Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Send out the drones to find them,” EDJ ordered one of the techs as he stood up from his desk in the main control room. “Once they’re found, send the guards to keep them contained. Send everything we have, but do not engage unless necessary. Those two don’t leave the castle.” The tech looked back at him with a nervous expression, but typed commands into the control panel and started flipping various switches as they radioed the orders. EDJ headed toward the control room exit with Shard not far behind him. Before EDJ reached the door, Eoin stepped up. 

“Sir, a word,” the assistant said urgently. 

“Not now,” EDJ answered. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” 

“This is important,” Eoin said in a hushed tone, holding a half-open laptop and rapidly glancing between EDJ and the screen. 

EDJ frowned. “Did you find them?” 

“Well, yes. But-”

“Show me,” EDJ commanded. He leaned over as Eoin tilted the screen. DJ and Lui were running through a hall, directly toward one of the arena rooms. “Excellent.” 

EDJ turned to Shard and smiled politely. He gestured to the door. “If you take the next door on the right and follow the shortcut, it will lead you to the back entrance of arena two, cutting off their escape. I’ll catch up at the front of the room. That way they’ll be surrounded.” Shard nodded, but EDJ spoke up again before she took off. “Do you have the strength to do this?” EDJ asked. 

Shard paused and turned back to him with a glare. “You doubt me?” she questioned. 

“No,” EDJ answered. “But I want to make sure you’re ready after what you’ve already been through. They’re probably expecting a trap of my doing, but I highly doubt they’re expecting to see you.” EDJ narrowed his eyes. “Can I trust that your good side won’t take over again upon seeing your friends? I completely understand if you aren’t up to it,” he continued. “There is a safe viewing room above the arena. You can sit this fight out.” 

“No.” Shard shook her head. “My good side won’t be a problem. She is too weak. They don’t realize it, but her friendship with them is what helps keep me imprisoned.” Shard’s sinister smile crept up. “They will regret it. I will hunt them down and I will destroy them.” 

EDJ frowned. “If you start a fight with them before I get there, get that annoying Lui. I have a score to settle with DJ. I want to finish him off myself. Do we have an agreement?” 

Shard’s smile dimmed. “Fine, though that pest poses no challenge to me. It’ll be too easy.” 

“Overconfidence will be your undoing, young apprentice,” EDJ commented. “Go on ahead and remember, leave DJ to me.” 

“If you insist, master,” Shard answered with distaste and gave a begrudging half-curtsy before disappearing through the door. 

EDJ turned to Eoin. “You’re still here?” EDJ asked, though his tone made it sound more like a statement. Eoin nodded, turning the laptop screen around again. EDJ rolled his eyes. “Please tell me this isn’t something that could have been an email.”

Eoin frowned. “Sir, you are cutting it too close.” He pulled up statistics on the laptop. “The head of security told me-”

“Casey?” EDJ interrupted. 

“Yes,” Eoin continued. “The head of security informed me we don’t have the resources to secure the castle and heroes if an incident were to occur.” 

“What are you talking about? Of course we do,” EDJ countered. “What’s another twenty guards or so?”

“We are understaffed,” Eoin answered, standing his ground. “We don’t have the manpower. That’s three heroes to our-”

“Don’t get bent out of shape over nothing,” EDJ persisted. “Shard’s on our side now. I turned the hero I was aiming for. My victory is all but certain.” 

Eoin brought up a bar graph. “The accountant-”

“David?” EDJ clarified. 

“Yes,” Eoin confirmed in agitation. “The amount the organization agreed to isn’t enough to cover the expenses on this one. If we stop now and cut our losses, we will barely break even.” 

EDJ’s polite smile returned as he reached over and closed the laptop lid. “You must have missed the fine print,” he started in a pleasant, if not patronizing, tone. “That amount was only if we eliminate the target. It’s double if we turn her, which… I did. Easy to overlook, I know.” 

Eoin’s shoulders fell and he looked perplexed. “Oh, I... I didn’t…” 

“As soon as I deal with my Others,” EDJ continued. “I’ll get the full payment from the committee and we’ll order more resources from the temp agency. Everything will resolve itself in two days tops and there won’t be any incidents. Am I clear?”

Doubt crossed Eoin’s face. “I could have sworn I checked…” 

EDJ straightened and narrowed his eyes. “At the end of this project, consider your contract fulfilled and your employment here officially terminated.” 

“What?!” Eoin asked, looking up in shock. 

EDJ tapped the closed laptop. “You were a better resource manager and assistant than Cody was, I’ll give you that,” EDJ said. “But you ask too many questions. I don’t need to remind you who is in charge here, do I?” Eoin shook his head, remaining silent. EDJ nodded as he brushed past the assistant, speaking lightheartedly. “Hey, be grateful you get to walk away from this job with your life still intact!” EDJ left the assistant in the hall as he headed toward the arena DJ and Lui were hopefully still being contained in. That was close, EDJ thought. Need to check the employee records again. Make sure there aren't any loose ends… Too many loose ends. Being an overlord was supposed to be easy… I need a vacation... EDJ made his way to the viewing room above the arena first, pausing briefly to observe the situation. EDJ frowned slightly at the number of fallen guards scattered across the room.