The Ice Queen

Fate

Cassian

Hynden is waiting in my office as I enter. She turns to face me, bowing upon my entrance. I had the weapons and bullets sent for her to analyze on the Dragonborn side of the island. I assume since she is here, she has the information we need.

My gaze shifts to my desk which already has everything spread out across it for me to go over. As I move behind my desk, Hynden opens a file folder, spreading blueprints out on top of the already filled desk. I can tell by her silence I'm not going to like what she found. And as I sift through the pages, I see that I am right. Rage fuels me as I take in the information.

"Humans have once again stuck their nose where it doesn't belong," I growl aloud.

Hynden hesitates slightly, pushing back papers to hand me the blueprint.

"They've created a weapon specifically targeting your wife. The bullets are coated with a synthetic version of her DNA allowing it to penetrate her skin. They're light enough to fire at extremely high speeds."

My stomach dips as I snatch the blueprint from her. My gaze narrows.

"And these rounds are lethal?"

"Not yet. They're enough to shock her system, but if they keep going in this direction, I fear they'll be able to unlock one with the potential to be lethal. And my sources inside tell me they're getting close."

Stillness fills the air as both of us come to terms with what this means. This wasn't a one-time attack. And whoever it is won't stop until they have her and are able to experiment on her enough to unlock the secrets of our bodies. They've put a lot of time and resources into ensuring they can put her down if it comes down to it.

"Do we have any leads?" I ask.

Hynden shakes her head.

"We're working on it. The manufacturer of the gun distributes across the world, it's going to be difficult to sift through the clients and pinpoint the exact location of the warehouse. But we did do a crosscheck between the humans brought to the island and the distributor. It's between three countries at the moment, with the U.S. being the biggest target."

I release a bitter laugh.

Of course it is. The United States has always been after more than they understand. And once they realize they sent won't be returning, they'll be enlisting the help of other countries, putting us in a bind. Brineau is the only place most ancients reside. The others scattered across the world in hiding. If it comes to war, it will be us against the world. And if they unlock Neytiri's DNA, the Ikniri will be in trouble.

I take a deep breath looking at Uric.

"Leave us."

Ulric bows slightly, leaving the room. I wait until he closes the door to take a seat, giving Hynden my undivided attention.

"How are you adjusting to the colonies?" I ask.

Hynden releases a bitter laugh looking at me.

"If I say things are good, will you let me leave?"

I shake my head in disbelief.

"What is your disdain for your own home?"

"That is not my home that is a refuge-"

"That is your home. Our home is gone, Hynden. We will never get it back. That world we grew up in no longer exists. And in case you haven't noticed, this one is in jeopardy as well."

"Is it? Or is your precious Ikniri?"

"Watch yourself," I growl.

Hynden's eyes widen slightly and she takes a seat, looking at her hands.