Praetorian Rising, стр. 79
Theo snorted, backing up a step, his hand securely enveloping his dagger's hilt. "And I suppose you chose to miss all the action up top just to chat with us?"
Acher's face immediately contorted, his brow receding downward in a mass of furrowed wrinkles. "I will be rewarded for capturing you and finding the Ephidra Lily. Unlike you—both of you will be punished for your deceit and treason."
Theo let loose a mocking guffaw. "You're a moron."
Acher's eyes flashed as he whipped his arm downward, a long black cylinder sizzling with electricity in his hand. All four Chimera growled in response, seemingly controlled by Acher's weapon. "You need to watch your mouth, Praetorian. Always pranced through Romeo Village like you owned the place—but you don't. You're nothing but Praetorian scum, a broken and useless soldier. You both will get me what I want, and then—then—I'll let the beasts devour you for supper. Or you defy me, and I kill you now. Either way—you die."
He wasn't sure if it was Lieutenant's manic expression or the aggressive stare he was slinging in Camille's direction, but Theo decided then and there that he was going to murder Acher Greeves at the first opportunity and to hell with capturing him. The bastard could rot beneath the rubble of the compound for all he cared.
"Don't you get it, Acher?" Camille yelled at him. "There isn't any Ephidra Lily!"
The greenhouse was slowly filling with a toxic amount of smoke, and Theo would've taken off if he'd been confident Camille would follow and the beasts would leave them to their business. Looking over his shoulder at the open tunnel at the edge of the river bed, he was sure they could get to the opening in quick succession, but unlocking the gate halfway down the shaft would be a problem if they were being chased by four Chimera.
"What do you mean?" Acher barked, stepping out of the shadows of the tree line, his eyes blazing with panic.
"She means you're down here for no reason, idiot! There isn't any Ephidra Lily, and there never was!"
In a matter of seconds, Acher seemed to understand the ploy, and his expression morphed from irritation to full-blown rage.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, Acher jerked the black, cylindrical weapon so that it shot a spray of sparks upwards. The Chimera lurched into action, barreling past him toward Theo and Camille.
Neeko charged in front of them, his tiny cat paws digging into the ground as six-inch claws, sharp and menacing, emerged through his fur. His slim feline body exploded with cords of muscle, lengthening and growing before their eyes. Camille's jaw dropped in shock as the cat she’d known since arriving at Sierra Village transformed in seconds into a sleek, terrifying jaguar. The cat was well known for his quick change of form and knack for timing, and Theo guessed by the look on Camille's face that this was the first time she'd witnessed a Felius Metamorphi shift since her induced memory loss.
"Kill them," Acher said, his voice low and coolly detached.
The Chimera rocketed toward them, mouths opening with a roar.
In that frozen second before the imminent attack, Theo felt Camille's hand press into the small of his back, a gentle touch, a promise of trust and determination to stick by his side. He sighed in relief, an exhalation of pent up panic he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It was a small dose of his Camille reaching out to touch him, to make sure he knew she was beside him. Despite the loss of her memory, she was giving him crumbs of her former self—even if she didn't realize she was doing it.
Acher expected a blood bath, Theo was sure by the way the Lieutenant turned away from the fight to continue searching despite what they'd told him. It wouldn't go the way Acher expected. In seconds the Chimera beasts lay in a mass at their feet, the ground stained black with the remnants of their blood. It hadn't been brutal, but quick—several expertly sliced jugulars and it was done. Neeko growled at Acher, his shadowed form still and silent in the shade of the treetops.
"We don't have time, Acher! Enough of this. Admit defeat and come with us. Phillip will show you mercy if you come quietly," Theo barked over the growing chaos above their heads.
Acher ambled toward them, pulling out his gun as he moved. "I would never act against the High King. You can take your pardon, you piece of scum, and shove it up your—" Acher’s bellow was cut off by a thunderous explosion overhead.
Rocks and metallic debris rained down on them, pummeling the cobbled stones and vegetable patches in a deadly spray.
"Let's go!" Theo said, snatching Camille's hand and pulling her away from the mass of falling rock.
"We can't leave him!" Camille gasped, watching as Acher dove back into the trees to duck away from a huge, tumbling rock. "I swore to Vesyon we would collect him."
"We aren't going to retrieve Acher; I don't care what Vesyon told you. My job was to ensure your safety by keeping you away from the battle, and if that meant killing Acher or detaining him, fine. But right now, I need to get you to safety, and there is no way I am risking that just to bring that bastard along. Now, come on!"
Theo yanked her down the cobblestone path littered with broken branches and twisted metal toward the river bank. Neeko dashed forward, his form small once again, hopping from one flattened, exposed rock in the river to the next before reaching the narrow tunnel space and disappearing down into the darkness of the water runoff.
Another explosion overhead boomed into the cavity of the greenhouse, the echo momentarily deafening Theo as he pulled Camille through the thigh-deep water toward the tunnel head. Camille's hand jerked out of his, and he looked back, not