I stretch my arms into the air, deepening the stretch. I inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.
In spite of everything, it’s easier to breathe out here.
But the peace soon disappears.
I hear a squelching noise coming from the other end of the garden. I turn, still in my front splits, and see blood squirt fly through the air.
I gasp in horror, scrambling back up to my feet.
The attacker removes his mask. And it’s Igor.
His dark hair blows in the breeze as he slots his knife back under his belt. He just killed both guards. And now he’s takingbothof their guns.
I gasp. My legs are seized up. I can’t move.
Igor stands back to full height, searching across the garden. Until his eyes land on me.
No, no, no…
Adrenaline kicks in. I take off in the other direction, toward the other side gate.
“Guards!”
It’s the first time I actually want them to be here.
It all happens in front of my eyes. Two intruders jump down from the stone walls. They disarm the guards before they have a chance to shoot.
One of them gets kicked to the floor. The other guard is dead before I can scream.
I open my mouth to scream. That’s when a piece of fabric is shoved into my mouth. I struggle against the cloth, trying to spit it out. It’s no use. Someone’s keeping it in my mouth.
I turn around and lock eyes with an unfamiliar face. He’s wearing a mask too, same as the others. It covers the top half of his face, stopping at the nose. All I can really see is his mouth. And it looks cruel. His teeth are jagged. His jaw is strong.
“Thanks, gents.” Another voice starts up behind me.
I struggle against the man, trying to glance over my shoulder. One of my attacker’s hands is locked around my midriff. The other is still over my mouth, keeping me quiet.
“I’ll take it from here,” says the voice. I’m pretty sure that’s Igor.
He appears in front of me, the mask dangling from his neck like a necklace.
“Joy.” He flashes me a smile. “It’s a pleasure.”
I extend my vision, looking over him. The guards at both side gates are dead. That’s four guards in total.
My breath catches, seeing all the blood. The men are laid in the grass, blood spewing from their chests where Igor and his men killed them.
“Why would you…?” I struggle against the cloth. Igor’s friend is still holding it against my mouth. “Why would you kill them?”
“What was that?” Igor leans in, tapping his ear. “I’m afraid I can’t hear you very well, Joy.”
There’s one simple solution to that.
I lunge forward, but the man holding me shoves me right back into him.
Where the fuck is Valerian?
“We’re going to do this as quietly as possible.”