Then Adilyn darted up the stairs to flutter in Cody’s face, and we all froze. Cody gestured behind me, and Nar slipped past us. The moment he did so, he vanished against the wall.
We heard a door open and close below, and footsteps approach up the stairs. There was a scuffle, and then silence.
“We’re good,” Leah said.
Cody moved us down, and there was a guard slumped on the stairs. He had two bleeding holes in his neck.
Nar materialized from the wall, wiping his mouth. “Got a good strike. He went down fast.”
“You rated the dose?” Cody asked.
Nar nodded. “Gave him just enough to knock him cold for an hour or so. He’ll have one hell of a headache, though.”
I stared. “Youbithim?”
“Sea Krayt’s have venom,” Cody told me. “We have a class that discusses the traits of the various Cryptids. You’ll learn all this, soon enough.”
I sighed. My list of what I needed to learn just kept getting longer.
We continued on down the stairs until Cody paused at the ground level. “Nar, scout ahead. They might have additional guards near the vault.”
The Sea Krayt nodded and vanished again. His camouflage ability was invaluable. Much more useful than my supposed talents.
Riggs leaned close. “Kinda feel like a fifth wheel,” he said.
I cast him a grateful look, but then pointed out, “You climbed us up to the roof.”
He shrugged. “Cody could have done that.”
I snorted a laugh. “Cody could do this on his own.”
The man in question cast us a look, and we fell silent as we waited for Nar.
It startled me when the Sea Krayt materialized from the wall. He wasn’t just invisible, he was stealthy, too.
“One guard just inside the door,” Nar said. “Can’t get to him without opening it. We need Leah.”
So far, the Selkie’s Siren heritage had been the most useful talent for our team. She vanished down the stairs with Nar, and a moment later, a subtle ripple passed through me. I couldn’t hear her soft words, but the song carried up the stairs. I blinked, feeling sleepy.
“Cover your ears,” Cody ordered.
We did, and I immediately perked up. Then Leah appeared on the stairs and gestured to us.
They’d dragged the snoring guard into the stairwell.
“Riggs, Adilyn, you two stand watch,” Cody ordered as we slipped by him.
Cody took the rest of us to the vault. It possessed a deadbolt-style lock, so he removed his picks. “Sid, you’ve had a few lockpicking sessions now. Care to try your luck?”
The big Anisau took the picks—the bits of metal looked ridiculous in his huge hands, but he handled them withsurprising dexterity. It only took him a few moments—along with a few directions from Cody—and the tumblers turned over. When Cody pulled on the door handle, it opened.
Sitting on a table inside was the machine.
We didn’t waste any time examining it. Cody pulled a bag from his pack, and we pushed the contraption into it. Once laced up, the sack offered handles and straps, which made it easier to grip.
We’d just wound it up when I had the oddest sensation—for a moment, it was as though I was seeing through another’s eyes. Looking up the stairs, while Adilyn fluttered in my face…
The truth came to me in a flash of understanding. Riggs. How was it possible that I was seeing through his eyes? Was this another kind of vision?
