Page 156 of Last Gift: Supernatural Battle

“They understand,” Wild said low. “They don’t know what to feel about it.”

The constant shifting of the threads may make me physically sick at this rate. I pressed a hand against my mouth, squeezing my eyes shut. Which… what was that going to do when the threads danced their merry dance inside my head?

“He’s stopped,” Wild said in my ear.

I couldn’t even manage a nod. How the hell would I fight tomorrow if this happened? I could be a liability, not to mention an easy target.

The fevered response in the eating chamber was dissipating. The magus still churned over what to feel if the whipping and ducking of the paths attached to them was any guide. But they were settling into the discomfort now instead of feeling more and more.

I took a deep inhale. “Shit. That was intense.”

I felt lightheaded.

“That packed a punch,” Sven said, scanning the room. “A big hit. Interesting to see what might happen after the fight.”

After the fight. So much confidence that we may win. Or was it desperate hope? Sven and Rooke were still here. They’d chosen not to run. I’d assumed they wouldn’t, but when faced with possible survival or assured survival, not everyone would have made the same choice.

“After the fight seems like a long way away,” Huxley said.

In the grimoire, I sensed a deep determination. He’d proved himself time and again as an advisor in my book, but I could understand that he’d drawn parallels between tomorrow’s battle and the first one where he was taken hostage. He would fight tooth and nail.

Corey was wearing jeans. Stains were harder to get out of linen. So I could assume he was down to get rough and dirty.

Rooke would probably enjoy tomorrow because she’d be able to poison demons without ramification. A Corentine was a Corentine after all.

Wild… I was his only worry, and from that alone, his mind spun at a thousand miles an hour, just like mine spun at the same speed while picking apart details and running through our game plan over and over.

“Supernaturals arrive tomorrow?” he murmured as the other tables of magus began to discuss what Ty just showed them.

I nodded. “After lunch.”

A strange feeling to be so certain about when demons were going to attack. I wanted to doubt what the threads told me, because despite knowing we had until this time tomorrow, I would’ve rested easier for not knowing what was ahead. When a person saw what little time they had left, there suddenly seemed a million things to do.

“Tempest,” Sage said. “I just wanted to let you know that the last of the strategies have been finalized, and we’ll hold a practice session for the magus involved tomorrow morning. They’ll be ready to go during the battle.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Sage. Please let Delta know. She’s the person in charge of that area.”

I was no longer leader, but it was an odd situation for the coven. They didn’t know who to consult with any longer. Many were coming to me to let me know this and that tasks were completed.

Sage colored at my reply. “Of course. I’ll tell Delta.”

“The strategies are looking great, Sage.” The lead strategist had struggled with her role since the beginning, though the position was so similar to that she’d held during Caves. She’d floundered through the last few weeks, and yet when our direction was Caves again, she’d miraculously regained her edge. She was the prime representative for those magus who had turned against my leadership simply because it was different to what they’d known.

Varden’s voice boomed through the eating chamber. “Your attention.”

Everyone quietened, including Sven and Corey, who’d been bickering over battle tactics.

“There are those of us more advanced in age that will start to find our beds soon.” He smiled. “And so I wanted to speak a few words on behalf of us all on this eve of uncertainty and fear and hope. It has been my honor to be part of this coven and community. I have cherished many friendships in these tunnels. I have found love in these tunnels. I have been nurtured and treasured and protected by this coven. Nothing is impossible to reclaim, and I have always held to that. I will hold to that until my last breath. Tonight, we promise each other never to reach this place again. I don’t speak of demons. I speak of the state with one another. Tomorrow, we may fight another race, but we fight for ourselves.” His voice cut off on the last word. Everyone could hear the tears clouding his throat, and Varden’s last words were a whisper. “We fight for this coven. I fight to the end for you all.”

He’d earned more than a few tears from those listening. For myself, I watched the old esteemed carefully. It wasn’t like Varden to grow so upset in front of everyone. He prided himself on using logic and appearing calm as an example for the younger magus.

“What are you up to, old man?” I hummed to myself.

Wild shot me a look. “You think something is up?”

I focused on the threads around Varden. All the threads wrapped tight around him. No idea what that meant. “Yes, he’s making plans. I’m unsure what.” The threads around him appeared remarkably like those around King Julius yesterday.

“Incoming,” Wild told me.

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