AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I found them rooms in the house next door and a place for April to set up her research. We’d barely had a chance to catch up over a tray of crackers, cheese and sliced meats I’d found in the mayor’s cold storage before Trevor arrived. Steve and Jacob stood behind him, their faces drawn. I scanned the small group behind them—less than twenty men, with boxes of artillery and supplies.
Somehow I became host, getting them settled in nearby buildings, or finding a place to store their supplies. Trevor helped move the boxes. Some had arrived on horses, and we had to find grain and water for them. A few set up tents between the houses or even further towards the trees. I was about to head back into the mayor’s house again, when I saw another group appearing between the trees outside the gates.
I saw movement to my left as one of Jacob’s men raised a rifle, but I signaled him to drop it when I saw Camina. I counted roughly a dozen men behind her, walking silently through the woods with small torches that gleamed off their silver armor. I was keeping a tally in my mind, but it was coming up short. What had I traded, what had I lost, by trying to recruit more allies?
We kept our voices hushed and only lit small fires inside for cooking. It was strange, being in the center of Algrave, with the doors hanging open, vulnerable to everything outside the compound walls. We were far enough from the citadel of lights that our presence wouldn’t be noticed, but our assorted gathering seemed tense and on edge. The fighters from Iklebot were the least wary, sometimes bursting into occasional laughter or raising their voices. They were used to being invulnerable, protected. But they also had a fierce gleam in their eyes, and kept their axes ready.
Jacob’s men were used to surviving in the wilds, and wore muted, organic colors and moved softly. Then there were the guides, our drivers, from the strip. I didn’t know what to make of them yet. At first, they’d simply dropped off passengers beyond the gates and rode off on their humming hoverbikes. But later in the day, someone had cut through the chains and opened the gates enough for them to park inside, in a neat row. They set up camp around their vehicles, wearing dark colors and long coats, but with the eclectic style of the strip; goggles or sunglasses, choppy hair. They didn’t talk much, though I nodded at Emma and she smiled back at me.
I could smell the elixir on them, and could almost see the clouds of shimmering venom that hung in the air between them, from their black vape devices. Augustine said they drank three drops a day, though I also knew these weren’t soldiers for him to command, and they could probably drink a lot more if they needed to. They carried themselves with a cautious edginess, like black cats, and everybody stayed away from them.
I finally made it back inside in the afternoon, after leading a search for weapons and supplies. The small pile of snacks I’d set out had become a full table of leftovers and everything my friends could salvage from downstairs and the surrounding houses.
April was at a side table with Luke and Jacob, making sandwiches. Steve and Trevor were standing near the window, bathed in warm light. Camina was in the corner by herself, picking at a plate of chicken. They all looked up at me when I came in.
“Are we expecting anyone else?” Jacob asked after a moment.
“Tobias and Penelope are downstairs. They’ll be up after sunset. And Augustine, and Tate I think.”
“Elite,” Trevor explained. “But on our side.”
“Not much,” April said. “For a war.”
“Maybe not,” Luke added. “But for a coup, I think it’s just the right amount.”
“Well, you brought us here,” Steve grumbled. “So tell us, what needs to happen for this to go right?”
I started to wring my hands together, but then resisted the urge and shoved them into my pockets instead. I moved the contents of the table into roughly the shape of the citadel.
“Let’s start with what we have,” I said. I arranged a spoonful of peas on the wooden table and patted them in place. “About fifty men, a handful of chosen, and a handful of elite. We also have a legitimate claim to the throne, in Damien. But he’s being held in the citadel.”
I took half an eggshell and placed it in the center.
“Firstly, we need to get inside.”
“They’ve got a big fucking wall,” Steve said, “but we’ve got a bomb.”
“Right. So if we need to, that could provide a quick entrance or exit. Once inside, we need to get rid of one king, and replace him with another. After that, the guards should fall in line.”
“The guards aren’t the problem,” Jacob grumbled.
“Maybe not,” I agreed. “Tobias and Garth have been feeling out sympathies. But you’re right; the elite are faster and stronger, and there’s more of them. Luckily, we’re not without advantages.”
“They can’t go out in the sun,” Luke offered. “So we can attack during the day. Most of the elite lock themselves up in vaults when they’re resting.”
“That’ll give us some time to prepare at least. And we’ve also got the antidote,” I said, nodding at April.
“I’m not sure it’s ready—”
“We know it works,” Trevor cut in. “Emily’s tested it on multiple elites. It slows them down, stops them healing.”
“We don’t know if it can fully change an elite back into a human,” I agreed. “But it should definitely make them easier to kill.”
“You’ve got enough doses for every elite in the citadel?” Jacob asked.
“No,” April said. “I need more supplies, more equipment.”
“The citadel has a laboratory,” Camina said. “A good one.”
