Page 123 of Somnium

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CADI

Two days later, Cadi sat perched on a stool in Elias’s apartment, only half listening to the others bicker about whose plan to save Ananke was the least likely to get them all incinerated. Every inch of the mahogany dining table in front of her was littered with maps, blueprints, or pictures, all of them covered with notes and lines that detailed every possible approach.

Cadi didn’t even pretend to know what any of it meant, and if she was being honest, she had stopped trying to follow the discussion several minutes back. Instead, she let her mind drift, replaying memories of the previous evening with Elias.

Dinner at her apartment had been as close to perfect as she could have hoped for. She only sort of burned the chicken parmesan, a fact that Elias wisely chose to overlook, and when they were finished, he had begrudgingly relinquished his claim on the dishes, despite it being a blatant violation of their rule.

Her stomach had practically tied itself into a knot in the hours leading up to his arrival, but finding the path forward with him had been almost as easy as breathing. They weren’t the same, and she knew they never would be, but something about their connection felt stronger in the wake of it all.

The movie they picked hadn’t been on for ten minutes before she fell asleep in his arms, and she didn’t even notice her consciousness drifting until he stirred beneath her. He had gently guided her to the bedroom, tucked the comforter around them both, and curled up behind her, falling asleep with his arm draped protectively against her hip.

Elias’s groan of frustration pulled her back to the room as he pushed off the table and turned to pace by the window. “It just can’t be this simple.”

Sera stared at him in disbelief. “I’m a little concerned that you seem to think slipping past a small battalion of armed ex-military is simple.”

Elias stopped in his path, his arms falling at his sides as he turned to fix her with an irritated stare. “You know what I mean. I just—I don’t know, I just have this feeling that we’re missing something. Something big.”

Seth stepped around the table and rested his hand against Elias’s shoulder, then a pleasant wave of serenity pulsed through the room. “Your fear is understandable, my friend. What we are set to face should be taken seriously, and it is vital that every contingency is set.”

Elias rolled his shoulders to gently step out of the god’s embrace. “Seth, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I need you to not use your sneaky calming thing on me right now.”

The corners of Seth’s mouth twitched as he took a step back and held up his palms in quiet acceptance of the boundary before continuing. “You are right, though. Slipping past these particular guards won’t be easy. We will need to produce a distraction big enough to pull as many of them away from their posts as possible, which is a direct violation of their rather extensive training.”

Cadi’s head snapped up at Seth’s unexpected knowledge of the guards’ training protocols. It would seem she wasn’t the only one to catch that detail, as every other head in the room swiveled in unison to fix him with the same questioning stare. He simply shrugged, completely unfazed by their shock.

“I used to contract with that company for extra bodies on larger jobs. That is, until I learned of their unfortunate penchant for hiring former soldiers with, shall we say, less than honorable records.”

Elias ran a hand over his face and fixed Seth with a smile so laced with derision it made Cadi wince. “Great. So what’s the plan to lure these mercenaries away to clear the path to your sister?”

“That’s where I come in,” Kai said, stepping around Sera to get a better view of the topographic map and trace his finger along the thin blue line running past the star marking the hangar’s location. “The Verdan River flows near the facility. I can use its waters to create a distraction that is truly cosmic.”

Cadi tilted her head at the way the god’s green eyes glinted with mischief as the wheels of controlled destruction spun. “You can control the river?” she asked. “I thought you were all about the ocean.”

Kai shot her a cocky grin. “All waters answer to me, though I will admit some do take a touch more … persuading than others.”

He held her stare until she gave him a slow nod. Point taken.

“I’ll draw the guards south,” he continued, “which will leave the north entrance open, but we’ll need to be fast. All my remaining power will be needed for the rite, so once that starts, my hold on the river will begin to fade.”

Sera studied the map for a moment, then nodded. “That’s perfect. Then, once the outer guards are gone, Seth, you can assume one of their forms and take out anyone that’s left inside.”

Cadi scanned the others as all of them, even Elias, nodded their understanding. She knew the gods were all able to take on different forms should the need arise, but the idea still made her head hurt if she thought about it for too long.

“That’s all fantastic,” Elias said as he stepped forward to press his palms into the table. “But what about getting out once it’s all done?”

Seth pointed to a spot at the northern end of the property. “Odin will be stationed here, keeping an eye on things.” The god paused to chuckle at his unintentional joke before pressing on. “Should anything seem off, he will alert us so we have time to evacuate.”

He let out a sigh as he rolled his dark eyes. “Unsurprisingly, he has chosen the sound of a raven as his signal. Then, once we’re clear, Áine will be waiting for us … here.” His long finger tapped another X drawn just past a green space on the map that Cadi assumed was intended to represent a grove of trees. “With the engine running.”

“And what about Oneirios?” Kai asked.

Sera scoffed. “What about him? I thought it best if he wasn’t invited.”

Kai shot her a look of annoyance, one that only a millennia with a sister could breed. “Yes, thank you for leading us straight into my point,” he deadpanned. “How do we know he won’t interrupt us, or find us in the hangar before we can finish?”

Sera’s face drew tight as she bent forward onto her palms, letting her head hang. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to Elias. Cadi looked between them, trying to discern what was being communicated in their silent conversation when Elias slowly nodded his head, clearly figuring out the intent behind his friend’s steady stare.