[The Tempest trilogy: Book 2] After the incident in Ostrava's Neoclash arena, Zoya faces dangerous challenges. Nightingale's uprising threatens to destroy the whole Europe, the racist Yeomen movement steps up their campaing against Castaways and Rya...
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The next evening, we carefully navigate through the forests of northern Norway. There used to be a roadway leading directly to the Serenity Tower, but since the building is already idle for so many years, the concrete road is barely visible under the growth of grass, twigs and tree roots.
To make the journey as efficient as possible, I've rented a minibus which can comfortably take the whole team plus my Themis, in case I needed it. The forest pathways are often narrow and hardly accessible, but our driver, Scarla, gets us through with relative ease.
I stiffen every time I hear a twig chafe against the minibus' bodywork. If we damage or, God forbid, destroy the bus, the rental company will charge us extra. They have no idea their cute bus is being used for an operation which can turn the tables of the war against Nightingale.
"So? How it's going?" we hear Ryan's voice coming from my pentop. For strategic reasons, he's now in a large, busy shopping mall in the center of Narvik. He and Katerina are much safer there than they would be in the girl's house - if Nightingale decided to take Ryan by force, she would have to face a squadron of armed, combat-ready Wardens who now guard every crowded place in Europe. The anti-terrorist countermeasures grew stronger after the attack on the election debate.
"It feels more like a shitty field trip than a heroic mission," Svetlana complains.
"Don't worry, darling, we're almost there," Scarla announces. Her navigation is probably telling her so - we, the passengers, see barely anything more than a thick layer of leaves behind the windows and the darkened tree trunks, barely visible in the last rays of sunshine.
"We're constantly watching the situation," Ryan replies; in the background, we hear a popular song played by the mall's broadcast. "If something happens, we'll immediately let you know."
"Good luck, everyone!" we hear Katerina's voice. "We believe in you!"
Sotiris' expression changes when he hears the voice of his partner on the phone. I wonder if they, when they live together now, developed something beyond Neoclash partnership and even beyond friendship. My bet is on the negative answer, though. It seems that Sotiris takes the girl as his sister, protecting her as fiercely as Katerina fought for Helena and her recovery.
"We have arrived to the spot," Scarla says after a while, talking to a microphone which is also connected to Ryan's pentop - we all have our devices set so we can quickly speak to our mission operative. For a second, I don't know what is she talking about. Then the leaves around us finally disappear and we find ourselves on a large clearing - clearing large enough to make a landing spot for the aircarrier.
The Counter-gravity engines stop and the bus smoothly lands on the stubble field. Scarla opens the bus' door. "Okay, kids, we're here," she grins. "Good luck and make sure to kick some asses."
When I get off, I start to shiver - out of nervosity, of course, but also because of piercing cold. My usual outside-arena fighting outfit - a pair of stretch leggings, a crop top and a black hoodie made of light, breathable fabric - is suddenly insufficient. At least I zip up the hoodie, but the chilly wind still pierces through.
