“Because I think her plan is total annihilation of the academy before we can make it back. That’s why she would send the demon pigeons there. Because we can’t turn the tide of the battle if there is no battle to come back to.”
“Oh my gods, you’re right. She might not send any monsters after us at all. She might send them all to the academy at once.” I rifle in my bag for the shell with shaking hands. “We have to warn them.”
“Call Jayden. We’re about a half an hour from the base of the mountain.” Greyson locks gazes with me through the rearview mirror.
“Jayden, Halfling Academy,” I say, holding the shell up.
Mist swirls until the picture emerges of Jayden shirtless, sparring with Thad. “Dammit, Jayden, where’s your shirt?”
“Beth? Time-out, Thad. It’s Beth.” He sheaths his sword in the shadows.
“Where is your shirt?” I repeat my question through gritted teeth.
“I was sparring, baby. It got hot.” He pulls his shirt over his head. “How is everything going? Did you talk to Tristan?”
“Yeah, he said he’ll be there by morning with all the warriors they can spare. Attacks on packs are ramping up and they need enforcers to protect those who are staying behind.”
“He’s coming with the warriors?” Jayden asks.
“Yeah, and I’m worried that might not be enough. Raven has a theory.” I chew my lip. “We think that the queen is going to send everything she has at the academy. The hammer can’t be a game changer if the game is already over.”
“We’re ready for them, baby. As long as the shifters get here before the battle, we should be fine.”
“Are you ready for demon pigeons or anything that can fly?” I ask.
Jayden’s eyes widen as he glances at Thad. “We hadn’t considered an air assault, though we absolutely should have thought of that considering our history with those damn birds.”
“I’ll get Adrian,” Thad says and jogs off.
“Their bodies are metal, Jayden. The archers won’t be enough to take them down. Ben needs to help you figure out something with fire or lightning. You need to be prepared for them to dive-bomb and use their acid shit.” My hands shake so I clench them into fists.
“I’ll make sure to set up a brainstorming meeting with Ben for in the morning after the shifters get settled. Where are you?”
“San Francisco mountain north of Flagstaff. Tristan asked us to check it out. Strange volcanic activity in the area. Could have something to do with Hephaestus.”
“You guys didn’t stop to sleep?” Jayden shakes his head.
“I dozed off in the car for a couple hours while we were on our way here and Draven and Greyson are driving in shifts so the other can sleep.”
“Don’t burn yourselves out. You need actual sleep, love,” Jayden says.
“We’ll sleep in Grand Junction. I need to get to Montana as quickly as possible,” I mumble.
“It does you no good to get back quickly if you’re exhausted, baby. You can’t fight off monsters if you’re dead on your feet.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time, but I get what you’re saying. I’ll stop for the night in Colorado and recharge.” I nod.
“Good.” Jayden winks.
“Beth,” Adrian calls.
“Yeah, I wanted to ask you about demon pigeons.”
“What about them?” he asks.
“How likely are they to show up at the academy?” I ask.
“Shit.” Adrian stomps a foot on the ground. “We didn’t account for flying beasts. We’re going to have to adjust tactics for them.”
