Chapter 95
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE
Ellery
Rising from my pile of blankets, I strode across the cavern to Indon and his friends. I slipped my hand into my pocket to stroke Ryker’s ring as I sought strength for what we were about to unleash.
I should probably leave the ring behind. I didn’t want to lose it, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with it. I’d give it back to him as soon as I found him.
I refused to let myself think about the possibility it might not happen. If everything went well tonight, then we had a chance of rescuing him, but if one thing went wrong…
Well, then we’d all be fucked.
When Ianto came to stand beside me, he rested his hand on my shoulder. “Are you ready for this?”
“I am. Are they?” I nodded to the amsirah who remained standing where Ianto had left them.
“They are.”
I studied the nervous men and women before shrugging out from beneath Ianto and striding over to stand before them. The last thing I felt like being was a leader right now, but I sensed they required some encouragement.
“We can do this,” I told them. “Not only do we have my powers, but we now also have the guardians of Tempest, the gargoyles, fighting on our side. If all goes well tonight, we’ll deliver a devastating blow to the duke.
I know we can do it. We’ve survived where so many others have fallen; nothing is going to keep us from winning this. ”
Oh, how I wished that were true. However, my doubts must not have shown, as some smiled, others nodded, and more than a few straightened their shoulders as they prepared to go to war.
“I know we can do this,” I said again.
“Yes, we can!” a woman declared, and others murmured their agreement.
“Tonight, they’ll learn they fucked with the wrong amsirah and how badly they underestimated us.”
A ripple of excitement ran through more than those gathered before me. They all looked prepared for battle as bloodlust replaced their apprehension.
An uneasy feeling twisted in my stomach over what we were about to unleash, but I quickly buried it. They’d pushed us to this, and tonight, they’d reap what they’d sown.
Taking a deep breath, I fortified myself for what was to come as I returned to Ianto, and together we strode over to where Indon stood with Kevi and Avex.
It was going to be a brutal night, with too much bloodshed and possibly some losses, but they’d never see us coming, and they certainly weren’t prepared for it.
My exhaustion faded as adrenaline coursed through my veins. Now that the time had arrived, I was impatient to get it over with.
“Will they be okay to carry this out?” Indon asked quietly.
“They’re eager to carry it out,” Ianto replied.
“They’ll be able to do it,” I assured him.
“We’ll all go at once,” Indon said as Luna, Scarlet, Mr. Fletcher, and Ruby joined us.
We’d already established this last night, but he probably wanted to make sure we were still on the same page.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
Before Ivan died, there were seventy-three aristocratic families who could still leave the realm. With Ivan’s line dead—except for Bria—there were only seventy-two now.
Including all their offspring, one hundred and two nobles supported the duke. Thankfully, all their children were grown adults who were more than happy to follow in the footsteps of their parents and were far from innocent.
Those families were the tail of the snake, and they helped to feed the duke’s power. One of them would try to take control of Tempest when the duke fell.
Every one of them craved the power of the throne too. They didn’t possess the duke’s money and ruthless determination, but they would become threats once he was gone.
We couldn’t let that happen. The duke was the main target, but without his cohorts, he’d be a lot weaker.
Afraid of what would happen to him, Ivan raided the aristocrats’ armies to make his larger. He’d brought them to the palace when he imprisoned all the women in the realm.
After Ivan’s death, the duke hadn’t relinquished those armies because his fear of me and, especially, Ryker fueled his decisions. The duke would vehemently deny it, but the only thing he truly feared in this realm was his son.
Which meant many nobles were more vulnerable now than they were just months ago. Not all of them would be at their castles, as some might be at the palace with the duke, but many of them would be home, convinced they were safely ensconced behind their stone walls while Ryker rotted in prison.
We couldn’t do anything about those who weren’t home, and unfortunately, we had no way of knowing who they would be. However, we could do something about the ones who were home.
There were seventy-two families and one hundred and fifteen gargoyles. If we divided the number of families in two, we could send at least three gargoyles to every residence along with three amsirah. Some groups would have four gargoyles and amsirah, but not many.
They didn’t need us to help kill, but there would be times when they couldn’t enter the castles, and it would have to fall to an amsirah. They also required us to confirm the family members.
Because of that, the amsirah going with the gargoyles could recognize each member of the noble’s family. I was more concerned about missing a family member than I was about collateral damage.
I inwardly shuddered at the cold resolution and the callousness creeping through my soul. In that moment, I felt no different than the duke, and maybe I was becoming more of a monster… just like him, but at least I could still love, and that man clearly couldn’t.
I felt like I was trying to justify my increasing heartlessness, but I could cling to the fact that at least that much was true. I did still love, and I loved deeply.
Maybe I was turning into a monster, but I was only becoming what Ivan, the duke, and the aristocrats had made me. They’d soon be staring into the face of the fate they’d unleashed on themselves.
I had to release that fate with a ruthlessness they’d never see coming. As I fiddled with Ryker’s ring, my resolve grew. I’d kill anyone who stood in my way of getting him back.