B00XXAC6U6 EBOK (16 page)

I will and right now I can sense the counter-spell building inside you.

I’ll only be taking out a small portion of the layer right in front of us to make sure the spell works. If or when it does, we can decide how we want to proceed.

She felt Ian take a deep breath.
That’s an excellent strategy which will keep our efforts here quiet for now.

I think so, too.

She slowly opened her fingers and began to spread her arms wide. Ian stayed with her, gliding his hands along her arms as she moved, sustaining contact.

The power built until she knew the exact moment she needed to release.

Now,
she whispered from her mind to his.

The counter-spell synced with their combined powers. The blood tattoos pulsed on her skin and she could feel an answering vibration in his.

The spell released, a heavy wave of energy heading straight for the massive wall of mist. It caught the initial layer and began spinning the mist, twisting it into small cyclones that rose in the air then faded into vapor.

Because it was only a small section of the first layer, what remained was a shallow area with much less dense mist. Yet, Regan could see shapes moving within.

Ian, I think I’m seeing wraith-pairs. Will they attack us?

I see movement as well, but I’m not sure we’re in any danger. Because the mist creates a shielding disguise both directions, they probably can’t see us.
He dropped his hands from her arms, moving past her, but she kept pace with him. He stopped when the moving shapes became clearer, though still mist-disguised.

Ian was right. They weren’t under attack. Instead, they were seeing the edge of the army encampment. But not a single-wraith-pair turned in their direction.

Ian pathed,
How soon do you think you can create the remaining counter-spells?

Very quickly. A matter of only seconds per layer. What we’ve done over the past few minutes has provided a signature base from which to work. It’s ingrained within my consciousness now.

~ ~ ~

Ian knew exactly what needed to be done.

We’re going to fly.

He turned to her, holding out his arm. She quickly climbed up on his foot, and he drew her tight against him.

He rose into the air straight up, rocket fast, then turned to head east to the plain.

His head whirred with a very specific idea. He almost contacted Stone, but something held him back. Same with Ben. What needed to be done had to be kept secret.

As he passed the rim cliffs, he slowed because he had to think. He had an opportunity to change the course of the war right now, but his instincts shouted at him that he needed to be smart about it, maybe even deceptive.

If Margetta’s fortress had existed between Camberlaune and Tannisford all this time, then Margetta no doubt had a spy network in place. After battling Braden, Ian had finally been forced to accept the possibility that his Vampire Guard and even his Shifter Brigade had been compromised.

Ian, what’s going on? You’ve slowed.

I’m thinking.

Can I help?

He paused in flight and levitated midair. They were high above a small village, no doubt invisible to anyone who would be looking up.

He held her loosely as she pushed back to gain enough distance to meet his gaze. Though Regan could levitate and fly on her own, Ian was much faster. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Something’s bugging you. I can feel it.”

“I’ve just realized I don’t know who to trust in my combined forces. If Braden could be turned, who I’d always believed had my back despite his ambitions, then others could as well. If I order a full out assault and even one of my vampires or shifters is a spy, the whole operation would be lost.”

“And you want to attack now?”

He nodded. “Tonight. We might not be able to destroy the army, but we could do some serious damage. If you peel back the mist as quickly as you say you can, we’ll have the element of surprise. And everything you’ve related about Margetta’s attitude tells me an assault is the last thing she would expect.”

Her eyes widened, glittering. “So what can I do?”

“Hear me out and give me some feedback. I want to go around the realm over the next few hours and coordinate an attack for three in the morning, well before dawn but with plenty of time for the shifters to get up the mountain.

“I’ll deliver orders personally to each squad out in the field with the understanding that I’m sending their group on a secret reconnaissance mission. Using geographical coordinates, each team will be placed at careful intervals at the edge of the mist. The squads won’t be able to see the camp, the fortress, or the mist, not until your counter-spell goes into effect.”

