Chapter 160 - Masks and Mirrors

Sue’s skeletal feet crunched along the cracked asphalt streets as we rode northeast. Kara rode behind me, seated cross-legged in the saddle behind Sue’s spine with her bow slung across her back. She hadn’t said much since we left the Farm. Neither had I. Hope rode on the saddle with us. The Air Guard were rarely thrilled about letting Sue into their base, but they didn’t mind my dog. Having backup felt like a good plan.

I kept thinking about Clay. He hadn’t argued when I asked him to stay behind. He just nodded, jaw tight. He’d left these people behind to follow me. While I was thrilled to have him and couldn’t imagine him not being at the Farm, I wouldn’t blame the Air Guard if they felt betrayed by his departure. There was no reason to poke that bear, if we could avoid it, and I had a sense this was already going to be a difficult meeting.

Sue adjusted their footing as we passed a charred signpost half-swallowed by weeds. I reached forward and gave the side of the dino’s neck a gentle pat. Sue made a snorting noise and kept moving.

The airport came into view a few minutes later. I slowed Sue to a walk.

The damage was clear, once we were up close. One of the hangars was blackened and half-collapsed, and the old control tower had lost its upper windows. Smoke still curled from a gutted structure off to the side that looked like it might have been an old terminal. Whatever happened here, it hadn’t been a surgical strike. The attackers hit the place with overwhelming force.

We crossed the runway without incident and reached the Air Guard’s main gates on the other side. The walls there had been patched since my last visit. New sandbags were stacked atop the existing barriers. Fresh guard posts had been added to the corners. There were more people on the walls now, too. I spotted ten, maybe twelve that I could see. All of them were in uniform, and they were all well-armed.

Two guards stepped forward as we approached the gate. Neither smiled.

“Halt,” one said, raising a hand. His expression was blank, voice flat. “Miss Serrano?”

“That’s me,” I confirmed. “From the Farm. I’m here to speak with Colonel Turner.”

The guards exchanged a glance. The second one, an older man, called up to the guards on the wall. “Send a runner to the colonel. Miss Serrano is here to see him.”

“Are we waiting out here?” I asked.

The older guard nodded. “Until Colonel Turner confirms your entry, yes ma’am.”

They were still being unfailingly polite, but there was a cool touch to the way they spoke with me that hadn’t been there before. I’d helped save this place from being overrun more than once, so that came as a shock. Things were definitely different.

A few minutes later, someone called from the inside. “Gate opening!”

With a mechanical clank and the groan of old hinges, the inner gate began to swing open.

The first guard gestured. “You may enter. The dinosaur stays outside. Wait by the gate until the colonel sends for you.”

I gave a curt nod and jumped down from Sue, carrying Hope with me. I set the skeleton dog down and marched through the open gates, Kara close behind me. As I walked, I sent Sue a set of mental commands: stay put, don’t attack unless someone attacks first, and if I wasn’t back by sunset, head to the Farm and get help.

I really hoped that last bit was completely unnecessary, but the more I saw, the more worried I became.

The courtyard inside the gate was bustling, but it was tightly organized. Soldiers were everywhere, far more of them than I was used to seeing. A lot of the soldiers looked very new to their roles, too, and wore armor that lacked signs of combat. They were beefing up their security in a big way.

Turner met us at the base of the steps leading up to the old headquarters building. He wore full armor, and it was the fanciest stuff I’d seen come out of their forges. This was polished plate armor. His boots shone. His breastplate was unblemished. His hair, always close-cropped, looked freshly trimmed. He didn’t walk down to welcome us, but instead waited for us to come up.

And when we reached him, he didn’t offer a handshake.

“Selena,” he said, giving me a nod. He ignored Kara completely. “Welcome back.”

I raised a brow. “Colonel. You look upgraded.”

Turner’s expression didn’t shift. “Thanks. We’ve made progress. The base is more secure than ever and discipline is high. Getting everyone equipped with the best armor we can create is all part of that.”

He was polite and professional. But every word was cold as ice.

“I was hoping to talk,” I said. “There’s been some unsettling news.”

“Of course,” he said. “Let’s speak privately.”

He turned and strode up the steps, not waiting to see if I followed. I did. Kara lingered behind but stayed within sight.

The inside of the HQ building bustled as much as the outside. There were soldiers moving everywhere. For a base that had just taken out its biggest threat, that struck me as more than a little strange. When we reached the council chambers, Turner opened the door and gestured me inside. I stepped in and froze.

The long table the council had used for meetings was gone. Delores’s name was stripped off the door to her office, I noted. More tidbits that made me wonder what the hell was going on.

Turner continued on to his office. His name plate was still on the door, even if the council members’ had been removed. He gestured for us to enter, and we did. Turner stepped inside and shut the door behind us.

“Has Delores stepped down as Council head?” I asked. “I noticed her name was gone from her office.”

Turner grimaced. “That was one of the only tragedies of the battle. Delores was killed in action, sadly.”

“My god! How? What happened? I’m so sorry to hear that!” I expressed shock, but deep down I wasn’t surprised. This was just more evidence that something was rotten there.

Turner’s jaw twitched. “She was caught by the enemy, during the engagement with the avians. We launched a joint assault with Peter Eddings. He had his dragon along as aerial support, which was a massive boon, but the enemy was more entrenched than we expected. She ran toward the perimeter to assist the wounded.” He paused. “A group of the enemy caught her before we could stop them. She didn’t make it.”

“Didn’t make it,” I echoed.

He didn’t meet my eyes.

