Chapter 39: The Meat GrinderThe helicopter descended into the bowels of the earth.We weren't landing on a rooftop. We were landing inside a hollowed-out quarry deep in the Ural Mountains. The air smelled of diesel fumes, old blood, and the freezing metallic tang of snow.The Scarred Woman, who introduced herself only as Madame Kova, sat opposite me. She smoked a thin black cigarette, watching Kaelen with the eye of a collector.Kaelen was chained to the floor of the cargo bay. He was sedated, but the drugs were burning off fast. His muscles twitched under the heavy fur coat they had thrown over him. His gray skin was slick with sweat, and the black veins pulsed like warning lights."He is a masterpiece," Kova said, exhaling smoke. "The Old Man really outdid himself. A wolf without a conscience.""He has a conscience," I said, clutching the collar of my own coat. "It's just buried.""Buried things rot," Kova said.The chopper touched down.The doors slid open.The noise hit us instan
อ่านเพิ่มเติม