Black and Brown: Raven Assassins (Ravens #1)

Chapter Eighty-four

Mirage

Mirage and Grace walked through the familiar gates of Whispering Pines Park.

They walked single file on the narrow path, past the bench and small lake half-covered with large lily pads.

Zelmir was several yards in front of them, walking at a brisk pace as he led them farther into the towering pine and birch trees.

He now wore an olive-green hoodie that swallowed his taut frame and brown khakis.

After a few more minutes of follow the leader, a wide clearing opened, and Zelmir disappeared behind the thick base of a centuries-old oak tree. It was the last they saw of him.

Unless this was fucking Narnia, Zelmir was hiding there, probably with someone at his side protecting him.

The open space was littered with half-inch-deep pine needles and maple leaves.

He and Grace sped up until four sleek projectiles sliced through the air before plunging into the ground less than a foot in front of them.

Shock waves from the arrows entering the ground sent surges of energy up Mirage’s calves.

Grace didn’t take another step.

Mirage flicked four blades from within his sleeves at the same time Grace drew his Berettas. It was enough firepower to tear away large pieces of tree trunks.

The thirty-inch-long arrows were a clear warning for them to stop.

“That’s far enough.”

The voice coming from the depths of the trees was deep, each syllable echoing with a unique timbre. It sounded like the words weaved in and out of the rustling leaves before reaching them.

Mirage had better than perfect vision, and so did Grace, but if the Greens were in the dense trees, the many hidden corners provided the ideal cloak.

“Do you got ’em?” Mirage asked against the back of Grace’s neck.

Grace gave a curt hum.

Fuck . “Me either.”

Mirage didn’t like this. They were fucking sitting ducks.

“Stay close to me,” Grace ordered.

“Always.”

Mirage’s senses were heightened now that they were at a disadvantage.

Grace had no visible target to shoot at, and if Mirage threw his knives, they’d uselessly embed into thick bark.

The lines between predator and prey had blurred, and Mirage no longer knew which they were.

There was movement to the right and left of them. Using only his hearing, Mirage prepared to throw the deadliest knife in his arsenal, one that would explode on impact.

“You will never hit us. That weapon will only do unnecessary damage to a living tree. The entire forest is our shield, Brown Ravens, and its elements bend to our will.”

Grace released a low growl.

“Sheath your weapons.”

The haunting reverberation of the hidden assassin’s words echoed around them. Mirage couldn’t decipher if one or two voices spoke simultaneously.

“If we wanted you dead, Browns…we would’ve killed you while you were enjoying your prime rib.”

Motherfucker.

Grace holstered his Beretta, and Mirage followed suit.

Grace reached behind his back, gripped Mirage around his waist, and pulled him tighter against him.

Mirage stared into the trees, the broad, leafy branches intertwined to form an impenetrable ceiling that blocked the moonlight, plunging them into near-complete darkness.

Grace turned his head, keeping his body in place as a shield, his low hood brushing across Mirage’s forehead.

He could see frustration and anger etched over Grace’s face, his mouth in a tight line, his temple throbbing to the cadence of his question.

“Why did you send for us?” Mirage asked.

Again, there was muffled movement around them, but the whistling of the wind and the fluttering of leaves made it impossible to track the Greens’ movements.

Mirage didn’t know what shade of green these assassins wore, but if it was forest or pine green, they’d remain an unseen presence and one with their environment. The forest had become their ally and the imposing trees their sentinels.

“We sent for you because unity is inevitable for victory.”

The Greens were more than mere assassins. They were phantoms of the forest as their words came at him and Grace from all directions.

Mirage was both unnerved and captivated but not afraid. One thing was true: if the Greens wanted to kill them, they could’ve a long time ago.

“We are not made to work together or as teams,” Mirage responded.

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be training with Ex and Meridian.”

Grace bristled so hard that Mirage felt it in his own chest.

“Stay calm,” Mirage whispered against Grace’s cheek.

“Unity requires trust,” Mirage called out.

“Agreed.”

That two-syllable single word seemed to vibrate from the very core of the earth.

“Our first display of trust was showing you that Zelmir Benton is alive and well. He is with us of his own volition and has accepted our protection while this war rages between our country and the other superpowers of the world.”