“Oh, you weren’t unannounced,” Varga grinned and gave Fallon a friendly slap on the back. “This one felt you before you walked in. Our own personal Hermessi alarm, it seems.”
And what a wonderful development this was. Fallon had unwillingly proven himself a tricky component to our crew, since he was practically a sitting duck for Hermessi possession. But knowing that he could also sense the elementals had just added a new and extremely useful dimension. He hadn’t known about this before, but, like he’d said, he’d learned to pay attention since our encounter with Brendel.
“I’m here on behalf of the rogue Hermessi, actually,” Tebir said. “I am aware of Kabbah’s noble intentions, but I’m worried there won’t be any rebel elementals for him to work with until the children are returned to safety.”
“The chi—the Hermessi children, you mean?” Derek replied.
“Yes. My brethren are terrified of operating against the ritual now because their children are at risk, under Brendel’s absolute control. I’d like to suggest an action plan, if I may?”
Derek looked at all of us, as if expecting some form of approval. It came with faint nods, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he smiled at Tebir. “We’re all ears.”
The Hermessi didn’t have souls quite like ours, but they cared about their children and even about their planets—that much we knew for sure. Tebir walked in and slowly moved around the large dining table, his green light flickering in fleeting reflections across the crystal glasses.
“I’ve thought about this, long and hard, since I learned about Ramin’s mischief with Brendel,” he said. “If GASP can help set up an operation to infiltrate Yahwen and snatch the Hermessi children, I and a few loyal rogues will help smuggle them all into The Shade.”
Sofia nodded. “We’ve actually discussed a mission to Yahwen, but we’ve yet to hash out all the details. Do you think the children would be safe here?”
“The Hermessi don’t have easy access to the Earthly Dimension, as you might’ve noticed by now,” Tebir replied. “Otherwise, you would’ve had hell to pay, and the Earth’s Hermessi, myself included, wouldn’t have been able to do much to help you. If you put Devil’s Weed on all the Hermessi children and keep them here, even the rowdy ones—and by rowdy I mean those who’ve already been seduced by Brendel’s promises—they’ll be safe, and all the potential rogues will find making a decision easier, as far as the ritual is concerned.”
I frowned. “But this access to the Earthly Dimension isn’t very clear to us. Won’t Brendel come here looking for them?”
“Not if she doesn’t know where they are,” Tebir replied. “It’s why I came to you, here. Of course, the entire operation wouldn’t be without risk. But said risk can be minimized if you take precautions, including moving the fae sanctuary from here to, say, Calliope. It’s important that there be no potential fae conduits in The Shade while the children are present.”
“That means moving our children and loved ones to Calliope, closer to Hermessi danger,” Derek said, clearly skeptical.
“When the first fae begin to die, the Hermessi will have better access to this dimension,” Tebir explained. “Though I don’t want that to happen, I must operate on the assumption that it might. If their power increases, they will be able to overhear things through their fae conduits, without you even knowing it. But, if you remove all the fae from The Shade, temporarily, we’ll have a higher chance of success in keeping the Hermessi children safe.”
“No fae is dying on our watch,” Sofia said.
“Forgive me, Sofia. I appreciate your determination, but I know what foes we’re dealing with,” the Hermessi said respectfully. I couldn’t help but appreciate his honesty—I certainly understood his point of view.
Lumi raised a hand. “I dare say I agree with Tebir, here. If we hold the Hermessi children in The Shade until the ritual is averted and minimize their risk of discovery by moving the fae into the Calliope sanctuary, it’ll help the other rogue Hermessi who are currently on the fence. Like Wei, or even Firr, whose message none of us have forgotten.”
Firr had destroyed Mount Agrith. There had been no casualties, but the intention had been obvious. It was his warning for us to stop meddling. Lumi was right. Even Firr could be swayed back in our favor, if he knew his child was safe—without being aware of an actual location, of course.
“It is a complicated plan, but I am more than willing to assist you in the logistical process as best as I can,” Tebir said. “I believe it’s worth trying, because we need more rogues to help us, given what comes next.”
He looked at Taeral, who immediately understood what he’d meant. “Brendel will be on us like crazy as soon as she catches our scent, whatever her methods.” He sighed. “Yeah, we’ll need all the backup we can get.”