Regan’s brows rose. “So you’re saying not even Stone or Ben would know your plans?” She appeared shocked. “But you trust each implicitly.”

“I have one goal here. I want to reduce to an absolute minimum the possibility Margetta could ever learn about my plans. Both Stone and Ben have men in the Vampire Guard and the Shifter Brigade they trust. But if any of these have been compromised, I could have a disaster on my hands.”

“Okay. I see your thinking. I get it now.”

“Tell me what you think, since the plan depends on your ability to roll back the mist at a specific hour. Do you see any holes? Should I include at least Ben who’s been my right hand all these centuries?”

She appeared to consider, her brow furrowing for a long moment. Finally, she drew a deep breath. “I say you go with your instincts. Seeing Braden as part of a wraith-pair has changed my view of things as well. Margetta could have recruited a lot of dissatisfied Realm-folk over the years.”

The one thing Ian knew was he trusted Regan in this situation, despite the past. “And you’re sure about paring back the mist?”

“I have no doubt it can be done and very quickly.”

“Is there a chance Margetta will have already realized you’ve removed a portion of the first layer?”

“A very small one. She would have to be patrolling the section I worked on and I don’t see that happening. According to the servants, Margetta rarely left the fortress itself. She spent most of her time either with her husband, Gustave, or working in her chambers below ground. Although, there was some talk she’d built a communication network similar to your centers, one in each realm.”

At that, Ian scowled. “Are you saying somewhere in Camberlaune, the woman operates a center of her own?”

“I think so, but I don’t know how sophisticated her system would be. Remember, this was fortress gossip.”

Of everything Ian had ever heard about Margetta, including her ability to organize the Invictus into a fighting army, centers of operation in each realm disturbed him. Margetta had tremendous natural powers and all the fae gifts including mist-making spells and enthrallment. But these alone wouldn’t command the Nine Realms as a whole. Communication centers, however, were a different matter and spoke to the woman’s long-view.

“Sweet Goddess.” He felt his heartbeat drumming in his neck. Now was the time to do battle against the woman’s ruthless ambitions. He’d never been more certain of anything in his life or more confident in the nature of his plans.

Regan was right to tell him to trust his gut. Everything she’d said supported both his timing and the way he wanted to handle the upcoming engagement.

His battle energy vibrated down his arms, ready to explode from his hands. He needed to dial it down, but a sense of urgency was on him.

He drew Regan close to his side once more and contacted Ben telepathically.

Hey,
Ben responded.
Good to hear from you. Everything okay?

Yes, absolutely.
Then he concocted his lie.
I have Regan with me and we’ve been working the mist but not having a lot of success yet. Regan will keep trying. Are you at the Communication Center?

I am.

How’s the Invictus activity so far?

Very low, but I have squads scattered all over the realm.

These were Ian’s standard orders.
Good. Excellent.

What’s going on, Ian? You seem different.

Shit. A minute out of the gate and already Ben could tell something was up. He wasn’t much for dissimulation anyway.

For another few seconds, he debated bringing Ben in on his plans. He trusted Ben with his life. He always would.

But given he was in the Communication Center with a number of ears ready to listen in, Ian retreated back to his original intention of keeping his plans hidden from everyone.

Answering Ben’s question, he said,
It’s having a blood rose. I’m revved up because I’m out of pain.

I can only imagine.
Ben was a mastyr and had lived for almost as many centuries as Ian with chronic blood starvation and the accompanying constant discomfort.

Are the troops out at the usual locations?

By the book.

Ian began to breathe a little easier. He wouldn’t have to hunt his men down; he knew where the squads would be.
I’ll be roaming the realm tonight with Regan in tow. We’ll probably drop down to Winnick for a midnight meal. Other than that, path me if you need me.

Will do.

He felt Ben end the communication.

Mentally, Ian laid out the same grid of Camberlaune as at the center. Having preset points of arrival and set areas for hunting for Invictus sign would make Ian’s job of reaching each squad a much simpler task.

