Valric tilts his head, and I can see the gears turning. He’s considering it. Hope rises in my chest.
“What’s your plan?” he inquires, looking directly at me.
Relief floods me, and I rest my hands on the table, looking down at the map.
“While everyone is celebrating my coronation, I will pretend to fall ill. Nolan will inform those gathered that I’ve been put on bed rest. Then a small group of us will leave, slipping into the night. We stay off the roads and head through the forest to the Feyglades.” My finger trails over the map. “There we will enter the mountains.”
I look up, meeting each and everyone’s eyes one by one. “Fenris will stay behind and take the army to Escalle. It’s the closest place to set up a base to enter the Outlands.” I meet Fenris’s gaze. “There you will wait for us to meet you.”
He runs a hand over his face and lets out an exasperated growl. “I don’t like this.”
“Agreed,” Raiden says, his silver eyes swirling.
Everyone starts talking at once, making my magic rise, humming along my skin, and I see tendrils of vines creeping down my arms under the sleeve of my overcoat.
“Would everyone shut up!” Fenris’s voice rises over the group.
“Maybe you could shut up,” Scarlett shoots back, not missing a beat. “Everly doesn’t need a lecture right now.”
“I don’t need you all fighting,” I mutter under my breath, clenching my fists to keep my magic from flaring in response to my rising frustration. The tension in the room feels like static electricity prickling at my skin, making it harder to focus.
“I don’t like this,” Fenris repeats.
“Too bad. It’s happening.”
Valric leans on the table across from me, his dark purple eyes trailing over the map before looking up at me. “It’s been two weeks since the king was taken, and now is the time for action. I’m in agreement with you, but I insist on coming with you.”
A smile spreads across my face, and I nod, my heart overflowing with gratitude. “Tristan and Kian, you’ll both be coming with me.”
“I think the humans should remain at the castle. Or be taken back through the gate,” Fenris advises, interrupting me.
I straighten up, opening my mouth, but he holds up his hand. “I’m not saying this to be a prick, but they have nothing to offer and will only get in the way. Plus, they are fragile.”
“Sounds like you’re being a prick to me,” Mia mutters, and Scarlett snorts in response.
“And how do you think she’d feel if you got killed?” Fenris snaps, his body vibrating with rage as he flings his arm at me.
I walk around the table and stop next to Fenris, putting my hand on his arm to draw his attention away from my friends. His deep brown eyes meet mine and flicker with an emotion that looks a lot like regret.
“You're right, and you're wrong,” I whisper, emotions riding my words.
His face turns into a severe frown, and my lips tip up as I shrug. “I’d be devastated if I lost any of you.”
Fenris blinks, his head dipping in acknowledgement of my words, but then he turns to me fully, crossing his arms over his chest. “If they are to remain in Faerie, then I think they should stay at the castle.”
“You’re not our keeper,” Scarlett argues, standing from her chair.
“He’s right though.” I turn to face them, my hand dropping from Fenris's arm. “If you disappear, people will become suspicious. I need you here to keep up the ruse. I don’t want anyone outside of this room knowing our plan.”
Mia slowly stands, her gaze flicking between me and Scarlett. “You want us to stay?”
“Yes.” This isn’t ideal, but there are few options left.
Scarlett huffs and plops back down in her seat, crossing her arms with a dramatic sigh. "Now I don’t like the plan."
I can’t help but let out a soft breath, half a laugh despite the tension in the air.
“Are you sure about this?" Mia asks again, her worry deepening. Her usual calm demeanor is slipping, and I can see the unease in her eyes.
