Chapter 70: Gambits Unfold

The lights returned to normal, and Barbara’s glow faded. Relica was proving to be a lot more of a handful than she’d expected.

Astra’s childlike voice snorted through the device as the soldiers dispersed the onlookers and confiscated phones, but the hacker appeared to have already taken care of the data.

"That’s ’goodbye’ in Farsi; her files say she grew up in Iran, I guess."

"We’re well versed with the language," Mateo muttered, moving closer to whisper to Rachel, and Barbara was close behind him. "Is your sense of misfortune acting up? And what was that about knowing her?"

Scarlet’s fangs were inside her black bottom lip, seemingly unaware she’d split it as she waited for her own answers.

Rachel’s thoughtful smirk hadn’t faded. [Bringer of Misfortune] was tuned to her own goals and aspirations, helping her determine vague directions to go to achieve them. However, she now had [Curse: Karma] in her arsenal, which also made the worst-case scenario mutually assured destruction against a single opponent.

"It’s not good... I’m definitely walking into a trap, but that was pretty obvious. She was fairly specific that only ’soldiers’ inside the club would trigger the death of the children..."

Barbara let out a long sigh as she turned her somber gaze to the terrified blood-sucker. "Meaning, Selvaria and Scarlet are the only ones that can enter for us to avoid a slaughter."

Rachel nodded. "And she’ll be keeping me busy for a time, trying to get under my skin and making me act out. Relica is poking me to see where I’ll snap. I don’t know what she could possibly do to make me lose control... She definitely has something up her sleeve, though, and, for the life of me, I can’t think of any instance I would have met her."

She ran her hands over her ears, trying to calm the tingles the encounter had left. The soldiers and Scarlet were now on guard, looking for clarification on their next move. "Sadly, I know without someone like Maria to prove I’m not lying, you can’t really take anything I say as the truth."

Scarlet’s folded arms showed how nervous she was, but she shook her head. "No, I believe you. It’s just...hard to hear my mom is working with someone like that—it’s like I’ve lived a lie my entire life."

"We need to shelve that," Barbara softly prompted, trying to comfort the girl by rubbing her shoulder. "Relica’s playing a gambit, and we need to figure out which are bluffs."

Rachel grunted, turning to look out of the window at the dark cityscape of Miami. "She’s buying time for Conner to set something up since he’ll come in later to challenge me. Hmm... If I can take two major pieces off the board, then it should give you guys enough time to handle the rest of the hostages. My only problem is..."

Scarlet fidgeted with the skirt she’d taken from Rachel’s wardrobe, groaning as everyone looked at her. "I...need to save the unicorn, fairy, and children. My mom’s not there, though. Right, Astra?" she fearfully asked, holding a finger to the device in her pointed left ear.

"Right now, she is, but I’m getting chatter about a helicopter and submarine. So..."

"A helicopter and submarine?!" Barbara snarled, scratching the back of her neck. "Agh. How? So they want the Coast Guard to back off for them. We have the seas barricaded... No. I’ll deal with that angle with the local officers. Mateo, your company will coordinate with the SEALs and Astra to take out the cartel and gang members, rescuing the hostages. Scarlet... Mmgm. Rachel?"

Rachel figured the agitated captain was asking for her input, since the goddesses told her to be careful how Scarlet and Relica meet. The woman hadn’t even been focusing on the girl during their talk, so that could hardly count. No, it was during this rescue operation.

Despite the girl’s ridiculous power, Scarlet’s blue eyes were filled with self-doubt; her trauma held all that strength back. However, without Rachel’s careful attention to her, Scarlet could likely have been the second advent of the Seattle vampire incident in Miami. Then again, this mission could also be precisely what Scarlet needed to take another step away from the ledge she was standing on.

"Hmm. If Selvaria was there..."

"She won’t be," Barbara flatly stated. "I could deal with the bull myself, but obviously, Relica has calculated things that I’d go after Adele and this threat of a submarine off the coast—one that could have nuclear weapons onboard, for all we know.

"In fact, Selvaria may even be needed for that and the helicopter after she deals with the bull. I can’t be in all places at once, and I have to be ready to act against whatever Relica has hidden. Ugh. The Scarlet Hand has set up a large operation here that we have to adapt to, and fast."

"S-So I’ll be alone?!" Scarlet choked. "I’m not good in stressful situations. What if my blood kills all the children?! No, I couldn’t—I can’t!"

Rachel took the panicking girl’s hand to draw her focus. "Your blood reacts to your fear, Scarlet. There are no deaths needed. Shadow teleport in and out—simple snatch and grab...unless you have something else?"

"I don’t know; Ver—I mean, I don’t know my abilities! I can look through walls to some extent, teleport through shadows, and blood-spike people. Oh, and I’m also, like...immortal or something. I’m not confident like you, Rachel! I wish I was..."

"You’re powerful, Scarlet. Own it! Would you feel bad if your blood killed someone who tried to kill a child?"

"No...but what if the child is mind-controlled and they attack me? See what I’m saying?!"

Astra’s unhelpful voice entered the background. "They are mind-controlled, by the way; I confirmed that."

"Great support, Astra."

"No, but I’m sure Maria can purify it. So, get Ms. Gangster and win the level! Easy peasy. I should be able to help guide you, girl," he boasted. "Follow my lead."

"Mmgm. I...I do want to help. Agh! Fine. I just need to look through the walls, find Maria, and then she can free the children—that simple?"

Astra snickered before popping a bubble. "You’re forgetting the power-granting fairy! I’ll keep your head straight. I got you!"

"Okay..." She shook herself out and rubbed her cheeks. "Confidence! Just be confident. I can do it!"

"That’s the spirit," Rachel said, pulling her into a hug that seemed to surprise the vamp girl. "I’m proud. You’re making huge strides."

"Really?"

"Really." Rachel flashed her teeth. "You good, friend?"

"Haha. I’m not the one walking into the obvious trap."

"Bah. I’ll figure something out. Let’s go. We got some people to save."

Selvaria’s thumping footsteps came from around the corner, perspiration slicking her face as she panted; she’d just dropped her mother off in Amelia’s room. Her sharp tail dragged along the ground, cutting a line through the tile wax.

"Haa-haa-haa...w-wha’d I miss? I need some water—I hate stairs..."

Rachel walked forward with the others, directing the leviathan around. "Well, you’ll have to go down a few more. We got you a fight with a giant bull. Excited?"

"More stairs? I’m meant to swim in the ocean, not do...this," she groaned in her amusedly monotone way as Rachel turned her to face the doorway beside the elevator. "Just throw me out of a window..."