“Thosevargulfshad no reason to trust you, be loyal to you, much less to die for you—”
“Die?”I repeated.
“—yet they did.The Black Circle’s mages didn’t go down without a fight, even being outnumbered.And many more of the Weres you summoned were wounded, some badly—”
“Sebastian!”Cyrus’s voice cracked like a whip.“We will not discuss this now!”
“If not now, when?We are atwar.I am sorry for your mate’s tenderness on this subject, but many more may fall if we do not find an advantage.One we may now have!”
“We don’t need help in killing our own kind,” Sienna said, speaking up for the first time while I sat there stunned.“In a civil war, every death weakens us; every life lost is one of our own.We need another solution—”
“Such as?And don’t say Bleddyn,” Sebastian added sourly.“He’s vanished off the face of the Earth.”
“Vanished?”
“I have my best trackers on it, but so far, he is well hidden.That is not surprising, as he planned this.He must have had a hideaway waiting in case things went badly yesterday.”
“Bleddyn,” Ulmer scoffed.“He didn’t plan anything.You know damned well who is behind this—”
“Yes, in all likelihood, but we can’t find him, either—”
“Him who?”Sienna asked.
“That bastard Farkas,” Ulmer snarled.“Bleddyn never planned anything in his life.He’s a fool—”
“A well-hidden one,” Sebastian said.“And wherever he is, Farkas is likely with him, whispering in his ear.My people have orders to apprehend either on sight, but so far—”
“How many?”I said, my numb lips finally managing to get the words out.
“How many what?”Sebastian said.“Clans arrayed against us?That depends a great deal on the meeting I have this afternoon with the council—one your newvargulfarmy will not help me with!I had no idea how to explain that, but if I have something to counter it, such as a massive advantage in battle—”
“You can’t promise that!”Cyrus said angrily.“You’ll put a target on Lia’s back!”
“After today, I would say that’s the case no matter what we do.”It was dry.“Better that people fear her than resent all of us for—”
“They’re not an army,” I said.
“What?”
“The people in the basement.You called them an army.They’re not.”
“Which makes what happened even more impressive.They acted as one on your call—”
“Sebastian!”Cyrus snapped.
“—meaning that perhaps Rand’s soldiers might do the same, or become so confused by your power that—”
“Sebastian!”
“—it could give us a significant advantage, especially if we have enough of thesevargulfsto—”
“They aren’t an army!”I hadn’t consciously moved, and yet I was suddenly in his face.And in Were form, something that alone brought his guards running, feeling the Change, and only Sienna and Cyrus throwing themselves in front of them kept me from being attacked.I barely noticed, being too busy backing Sebastian into the wall.
“How many died?”It came out as a growl, and a menacing one.Yet he kept human form; I have no idea how.Most wolves surprised like that wouldn’t have been able to.
He also answered.“I don’t know.”
“You didn’t bother tocount them?”