“We have Yahwen’s location from Harper and Ramin. We know where the In-Between’s oldest twenty-planet solar system is,” Sofia said to Derek. “We might as well do this sooner rather than later, babe.”
“I suppose we can start laying some of the groundwork for such a mission, yes,” Derek conceded. “I just don’t like the idea of Ben and the kids being farther away from us.”
“They’re likely safer on Calliope, actually, if we bring the Hermessi children here,” Mona replied. “I think we can pull this off. A multi-pronged approach against these ritual elementals is definitely needed.”
On that we could all agree, unequivocally. Our odds against them were low, but we could change that, even by a fraction, if we got more rogue Hermessi to pitch in. In order to do that, we needed to keep their children safe, so an extraction mission was certainly our best way forward. The more support we got from the rebels, the better equipped we’d be to resist and survive whatever Brendel would throw at us.
Come tomorrow, my crew and I would be headed back to Cerix, and it wasn’t going to be pretty or easy. On the contrary, it could very well be our last attempt at stopping the ritual. So, yes, if Tebir was on board and willing to help GASP retrieve the Hermessi children, I was more than happy to welcome him into the fold. Judging by the expressions around the table, I could tell they all felt the same way. The brief moment I’d had with Herakles and my parents had suddenly slipped into the periphery of my thought process. Bigger, deadlier fish to fry.
It was time to up our game against Brendel and depriving her of the leverage she’d so staunchly held against the rogues was a fantastic method. Besides, I welcomed anything that would piss Brendel off.
Varga
While Derek, Sofia, and the other GASP founders stayed back to discuss the Yahwen extraction mission with Tebir, the rest of our crew scattered across The Shade. I, for one, had every intention to spend as much time with Eva as I possibly could. Without knowing what tomorrow might bring, I needed to be close to her, to enjoy every second I was given in her presence and be thankful for it.
We were given one of the guest treehouses on the southern edge of the island, built high up around one of the tallest redwoods in the forest. From here, I could see the Great Dome and the witches’ portal. Beyond them, the beach stretched wide and golden, the ocean lapping at it with foamy waves.
This particular guesthouse had a small, circular terrace made of hardwood and wrought iron, painted dark green and adorned with potted flowers. Eva seemed to love it, constantly smiling at the colorful blossoms and taking deep breaths to enjoy their mixed scents. We’d settled on a small rattan loveseat, my arms wrapped neatly around her as she leaned into me.
“This feels nice,” she said, looking out into the night.
The Shade’s spell was always a sight to behold, for the sky was always starry and moonlit, in soft strips of navy blue and indigo. The occasional cloud crossed it, and it only rained when the island’s jinn deemed it necessary to help the vegetation grow and stay healthy. This haven was a successful experiment of controlled nature and magic, perfect for anyone who didn’t like the buzz and agitation of the world beyond. I could easily see myself coming back here, over and over, with Eva.
“It’s one of my favorite places in the universe,” I replied, relishing the feel of her satiny skin against the tips of my fingers. We’d both shed our GASP uniforms in favor of light and breezy linen clothes. Her dress revealed the golden-emerald scales that had developed from her nape to her lower back. I felt as though I’d been given the privilege to gaze upon one of nature’s greatest masterpieces.
Lamias were known to be beautiful and seductive, but there was something about Eva that raised her above her species, even without the vampirism. She had this vivid spark in her yellow eyes, which spelled a thirst for knowledge and adventure. Her chin was always up, her noble bloodline ever-present, but she never took advantage of it. She got down and dirty, much like the rest of us.
Despite her graceful features and sinuous curves, Eva was a fierce and ruthless fighter, making good use of all her abilities in the battlefield. She wasn’t fearless, but she refused to let dread get the better of her—I’d seen this first-hand during our initial encounter with Kabbah. There was an insane level of determination in her, and it made me want to follow her to the very ends of the universe, if need be.
She raised her head to look me in the eyes. “Varga, if somehow we survive past tomorrow, there’s something you should know.”
“You’ve got a husband and five baby Lamias hidden somewhere on Calliope?”
It made her laugh, and I loved the crystalline sound of it. “No, silly,” she replied, turning serious all of a sudden. “Seven.”
“Seven what?” I asked, somewhat confused.
“Seven baby Lamias.”
