Damn. There went the possibility for more magic-suppressing weapons.
“This,” Ailan said, holding up the collar, “is our best hope. Our best chance at preventing Darius from worldwalking while I land a killing blow. And you’re right; he won’t resist the opportunity to face me if I confront him. But that doesn’t mean he won’t first worldwalk away to bring an army.”
“So we’ll station troops from our human and Elvyn forces that will be ready to fight,” Cora said. “How many soldiers can Darius travel with?”
“During the war, he often brought in upwards of two dozen men at a time.”
Cora’s mouth fell open. “Two dozen? At once?”
Ailan nodded.
She couldn’t imagine worldwalking with that many people in tow. Still, even with those numbers, it would take far too long to bring his entire army. “He’ll be eager enough to face you that he won’t risk your retreat. He’ll only bring in enough soldiers to even the odds.”
“Perhaps.” Ailan rubbed her brow. “When do you expect this confrontation to take place?”
“He agreed to wait three weeks to hear my answer to his offer of alliance. I can pretend to agree to his terms and take him to a false tear location. But we can’t rely on that timeline or that circumstance. In less than two weeks, a rebellion in Norun will cut off his reinforcements, leaving him with fewer soldiers to face Khero with. He might grow desperate to act, or suspect Khero’s involvement with the rebellion. If that happens, he may revoke his offer of alliance and use threats against me until I take him to the tear. Our plan will remain the same.”
“Based on the passage of time in El’Ara, we have at most three days,” Ailan said, voice tinged with panic. She resumed pacing, the butterflies fluttering over her head flashing between yellow and orange. “There’s still so much more to figure out. We’ll need to establish a location, a way to communicate while we secure our plans, and a signal to alert my people that the ambush must begin…”
Cora had ideas for the latter. Berol had already been passing letters between Larylis and Teryn over the last couple of weeks. The falcon was small enough to fly through the tear without attracting the attention of potential spies. Moreover, Cora suspected the Elvyn would have less qualms about using an animal to relay communications as opposed to a human.
Ailan halted and faced Cora once more. “I have one final condition. I will convince the tribunal to accept your terms to keep Lela in the human world, but you must proceed with pushing themorathrough the tear as soon as the ambush begins. I’ll station wardweavers inside the tear who can get to work sealing it as soon as they feel the return ofmora. That way you have our aid in fighting Darius, but we can take comfort in sealing him out while he’s distracted.”
“And if you fail,” Cora said, leveling a pointed look at her, “the human world will be left to clean up your mess.”
“If I fail, it means I’m either dead or he’s made his way inside the Veil. Either way, you and I will have done our parts.”
“Darius…inside the Veil,” Mareleau echoed, shaking her head. “No, that can’t be an option. You said El’Ara was the safest place for Noah.”
“It is,” Ailan said. “I will do everything I can to stop Darius. However, if he does make it inside the tear, the triggers will warn Garot, and you must get to the dragon caves at once. Darius may be fast enough to evade the swing of a sword, and he may heal quickly from most wounds. But there’s only so much dragon fire he can withstand, even with his fae healing. Ferrah and the other dragons will defend you. Uziel will face Darius with me. If I can collar my brother, Uziel can burn him. I’ll burn with him if I must. If that’s what it takes to keep him from worldwalking away.”
Cora’s stomach turned at that. At the resignation darkening Ailan’s tone. She seemed very un-Nalia-like in that moment, and every inch the Elvyn warrior.
Mareleau’s throat bobbed. “What about my husband and mother? If the wardweavers seal the tear before—” She snapped her mouth shut and shifted her gaze to Cora. “Oh, right. You can still worldwalk through the Veil, so long as you have Valorre.”
“It may take some time,” Cora said, “but I can return everyone to their proper places once the tear has been sealed.”
“So…this isn’t goodbye between us yet?”
Cora gave her a sad smile. “Not yet.”
“Does that mean you agree?” Ailan asked. She certainly wasn’t keen on sentiment.
Cora had been determined not to budge on her terms, but Ailan’s proposed condition was fair. The humans and Elvyn would work together to ambush Darius. If Cora succeeded in pushing themoraback, and the wardweavers sealed the tear while Darius was fighting Ailan, at the very least Mareleau and Noah would be safe. Forever. Darius would never be able to cross the Veil.
All she had to do was trust Ailan to end him.
Her muscles tensed at the thought of leaving the ambush in the hands of others while she played her role at Centerpointe Rock. But this battle wasn’t hers. It was Ailan’s to finish.
And Lela was Cora’s to protect.
She blew out a shaky breath. “I agree.”
51
With a slash of ink on paper and the press of his royal seal, Larylis was no longer King of Vera. His latest correspondence from Teryn had demanded his abdication, and Larylis hadn’t balked. He obeyed his brother’s wishes, rolled up his formal decree of abdication, and handed it to Berol.
With his palms planted on the bulwark of his ship, he lifted his gaze to follow her flight path high overhead, the warm hues of the setting sun gilding her feathers. Not a pang of regret plagued him as he watched his last ties to the throne disappear from sight.
