The weight on my shoulders returns. What have they done to her? What have I done to her? I’ve never seen Elle sad. Happy, angry, frustrated, excited…but never sad. What have they subjected her to? A memory of the osseris pressed against me. The scrape of its—Marik’s—claws. I shudder.
That creature is her mate.
We need to get her out. Now.
Asmo turns to me, and I can see the gears turning in his head. “A ball would be a good opportunity to attack,” he whispers.
He’s right. “We need to meet with everyone,” I say, turning back to Basil. “Canis and Ursidae, too.”
“Shouldn’t we at least discuss the plan with Etta before we meet with them?” he asks.
“No,” Asmo says, “We only have a few days until this ball. This might be the only time we have. We don’t have the time to iron out details here, then do the same with the other Houses.
“Gather the Herd and send a message to Canis,” I order. “We’ll all meet at Ursidae.”
In under an hour, we’re all seated around a wooden circular table. Although the table is huge, there are far too many of us. Houses Ursidae, Canis, and the Herd all sit crammed together. Asmo’s leg rests againstmine, solid and warm.
“So,” I say, “I think it would be wise to strike during the ball.”
Torben leans back in his chair. “You think it would be…wise…to attack when they most likely have heightened security, a heavy witch presence, and innocent civilians present?” His tone is dubious at best, but mostly insulting.
My ability to keep calm is an accomplishment of its own.
“Yes, Torben, I do.” I turn to the rest of the group. “Think about it. They’re not going to be expecting it. They don’t even know that we have the Fae or the Lower House members behind us, nor do they know that we’ve been in communication with the other Houses.”
“Unless it somehow got out that you slaughtered all the witches here,” Barrett says with a grimace. He tosses me an apologetic look.
“You’re right,” I agree. In hindsight, maybe that wasn’t the smartest move, but it gave a family—a court—hope, and I don’t regret it. “But I think that’s a risk we take. Even if they know we’ve been in communication and we visited your court, they still don’t know that we have the Lower Houses or the Fae behind us. Those numbers alone are big enough to make a difference in battle.”
“And how do you propose to keep the civilians safe?” Queen Sasha asks.
The question hangs in the air as we all silently consider the best option. The first to speak, to everyone’s surprise, is Princess Eden.
“Are the Lower House hybrids able to shield themselves?” Her question is directed to Etta, voice timid, hands wringing in her lap.
“Most of them, yes,” Etta responds.
“Are they powerful enough to shield others?” Eden asks.
Etta looks at Basil, who answers, “Some of them.”
“What if we disguised Lower House hybrids as guests? They would need to be placed strategically throughout the crowd. They could also help direct the citizens away from the battle.”
The idea is solid. “That could work, Eden,” I say. “Every citizen is invited to the ball, so they could just walk right in.”
She blushes and shrinks back into her seat.
“All of the High Houses are invited, so us getting in won’t be a problem. But how are you going to sneak yourselves in?” Torben asks.
I smile. “We have the answer to that.”
Asmo explains the dark magic spell to change our appearance. Torben looks disgusted at the idea of using it, but Princess Lola leans forward in her seat and listens with rapt attention, eyes gleaming. Princesses Arella and Eden look at their parents skeptically.
“I’m not downplaying the use of black magic,” I say hesitantly, “but we need to use every tool at our disposal. Glamours are too easily broken. It’s our only option.”
“This is the fate of the kingdom.” Asmo’s reminder is quiet, but it strikes everyone like a fist to the gut. We have to use every advantage we have, even if that advantage makes my skin crawl. If we don’t, the kingdom will fall. And if the Mother’s dream is true, Her creation itself will fall next, and the oceans will turn to blood.
“What is the objective here?” Etta asks, pulling me away from the memory of the dream. Asmo quirks an eyebrow. “Is our plan to slaughter everyone? Kill the witches and everyone who agrees with them?”
