Ve'Rah Daa (The Ephemeral: Book 3)

Chapter 35

Rover deferred to our bomb expert.

"It's enough to bring the whole palace down," Claus answered, and he looked a little too proud of that fact. "I've designed the ammunition to be carried in three sets. That way, we distribute the weight evenly and can still fight our way in." He stroked his goatee, mischief swirling in those tiny eyes. "Of course, that means we all have to make it in alive."

"...Bring the palace down?" Laughlin echoed from across the circle. "With the king inside, then?"

We all looked to Will, and he studied the dirt for a few seconds, contemplating his answer and the political impact attached to it. "We believe Regulas is the delegate for all demon energy. Which means he's directly responsible for bringing those monsters into this world, and he compels them to kill and possess anyone who stands in his way." He swallowed thickly. "If we fail to destroy the portal, killing him should, at the very least, prevent new demons from crossing over. And if we succeed...then we've dug two holes with one shovel."

"And if you destroy the portal, but he survives the blast?" Laughlin posed. "Then what?"

"...Then he'll die by sword."

Whose sword it would be remained unuttered, but the implication was obvious. And while our comrades seemed surprised by Will's callousness, only a handful had seen what Regulas did to him, and only a fraction knew the trauma he'd endured for months at his brother's side.

This bloody conclusion was written in the stars from the very beginning.

"What happens if the king dies and the portal remains?" asked the chieftess of the Miyamoto Clan, taking it upon herself to fill Mason's role as nitpicker. "Or if destroying the bridge leaves the demons stranded in this dimension?" She crossed her arms. "Asa's efforts will attract every enemy in the vicinity, corporeal and otherwise. Do you expect them to fight them off, just the four of them? Are they expected to flee into the tunnel system?"

A few Rheans murmured to each other, voicing similar concerns.

"I'm with Homura on this. This magic system has too many unknowns. And even if the plan unfolds as intended, it sounds like a suicide mission," said Braidy, Will's older, cordial opponent from the Rite. "Are there no other options?"

My self-nomination slipped through the cracks before I could stop it, and I stood from my tree stump, puffing out my chest. "I could always—"

"No," half the group declared, and I sat back down with a huff.

Worth a shot.

"Let's face it.  This whole battle is a suicide mission," Victor said. He stubbed his joint on the tree he reclined against. "We either win this thing, or we die. That's the risk we all face. That's a gamble we've all made."

He and Siren brushed gazes, their eyes hardened by the ruthless whip of combat, and it chilled my blood. Victor was right; this was a perilous undertaking, and the realist in me knew that many of us here today wouldn't make it out alive.

I just couldn't think on that possibility too long—my heart wasn't built for tragedies. 

"We know what we're signing up for," Cillian conceded, "but Stripes is our only ambassador here, our only way of keeping Ellsians in check. We can't lose him." He immediately cringed, as if his words reeked of a comradery he wasn't ready to acknowledge. "What I mean to say is...Str—Sterling is essential in the aftermath, and I'm not. I'm willing to take his place in this mission."

I was tempted to second that for my own selfish reasons, but Will was quick to shut it down. "I appreciate the concern, Campbell," he said, quite unappreciatively, in fact. "But we've already discussed the alternatives. Canons. Grenades. Bottle Bombs. None of those are precise enough. The only way this stands a chance is if we do it properly." He examined every man and woman who'd seen more years on this earth than him. "I'm not about to send you to war without doing my part. And I'm the only one here who knows the palace tunnels inside and out. It's decided."