Whoever had originally planted the fruit trees had chosen the best possible location for them, out of the wind, protected on three sides. They could be covered, and if the temperature dropped too low, they could use machines to keep the trees alive.
He had an appointment to see Bolin Wang and Makar Turgenev, two of the Dragon Justices, in a short period of time. It was an opening ploy. Meiling would be inside, covering him. She had to go in first. Phase one was to make certain their information was correct. They had to know they could count on their exit and entrance routes. This was where they had to be shadows. Ghosts. No one could know they were there. Not even Cosette. Meiling could take a few minutes and locate her, but she couldn’t reassure her. They couldn’t chance it.
As far as Gedeon knew, all five Dragon Justices still resided in the fortress. The lair seemed to be packed with their soldiers and the servants needed to feed and entertain them. The fortress housed a village as well as the palace. The smaller dwellings were on either side of the palace and behind it in a large semicircle. Those homes would only be a problem if Gedeon and Meiling were forced to run in that direction and couldn’t hide themselves. They didn’t foresee that happening, but they had a plan just in case.
He checked the time and waited for the guards to pass out of sight before he eased out of the depression he was in and began to belly crawl to the next strip of grass. He did it slowly. There were cameras everywhere. That didn’t mean anyone was paying close attention. Those watching had been doing so for months, perhaps even years, and had to be bored out of their minds. Still, it paid to be cautious. Gedeon was a cautious man.
They bring girls here all the time, Gedeon, Meiling said. For the soldiers to use. These men traffic them from the other lairs.
It didn’t surprise him. That was the reason Fyodor, his brothers and cousins had gotten out. They couldn’t stomach what was happening to the women in the lairs. They could see the devastation it caused. They could even see the Amur leopard was on the verge of extinction, but still, to prove loyalty, the men continued using and killing the women.
They abuse their own leopards as well. These are sick lairs, Meiling. Those in charge have to know they’re destroying the lair and the shifters from within, but they don’t want to admit they’re wrong, so they continue to make the same mistakes instead of trying to fix what they’ve done.
I’m listening to the kitchen staff gossip as they harvest from the garden. They know just about everything going on inside the palace.
She wasn’t supposed to be inside the gates yet. Not without him. He reminded her of their timeline.
I saw the opportunity, Gedeon, and had to take it. For as many people working inside, they do know one another. If I’m spotted, I’ll stand out like a sore thumb.
Who are those working in the palace? Can you tell? Are they trafficked women? Would they help you get to Cosette?
These women are all married. I think their husbands are soldiers for the various lairs. I don’t know if they’re true mates of those soldiers or they were bought and given to the soldier, but they’re definitely married.
You can’t trust them to help you, he concluded.
No, I wouldn’t dare. I’ll find her.
That palace is a fucking big place. I can only stall them so long before they become suspicious.
I’ll find her. I have a . . . Meiling broke off.
Gedeon waited. He knew she had gifts. Important ones. He had them too, but he didn’t have Meiling’s personal radar that included finding a lost person in a giant maze where someone had hidden her. She was not only a miracle but a treasure.