Chapter 31
Willow’s aunt and uncle.
More unvetted strangers.
The soldier in me is unhappy, but my gryphon seems…unbothered?
Strange.
“Alexis, can you go through the details for next weekend?”
Theo looks at me with trust and belief in my abilities. I pray that I can live up to that because, Gods help us, I’ve less than seven days to change this crew into an organized task force.
I step into the center of the circle, letting the analytical mind of my Gryphon take equal control of my thoughts.
Before me are seven potential assets for the operation. I cannot look at them as friends or lovers.
They are assets.
Or liabilities if I do not plan correctly.
“I’ve narrowed down the locale of the facility to two possible places.
Both are in the Windward National Forest.” I tap on the chalk map.
“We need to get there, find the facility, observe the security, then retreat and plan strategy based on what we find.” I look at Drakeward.
“The spell you told me about, Occulta Apparentia, will be essential if dark energy has been used to conceal the place.”
I look at Max and Dono. “Both of you also need to practice what you learned from Gimble. It’s going to take more than brute strength to make us successful.”
Duncan raises a hand. “Um, not that I’m not willing, but am I coming with?”
“No. I was hoping you would stay here and keep us apprised of anything new happening around the building site and within the school,” I tell him, noting the look of relief on his face.
“It’s unfortunate you won’t be able to get into the Elite sickbay to check on Wes, but this may be where Naomi Watson comes into play. What do you think, pulu?”
Theo nods immediately. “Good idea.”
“I’d like you to come, Willow. But you’ll stay back from the action and wait to help us with the children if we’re successful.”
“Absolutely, do you want me to sound out my aunt?”
“No. It’s not safe. We may have to just go there unannounced.
So, Friday morning we leave, while the rest of the students empty out of the academy and head home.
Once we reach Windward Forest, we’ll set up a base.
There are several empty hunting cabins in the area which are currently for sale.
I’ve marked one which will be our base.”
I see Theo open her mouth to speak, and indicate for her to go forward. “I’m hoping you guys will be able to shift. That will give us a huge advantage.”
“Agreed, but we can’t count on it.”
“We’ll drive up in three teams. Willow and Max in the box-van, Drakeward and Donovan will be in the Range Rover, with Ludo hidden. Theo and I in a third vehicle. Though what that will be, I’m not sure yet.”
“I’ll just buy another SUV,” Cosmo drawls, bringing out his cell. “Make? Model?”
Rich prick. “Anything fast and reliable.” I look around the room at the young, concerned faces staring back at me.
“Now, as for weapons, we have magic, we have our beasts…”
“...if we can shift,” Drakeward grumbles.
“Me, Dono and Lu have all shifted in this realm,” Max points out.
“As have I,” I add, taking the moment to enjoy us all being superior to Cosmo Drakeward. “I have access to two guns. Anyone else?”
Cosmo nods. “Yeah, I can get weapons before then. How many?”
“Get what you can. Nothing will go to waste. Now, as for Ludo, we’ll use the repulsion spell Gimble taught. Ludo will ride in the trunk of the Rover, and the guards will not want to open it or inspect it in any way.”
“But going through the wards will set off an alert,” Duncan says. “There’s no way around that.”
“There is.” I nod my head towards Theo. “Our girl can take down the wards for a few minutes as the first car passes through.” Duncan’s mouth drops open and he mouths the word ‘wow’.
“So that is the outline of our plan. We’ll meet again the night before we leave.
During that time, get prepared. There are far too many unknowns on this mission, so things are far more likely to go wrong than right, but one thing is imperative.
You obey my orders completely. Out there, my word is the law. If you can't handle that, stay behind."
The room goes silent, until Theo speaks. “You’re the only one of us with any kind of tactical experience. Of course we will follow your lead. There’s no question.”
I scan the expressions of the rest but don’t see any disagreement.
“OK, we have six days to drill the Occulta Apparentia until you can cast it in your sleep, and Theo, I want you to try to spread your Lumina into the rest of us as much as possible. But make sure you don’t run down your own supply, alright? ”
“Absolutely.”
“Good, now we need to split. Get out of here and make yourselves seen around campus. We can’t have attention drawn by going missing too frequently.”
As everyone pushes back their chairs to stand, I move towards Theo. “Do you want me to get you into the sickbay on the way back.”
Her face goes through an array of emotions, then settles on relief. “Yes, yes please.”
???
I lead her through the service corridor. Theo is buzzing. I can feel it coming off her in waves—a vibrant frequency that’s different from her usual glow. It’s denser, more grounded.
I knew immediately that she and Ludo had been intimate, and that’s a good thing. Ludo’s earth has anchored her light, and the result is a raw power that almost makes my own skin prickle.
I tell the healer on duty to take a break. “It’s my responsibility to check on him.”
He eagerly agrees—it has to be mind-numbingly dull to sit all day in a room with a comatose patient—I then slip Theo into the single ward.
She goes straight to Wes, her hands find his, and the air in the room suddenly tastes like a coming thunderstorm.
“I’m here,” she whispers.
Usually, when she tries to connect, it’s like watching someone throw pebbles at a fortified wall. But today is different.
Theo’s eyes roll back, her grip on his hands tightening until her knuckles are white.
