Dimitri opened his mouth to respond, then shook his head. "Why do I even bother? You never listen to reason."
Petrov snorted. "I don't listen to your reasoning. I listen to mine."
The Eight sided with Dimitri, but they also understood that the notebook was important to Petrov, and he might need his notes once they escaped the island.
Mattie returned from the kitchenette with two cups of tea and handed them to Number One and Number Two.
"Thank you," Number One said for both of them.
Good manners were not something that had been taught in the training camp, but the Eight had picked them up from the movies they had watched to learn about the cultures that they were supposed to one day infiltrate.
Dimitri walked over to the kitchenette and helped Mattie distribute the rest of the tea, some in actual mugs and some in repurposed lab equipment.
"We have a plan we would like to run by you," Number One said. "We want you to point out any possible pitfalls that we might have overlooked."
Petrov's eyes shone with interest. "What kind of a plan?"
"Getting rid of Losham's enemies. The three other brothers who are breathing down his neck."
Number One laid out the plan the way he'd told it to Sullha. The brothers' growing pressure for proof. Losham's planned gambit at Friday's council, telling the brothers to go to the harem themselves if they didn't believe him. The trap waiting for them at the cliff, with one of the Eight wearing Lord Navuh's robe and pretending to be their father. The brothers approaching unarmed because they couldn't enter the harem with weapons or their personal guards. The Eight throwing them over the cliff. The harem staff thralled to remember Lord Navuh executing his insolent sons in a fit of rage for the sin of breaching his sanctuary.
"That is actually brilliant," Mattie said.
The collective absorbed the compliment, and Number One inclined his head.
"Thank you."
"It solves so many problems at once," she said. "With the other brothers gone, we are much safer, here in the lab and when we leave."
"What about the other brothers?" Petrov asked. "There are more than just those three."
"After what happened to the seniors, the juniors will be terrified of defying Navuh," Number One said.
Petrov leaned back in his chair. "So, Losham takes everything."
"Correct," Number One confirmed.
"And then what?" Mattie asked.
The collective examined her question while noting that she was emitting an excited scent, her face was flushed, and her eyes were bright. It wasn't difficult to guess where she was going with this.
"If Losham is the only authority on this island," she continued, "there is no one to oppose him, which means that he can free everyone in the breeding enclosure."
The collective had had this conversation with Sullha less than twenty-four hours ago, and the answer had been that opening up the enclosure would have to wait. That answer still applied.
"Perhaps he could free some of them," Number One said. "But he cannot do even that immediately. The political situation will be too unstable at first. The junior brothers are not the only obstacle. Losham needs to consolidate his control over the army. The senior commanders will need to confirm their loyalty to Losham over their loyalty to whichever of the dead brothers they had previously aligned with. All of that takes time."
"How long?" Mattie asked.
"Months. Possibly years."
Her eyes widened. "Years?"
"Yes."
When Mattie cast a glance at Dimitri, he scooted closer and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I know it feels unfair that we are leaving while they are staying, but we are at least getting thepeople the Eight care about out of there. Sullha and her boy, Asira and Vinnah."
"Things are more complicated in the enclosure than we assumed," Number One said. "Sullha located Vinnah, and it turns out that she can't be trusted."