Regan suggested she use her cell to map the misted area and create specific geographical points for each squad. She had strong homing abilities, as he did, so he knew she’d get the coordinates right.

With his plan in place, he headed to the closest region first, which was the long stretch of foothill communities at the base of the Dauphaire Rim. The Rim was the place where the mountains dropped five-hundred feet to the Leberion Plain.

When he found his first squad of eight, he addressed the team. “I have a recon mission for you at three o’clock. We’ve sighted an Invictus outpost near the location Mistress Regan will provide you. The area is hidden behind a shielding mist, but the Ruby Fae,” here he inclined his head to Regan, “will perform a spell removal function as she did for Swanicott. What we need to know is the size and dispersal of Margetta’s army camped around the Ancient Fae’s fortress. Can I rely on you for this task?”

He smiled when a shout went up. He loved the heart of the warrior, always game.

“Regan will send the coordinates to Angus’s cell.” Angus led the squad. “It’s also critical that you don’t tell anyone what I’ve asked of you, including Mastyr Ben or the communication center or even Mastyr Stone. I have reasons for this.”

Angus frowned. “Will there be others doing recon as well?”

Again, Ian hated lying, but he knew this mission had to proceed in secret. “A couple of others, but if you meet anyone along the way, I don’t want any discussion between squads. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Mastyr.” Angus spoke for the entire team.

“Just be sure to be at your assigned location at least fifteen minutes before three. The disguising mist should disperse at three sharp. Any questions?”

“Only one.” Angus’s eyes glowed with a familiar battle fervor. “When the mist disappears and we sight Invictus, do we engage?”

At that, a smile overspread Ian’s lips. “At will.”

Another shout went up.

Angus added. “We should do more of this, be on the offensive.”

Ian clapped his shoulder. “I agree. But because I’m not sure of the numbers you’ll be facing, if at any time it appears the squad will be overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to retreat. Keep your heads. Think of this as a foray, not an overt battle. Understood?”

Each head bobbed.

“Good. And I want one of your team to remain behind to work with the local defense leaders of the communities assigned to your squad. Have these communities on the alert in case the Invictus show up.” Ian met each warrior’s gaze. “Again, be at your coordinates by two-forty-five and I’ll be in touch with Angus before three.”

Keeping Regan close, he headed to the next sector farther northeast along the foothill communities and received a similar, enthusiastic response. All the Guardsmen were ready to take charge and end the Invictus misery for good. With luck, tonight’s effort would take them a good piece down the road.

Regan used her cell to establish the next set of coordinates and to keep a record of which team of Guardsmen would go where. Ian knew the names of all his men, so she made lists. She did this while he flew between sectors, at ease in his arms as though they’d flown together for decades instead of two nights.

Once all the squads took up a position near the fortress, each team would only be fifteen yards from the next. The warriors would no doubt start getting a picture that something big was going on. When the hour advanced to three, he’d begin pathing with the leaders to let them in on what he hoped to achieve. Once the squads were in position, his combined Vampire Guard and Shifter Brigade would surround Margetta’s camp.

Ian knew his force wasn’t near big enough to defeat such a large army. But by the time the battle ended with a strong retreat, he felt certain the Camberlaune warriors would have made a dent in the number of wraith-pairs ready to make war.

It would be one helluva a beginning.

~ ~ ~

Regan knew from various newspaper articles and blogs about Ian over the years that one of his favorite eateries was the Hungry Troll in the central city of Hocklin. At midnight, he flew her there having made a reservation. The restaurant served specialty beers, several of them imported from the States through the Harrisburg Access Point.

When he touched down on the cobbled street, and she stepped off his booted foot, she became aware he was instantly the center of attention. He received many well-wishes from passing vehicles and a number of friendly back-slaps from pedestrians in the area.

Regan loved the good-naturedness of Realm-folk generally. And it pleased her that a man who sacrificed his personal contentment for his people, was appreciated so very much.