Page 61 of Echoes of War

It wasn’t much, given they had the ability to obtain everything they wanted. It wasn’t like they were trapped there. They chose that life. Enjoyed the freedoms that came with it. Life at Monterey Compound or even anywhere within Salem would hardly be enticing, considering there was nothing stopping them from joining us in the first place.

Moe’s eyes glazed over. Her balance became nonexistent. Alexiares reached out in time to catch her before she hit the ground. The others remained quiet, watching her, waiting to see where her vision would take her and what we could learn.

She was back by the time I pulled up the chair behind Sloan’s desk to place her in.

Moe squeezed the sides of the leather seat, grounding herself back in the present. “We’ll need to be aggressive in our offer. You can’t go in with kindness. They’ll take it as a negotiation. If you allow it, Your Majesty.” She sneered at Sloan, then continued, “I’ll need to get a messenger out to an old friend. She’s in Texas at the moment, but not for long. She’ll make sure word will spread. They’ll have to decide individually where they want to end up. It’ll be a waste zone if we win.”

Reina whimpered at the thought of more loss, “Thousands of people will lose their homes.”

“They have no home, that’s the point,” Moe said, a bit harsher than I’m sure she intended. Nevertheless, it was the truth.

“Reina, you need to understand that this is not like the last war we fought,” I interjected. It was essential she fully grasped the severity of where this was all headed.

“This will be a fight that ends in many deaths, the innocent included. A fight over freedom and autonomy, not just borders or land. You’re not a healer or a medic anymore, you’re in this as a major player. There’s a strong chance that something you do, a settlement you play a role in securing, can end up in the death of your father or brother or even people you don’t intend to hurt. By the end of this, if everything goes according to plan, we don’t plan on taking survivors of their leadership. If that’s too much for you, that’s okay. No one will hold it over you. You can go back to healing, to making people feel better about what’s going to take place. But I need you to say the word and let us know.”

Her face hardened, the blue storm in her eyes raging. “When should we leave?”

Abel, whose visions were not as intense as Moe’s, eyes rolled to the back of his head in response. Moe watched on proudly, knowing she’d been working with him on strengthening his giftsto prepare him for the trip. The unsaid being, in the case of her untimely demise.

It was a smart play. I hated referring to it as such, but it was important we had a backup, especially out on the road. I’d hate for Reina or even Abel to be left out there defenseless. Which, technically, they were. At least it felt like it with my absence. I reminded myself that it wasn’t true. Both of these women were strong, and had fended for themselves in one fashion or another before arriving at The Compound. The world was different now. Oddly enough, more dangerous than it was years ago.

“Night after next,” Abel said, voice cracking a bit.

His tone made Reina uneasy. “You want us to leave at night?” she asked.

“The path of least resistance in this case happens to be the one no one expects.” A mix of confidence and jest emerged back in his voice.

Reina groaned, “Oh God, you sound just like Moe.”

He beamed at the words, turning to face his new mentor, who simply stared at him with a blank face then turned away. His smile only grew wider at that, knowing that was as close to a thumbs up that she would ever give.

“We’ll be right behind you by a few weeks,” I said, trying to maintain my composure. “By the time you make it to Monterey, we should only be about a week out from return.”

“I know.” Abel grinned decisively.

Moe studied my worried demeanor. “You’ll be fine without us. We’ll see you at home.”

My facade nearly faltered, a ball thick in the center of my throat. “You and I both know that’s not a promise you can make,” I murmured.

“No, but if you two behave, it’s as close to a promise as I can get.”

How do you prepare yourself to send the last remaining family you have out into a world that is designed to kill them? We were a family who had been broken, beaten down when we were at our lowest, then mended itself into something stronger. Indestructible. I had to have faith in that, because there was nothing else I could do.

Moe spent the rest of her time here training thebrujasLola had generously donated to the cause. She had only presented us with one condition: they stay here, safe within the walls of Duluth, until Reina received confirmation that their mission was complete. It made sense, though it would slow down our plans.

Lola didn’t wantherfamily to be held hostage, used as a bargaining chip, if the settlements we sought to bring on our side chose the more difficult route of dealing with us. There was no option other than to oblige her request. After training with Moe, they would set out on their own journey to perform the ritual on other troops within our alliance. They would not make it to each settlement, but would have a set list of instrumental ones, ones that held a solid number of soldiers and power.

That had been my decision. Did it make me the same as Reina’s father, the asshole reigning over Covert Province? Maybe. Tough calls had to be made for the benefit of the greater population. It was better to put our limited resources into those who already held an immense amount of power, make themstronger, than to focus on those who would never see the front lines.

I oversaw the initial effort at Duluth, watched as Moe guided them through their practice with specific instructions. Deviating from them was something we couldn’t afford. I would stay here with the soldiers they worked through for the next two weeks, training them to master their newfound gifts. The key to that was patience and good temperament. It was a fine line between rushingsomething that had no business being rushed and working off borrowed time. Because that’s what this was—borrowed time from our show of ingenuity in our little valley of death weeks ago.

It gave Covert pause on how to engage with us. They say not to kill the messenger, but I’d made sure some of Sloan’s more skilled soldiers doubled back and killed all but two. It had caught them off guard, being hunted down like the animals they were weeks after they’d fled the scene. They’d felt safe, out of dodge, ready to send word to Covert on exactly what we were capable of. That was until the soldiers had shown up with a message to deliver. Killing the messengers also sends a message, and the terrified accounts of the survivors had clearly done so. My instructions to the soldiers had been clear.

Show no mercy.

Alexiares had given specific, detailed directions on how to do so. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bring a sick sense of joy to watch him in his element. Where Sloan saw the devil, I saw the Hades to my Persephone. Myking of this hell of a world.

Power is attracted to power, and that man of mine possessed so much of it. More than he gave himself credit for.

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