“I saw it on my way out,” Sage piped up behind me again. “Green grass all growing back, fields showed new growth too.” Her voice held pride.
Why was she still standing? Did she not think she had permission to sit or something? I pulled out a chair next to me and patted the seat. “Oh, by the way, Sage is my second-in-command. You can bring any concerns you have to her and she’ll get them to me.”
Rab bristled for a second, maybe thinking I would give the honor to him, but she pulled a baby from my vagina and we’d been through hell together, so it was always going to be her. My ride or die.
“Alright.” Rab cleared his throat.
“Fine by me,” Star added.
“Welcome to the leaders’ table.” Eugene winked at her.
I looked up to see her swallow hard, frozen like a deer in headlights. Pulling on her wrist, I yanked her into the seat and carried on.
“The second we get everyone to Paladin Village, I want to build up security first. A huge fence, patrols, and lookouts. That goes before our comforts, understood?”
They all nodded.
“And then when I feel we are settled and safe, I will take Sage and leave to get Sawyer. Leaving you three in charge while I’m gone. Can you handle that?”
Rab puffed up his chest a little at that and they all nodded at the same time.
“Okay…” I cracked my knuckles. “Give me every idea you have on how to get us all out of here in the shortest amount of time without tipping off the vampires. I don’t want them knowing how many of us are left. Best to surprise them with that later, when we take back Wolf City.”
Over the next hour, everyone shouted out wild ideas while Sage scribbled them down furiously and we tore each one apart for weak points. The witches were low on supplies for spell casting and needed to make a supply run if they were to shroud that many people. We decided that Sage’s crazy distraction to get her and Creek inside was actually something brilliant that could be recreated on a larger scale to draw any vampire or fey patrols away from the bunker while we snuck out. We determined even at a brisk pace it would take four hours to move twenty-four thousand people, and that’s with everyone packed and having practiced a dry run and being fully prepared.
“How do you draw someone away for over four hours…” I mused aloud. My eyes fell to the cuffs on my wrist, and then it came to me.
“They still want me,” I breathed, tracing my finger over the cuff. “What if I lead them on a wild goose chase?”
“Too dangerous,” Rab inserted.
“No way!” Sage yelled.
“You could be caught,” Eugene piped in.
Star was silent, and I looked at her.
“Aren’t you like super vampire fast and can walk through walls and stuff?” She looked at the cuffs on my wrists and I smiled. The rumor mill had gone around even in my absence.
“My wolf can walk through walls yes, and Iamvery fast.”
Star shrugged. “I mean if you can outrun a vampire, then I think it’s safe to say you have a great chance of not getting caught.”
She was so right. Everyone here was trying to protect me, which I admired, but what the hell was I afraid of? If I took off the cuffs and let the vamps scent me, then I could lead them on a chase while everyone got out. Then I would just put the cuffs back on when I wanted to hide again.
“What if we could get everyone out in one night? I could take off the cuffs, lead them away from the Wild Lands, and then put them back on and meet up with you.”
“Run for four hours straight! That’s too long. You’ll collapse from exhaustion.”
He was probably right, but wasn’t that what marathoners did?
“I could take them off and on as I needed breaks. I hiked the mountain in the Dark Woods every day for a nearly a year. I’m in the best shape of my life. I can do this.”
“And she can control bears!” Sage blurted out, and every person at the table’s eyes went wide.
“I’m not sure how useful that will be in the city.” I laughed.
Sage shook her head. “No. What I mean is … I think you used … compulsion. I think you could do it again on a lower-level vampire to confuse them.”
