Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Easier said than done,” Maddox muttered, but there was a glint of determination in his eyes.
Warrick tapped his finger on the map, tracing the path from the entrance to the lab. “We’ll need to be careful with our timing. If one group is delayed, it could throw the entire plan off.”
“I’ll be leading the infiltration team,” Claire said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Warrick, Dawn, and Xavier, you’ll be with me. Damien and Robby, you’ll lead the diversion at the base. Caleb and Maddox will back you up.”
“What about me?” Blake asked, his voice steady despite the tension in the room.
Claire hesitated, glancing at me. “Blake’s with me,” I said.
Blake nodded, his expression resolute. “I’m ready.”
“There’s more I found out,” Claire said. “They’ve been running some fucked-up experiments in there.”
“Like what?” Robby asked. He sat next to me on the couch.
“They’ve been trying to fuck with nature. They’ve been trying to create hybrids of different creatures, different people. I couldn’t verify it, but I think they had dragons in there.”
The room collectively gasped. “They’ve caught dragons?” I asked.
“I think so. They’ve been keeping them under control with the Dragonsbane. I don’t know exactly what they’re doing to them, but we need to be careful.”
I looked at a blank space on the rocky wall. “Fuck. Any of them time dragons?”
“No,” Claire said. “If they were, then we likely wouldn’t be sitting here. But if they can capture them, then they can capture you.”
“X… maybe you should stay behind.” It was Maddox who suggested it. Normally, I would have butted heads with him, but the concern was clear in his voice. “We could be delivering you directly to them.”
He had a point. But I couldn’t sit this out. My family needed me, and my powers could be the difference between life and death.
“I understand the concern, but I have to be there.”
“Don’t be selfish.” Maddox started to push the issue, and that’s when my temper flared. “You want your hero moment, but not at the cost of ruining it all.”
“It’s not a hero moment. It’s me wanting to be there to save your ass when you mess shit up.”
“I’m not going to mess any—”
“Enough.” Damien’s tone was pointed. He looked between my brother and me. His glare always dumped ice-cold water on whatever argument Maddox and I were having. “It’s Xavier’s choice whether he stays or doesn’t.”
“And I’m not staying.”
“Then it’s decided,” Damien said. “Now, let’s keep figuring out our plan of action. We have to make sure there isn’t any room for error on this.”
As the plan continued to take shape, the room buzzed with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. We discussed the finer details—how to coordinate our attacks, what to do if something went wrong, how to communicate between the teams. Every possible scenario was considered, every potential threat addressed.
But through it all, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing, some crucial piece of information that we hadn’t yet uncovered. And Claire’s discovery about the dragons being experimented on only made me more nervous. I looked over at Cassius, who had remained silent throughout the entire discussion. He sat off to the side, his eyes distant, as if he was lost in his own thoughts. The haunted look on his face hadn’t left him since we found that photo of his dad and the rest of the truth began to unravel.
“Cassius,” I said, drawing his attention. “You’ve been quiet. Do you have any thoughts on this?”
He looked up, his gaze unfocused for a moment before he seemed to snap back to reality. “I… I’m not sure. This plan… it’s good, but… there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
Everyone turned to look at him, the room falling silent as we waited for him to continue.
“What if… what if we’re walking into a trap? My dad… he’s been involved in this somehow, but I don’t know to what extent. He might know we’re coming.”
A heavy silence fell over the room as we absorbed his words. The possibility of a trap had crossed all our minds, but hearing it from Cassius made it all the more real.
“We have to be ready for anything,” Claire said finally, her voice firm. “If it’s a trap, we’ll deal with it. But we can’t afford to back down now. We’re too close.”
I nodded. “She’s right. We go in prepared for the worst, but we go in. We can’t let them keep that dagger.”
Blake reached out and took my hand, his touch grounding me in the moment. “We’ve got this.”
I squeezed his hand, grateful for his presence. “Together,” I said.
The discussion continued, with everyone contributing their ideas and strategies. Despite the risks, there was a shared understanding that this was our best shot—our only shot—at stopping the Time Turners and retrieving the dagger. We couldn’t afford to fail.