Page 94 of Echoes of War

Right, Rex.Her brother who I’d sent to be stationed off the coast of Sacramento following Seth’s betrayal. He’d been a part of Seth’s calvary, and now, under my command, she may never see him again. He was in our small naval fleet, used to monitor the shores from pirates who, at the moment, we couldn’t tell if had joined Covert’s side or were only taking advantage of our weakening settlements.

Her parents now had two kids working under me, expecting their protection. It only drove me to want to do everything I could to keep her safe. I could not control Rex—he was twenty and able to do as he pleased—but Elie, I had every say in how involved she was.

“Explosives are both our first and our last line of defense,” I preached, remembering what Prescott had told us from the early days of The Compound.

Elie crossed her arm, dropping the prototype and tapping her foot. “That doesn’t make any sense, simple English would be nice.”

“The minefields,” I said, pointing to the field around us, “will signal their arrival. We have scouts for our first warning, but scouts can be compromised.”

“Or avoided,” Prescott mumbled in reference to Alexiares.

He was a sneaky little prick, which was part of the reason I’d gone to bat for him with Amaia. Anyone who could get around our scouts and my spies belonged in my service and put to good use.

“Right. So if they get past our scouts or, hell, even if we receive word from the scouts, it’s an advantage to know exactly when the bad guys arrive.” I tried my best to explain in layman’s terms. “If it’s Pansies, they’ll trigger them all. They won’t be able to make out our pattern. If it’s humans, that’s worse.”

“Why?” Elie asked.

She was young enough that her time outside the walls had made her crave violence. It was a part of her and every other child between the ages of six and eighteen at The Compound. Which also meant that a lot of what they knew about Pansies had been sensationalized from their memory and stories they’d heard and not pure fact.

“Because humans learn, adapt. Some quicker than others,” Prescott said, pulling Elie from my side and bringing her under his huge wingspan.

“Correct.” I confirmed, “There will be chaos, screams, but they’ll keep coming. We’ll have other defenses in place. If they get to our gates, that’s when we blow them up a second time, make sure they stay down.”

“And the soldiers outside, what happens to them?”

Elie was so curious. There wasn’t a question that came to mind that she wouldn’t ask. That wasn’t a good thing when it came to her. Someone else close to me had a similar quality, and curiosity had a way of killing the cat.

“We can’t worry about that. They know their job, Eleanor; many have given their lives to hold that gate, to protect us all.” My mind wandered to my fallen friend. “We have measures in place. Most of them are air elementals, and they are adequately prepared to withstand a blast if they keep their wits about them.”

Elie’s posture went rigid and her brown eyes wide.

“Don’t worry, Els,” Prescott attempted to reassure her, but it sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself. “If our communication lines hold, they’ll be okay. That part’s up to me—it won’t fail as long as I’m standing.”

Elie peered up at him in admiration and I hid my grin, knowing at least that last part was true. He may have been trying to reassure the two of them, but I had full faith in everything Prescott’s power and everything he had to offer.

“You know, Pres,” I prodded, “we could always use you out on the field.”

“I’m just an old man, I’m not worth much.” Prescott sheepishly surveyed the green, overgrown field before us.

It was a lie, and he knew it. Being bothSupraand a Scholar, he was a threat. A true force to be reckoned with. Knowledge mixed with power was deadly.

“Come on, man,” I said, giving him a playful shove, “I know you’ve got some wicked war history stored up there. Whatever happened tohistory repeats itself from those who don’t learn from it?”

“That is exactly why the old man must sit this one out,” Prescott ruffled Elie’s curls, earning him a few play punches to the gut.

I chucked, moving closer to the minefield in draft, opting to take a closer look at the soldiers mapping things out. An ear-piercing scream sounded to my left, and I backed up, pushing Elie directly behind me. Harley and Suckerpunch bounded over, taking up her rear, low protective growls coming deep within their chests. Harley crouched down, head pointed toward the brush lining thefield. Elie’s fingers grazed the top of Suckerpunch’s head as he paced at her feet.

“What the hell?” Prescott asked, pulling his rifle around to the front of his body. “Stay here.”

“Language, Prescott!” Elie called after him nervously. He waved her off, striding toward the tree line.

I cursed myself, unsure if the mini forest I’d ordered to be erected in preparation for creating our own lethal battlefield had damned us. The idea was to cause confusion with the enemy. I’d hoped to create a type of maze for the unsuspecting as they approached, directing them to exactly where I wanted them—the minefield.

“Eleanor,” I cautioned, stroking the nape of my neck, “take Harley and Suckerpunch and go to your spot.”

“Screw that,” she spat.

I whirled on her, a wild snarl taking up her face, uncontrolled wind formed around her. “This isn’t up for negotiation. Go,now.”

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