Page 39 of Last Gift: Supernatural Battle

Huxley cocked a brow. “I’ve told a group of voracious readers that their job for the foreseeable future is reading. That they have no commitments other than this. They don’t want to sleep. They’ve been unleashed.”

If someone told me all I had to do was read? The thought of curling up in bed for a few days with a pile of books wasn’t off-putting in the slightest, and I was nowhere near the level of grimoire power his team possessed. “I see.”

“We’ll need somewhere to store the charms and weapons,” Opal said.

I’d already considered that last night while working with my quipu. “Please convert the Vero and Fertim charm and weapon storerooms to coven storerooms. Lay the weapons and charms out the same—everyone is familiar with those systems—but remove all protections except a simple barrier that a novice can break. I want everyone able to access them.” With how the Caves gameboard had been laid out, there was a weapon and charm storeroom in every wing of the caves.

Opal murmured, “Consider it done.”

I held up the letter in my hand. “I received this today.”

All eyes shifted to the letter.

“The level of coven support we’ve received doesn’t inspire much confidence,” I said. “Ninety-seven covens, and only seven who will stand against the disapproval of the strongest coven to back us. Three covens that offer their magus—and only the willing magus from their midst at that. Weapons and charms are great, but only if we have the numbers to wield them.”

“We’ve asked for a list of magus and their power level from the three covens who have offered that level of support,” Winona said.

Good. “The more information we have the better.”

“You’re putting all this information into your quipu?” Delta asked.

I nodded. “I hope to use the quipu against the demons in the same way I used it in Caves. I don’t need the quipu to see that we need more power on our side.” I lowered the letter to the table. “The demon king would be an idiot to send a force of the same size. I believe his prior scouting missions—those where my grandfather, uncle, and Varden were attacked—had led him to think magus would be easily taken. He won’t make that mistake again. He’ll send a larger and more powerful force. We know very little of demon warfare—most of it we’ve gained from my one-on-one battle with the woman leading their army against us. We need help.”

“Is there a way to diminish the original coven’s hold over the other covens to convince more to our side?” Ruby asked.

I tilted my head. “Perhaps. I’m open to any ideas. We shouldn’t accept their meddling in this, nor their paltry show of upholding their contractual alliance with our coven. Their actions could result in the deaths of our friends and family. Are there any ideas in that direction as of this time?”

No one spoke.

“Something to consider, however.” I glanced across the stone table. “Wild, you may have more insight into the tactics they use against other covens.”

His reply was dry. “I do know a thing or two about that, yes, and their hold won’t be easily shaken. They’ve had nearly one thousand years in the position of power. Their tree is well rooted.”

I’d fathomed as much. “That’s not where our time is best spent then. We need support now, not in ten or twenty years.” I patted the letter lying flat on the table. “Prior to the council ending, they’d received multiple letters from other supernatural species. The council chose not to open communication with those supernaturals.”

Most eyes riveted to the letter under my palm again.

Confession time. “I delivered a small warning to the other supernaturals about a threat of demons that I believed they should have knowledge of. I’d planned to give them the warning in full at a later date, so they might protect themselves and their people. Unfortunately, before that happened, they sent a message to the coven that resulted in a tracker being clasped around my ankle. I was unable to complete the warning.” I wouldn’t mention the letter the others sent in my stead.

Varden replied, “You sent them another message.”

“I did. Two days ago, through their human representative at the bar. In that letter, I invited them to this coven for discussion of possible alliance.”

Winona’s eyes rounded. I’d never seen such a reaction from her.

Barrow appeared defeated. He’d had more warning than the others and had likely guessed where this was going.

“What?” Delta gasped. “Vampires and werewolves here in the coven? That hasn’t been done in… in….”

“Ever?” Wild supplied. “We’ve never been attacked by demons either.”

She wasn’t the only one shocked or spluttering, but Varden appeared positively gleeful at the idea of a few fangs and wolfies around. Huxley was excited, likely at the prospect of putting all his supernatural knowledge into practice. Wild felt determined and slightly amused. Ruby looked much like Winona, while Opal was white-lipped. I could guess that she’d been steadfastly against communication with other supernaturals.

Delta returned fire at Wild. “So we invite them here and give them a map to defeating us? If they sense our weakness against the fight with the demon, they could simply wait for the demons to beat us, then claim our territory for themselves.”

“Remember they extended the idea of alliance first,” I said. “And we could as easily be setting a trap to slaughter the leaders of the other races. An alliance must start with some risk. On both sides.”

Opal’s nostrils flared. “There’s a good reason other supernaturals have never been here.”

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