Chapter 21
We had the next week to mentally prepare for leaving, and who really knew what we’d find when we got back to the Stone? Well, I did, because the presence told me.
There were sentinels placed there, near the Hill of Tara, it said, and if we passed through the veils, they would know we were there, just like last time.
Which meant last time, Vergis and me hopping the veils from Aer was what had brought them down on us.
I told him when I told everyone. We were in the kitchen once more, although this time around, Lueris had managed to sneak in there as well by saying he was interested in seeing the coffee machine work.
He was quietly observing from where he stood next to Nokim at that end of the counter.
Vergis, who was sitting at the table between me and Charles, looked really, really pissed. “You’re saying I walked your civilian princess butt right into a trap.”
“You two couldn’t have known they were watching that place,” Inkiri said to him. “There was no reason to assume so.”
“Plus, in the end, everything was fine.” I looked away when Vergis glared at me.
I had a glass of iced tea in front of me.
Charles had made it, which meant house rules dictated it was Kinnek’s, but Kinnek had graciously given me permission to have some whenever I wanted.
I clinked the ice cubes against the glass with my straw.
Lissir rolled his arm. “My shoulder was better than before, even.”
Inkiri nodded and clicked. “Yes, Vergis. You cannot blame yourself. You managed to keep Rory and yourself safe from the attack before, the one by that lake.”
Charles looked up from his laptop. “Wait, what attack are they talking about?”
Vergis let out a breath. “It was nothing. You’re all a bunch of lovey-dovey hippies.” He turned to Nokim. “Thanks for the sweet potato pie, by the way.”
Nokim beamed. He’d been spending most of his time in the kitchen recently, or at least since Vergis couldn’t seem to step out of the house without attracting the attention of several of the protectors out there.
I was pretty sure Nokim was baking his longing for Vergis into everything he cooked up in here.
“Such a small thing. I will make you more.” Nokim opened one of the jars of candied walnuts he’d made earlier that day and put it on the table right next to Vergis.
Charles brought up a map of the area on his laptop. “Rory, can the land tell you where those sentinels are?”
In the trees to the north, but they move.
Charles turned the laptop my way.
“It said in the trees to the north, but also that they move. Guess that’s the only area that has any trees.” I pointed. Tara was mostly open fields and grass. We’d been sitting ducks.
Charles nodded and turned the laptop back around. “Does it know whether they’re changing guards regularly?”
I asked the land, but I got the impression of a blank stare.
They watch the place to see if you will be back or if others of your mate’s people might come to use the spot or claim it.
“Uhm, I don’t think the land thinks in terms of guard changes and that sort of thing.” I gave Charles an apologetic shrug.
Vergis leaned over his dad’s shoulder. “There’s a natural fusion point to the veil right there.
That’s about four klicks away from the Hill.
It’s one of the old fusion points, the ones that always existed and only take a dash of magic to move through.
If we use that instead of pushing the veils open directly to where we want to go, they won’t be able to tell. ”
Charles nodded. “That’s south. Should work. They might not be expecting anything to come from there. We’d sneak in through an open door instead of breaking one down. I like that.”
Vergis pursed his lips. “Dad, my magic isn’t like breaking down doors.”
“I know, kiddo, your magic is the best.” Charles absentmindedly patted Vergis’s head. Vergis glared at me when I giggled, but if he thought he could scare me to the point where I’d pee myself, well, that ship had sailed by now.
“Rory and Vergis should stay close to one another while the rest of us guard them,” Inkiri said, and I wasn’t going to argue. I didn’t really like the thought of being out there and possibly facing a repeat of that first ambush.
“That won’t work,” Charles and Vergis said together.
Inkiri’s nostrils flared. “There might be Koa Esher there.” He put a warm hand on my knee and stroked gently. It felt like he was soothing himself more than me.
I did a quick check with the presence about whether there really were cola asshats there.
“The land says they do come to the Hill sometimes, but they aren’t there all the time. When they come, it’s as a group, and some of them are always gifted with the same strange magic the cola ash dude in the bunker has—the land’s words, not mine.”
Inkiri squeezed my knee. “You will check right when we get there if Koa Esher are near.” I nodded, and he looked over at Charles and Vergis. “Until then—”
Charles shook his head. “No, you don’t get it. Vergis is too good a shot to have him in the middle of a bunch of Raikengana who think getting in front of him is helping. He and I are going ahead to cover you guys.”
Inkiri opened his mouth to protest, and Nokim made a desperate little noise.
Vergis propped one arm up on the back of his chair, all swagger.
“It’ll be fine. Kinnek has the proper training to stick with you all and provide magical cover if we need it.
” Vergis reached for the candied walnuts and popped some in his mouth.
“Stop looking at me like that, Inkiri. You’re not the boss of me.
You know I’ve been in Koa Esher territory before, and I’ve dealt them plenty of losses.
” He grinned. “Plus, that death vision your twinky mate got me should help me with my aim.”
“Not a twink, but I’m pretty sure the land will let me help. Or at least the land will help by itself.” I reached for Inkiri’s wrist and massaged the inside of it with my thumb, which got him to make those low, seductive clicks at me. “It’ll be fine.”
My acting skills really weren’t good enough to make me sound credible even to myself, but I hoped everything really would be fine. It had to be.
Inkiri frowned, his eyes fixed on Vergis. “The Koa Esher have guns now.”
Vergis just shrugged.
Charles cleared his throat, then spoke. “That may be so, but they don’t know how to use them.” Charles crossed his arms. “How about this: Vergis promises he’ll let you know if we need help.”
Vergis rolled his eyes and reached for more of the nuts.
Inkiri didn’t move for a few seconds, but then he nodded. “Yes. That can work. Vergis, you’re sentenmen. Remember that. Tell us when you need us.”
Vergis opened his mouth, and if I knew him even a little, he was going to say something dismissive. Charles turned to him though, and I saw him kick his son under the table.
With only a very mild glower, Vergis said, “Yeah, fine, I get it. Goddamn.”
The war council went on, but to me it seemed as if we had the basic plan laid out, even if Charles and the guys wanted to go over it a couple of times, ironing out details about exactly where everyone would be.
When Charles went to print out a map of the area just to mark out which way we’d all move, my mind started to wander.
I hoped this would work, that there would be no more evil monsters coming to Earth.
It had to work.