“So… Riordan or another griffin is sharing this power with her so she can distract us? They wanted to prevent us from being able to focus solely on the Vale, and it served Aoibheal’s purposes in keeping us away from her too.”
I nodded in agreement with his reasoning, resisting the urge to reach for him and brush away those angry frown lines between his brows. I could almost see all the plans beginning to formulate in those sharp and cunning eyes before his expression settled into one of determination.
“We need to ensure that she cannot abandon this court to the Rot. I will recall Darragh and summon Ciaran and Ornella here to us. I have an idea,” Rian informed me.
“So not only can we assume the Fuath know where the tribes are hiding now, but the one who has been attacking them has beenAoibhealall this time? With blood magic,” Ciaran verified, looking just as sick as Rian had.
“I assume you have a plan,” Darragh prompted Rian impatiently. The dragon shifter was even more broody than usual after this revelation. His brows were furrowed as he leaned against one of the posts in Rian’s tent with his arms crossed over his broad chest.
The three male riders stood around the massive table, which was the only thing in his whole tent that Rian had asked me not to touch. On the surface was a raised-relief map of Autumn Court that was complete with mountains and little clay pieces that represented cities and armies. While Rian was busy, I often stared at it in the hopes that something would trigger my intuitions.
Ornella had come in with Ciaran and walked straight over to heal me, so I suspected Rian had informed her of my injury through Ciaran. Now the redheaded dryad was sitting on the floor between where I still sat on the couch and the table where the men stood. She had insisted on sitting there so she could be closer to the two vargr that were both eager for her affections. The sleek female who jealously shoved her head onto Ornella’s lap belonged to the dryad, and the black male belonged to Sage. He had curled up with his back against Ornella, his head resting on his paws while he stared at the doorway. It seemed as if he expected his master to come through at any second.
Ornella would seem a pillar of strength and resilience to anyone looking at her. But every time she glanced back and saw the vargr staring at the door, waiting, I saw her heartbreak flashing in her eyes. She stroked his head to console him, but the vargrkept his stubborn vigil.
“I have a plan,” Rian reassured his riders.
“Finally,” muttered Ciaran, earning himself a glare.
“First order of business is bringing the aes sídhe here,” declared Rian unapologetically.
“Here? But we cannot portal them that far. Nor will the Sua agree to come!” Ciaran objected.
“How will we feed them?” Darragh wanted to know.
“Darragh and I will move them in three stages over two days,” Rian explained. He drew their attention to the map on the table as he tapped locations where I assumed he would rest between portals. “And I propose we allow the nobles of Mionlach and Brighde to feed them.”
“We all know that is not going to happen of their own free will. So does this mean you have reconsidered our suggestion to take over the cities and put an end to their endless grousing?” Ciaran guessed hopefully.
“I intend to seize the surplus stores at Calah. We have been more than generous in our donations to those stores over the years,” Rian pointed out.
“If we take Calah, the Lairds of Feura will see it as an act of war. They have been waiting for you to prove you are the conqueror they feared,” Darragh cautioned.
“I am still not convinced that we should even bring the tribes here. This is no place for children,” Ciaran added.
“We cannot continue to fight wars across Ahnnaòin,” Rian insisted sharply enough that Ciaran’s golden vargr raised his head from where he lay behind his rider.
Rian looked instantly apologetic and heaved a sigh as he braced his hands on top of the table and leaned over it. “We need to consolidate our strength and eliminate any possible weaknesses. Aoibheal knows where our people are now, which means it is only a matter of time before the tribes are attacked by the Fuath again. We are too far away to know if they need us, and now theceangalstones cannot even be used to communicatewith them. We are essentially down two riders with Sage—” Rian nearly choked over his next word, but it still hung in the air.
Gone.
“Ornella is unable to be initiated until the Wild Hunt is reunited, which leaves only the three of us connected,” Rian continued haltingly. “So we cannot afford for one of us to stay with the tribes and watch over them. There is nowhere else that is safe and provisioned well enough to support so many people. And if Aoibheal abandons this court and it collapses while our families are so far away, then there will be nothing we can do for them. We will be lucky to save much of this army,” Rian explained much more calmly.
Ciaran kissed his teeth and shook his head but seemed to be in reluctant agreement. “The Sua won’t agree to it. They have wanted to fight this war from the beginning and will not be asked to leave their lands to the enemy.”
Rian released a heavy exhale, glowering at the map in clear frustration as he acknowledged Ciaran’s point.
Darragh suddenly pushed away from the post he was leaning against and went to Rian’s side to place a hand on his leader’s shoulder in consolation.
“You’ve been flirting between the roles of saviour and conqueror for a very long time, brother,” said the dragon. “We know it is not your preference to override the will of others, but we cannot continue to take a soft approach to the security of this court. We can either protect them all, even against their will, or wash our hands of their fate.”
“That is an easy choice,” Ornella spoke up, drawing all of their attention. “You protect them whether they want it or not. I don’t care if we have to drag them here kicking and screaming. Just get them here,” she growled.
Her words seemed to lighten the mood of the room, bringing slight smiles to the faces of the men.
“Agreed. Although I personally do not like our odds if weattempt to drag upwards of eight thousand people here kicking and screaming,” Ciaran admitted with a smirk. “What is the second order of business?”
“We need to get our hands on this Fuath mage so I can use him to track Aoibheal. And until we have our ignoble queen in hand, we need to ensure she cannot cripple our court as Balor did to the Spring Court,” Rian answered.