I don’t know what’s happening, but I trust in her power. I trust in her.
Suddenly, I’m pulled into her mind. She links me into her connection with Wes as she plunges through the dark. It’s cold.
—Wes— Her mental voice is muffled, like she’s speaking from the bottom of a deep well.
—Wes, I’m here. Where are you?—
Pain and worry radiate around the gloom. I’m a spectator to her search.
—Please, Wes—
Lumina glows, lighting the liminal space, bringing warmth.
And then.
—Theo?—
—Wes, yes! Come find me— Theo’s mind is screaming, pouring every ounce of her energy toward him.—Reach for me…I can pull you out. I’m strong enough—
For a heartbeat, I see him. Not the pale, tethered boy on the bed, but a different man altogether. Vibrant—but terrified.
—No, I have to stay hidden. It’s the only way…if I wake up…I have to stay, Theo…I have to stay in the deep—
Wes’s image flickers like a dying candle flame.
—Wes, no! Don't go back—
The connection snaps.
Theo collapses against the side of the bed, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. “Wes!" she cries out, her voice raw.
I catch her before she hits the floor. “He was there, right there," she sobs.
“I know," I mutter, checking the door. We have to move. “I saw him too."
“Why is he hiding?” she asks me.
I don’t have an answer, but I’ll find one.
That’s my job. To find all the answers.
???
Time passes too quickly.
But within the past five days, I’ve ordered supplies to last us the weekend, drawn up tactical maps using every scrap of information Duncan could glean from the internet, and given Donovan and Ludo lessons on using a gun.
On Thursday evening, I once again stand in front of the old chalkboard in our basement meeting room.
“We’ll have to leave the vehicles nearly a mile from the cabin, so from there we will be hiking.
The forecast is for freezing with several inches of snow already on the ground.
Has everyone got their cold-weather gear—in muted colors? ” I add for Theo’s benefit.
She rolls her eyes at me.
“Tomorrow we will drive to the forest, then get settled. Once it’s dark, Ludo, Cosmo, Donovan, Max and I will shift and scout.
Saturday during the day, we’ll plan. Then hit the facility and hope for extraction on Saturday night.
It’s a five hour drive from Windward to Opal and Gareth’s farm. You’re sure they will be home, Willow?”
“Yep.”
“Good. But this next thing is crucial, if at any point I decide we fall back and our goal is unattainable, you follow orders, no heroics.” I look firmly at my cousin. “We won’t give up, but becoming a dead martyr helps no one.”
I lean forward, resting my hands on the work table. “The chances of this operation being successful are eleven in one hundred, so not great. But when calculating the odds, it was impossible to account for a couple of things.”
I take my time to look at each one. “The determination in our hearts and the will of the Gods.”
Drakeward scoffs, but I continue. “And most crucially,” I turn to look at Theo, “the power of a divine Goddess. If anything will even the playing field, it’s you, pulu.”
???
ALEXIS
Friday morning and our plan is in action.
Leaving Validus Vale goes as smoothly as I could have hoped, and we are soon convoying north. We take back roads, and most of the routes are eerily deserted.
Are the people of Havengard lying low because of all the unrest?
It wouldn’t surprise me.
Theo slides her hand into mine.
“You OK?” I ask.
“Yeah, just…anxious.”
“That’s natural, pulu, I’d be surprised, and a little worried, if you were not.” I squeeze her hand. “But as my grandmother always said, shiver like a hare, but kick like a mule.”
I glance over to see her smile. “Do you just make up random proverbs, or did you really have a grandmother who said that?”
“I did. And she had a phrase for every possible situation.”
“So what would be her saying about you loving a girl, but sharing her with three other guys?”
A choke of surprised laughter leaves my throat. This is the first time we’ve come right out with the fact my pulu is fucking several men.
“She’d probably say that if you’re going to build a fire big enough to warm a whole village, you’d better be prepared for a few sparks to fly,” I grin, keeping my eyes fixed on the road ahead.
Now it’s Theo’s turn to laugh.
When she quietens, I feel her thumb trace the back of my hand. “Are you worried about the sparks flying?”
“Not in the slightest.” I glance at her, my eyes softening when I see her nervously bite her lip. “I’m just happy to be invited towards your flames. I love you. And if loving you means inviting a hellhound, a centaur, and a minotaur to stand beside me, keeping you safe, then I am honored to do so.”
“I love you so much, Lex. Sometimes I feel I don't deserve any of you," she whispers.
The GPS beeps.
“OK, going off road in half a mile.” I check the rearview mirror.
Behind us, the rental truck stays at a steady hundred-yard distance.
Theo closes her eyes.
—Guys? We’re coming up on the turn off—
—Copy that, Sparkles—
—Thank Gods— Drakeward’s tone is irritated. —Dono is currently trying to see how many gummy bears he can fit in his mouth—
—Spoiler alert, Tee-Tee. It’s the whole packet—
Theo giggles, and I take a sharp turn to the right.
The asphalt disappears, replaced by a rutted muddy track that snakes into the shadows. Before us is an old-growth forest of pines so dense the sunlight barely touches the needles on the ground.
“This is it, pulu. Stay sharp. And if you see anything untoward, shout.”