To the person whose magic can contain corruption spread fastest, I cut in. Yes. Because if this goes wrong, seconds matter more than consensus.
Raynoff studied us. You know you might not save her.
I know this could end in containment, I said, but doing nothing guarantees she stays lost. This gives her a chance.
A small chance.
Better than none.
And timing? Hartwell asked, her sharp eyes assessing. Four weeks before solstice?
The master needs her—connected to me—to destabilize the ritual at solstice, I said. After that, she loses value. We go now while he has a reason to keep her alive.
You’re betting he won’t sacrifice a useful asset preemptively, Raynoff observed.
Elio added, And if we can’t extract her, the intelligence we gather on corruption helps us plan the solstice assault. Either way, we need this mission before the endgame.
Voss said. Walk us through the plan. Full tactical breakdown.
I nodded to Elio. He stepped forward, calm and precise.
Primary: extract Raven, Elio began. Secondary: gather intelligence. Tertiary: damage the compound if extraction fails.
Abort conditions, Keane added. Portal destabilization. The master manifestation. Corruption jumping to team members. Raven nonresponsive to consciousness test. Any of those trigger immediate withdrawal.
Even if she’s still alive? Voss asked.
If her core is gone, forcing it could kill her, I said. The words tasted bitter. Better to try again than destroy what’s left.
Raynoff’s gaze lingered. You’ve learned to make hard calls.
Had to.
He stood. The interim council will maintain defensive posture here. If you don’t report within two hours of insertion, we assume compromise and seal the portal routes to prevent counterinvasion.
Understood, Keane said.
Raynoff looked at each of us in turn. Good luck.
When the council finally filed out, the war room didn’t feel bigger.
It felt emptier.
The doors shut. The wards settled back into their low, constant hum. Somewhere down the hall, footsteps faded, leaving only the quiet crackle of the map’s enchantment and the soft drag of paper as Keane gathered the loose reports into a neater stack, like tidying could make any of this less brutal.
I exhaled slowly, realizing my lungs had been locked for half the briefing.
Cyrus stayed standing at my shoulder, close enough that I could feel the heat rolling off him. Elio leaned against the edge of the table, his arms folded and expression too calm to be real. Keane’s fingers hovered near my wrist, almost touching but not quite, like he was waiting to see whether I’d break or hold.
They think this is a trap, Cyrus said, his voice flat.
His gaze didn’t go to the door. It went to me.
Elio’s mouth curved without humor. It is a trap. The difference is whether we walk out with Raven… or empty-handed.
Keane tapped the corner of the map once, sharp and controlled.
Ninety seconds, he said. Once the compound knows we’re inside, that’s how long the portal stays stable. After that, the wards will crush it.
