“You’re saying he used Winter as a scapegoat, so we’d focus on your son, instead of that True Celestial as the chief threat,” Raquel spoke. It wasn’t a question, but a statement as she realized the validity of it in real time. She eyed Hale, some indecipherable looks exchanged between them.
Hale asked Sylas, “What about the True Celestial? Stopping him?”
“Solutions are being worked on.”
“His power isn’t normal Celestial power. How can you hope to work around that?”
“He’s the king of workarounds,” Evira spoke, finally dropping the wall.
She’d kept it going through most of the conversation, because it had been tense subject matter, and she hadn’t wanted to take any chances. I’d also seen Vax hyperfocused on Sylas, likely planning to snatch him at any second if things took a turn, and bring him behind it.
“Ryker would argue the‘prince’of workarounds, I believe,” Vax said, winking at Sylas.
Sylas smirked. “He is certainly the‘king’where that’s concerned. I prefer‘master of’anyway.”
Some chuckles rang out.
Sylas told them, “There’s nothing I’ve come up against that I haven’t been able to find a workaround to. Same with Ryker.”
Hale and Raquel exchanged a look.
Then they both nodded, as Hale told Sylas, “All right. We have a deal.”
“Just so you’re aware, seeing as though you’ve gone out of your way to put your cards on the table, while Temperance will work with you and stand down regarding your son, we’re not the only ones you need to worry about,” Raquel told him. “We’ve gotten word that King Heryn of the Light Fae Realm is planning to deploy units to come at you. He wants to use you to forcibly annihilate the threat they believe Winter to be.” She gestured the length of him. “If you’re still unwell…”
“I won’t be. But thank you for the warning.” He pushed out of the chair, using the cane heavily. “Besides, I’m not unprotected.” He turned and called into the distance, “Velra. Go ahead and drop it now. You too, Cas.”
I frowned.What the—
In the next moment, a film none of us had even noticed materialized. It shimmered then dropped—an illusion, and a heavy-duty one at that—to reveal Sylas hadn’t been alone this entire time.
There, lined up side by side a few feet away was Velra, Cassius, Lazriel, Remnant, Kai, Ariana, and Vorzyr.
Holy. Hell.
Gasps and curses rang out over the battlefield, everyone shrinking back.
“Now,” Sylas said. “To be clear, you have nothing to fear from me. But should you come at my son’s loves again, use them in your plans if there are any bumps in the road with our agreement, I’m far from being the only one you’d need to be concerned about.”
He was good. They all were.
Sylas knew he couldn’t threaten Temperance directly after everything that’d been said, and the root of their trauma and fear being in Necromancy. But he also couldn’t let something like this stand. It was dangerous.
So he and his close family and allies had come up with this instead. Workaround indeed.
“Understood,” Hale and Raquel answered in unison.
“Good. Then all will be well for us all.”
A few moments passed, then Raquel gave Sylas a chin lift, offered us an apology, and Hale dispersed their army, and they headed out.
So that waswhy Vorzyr hadn’t burst onto the battlefield to back us up.
As he’d been talking with Evira and applauding the awesome wall she’d erected and held for so fucking long too, he’d mentioned that he’d received Vax’s message and passed it onto Kai who’d been with Sylas. Kai had briefed him and Sylas’ loves because it concerned Temperance—a Winter issue. And then they’d come up with that plan earlier, sending Sylas in, but remaining as immediate hidden backup behind an illusion cast by Velra and being boosted by Cassius.
Vax was under the cover of the porch now, sitting with Remnant. Cassius had boosted Vax’s Sunveil shield in his crown, and he was also the one holding up a film around Remnant to shield him from the direct sunlight of daytime.
My attention flicked to Cassius holding Sylas up against him. And, yeah, Sylas was still clutching my cane. They were talking with Ariana and Kai.
