Zephyr appeared at my side, quickly getting to work converting the snow behind me into a stockpile of projectiles.
“I think Thalia’s changing the game this year,” I said, eyes narrowing as I caught sight of Sasha leaving Zach and Liam in favor of Cas and Thalia. The trio changed positions, chucking snowballs at Barrett and those at his side as they ran toward another female. Zephyr’s brows rose, and he turned, pale green eyes following my line of sight as we watched their movements. They were gathering the other females, turning on the males at their side.
“A mutiny,” Zephyr said, his lips curving into a smile before turning his sights to Barrett and whistling.
Barrett stopped mid-throw, his steel eyes shooting to us, and I nodded for him to join us. He hurried over, but not before chucking a snowball at one of the older children. They squealed, and he ducked under their fire to get to us.
“What’s up?” he asked breathlessly as he knelt beside me, grabbing two of Zephyr’s snowballs and throwing each in different directions.
“Hey, make your own,” Zephyr growled.
“Thalia and Cas are changing the game,” I said, nodding to them as their growing group divided in different directions. Sasha and another female attacked two unsuspecting males from behind, pelting them with snowballs until they surrendered.
“Little shits,” Barrett muttered under his breath, but his eyes lit up as he watched them sweep across the training yard, capturing barricades and taking prisoners. Barrett grabbed another snowball from Zephyr’s stash and rose quickly, chucking a snowball through the air and pelting Thalia in the side of the face.
She froze, eyes wide before she turned her attention to us.
“Now you’ve done it,” Zephyr sighed as Thalia brushed the snow from her face and hair before a wicked smile curved her lips.
Barrett mouthed something to her, and I didn’t have to know what it was exactly to know he was baiting her, inviting the all-out war brewing as Thalia turned the females against the males. She and Cassie didn’t return Barrett’s fire, instead running toward the group of children at Vincent’s command, their hands held high.
“Shit,” Zephyr breathed. “They’re not doing what I think they’re doing, are they?”
“They are,” I said as I turned my gaze to Zach and Liam, who were currently waging their own battle with the two females Thalia, Sasha, and Cassie had left behind.
I whistled, and they twisted around, dropping to hide behind their barricade before looking my way. “The females are switching sides!”
They frowned, peering around the edge to where Thalia and Cassie were now smiling at Vincent. The children ran around Cassie, their smiles warming my chest, and a smile tugged at my lips at the sight of her own smile, of how she lit up as she helped them tighten their defenses.
“Traitor,” Barrett breathed before throwing a snowball, which Vincent dodged.
“We’re already down several of our own. Look,” Zephyr said, nodding to the far side, where two females stood guard of six males who’d surrendered. “They’ll have us outnumbered in no time, especially with Vincent and the young.”
“We need to gather the others, free those captured, and launch an attack before they can organize their defenses,” I said, looking between Barrett and Zephyr, who nodded.
“I’ll take out the females guarding the others,” Barrett said, a cocky grin on his face as he grabbed a few snowballs. “Then, we can regroup and take the females and children.”
“Godsdammit, Barrett. You’ve wasted half of them! Aim better,” Zephyr growled, moving what remained of his stockpile out of his reach.
“Why don’t you actually throw them instead of stockpiling them?” Barrett bit back before grabbing another, and I wondered if it was just to spite him, which was confirmed when Barrett threw it without looking or aiming. “Is that a shifter thing? Do you bury your food too?”
Zephyr rolled his eyes before turning his back to him, blockading his snowy projectiles.
“Okay, you two. Barrett, you free the others,” I said, turning my gaze from the chaos escalating quicker than normal. “Zephyr, you and I will move up the south side to draw their attention away, and Barrett you come up on their backs and—"
“Where’d Thalia go?” Zephyr asked with a frown, and my gaze shot toward where she’d been with Vincent and Cassie just a few moments before. Cassie was nowhere to be seen either. I began to count the young. Three. Four. When I got to six, I frowned.
“Barrett, weren’t there twelve children today?” Barrett nodded and I let out a low sigh. “They’re mobilizing. Thalia and Cassie must have slipped off with a group to do something. Watch your backs—”
Screams erupted at the far side as Thalia and three children emerged from the forest behind an unsuspecting duo of male recruits. The males shielded themselves as Thalia and the children pelted them with snowball after snowball until they were putting their hands up in surrender.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, no time for chatting. Get to it,” I said as Barrett split away from us.
“I forgot how formidable Thalia is in warfare,” Zephyr said. “Changing sides and forming a plan so quickly. I don’t understand why she turned down the promotion you and Lucia offered her.”
I remembered how her contributions to the war had saved countless lives, had helped us stabilize our forces long enough to bring Melantha down and turn the tables in our favor. I remembered the moment she’d turned us down—the title of third in command passed to Barrett instead and I remembered how he’d used that very position to pull her from patrols all those years ago to protect her. Did she regret her decision then? Did she regret it now?