I took a breath. “So she’s gone.”

“Yes.”

“And the rest of the council?”

“Still present. They serve in an advisory capacity now. As it should be.”

That was new. The last time I’d been here, the council made decisions and Turner executed them. When I revealed that he’d been using his Charisma to influence people, the folks living here had insisted he step down as active leader. Turner remained in command of the military, but a Council was formed to run things.

Now he was talking like a man who issued orders and expected nods in reply again. I sat down across from him. He didn’t offer me water or coffee. He didn’t sit either.

“I came,” I said slowly, “because a dozen avians showed up on my doorstep yesterday. Half of them were wounded. Some of them children. They said a man on a dragon destroyed their home.”

Turner’s expression didn’t change. “They made the choice to be our foes. They harassed our patrols. Raided our foraging teams. Even attacked our base. This was inevitable.”

“Was it?” I asked.

“Yes. I asked for help from the alliance, remember. But there was always something more important to handle, while my people paid the price for those delays.”

“Are you in command here again?” I asked bluntly.

Turner finally sat, back straight. “I am. The base requires strong leadership. Peter helped me see that.”

Of course he did. I sat still for a beat, trying to weigh the man in front of me against the one I’d known before. Turner had always been sharp and direct. I’d questioned his ethics on more than one occasion. But what I was gleaning between the words he spoke was that Delores had somehow been killed in battle, even though she wasn’t a combatant and shouldn’t have been anywhere near the fighting. Also, that the Council which ought to be electing a replacement for her had been effectively neutered.

Turner was back in full control over this place. Or was he? Because he was talking a lot about Eddings. Who was actually in charge now?

“You said Peter helped you,” I said evenly. “What exactly did that help look like?”

Turner folded his hands over his knee. “He provided aerial support, strategic coordination, and a means of demoralizing the enemy. The dragon was a decisive factor in winning the battle.”

“That’s not what I asked,” I replied. “Did he offer to help? Or did he propose a solution? Because those aren’t the same thing.”

Turner’s jaw worked for a moment before he answered. “The council had stalled. Action was needed. Peter had resources. We discussed options. I made the decision to proceed.”

“You made the decision,” I repeated, watching his face.

“Yes.”

I wasn’t sure I believed him.

“And Delores?” I asked. “Why was she at the front lines?”

His expression didn’t shift. “She insisted on being involved. We couldn’t have anticipated the speed of the counterattack.”

No regret, and not even a flicker of guilt. All he was giving me were neat, packaged statements. He’d planned this confrontation out and already knew precisely what he wanted to say. He was giving me just enough to be sure there was a problem without anything actionable. It sucked, but the man was actually good at this political bullshit.

“I can’t help but notice,” I said quietly, “that this place feels different.”

Turner’s eyes narrowed. “Different how?”

“More organized,” I said. “More rigid. More obedient.”

“We’re running a tighter operation.”

“Well, someone else is,” I murmured.

Turner stiffened, and that was answer enough. He didn’t deny it. Didn’t argue with me. He just met my eyes with a hard, flat stare.

There it was.

Peter Eddings wasn’t just helping the Air Guard. He was running it. Or close enough that Turner had stopped noticing the difference. The dragon wasn’t just a battlefield advantage. It was leverage. Turner hadn’t been rescued. He’d been absorbed. And if Peter could do it here, then who was next?

I rose from my chair slowly.

“I appreciate the briefing,” I said. “We’ll talk again soon.”

Turner stood as well. “I hope so.”

I didn’t believe him.

We left Turner’s office in silence. As we passed through the outer corridor leading back toward the courtyard, a familiar voice called quietly, “Selena?”

I turned and spotted one of the younger guards—Elias, I thought his name was. Sue and I saved his bacon once when the avians attacked the Guard base. He seemed the same bright guy I’d met that day, but his eyes were wide with nerves, darting left and right.

“Elias! How’s it going? You been all right?” I asked.

“Things are better now,” he said quickly, like he had to get it out before anyone overheard. “More stable. The colonel’s doing what’s necessary.”

It sounded rehearsed. I wanted more. “Is that what you think?” I asked gently.

“You should be careful here,” Elias warned me, his voice the softest whisper. He opened his mouth as if to say more, then snapped it closed again. He shook his head. “I need to get back to my post.”

He turned and walked quickly away.

Kara stood, watching the exchange. As we walked back toward the gate, she leaned toward me and muttered, “This isn’t leadership. This is a takeover. Turner’s pulled off a coup.”

I didn’t argue. Everything I saw said she was right. But we couldn’t do anything about it, not right now, anyway. We needed to get out of this place before Turner changed his mind and figured I was a big enough threat to do to me what he did to Delores.

The gate guards saluted us as we passed. Their movements were sharp, practiced, but completely devoid of the easy camaraderie I remembered. We crossed the cracked tarmac in silence. I turned back once before we left the compound behind. The concrete walls of the base stood tall, but it felt like everything good about the place had been drained away.

Something had shifted here. Turner had been an asshole sometimes, and his idea of what was acceptable ethically bugged the shit out of me. But he hadn’t been a murderer! He'd been willing to listen and compromise. He fought like hell, but he did it with his people beside him, not terrified of him.

Now Turner stood alone at the top, and Peter’s shadow stretched out behind him. It was becoming incredibly clear to me that Peter was going to be a major problem. Whatever he was doing, it was working. He was making progress fast, and I still didn’t know what his endgame was. That was something I needed to change quickly. We were three steps behind him, and he was already scooping up allies.