I hated being at odds with Kalen about this again. It felt like a part of my soul was twisted up like tattered ribbons. We’d talked through it back at the Ivory Cliff Falls, but now I understood we’d only punted the issue down the road. We’d wrapped our problem in gauze, but the wound was still there.
Pain flashed across the light fae’s face. “I see.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “He was very brave.”
Mykon clenched his jaw and looked away. He was the only one of the Albyrian light fae contingent to join us in Oberon’s old quarters. His rooms were one of the few that had remained intact during the fires. All his furniture and luxurious silks surrounded us like the ghosts of the past. It felt like we were standing in his crypt.
“So, the gemstones.” Fenella folded her arms.
“The gemstones,” Toryn repeated.
Kalen looked at me. “We need to destroy them so they don’t infect anyone.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nellie answered for me. “It’s just like Tessa said. We have a tool we can use in the war.Weapons. It would be a mistake not to use them.”
“I’ll also remind everyone we’re low on actual weapons. Like swords and daggers and things,” Fenella said.
Low on daggers. That gave me an idea, not for the army but for the humans of Teine. It was only a small thing, but perhaps I could find a way to give them a bit of comfort during the looming battle.
Kalen looked at Mykon. “Remind everyone what happened to your father. Who was he in the end? What became of him?”
Mykon opened his mouth, but Fenella cut him off. “We don’t need to hear it. We all know what he was like. But Oberon used that damn power for centuries. Four in fact, if I’m doing my math right. I doubt using that thing for one measly battle is going to turn us all into Oberon the Second.”
“This war might linger on for decades.” Kalen paced at the head of the table. “And I would daresay it didn’t take centuries for Oberon to become a monster. It happened much more quickly than that. Isn’t that right, Tessa? You saw the visions of his life. How long did it take for the God of Death to infect him with her darkness?”
I pursed my lips. Fuck, he was right. “This is different.”
“Is it?” His eyes sparked with that fire of his, then he swept them down the length of me to where the Mortal Blade hung at my hip. “I’ll agree you have the ability to withstand it, but what about everyone else? What about the civilians out there who could be drawn toward these powers?”
“I have an idea,” Nellie said, perking up.
We all turned toward her in unison. There was a grim set to her lips and a spark in her eyes. Head high, dark hair thrown back over her shoulders, she looked like a force to be reckoned with. Pride swelled in my chest. That was my little sister.
“I think we should do what Ruari suggested. Take the tiger-eyes and form a barrier around Albyria and Teine. Just like old times.”
Toryn nodded. “We’re already on it. Kalen and I sent a score of warriors to collect what they could from that store of his. We told them to prioritize the food, the gemstones, and the weapons.”
“Good. So here’s what we’re going to do.” Nellie plucked one of the gemstone from the table and flipped it in her hands. “We’re going to set a trap for the gods. They said they want these back, so let’s dangle them like bait. When they come for us, we’ll use the beastsjust this onceto attack them. Just once won’t do us any harm. Their claws and fangs will wound the gods long enough for Tessa to stab each of them with the Mortal Blade. It won’t kill them, of course, but it will trap them. Then we can hide the stones away in Oberon’s vault and make sure no one ever opens it.” She took a deep breath before continuing. Silence rang through Oberon’s room. “While we’re fighting, all the innocent civilians can be safely ensconced behind the tiger-eye barrier. And if something goes wrong, Tessa and I can set off a signal for you to lower the barrier. We’ll run across the bridge—or Tessa will fly us across—and then you’ll put the barrier down again. Simple.”
Fenella barked out a laugh.
Toryn frowned. “You and Tessa?”
“I know what you’re going to say. Someone else should do it, right?”
“No. I was going to say you shouldn’t go by yourselves. You two up against four gods and a horde of beasts? That’s a terrible idea, Nellie. You’ll…” His voice cracked.
“If you go with us, the trap won’t work,” I said quietly, putting voice to my sister’s thoughts. “The gods need to think we’re alone or they might hold back.”
“They’ve had no problem attacking us so far,” Kalen said, his eyebrows furrowed.
“But we don’t want them to attack. We want to lure them in and make them think we’re coming over to their side. That way we can get close enough to actually ‘kill’ them,” Nellie argued. “If we go out with a team of warriors, they’ll think it’s fighting time. And we don’t want that. We want them to believe Tessa and I have seen the light, that we want to return the gemstones.”
“Good luck getting these fae men to agree to that,” Fenella muttered.
Roisin slung her hands into her pockets, then leaned back on her heels. “We’re forgetting about Niamh and the human kingdoms in all of this. Shouldn’t they be on their way? They can help us fight.”
“We don’t have time to wait for them,” I countered.
