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Jordyn moves until she’s behind both of them.
“You want the shifters to succeed!” Denzel spits.
Dinah curls her lip. “My mother, Samara, was more evil than you can imagine. She worked for a dark organization called The Tenth Legion, which has been the cause of many wars in this world. They also collect powerful supernatural artifacts, and Excalibur is on their list. With power like hers, she could get anyone to her side if she wanted. It would start all over again. This war between the wolves and the shifters would be nothing compared to the chaos she’ll rain down on the world.”
Elara shifts her weight uneasily. As much as she doesn’t trust this supposed new ally, she has to admit that this Samara witch sounds dangerous. It's probably pretty dumb of the shifters to even think they could control someone like that.
"I agree no one like that should be loose in the world, but why don't you want her back?" Kade asks. “She’s your mother.”
"You'll just have to believe that I’ll do anything in my power to make sure Samara stays dead. Darkness like that should never have been unleashed. She won’t think twice about harming her child if I get in the way. I'm in as much danger as anyone else."
Elara processes Dinah’s words. If it's true, then she can see why Dinah would be helping them. There certainly doesn’t seem to be any love lost toward her mother.
And unfortunately, they need her.
"If you do one thing out of line…" Elara hopes Kade will back her up in this. She may look threatening, but she doesn't feel it.
Kade curls his lip. “You even twitch a lock of hair in the wrong direction and you’ll pay the price.”
Dinah looks at him, eyebrows raised. Elara can’t tell if she’s unimpressed, or challenging him to see his threat through.
She angles her chin. “You need to give the shifters Excalibur. It's your best chance of finding Laith and rescuing him."
Elara stiffens, any sense of trust evaporating in an instant. Of course Dinah would suggest they hand over Excalibur. “That’s exactly what the shifters want!"
Dinah smirks. "I don't mean you give them the real Excalibur. Magic can do wonderful things. There's a spell that can replicate Excalibur down to its minutest detail."
“You’re suggesting we create a fake?” Denzel asks, clearly shocked.
Dinah doesn’t answer, simply stares at them. She’s confident, almost cocky. She knows they don’t have a choice.
"You understand the shifters will find out at some point that it's not the real Excalibur, right?” Elara warns, her skin prickling with nerves. “And we run the risk of them finding out while we're still in the vicinity?"
"You're right," Dinah confirms. “This replica Excalibur won’t be able to channel the magic inside the amulet they stole from the bank. But the point is to delay and distract them. You need to get in close proximity to Laith so you can rescue him. That should be the focus, on rescuing him."
Elara looks at Kade for confirmation that this will work. She doesn't see any other way, but she doesn't want to get into an even bigger mess where not only can they not save Laith, but they can't even save themselves.
"So, if we do this, Samara will stay dead, right?" Kade confirms.
Dinah nods, crossing her arms over her chest. “Samara stays dead, Laith’s rescued, and you finally one-up the shifters.”
Kade doesn’t respond, tense and wired as he thinks it over.
Dinah huffs, then rolls her eyes. “What choice do you have? You've dealt with the shifters before. You know what you’re up against."
Elara grits her teeth, not liking the fact that Dinah knows so much about them and they know so little about her. But the cards seem to be in her hands right now. They need her in order to turn the tide.
“What does she mean?" Elara asks Kade.
It's Dinah who answers. “Even if the ransom is paid, the shifters are unlikely to hand over Laith. Especially considering they think they need him. So be ready for battle when we do this."
Elara tenses again. Does this mean the start of the war? Has it come sooner than she imagined?
Long before she’s ready?
Ultimately, it doesn't matter. If there's one thing they can all agree on, it’s that Laith needs to be saved.
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