Chapter 12
Marcus
I’m getting edgy. We’ve been in this place for over an hour, and everything I’ve heard is making me increasingly uncomfortable.
This is war.
I stand to one side of the crowded strategy room, taking in all that’s been said.
“Evelyn Blackwood is being held here.” Isabella points to a spot on a map that is floating on one of the glass screens that dominates one wall.
I narrow my eyes.
“You’re kidding,” someone says.
“That’s The Meridian,” someone else says.
“He has her in The Meridian Art Gallery?” Seraphina moves closer. “But…that’s right here. In town.”
An art gallery. Those strange, twisted metal structures. It starts to make sense.
“Hidden in plain sight.” Isabella shrugs her shoulders. “It’s one of his secret holdings, known only to a select few. There’s an entire network of secure rooms in there. Supposedly to house priceless art.”
“And you’re sure she’s there?” Darick looks over at the tall female. “How do you know?”
“I…” She licks her lips, nervous. “I was there when he took her in.”
Lake’s jaw tightens at her admission. I’m pretty sure he’s cracking molars. “How long?” he asks. “How long do we have?”
“A few hours,” Isabella says, her aristocratic features pinched with concern. “If Lucien discovers I’ve defected, he’s going to know that his intel has been compromised. He’ll move her immediately. We have to assume the worst.”
I watch Kara from across the room. Her thoughts are a jumble of fear and determination that bleeds into my mind.
“Gran. We have to get to Gran.”
“The Meridian has extensive security,” Darick says, studying the blueprints Isabella brought.
Soren rubs his jaw as he peers at the screen. “And if Marlowe’s set up camp there, we’ll be dealing with both technological and magical barriers. Getting in won’t be easy.”
“I can help with that.” Isabella taps the screen, zooming in on the building’s layout. “I know the security protocols, and I can provide access codes. But they change every six hours.”
Thaddeus moves closer to the display. “What about magical wards?”
“Lucien has several dark witches under his control,” Isabella says. “The building is heavily warded. But…” She glances at Mia. “With black magic, those wards could be broken.”
“Absolutely not,” Soren interjects. “We can’t exploit Mia’s power. The risk is too great.”
Mia doesn’t respond, simply pinching her lips together and looking down at the floor. I know it must be killing her to feel like she can’t help. But Soren is right. Unleashing her power when she can’t control it could be even more dangerous than facing Lucien.
“I can do it.” It’s Kara. Of course it is. I feel her surge of determination.
“No,” I say sharply, drawing looks from around the room. I clear my throat. “We need multiple witches. Breaking those wards will take more power than one person can safely channel.”
“Marcus is right,” Lake says. “We’ll need at least three powerful practitioners to breach those defenses.”
Kara’s frustration ripples through our connection.
“Stop trying to protect me.” Her voice is clear in my mind.
I glare at her. “Stop being reckless.”
“Time is critical,” Isabella continues. “Lucien typically visits The Meridian around dawn. Before then is our best window, when he’s away from the building…before he discovers my betrayal.”
“That gives us very little time to plan and execute,” Darick says. “We’ll need to move fast.”
I push away from the wall I’ve been leaning against. “We need teams. One for magical defense, one for physical security, and one for extraction.”
Lake nods. “Agreed. Let’s break this down and assign roles.”
I watch as the High Priestess waves Astra over. The leader of the Hidden Oasis steps forward, her dark hair gleaming in the low light.
“Your coven’s expertise in illusions could be invaluable,” Seraphina says. “We’ll need to mask our approach.”
“The Oasis stands ready,” Astra replies, her violet eyes scanning the blueprints. “We can create a veil of shadows to conceal the strike team.”
“That won’t be enough,” Kara cuts in, stepping forward. “We need to do more than just sneak in. I say we hit them hard and fast – overwhelm their defenses before they can react.”
Oh, for God’s sake. The woman has a death wish.
If she can hear me, she ignores me completely.
“If we combine offensive spells with the illusions,” she continues, “we could create mayhem. Make them think they’re under attack from all sides.”
“Too risky,” Lake says, but Mia’s already nodding.
“She’s right. And I could—”
“No,” Soren growls.
“Just hear me out,” Mia insists. “My power could amplify the illusions, make them solid enough to actually fight.”
“Or solid enough to kill us all,” Rowan points out. “But what if we did something similar with traditional magic? Multiple covens working together?”
“That’s still incredibly dangerous,” Marina says. “The magical feedback alone could—”
“Everything about this is dangerous,” Kara snaps. “But Gran’s in there. We can’t just tiptoe around, hoping not to make too much noise.”
I feel her frustration building, bleeding into anger. The crystal glasses on the nearby table start to vibrate.
“What about using the building’s own security against them?” she demands. “If Isabella can get us access to their systems, we could trigger all the alarms at once. Total insanity.”
I watch the sisters arguing, their voices rising. Mia’s fingers spark with dark energy while Kara gestures emphatically at the blueprints.
The tension in the room climbs up another notch as the sisters bicker. I can feel Kara’s magic building, her emotions spilling into mine.
“Enough.” Thaddeus’s voice cuts through the argument. He steps forward, his dark eyes grave. “An outright assault would put Evelyn at direct risk. Lucien would not hesitate to use her as a shield – or worse.”
The words hit home. I feel Kara’s surge of fear, quickly masked by determination. But her shoulders drop slightly, some of that reckless energy dissipating.
Mia’s fingers stop sparking, though darkness still swirls in her eyes. “Then what do you suggest? We can’t just—”
“I’m not saying we do nothing,” Thaddeus interrupts. “But we need precision, not disorder. We have to think about this.”
“Fine.” Kara’s jaw clenches. I can hear her thoughts racing, already formulating new plans. None of them particularly safe. “What if we use targeted strikes instead? Hit their weak points with focused power?”
Rowan nods enthusiastically. “We could disable their systems in sequence rather than all at once. Give them multiple small problems to deal with instead of one big explosion.”
“Better,” Morgan joins in. “But you’re going to need more control. More finesse.”
I watch as the sisters exchange looks, their shared concern for their grandmother warring with the logic of his words. They’re still planning something dangerous – I can feel it humming through my connection with Kara – but at least they’re thinking it through now.
“This is going to be a bloodbath,” Soren mutters, appearing at my side. His shoulders are tense as he watches Mia. “She’s not stable enough for this kind of operation.”
“None of them are thinking clearly,” Darick adds, joining us. “They’re too emotionally invested. Look at them – they’re ready to storm the building without a real plan.”
I nod, tracking Kara’s movements as she paces near the map display. Her thoughts are a mad stream of determination and fear that keeps filtering into my mind.
“They don’t understand what they’re up against. Lucien’s had centuries to perfect his defenses,” I murmur, my eyes latching onto the way the light catches her hair.
“And his cruelty,” Soren says darkly. “After what I saw during my time in his blood facility…” He shakes his head. “The sisters don’t realize what kind of monster they’re dealing with.”
“They’re not soldiers,” Darick agrees. “They’ve never faced anything like this.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat nearby catches our attention. Lake approaches our small group, his expression grim.
“Gentlemen, a word?” He gestures toward the hallway outside. “In private.”
What now?
I exchange glances with Darick and Soren. Whatever Lake has to say, I doubt it’s good news.