Alexis closes his mouth into a hard line, keeping a cutting reply behind his lips, but the rest of us crack up.
It’s good to lighten the atmosphere.
Ludo clamps his arms around my body, holding tighter as Cosmo comes in, shaking the snow off his jacket. “This isn’t going to be easy.” His face is bleak and worried. “I didn’t see any obvious flaws in their security.”
We all settle on the floor in front of the fire.
“Unfortunately, I agree,” Alexis says.
—There is always a weak spot—
I lean against Ludo, and hope he’s right.
—Ask them what the roof looked like—
I repeat Ludo’s question.
“There is a hatch which must be used for maintenance,” Alexis replies. “That could be a possibility. If Theo dropped the wards, then Cosmo and I landed on the roof. But the internal system would still be alarmed.”
Max narrows his eyes. “Can we cut power to the whole compound? An electrical surge spell could work?”
—Most buildings have back-up power in case of system failure—
“So we have to fry two systems,” Max replies after I share Ludo’s thought. He turns to his cousin. “You have to have been in situations like this before. How did your team handle raiding unknown buildings.”
“With speed, shock and a lot of force. And I don’t see any other possibility here. But it’s not the wisest tactic if you don’t have heavy fire power. I’d rather find a way to get inside before any action starts.”
"I’ve an idea," Donovan interjects. He leans forward, placing his hands on the floor. “While I was safety-scouting earlier, I told you I overheard some guards, but there were some other deets. They're expecting a new kid tomorrow, an eleven-year-old girl. Can we hijack the transport and then Trojan horse our way in?” Dono turns to me. “Trojan horse is the thing with people hidden in a wooden horse, right?”
I nod. “Exactly, and that’s a really good idea.”
Alexis’s eyes flare with interest.
“But we’ll be putting the child at risk,” Max sighs.
Something occurs to me.
“Willow can bring the kid back here, and I’ll ‘be the child’. I’m probably small enough to pass for an eleven year old.”
The room goes dead silent. Ludo squeezes my waist. —No.
“It’s too dangerous," Cosmo snaps, getting up and beginning to pace around the small space. “Plus the fact that everyone will be distracted trying to protect you, rather than focusing on the mission.”
“Oh shit, yeah, Tee. We can’t have you in the middle of a war zone.”
Alexis doesn’t say anything. I look at him, cocking my head to one side. “You think it’s a good idea, don’t you?”
He sighs. “I think it makes the most tactical sense.”
“Fuck off, Feniks,” Donovan scowls. “Theo is our priority.”
The Lumina in my veins hums, giving me courage, giving me certainty. “No, I need to do this. And having me inside with you is needed. Whatever you come up against, having me to boost you is going to help.”
Ludo turns me around to face him.—The risk…—
“I know," I whisper, stroking a hand down his face. “But wehaveto save those kids.”
I turn back to the room. “Amirene told me to follow my instincts, and this is me doing what she said. It’s more than just my gut saying do this. It’s like the Lumina knows it’s the right thing to do.”
