Page 30 of Conflicted Fate
I snorted, and then, as one, we looked up at Jurvin’s warrior band.
“Anyone else want to try to keep us here?” Kiel snarled.
A path cleared for us, and we took it, walking down the hallway and out into the fenced-off yard that surrounded the palace. The gates were open, one of them barely hanging on from where Jurvin had charged it. We walked through them and into the city, picking up the pace.
I headed for the southwestern bridge, the one with the most direct route to Lycaon, but fingers on my arm stalled me.
“What? I thought we were headed toward Lycaon?” I asked, pointing. “It’s that way.”
“Jurvin made a good point,” Kiel said. “We can’t do this alone. As much as I want to beat them there, we’re going to need help. We need a plan. Just walking into Lycaon and trying to attack is a good way for us all to end up dead and hand Lycaonus his victory.”
“But Teagetes is almost there.”
“It’s going to take them days, if notweeks, to free Lycaonus from the mountain. He’s buried deep. Yes, the others will be in the city when he arrives, and we’ll have to find a way to lure them out. But no matterwhatwe do, we can’t do it with just the two of us. We need help.”
I nodded, acceding to his logic. “You’re right. Where do we get it?”
“The rebellion,” he said. “Andi and Clive will have our backup base running by now. Perhaps not fully operational, but for now, it’s our best bet. From there, we can send out word. See how many will come.”
“And if it’s not enough?”
“It will have to be,” he said quietly, pulling me along toward the southeastern bridge.
I jogged alongside him as we left the city behind. I hoped Jurvin and his band would go easy on the citizens of Teagan. They didn’t deserve the plundering, but I knew even worse would happen if we didn’t stop Lycaonus.
“Hopefully, they’ve gotten in touch with most people by now,” I said, trying to sound optimistic.
“I’m sure they’ve done their best,” Kiel grunted. “You must be ready for what that will entail, however.”
I frowned. “Wait? Me? What are you talking about? Who will be there?”
Kiel glanced over at me. “I would assume Gare will be there,” he said softly. “And youwillmake things right with him. No matter how painful.”
“Oh,” I said, my heart going into overdrive, making my hands clammy. “Right. Yeah. He needs to hear about his father.”
“From you, Jada.”
“Yeah, from me,” I said, suddenly no longer as eager to see Clive and Andi.
Our visit would not be pleasant.
I hardened my will because, as true as that was, it was my fault it had gotten so far. It was time to put things right.
Now, if only I could predict how Gare would handle me telling him his father was dead.
Chapter Sixteen
Icame to a halt, my paws digging deep into the soft grasses of the untilled field we were crossing, the final stretch before we reached the new hideout. In mere minutes, we would be there.
Which was why I was stopping.
The stiff wind brushed against my fur, sending rippling waves through the long white hair that translated into soft touches against the skin far beneath. Closing my eyes, I reveled in the sweet caress of nature, devoid of any sounds of civilization. In fact, the only thing I could hear beyond the roar of my pulse was Kiel panting softly nearby.
Despite him saying we had time, that excavating Lycaonus would be a task measured in weeks compared to days—if notmonths—we didn’t intend to dawdle. After all, the Alpha was one lucky guess away from being dug up even earlier. We had six other immortals to kill before that happened.
Thus, the relentless pace Kiel had set as we headed deeper into Teagan territory. The mountain range that separated the empire from those on the outside ran northwest-southeast in a line. However, there was a range that curved out and around to partially enclose the vast plains of Teagan from the bottom, forming a sort of semi-circle of mountains around the farming territory.
It was toward those mountains we were headed. Even now, the nearest loomed above us, the edge of the plains two miles away, perhaps less. Then, the ground rose sharply, becoming rocky and covered in scrub.
