Leesil glanced nervously at Magiere, and Wynn knew there were several reasons why.
“Can we get on with this?” he asked.
Ghassan studied him coldly. “By all means.”
Leesil opened his mouth, closed it, and took a deep breath before he began. “Chap believes the only way we might succeed is to break into two teams. One team to distract and draw off the forces below while the other team finds a way into the mountain ... with the orbs.”
Magiere straightened upright, turning on him where he sat. “What?”
Leesil ignored her. “The first group must do anything to keep as many of the Enemy’s forces from seeing and following those infiltrating the peak. Without that, we fail before we even start.”
Ore-Locks and Chane had been silent so far, but Chane asked quietly, “How do we decide who goes with which group?”
Chap’s head swiveled, and Wynn found his sky blue eyes locked on her.
—Help Leesil—
“By ability or usefulness,” she answered. “Five heavy orbs have to be carried in, and that means Chane, Ore-Locks, and Brot’an, with Leesil leading.”
The skin over Magiere’s cheekbones drew back. Before she could fire off an argument, Ghassan spoke up.
“I may not be as strong as they are, but I have skills they do not, such as shielding infiltrators from nearby detection for short periods or moving an orb by means other than strength ... and there are five orbs.”
“Your inclusion had already been decided,” Wynn said to him, “if you had let Leesil finish. There are other things for which you will also be needed.”
Wynn tried not to look around at everyone present, for she knew that by the end of tomorrow night, she might never see some of them again.
Watching Magiere grow angrier by the moment, Chap readied himself to stop her before a verbal onslaught started. He was too late.
“I am going for the Enemy!” she stated, rising to her feet. “No one else before me!”
Chap also rose as he snarled.
—Success ... is all ... that matters— ... —There is more ... to be ... said ... in private— ... —Sit down ... now—
While he called up those words out of Magiere’s memories, Leesil had lurched to his feet and stepped in on Magiere.
“Sit down,” he ordered as well, “and hear the rest of this out.”
Magiere blinked, still breathing hard, and Chap waited and watched. Leesil seldom spoke harshly to her or gave her orders. That he had done so as well left her hesitant.
“Please, Magiere,” Wynn added.
Magiere did not sit but stepped back, remaining silent, and Wynn continued as Chap had instructed her.
“The optimal time would be daylight, dawn,” Wynn continued, “when the undead fall dormant. But it is unlikely that all of those below are undead. Worse, it would be that much harder for the second group to sneak in, so we have to do this at night.” She paused. “And Chane won’t be able to help until then ... and we need him.”
Chane glowered at her, now as openly suspicious as Magiere had been before her outburst. His eyes turned nearly clear.
“And where will you be?” he asked Wynn, as if he didn’t know already.
“With Chuillyon, when he returns,” Wynn responded.
Chane’s brow furrowed as he shook his head, and Brot’an spoke for the first time.
“The vampire is the only one making sense. How are Wynn and Chuillyon to distract the horde, even assuming Chap and Magiere will join them?”
Chap wished there were a way to keep Brot’an even more in the dark.
Wynn was far less confident than she sounded. She’d known how difficult Chane would be once he realized he would not be with her. Chap looked up at her.
—Tell them it is possible to distract the horde because Magiere will be with you—
Wynn related this aloud, and Magiere turned on Chap.
“What do you mean?”
As Chap continued speaking into Wynn’s head, she explained to the others.
“If the infiltration team is spotted, Magiere may be able to hold the undead forces through her dhampir nature—either in controlling some, as was once hinted at long ago, or in simply being seen as a prime threat to them ... or both. I’ll have the sun crystal ready, if needed, to keep them at bay.”
Magiere shook her head. “What do you mean ... controlling some of them?”
Wynn didn’t like that part herself. “Chap will explain more in private.”
Chane hissed, and even Ore-Locks scowled, though he knew less about the others than anyone.
“Chap believes we have a good chance,” Wynn went on. “One group can distract the forces long enough for the other to find an entrance into the mountain.”
“How and where?” Ore-Locks demanded, speaking for the first time.
—Enough! Move on!—
Wynn winced at Chap’s sharpness in her head. She was growing tired of his harsh insistence while simultaneously dealing with the others on all sides.
Looking to Magiere, she said, “He wants to speak with you and me alone.”
“We have not finished here,” Ghassan challenged, eyeing Chap. “We have barely started, and why is he in charge?”
Chap turned away, padding out of camp, and without a moment’s hesitation, Magiere strode after him.
Wynn couldn’t guess which one would do the talking—shouting—first. And they were both leaving so fast that she had no time to speak with or even glance toward Chane before hurrying after them.
Magiere closed on Chap as he rounded a craggy knoll. He stopped near several large boulders and sat without turning or looking back. Wynn arrived and scurried past Magiere toward Chap.
“You could have handled that better!” Wynn scolded Chap. Then she straightened suddenly, eyes widening. “Oh, really? Well, I am tired of being your surrogate mouth and the first target for the others ... because of you!”
“You won’t be my target,” Magiere growled as she rounded them to face Chap. “I’m going inside the peak, you understand!”
She wasn’t letting anything—anyone—tell her otherwise.
—You cannot—
Magiere’s anger started to burn up her throat.
—Remember ... what I told you ... through Wynn ... on the night in the an’Cróan ... forest ... after ... your trial—
Startled, Magiere hesitated. “What does that have to do with anything?”
—Sit down— ... —I will speak ... through Wynn ... to recount— ... —You will ... listen ... to her—
Magiere didn’t need the sage to recount. She’d never forget that night, and she didn’t need reminding. Before she could tell this to Chap, he locked gazes with Wynn. After a moment’s hesitation, the sage began.
“No undead existed before the war at the end of the Forgotten History, not that we know of. No undead rose but from humans. No undead walks into elven lands ... except you.” Wynn paused and stared without blinking as Magiere thought of one exception ...
“Yes, Chane can enter elven lands,” Wynn confirmed, “but only because of the ring he stole from your half brother, Welstiel.”
Though she went on, Magiere already knew the rest.
In the dank forests of Pudúrlatsat, on the eastern continent, Chap had fallen prey to a phantasm cast by Vordana, an undead sorcerer. Magiere, herself—and Leesil—had suffered the same. Though they’d all experienced some portent of the future, each had seen it differently, based on their own worst fears. That, and perhaps something more hidden in each of them.