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“What are you thinking?” Mya asked, watching them just like I was.
“The crystal is large. It will not be easy to destroy.”
“Dad and Ryan were talking about using bombs to blow up stadiums. I’m pretty sure they’ll have something that’ll work.”
Molev didn’t look relieved. If anything, he looked more worried.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Something feels…” He shook his head slowly. “…wrong.”
“I think there’s a good reason for that. The doctor has a satellite radio she’s been using to communicate with the other research team. Through them, she’s received orders from the people in charge of the sanctuary to create a vaccine that will kill anything not human. That includes the infected, hounds, and fey. I’ve asked Cassie to keep an eye on what they’re doing, but I wouldn’t trust anything they come up with at this point.
“She either wouldn’t or couldn’t answer when I asked if the wave of infected was already heading our way. Any chance Matt’s heard anything from anyone?” I asked.
“The radio here’s been quiet,” Mya said.
“So we have no idea if the urgency or wrongness Molev feels is because of the doctor’s orders, the wave of infected, or something else entirely,” I said. “That makes it a little hard to know what to do.”
“I already know what we must do,” Molev said. “Returning to the caves feels right.”
That settled our next move in all of our minds.
The four of us talked for the next hour, planning our trip to the caves. Since no one knew what destroying the crystal would do to the fey’s home, Drav asked that Molev also retrieve what he could first. Mostly seeds and plants they used as medicine so they could hopefully grow the same things on the surface. That meant taking more people with us to carry out what they could. But Molev didn’t like the idea of taking more than ten fey away from the communities with so many infected headed their way.
We tossed around the idea of using the satellite radio to find out more about the infected movement but ultimately agreed we wouldn’t be able to trust anything we were told.
“Then we take humans,” I said. “You already said I need to go with you, so what are a few more? And it means fewer humans to protect here and more hands to carry things. With the roads fairly clear and a ten-fey escort, there’s no reason we can’t take vehicles. It frees your hands on the way there and back to kill more infected. And the only thing you’ll need to worry about once we reach the caves is running the goods from your home to the top while we gather everything for you.”
Molev gave a reluctant nod.
“Do your dad and brother have any explosives on hand?” I asked.
“I’ll find out,” Mya said. “And if they don’t?”
“Then we’ll need to find another way to destroy the crystal.” Molev looked at Drav. “I will tell the others I am looking for nine volunteers and speak to the soldiers. The fueler needs to be full by first light.”
That fast?I thought.
“How long will it take to reach the crystal once we’re in the caves?” I asked.
“It will take a day to reach the caves and a night of traveling the caverns with rest periods to reach the city. We will need a few hours to gather what we need. While the rest leave the caves with the supplies, you and I will go to the crystal.” He looked at Mya. “How long were you in the caves before you began to feel the sickness?”
“I’m guessing one or two days.” She looked at me. “It’s harder to tell time down there because there’s no actual daylight. The light of the crystals comes and goes at random intervals in different sections of the caves. But I didn’t start feeling any kind of sickness until after I touched the crystal.”
“Got it. So don’t touch the crystals, and everything will be fine.”
Molev didn’t look convinced.
“Roni, Katie, Roland, Sid, Brandon, Steve, and I all have experience with the vehicles and working with you to stay alive. Seven humans to ten fey. Does that ratio work for you?”
Molev hesitated before he nodded, and I knew he was listening to his gut again.
“All right,” I said, standing. “I’ll let the team know and will have us ready to head out at first light.”
“And we’ll talk to Dad and Ryan,” Mya said. “We’ll make sure you have something you can use.”
Molev left the house with me and caught my hand when I would have walked away.
