Chapter 98: Blood Lightning
In the shadowed chamber of the underground general meeting, whispers buzzed like a swarm of insects.
The revelation that the Solaris Empire would not let Jin remain in Darkan sparked a cascade of schemes. For the underground leaders, this was a golden opportunity: wait for Jin to be pried from the Darkans’ grasp and then strike.
Ralph, seated among the Mistars, felt a chill of unease. Naturally, he was an exception to all of this. The thought of his brother Baines being taken by the empire or anyone else gnawed at him. ’What to do?’ His frown deepened, his mind racing for a way to shield Baines from clawing hands.
"What’s wrong?" Mirta, the Mistar leader, asked, noting his troubled expression.
"Uh, nothing," Ralph replied, shaking his head to refocus on the meeting. Mirta’s eyes narrowed briefly before returning to the platform.
Marron, the leader of the Maroon Marauders, continued, "Jin will leave, but that won’t stop the Darkans from being dragons," he declared. "I propose a solution."
"What is it?" voices demanded in unison, eagerness palpable.
"We band together," Marron said, his words slicing through the air.
The room froze, eyes locking on him. The idea was audacious, insane, even.
The underground had never united, their conflicting interests a constant source of strife.
Marron nodded as if he could read their thoughts, and with a gesture, figures emerged from the shadows, each radiating lethal intent. Just as they were underground organizations, some individuals preferred to work alone. And from the looks of it, Maroon had only gathered the best.