Page 121 of First Ritual

Font Size:

Page 121 of First Ritual

“All of the missions except two,” Bedwyr said.

“Territories though,” I pressed. “Not to seize novice rooms or the weapons or charms stores. Actual territories.”

“Five of fourteen missions pertain to seizing territories,” said a woman closer to Corentin than any other person in the room. “We have the only two-territory mission, which leaves four individual territory missions in play.”

I lifted a shoulder. “If they try for one of your heavily dominated territories, then you have plenty of defense close by. If they go for a territory we’re going for, then a higher number of attacking magus works in our favor. The main risk of sending in more attacking magus would be to your occupation at the border of your held ground, and that would be the easiest to reclaim given your surrounding numbers. In my opinion, more magus are needed to battle for the second territory in order to win.”

Sage was frowning. “Why those numbers specifically, though?”

Eek. “That’s what my magic says.”

I heard the words echoed by a few proven. Plain derision coated the faces of some, intrigue on others. Boredom on a few.

Sage’s head was tilted as she watched me, “I’ll bring that to the final strategy meeting. Thank you, Bronte. Let’s vote. All for the defense plan?”

A third of the hands rose, mine included.

“All for the attack plan,” she said.

The majority of hands rose.

Sage shrunk both plans and slipped them into the same pocket as the other one. “Thank you, proven. Please standby for final orders tomorrow afternoon. Rest your magic, be on the outlook for any unusual behavior from Fertim, and otherwise go about things as normal. Off you trot!”

I waited for the bottleneck of proven to dwindle, stretching tall and groaning. My lack of sleep last night was catching up to me. I expected tonight would be the same after time with my quipu and more time with the tower of demon books from the library.

Keeping busy was good.

Maybe I’d skip dinner and head straight to my quarters.

“Hey, Bronte?”

I glanced at Bedwyr. “Yeah?”

He grimaced. “Look, I appreciate your gesture of sitting next to me in the meeting. The conversation finished in a weird way yesterday.”

Weird was putting it lightly, but pride worked in strange ways. “Don’t mention it. I really do want to be friends.”

His expression turned serious. “Then can I say something as your friend?”

Groan. I’d given him the perfect in. “Of course.”

“After leaving your room, I found Wild in the hall. He went for me.”

I frowned. “You think he believed there was something happening between us?”

Bedwyr lifted a shoulder. “He seemed jealous, yeah, but excessively so. Possessive is the word, I guess. I just… as a friend, I’m worried he’s not good for you.”

Uh-huh. And he had no personal interest in me breaking up with Wild at all. “Thanks for the warning. I appreciate it.”

“The things he was saying.” Bedwyr leaned in. “He said he’d transfer me out of the coven if I didn’t leave you alone—if I so much as looked or breathed your way. I nearly believed him. That reaction isn’t fucking normal, no matter how you look at it.”

Not even if Wild caught a little demon off me? “I’ll speak to him and see what was up,” I replied. “He’s been under a lot of stress, and if there’s one thing I’ll say about Wild, it’s that he does reflect on encounters like that.”

Bedwyr frowned. “You can only say one thing about the guy you’re dating? Is he trapping you into this somehow? He’s a councilman—his family is a huge name. Please know you can come to me if he’s misusing his power.”

I gripped his forearm. “I promise you that nothing like that is going on. I really like Wild. I’m excited to see what we may have.”

His nose wrinkled, and I pulled a face, saying, “Right. Sorry. Thanks for your concern all the same.”




Top Books !
More Top Books

Treanding Books !
More Treanding Books