Chapter 3 - Blood and Iron
The revelation hit me like a physical blow.
My sister was alive.
Or at least,
she had been alive long enough to have a daughter.
The photograph was dated three years ago.
I stared at the image of Mara,
her eyes still bright,
her smile still the same.
But she looked tired,
hunted,
and thin.
“Where is she?”
I asked,
kneeling beside the girl’s bed.
The girl’s lip trembled,
and a single tear tracked through the dirt on her cheek.
“The men in the dark suits took her,”
she whispered.
“They wanted the key.”
“What key?”
I asked gently.
She pointed to the silver pendant I was still holding.
“Mommy said it’s not just a necklace.
It’s a map to the vault.”
I looked at the pendant again,
closely this time.
I noticed a small seam along the edge of the wolf’s jaw.
It wasn't just a solid piece of silver.
It was a locket,
or a casing.
Outside,
the gunfire had intensified.
The mercenaries realized their infiltration team had failed.
Now they were going for brute force.
“Boss,
they’ve brought in a ram!”
the head of security shouted over the intercom.
“The main gate won't hold!”
I stood up,
my jaw set.
“Dr. Vale,
get her to the safe room,”
I commanded.
The doctor nodded,
quickly unhooking the IV.
“Phantom,
stay with her,”
I said.
The dog didn't need to be told twice.
He stood up,
positioning himself between the girl and the door.
I turned to the girl.
“What’s your name?”
“Elara,”
she whispered.
“Elara Cross,”
I said,
tasting the name.
“You stay with the dog.
I’m going to end this.”
I walked out of the infirmary and headed for the armory.
If they wanted a war,
I would give them one.
I put on a heavy tactical vest,
checked my magazines,
and grabbed a custom-made combat shotgun.
The fortress was built for this.
It was a labyrinth of traps and kill zones.
I reached the main hall just as the front doors buckled.
A massive steel ram smashed through the oak panels.
The mercenaries poured in,
tossing flashbangs.
I closed my eyes for the split second of the blast.
Then I opened them and started firing.
The shotgun roared,
sending a spray of lead that knocked the first two men back into the snow.
I moved like a shadow,
using the pillars for cover.
I knew every inch of this house.
I knew where the floorboards creaked,
and where the shadows were deepest.
They were fighting a man who had nothing to fear.
Because a man who has already lost his family is the most dangerous beast of all.
One mercenary tried to flank me,
but I caught him with a combat knife.
The steel went deep,
and he fell without a sound.
I felt a cold rage burning in my veins.
These people had kept my sister captive.
They had hunted her daughter.
They had treated a child like prey.
“Retreat!”
one of them shouted as they realized they were being picked off.
“Fall back to the perimeter!”
“No one leaves,”
I growled into my radio.
“Seal the exits.
Release the hounds.”
I had more than just Phantom.
I had four other Corsos,
trained for one thing:
to hold and destroy.
The sound of barking and screaming filled the night air.
The mercenaries were being hunted in the dark.
I walked out onto the front porch,
the shotgun resting on my shoulder.
The snow was stained red.
The burning SUV cast a hellish glow over the courtyard.
One man remained,
crawling toward the gate.
I walked up to him and put my boot on his back.
“Who sent you?”
I asked,
the barrel of the shotgun touching his neck.
He coughed blood,
grinning a ghastly red smile.
“You think…
you’re the only one looking for the vault?”
he gasped.
“The Council doesn't stop.
They’ve been watching you for years,
Holden.”
“The Council?”
I repeated.
It was a name from the old world.
The people my father had served—and then betrayed.
“Where is Mara?”
I demanded.
He laughed,
a wet,
gurgling sound.
“She’s where all traitors go.
To the hole.”
He reached for a grenade on his belt.
I didn't give him the chance.
I pulled the trigger.
The silence that followed was heavy.
The wind died down,
leaving only the crackle of the fires.
I looked up at the stars,
feeling the weight of the silver pendant in my pocket.
My sister was alive.
And I was going to find her.
But first,
I had to protect the child.
I turned back toward the house,
my heart heavy with iron.
May you like
The war wasn't over.
It was just the beginning.
