Page 79 of The Aether

“Infusing Stephan’s sword with Death Dealer magic.” Damian smiled his lethal intent. “No matter who wields it, Morcant and his cronies won’t be keeping their heads this time. There will be no substitutes in his place.”

“How can you be sure he doesn’t already have decoys in place?”

Alastair jumped in to reply to Castor’s question. “Empathic abilities only work from a short distance. He’d need to be close to Sabrina to drink in her emotions.” Addressing Damian, he asked, “How do you want to play this?”

“I’ll go in alone—”

“Fuck no!”A violent sneeze bent Alastair double, and Damian fisted his hand to stop the plague of locusts his friend’s swearing triggered. Only Alastair and his three children suffered this curse, and he’d never say what he did to deserve it. However, Damian assumed it had something to do with his sneaking into the Otherworld and escaping again without express permission from the Goddess.

“I appreciate your concern, my friend, but had you let me finish, I wouldn’t have to fend off insects.”

The temptation to tell him to go to hell was written all over Alastair’s face.

Castor barked a hard laugh, and it earned him the middle finger from Al.

“I took future-Castor’s warning to heart,” Damian assured them. “And as I was saying, I’ll go in alone, and the rest of our team will come in through a portal. It’s my fondest wish that we’ll get the jump on them.” The tension in his neck and shoulders was building to an uncomfortable level, and Damian stretched to relieve the ache. “Alastair, with permission from Isis, will you summon Nathanial one last time? We’ll need him to join the fight. Beastie predicted it years ago.”

“Him or me?” Alastair shrugged when Damian frowned. “You’ve said it yourself; our resemblance is uncanny. Is it possible Sabrina got us mixed up in her vision? Your mother did once.”

He was referring to the time when Isolde knew the Darkness was about to consume her completely. Triggered by a vision, she’d used the last of her free will to write a spell that she’d accidentally sent forward in time. Alastair received what was actually meant for Nathanial.

“Are you okay with dirtying your pristine suit?” Damian asked with raised brows. “For all we know, Morcant’s blood might have a similar effect as battery acid and eat through your fine duds.”

“Stuff it, Dethridge. It isn’t as if we don’t shop the same tailor.”

A humorless smile kicked up Damian’s lips. “Let’s try it. What do we have to lose?”

“Our lives, but who’s really going to care at this point?”

“Sure, and ya need to be speakin’ for yourself, yeah? My Dove would throw herself off Moher in her grief, she would.” Ronan scowled when they laughed. “Feck all the way off, the lot of ya!”

“Where’s Mack?” Alastair asked. “I know your ability to see the outcome is on the blink, Dethridge, but is it possible she can tell us something?”

“She’s in the guest wing with Delaney, Sebastian, and his family. It’s a smart idea to consult her. Thank you.”

“I’ll go. Gather your Sentinels and finalize your plan of action. It wouldn’t hurt to have a way to cloak our less-than-positive thoughts from Morcant if you can come up with a way.”

The suggestion brought to mind the bracelet Vivian had created, and Damian experienced a eureka moment. “You’re scary brilliant at times, Al.”

“I don’t know what I said to deserve high praise, but I’ll take it.” With a tug of his cuffs, he teleported away.

“I’d like to know why he deserves such a compliment, myself.” Castor’s brows shot up. “I mean, we all know I’m the brains of the operation.”

“All right, Brains, help me mass-produce ten rings.” He smiled when Sabrina’s earnest face came to mind. “Make that ten and a child-size one, just like ours.”

Castor lifted his hand to examine his signet ring with the tanzanite crest. “How will that stop our worry? Do we plan to have telepathic counseling sessions?”

“Arse,” Ronan muttered even as he chuckled.

“My wife cast a spell earlier this morning. It bound her negative feelings with mine in the form of this bracelet.” Damian removed it from his wrist and dispassionately noted his blistered skin. When had that happened? A zing shot through the metal to his fingers, and he jerked.

Hope bubbled up. His thoughts were controlled. That meant either Vivian was still around, or she’d managed to capture some of Sabrina’s more powerful emotions. Because it made him feel closer to them, he slipped the bangle back on.

“So the rings we create will suppress our fears?”

Damian nodded. “That’s the hope. In addition, I’d like to build in a coms system, like you, Al, and I have.”

“We’ll need Alastair for that one, Dethridge. I don’t remember what he came up with.”

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