“That could mean they’re not there,” I said.
“We don’t have any way of knowing that until we’re inside,” Indon remarked.
I studied the guards patrolling the parapets. “If his sons are home and we move against the castle, the soldiers will see us and raise the alarm. Since the earl is our main target, we should go for him first.”
“The moons haven’t risen yet,” Indon said. “If we wait until they do, we’ll be more noticeable to the guards. Now, they might not see us at all, or they could mistake us for something else.”
“I don’t think you’ve seen yourself in a mirror lately,” Scarlet scoffed. “No one is mistaking you for anything else.”
My lips twitched toward a smile before it fell away. We had planned to make our move while the moons were still too low in the sky to illuminate much.
We planned to take out the aristocrats first, before going for the palace and the duke. There were more of them to get through, and they had fewer guards.
While the main plan was to eradicate the aristocrats and not worry about taking any hostages, it would be good to keep at least one alive who could open a portal out of Tempest. However, the eradication of the aristocrats was our priority, and everyone in all the groups knew that.
“From what I’ve seen, there aren’t a lot of soldiers on the parapets,” Indon said. “We could kill them before entering the castle.”
“You think the six of us could kill all of them?” Scarlet asked. “If Ellery uses her lightning, or if any of us use our abilities, it will draw their attention.”
“No,” Indon said. “I think the three of us can.”
I looked over the gargoyles as they stood half in shadow and mostly obscured beneath the trees. They were so still they could have been statues once more.
With their grotesque faces, two-inch-long fangs, and four-inch-long claws, they were as ugly as they were frightening. They had a ten-foot wingspan and towered over all amsirah, including Ianto, who was the tallest man I’d ever seen.
Their bluish-gray color blended into the night, so there was a good chance that, without the moons illuminating them, they could fly low to the ground and stay hidden in the shadows. Once they got closer to the castle, they’d blend in with the large rocks of its foundation and its walls.
They could do it, but… “Is it worth the risk?” I inquired.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ellery
“If we’re to succeed, we must take risks,” Indon replied. “If not, we’ll fail before we start.”
He was right, but fear still thrummed through my veins. If we had any chance of saving Ryker and the children, we had to win.
My heart clenched as my gaze drifted to the castle. By taking the aristocrats out first, we ran the risk of alerting the duke that we were coming, but we had to cut off the tail of the snake before we could move toward the duke. Without the support of the aristocrats, he’d be a lot weaker.
But he still holds the most important cards by having Ryker and most of the children of Tempest in his possession.
If we failed at this, they would be the ones to suffer. The chill working its way through me had nothing to do with the crisp air and everything to do with my growing terror.
When we first set off on this mission, I was convinced we’d succeed, but doubt wiggled its way in. We can do this.
We will do this!
I had to believe that, or we’d stand here until it was too late to do anything.
“We’ll return soon,” Indon said.
“I don’t see any, but there could be guards on the ground too,” I said.
“Then we will take care of them too.”
I chewed my bottom lip before managing a small nod. The leader of the gargoyles launched himself from the ground and swept out of the woods. The other two followed him. Given their massive size and weight, they moved with amazing grace.
They soared low across the ground, staying in the shadows. When I blinked, they vanished into the night. No matter how much I strained, I couldn’t detect the gargoyles.
