That stops him. He sighs, rubs the bridge of his nose like he’s already regretting this.
“This is a bad idea,” he mutters. “But it might be our only one.”
“Then say yes,” River presses.
He grunts. “Fine. You get your team ready. We move in three days.”
The meeting breaks.
Outside, the Menagerie is sprawled in various states of rest and curiosity. Bruce is licking one of the watchtowers. Harriet’s leftmost head is engaged in a staring contest with a human scout. Charen’s passed out in a barrel of what smells like jet fuel.
River’s pacing. Thinking.
I walk up behind her.
“You sure about this?”
She glances over her shoulder. “No.”
“Good. Means you’re not stupid.”
She laughs. Just once. But it’s real.
“I’m gonna prep the strike routes,” she says. “Can’t afford mistakes.”
“I’ll get the others ready.”
We part without touch, without another word. But something passes between us all the same—like a vow made in silence.
Three days.
War’s coming.
And I’ve never been more ready to tear the world apart.
Moonlight slithers through the cracked window, casting ghost-bright shards across the maps splayed on the ground. Every map—a shrine to rebellion, blood, and possibility—tells a story of exits and ambush points, secret doors, and pressure points in the city’s defenses. River hunches over them, re-drawing lines with charcoal until her fingers bleed, until the world’s chaos narrows into something she can control.
I watch her from the doorway, arms crossed, the forest’s breath heavy on my skin. The flicker of torchlight softens her silhouette, turns her hair into flame, her gaze into steel. She’s focused, feral. Fierce.
I clear my throat. She doesn’t look up.
“Late night, huh?”
“Shh.” Not a rebuke. A warning. The firelight dances in her eyes—holy.
“Risking everything.”
She hisses out a laugh. “What else is new?”
I step closer. “I don’t want to lose you.”
She lifts her head. “Because you’re scared to live without me.”
I flinch. The map trembles in her hand.
“Is that it?” I demand. “You want death? A martyr's glory?”
“Don’t preach at me.”
