Ve'Rah Daa (The Ephemeral: Book 3)

Chapter 35

**Quick note - I did the math, and my timeline was off. I've changed the Equinox deadline to an annual holiday called Sunrest, which I'll explain next chapter.**

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The masses revered Will like the royal heir he was.

Finally.

The children loved him, the clan chiefs respected him, the warriors he'd challenged considered him an equal or a treasured mentee, and Reese and the other women already considered him a son—and ideally, a son-in-law.

But that was just Rhea.

The Ellsians in attendance knew that his relationship with Siren had saved Holly. They'd heard him defend their comrades on the stand, despite the horrid treatment he'd received. They'd seen him fight for their country on the home front, and now, they'd watched him recruit thousands of soldiers to defeat his own bloodline.

The admiration was evident—and well-deserved.

"Unfortunately, Colona wasn't deserted," Will said to the circle of military personnel who'd gathered in the glade for a debriefing. "During our excavation, we ran into some Pans who weren't very keen on sharing their stockpile." His lips flattened with the weight of an unpleasant memory. "They were expecting us."

I didn't find it surprising that Regulas had foreseen the raid, but it was still unnerving. Because if he'd seen Will coming, then—

"The king knows we're here," Jeremy stated gruffly. He sported a purple bruise on his massive, freckled forehead, but like the others, he'd returned from the mission relatively unscathed. "Meaning we no longer have the element of surprise—assuming we ever had it—and if Sterling is smart, he's surrounded the palace with his entire army."

"His army and then some," I contributed, thinking of the crows he'd recruited before and the sparse wildlife we'd encountered on this trip. There was a good chance he'd summoned every demonic creature within a hundred square miles, and I was not looking forward to fighting a damn zoo.

"I'd prefer concentrated forces over his troops invading Ells while we're away," Siren reasoned, arching her back to take some of the baby weight off her spine. "At the end of the day, our objectives are the same: destroy the portal and spare as many lives as possible."

The circle nodded, and I found the accordance refreshing after working intimately with the Command for so long. I'd presented Mason's report this morning, thrilled to deliver some good news, and the Rheans had arrived with their own innovative contraptions ready for use. Within hours, our nonlethal approach had become perfectly feasible—beneficial, even—and Long-Nose was eating his words.

"As for the portal, we'll send Claus, Will, Koji, and Victor through the Rhean tunnels to destroy its foundation," Rover said, opening his flipchart to reveal a detailed map of Rhea's underground network. He turned to Will.  "Our activity should draw most of the guards away from the palace, but you'll need to move quickly. Sterling knows what we're after, and he'll do everything to preserve that bridge."

Will dipped his chin, and I bit my cheek. I knew the tunnels well too—I'd literally summoned an army of skeletons from their depths. Plus, I had firsthand experience destroying a portal in Holly, and I could wipe out any sentries with my back turned.

But my place was on the battlefield, and even with the portal masking my presence, I couldn't risk endangering the others.

...Right?

"What's the status on ammo?" Beckett asked. "Sister portals are one thing, but do we have enough energy for something that size?"

Molly sat at his side, drawing in the dirt with a stick Richard had been eyeing for half an hour, and I was surprised Laughlin even brought her along. Then again, it was unlikely the kid would have stayed put anyway; we were too much alike.