Page 52 of Fate of the Fallen
“It would put us on a very strict timeline, adding pressure to an already tense situation, but … I think we would all be willing to take a risk or two if it means putting this war behind us,” he shared.
“Absolutely, but what sort of risk are we talking here?”
He sighed before answering Elise’s question. “Well, to start, we need Hilda and the Elders, which will mean Sebastian can easily spy our plan if we don’t move quickly, before he does that little … head-hopping thing Hilda explained to us. If we move too fast, we can get ourselves in a heap of hot water. Move too slowly and Sebastian will see it coming and use our plan against us,” Dallas explained. “So, we’ve got to do this just right. Timing is everything.”
Elise was on her feet the next instant. “I’ll get Hilda back here right away and I’m certain the Elders will cooperate as long as what we propose is in the best interest of the clan.”
She left us the next second to make arrangements.
With Elise out of the room Dallas and I were left on our own. And it was then I realized there was more, something else he maybe hadn’t wanted to mention in front of her.
“What is it?” I asked.
He peered up and, being a soldier at heart, he made quick work of concealing his emotions again.
“I didn’t want to get Elise’s hopes up, but there’s been new info,” he started. “The kid I told you about, the one we snuck into Sebastian’s camp—he’s been busy.”
My brow tensed. I recalled him mentioning something like that during our first mission to Ridge Borough, but honestly hadn’t given it much thought since then. A Damascus Facility student had been recruited to act as our eyes and ears among Sebastian’s men. Until now, that wasallwe knew, but apparently Dallas was about to change that.
“He saw them,” Dallas whispered. “Evie, Beth. They’ve been in Ridge Borough since the night Blaise and the gang passed through.”
But … that didn’t make sense. We’d checked there several times, combing every inch of woods, every street and alley. Was it possible that we missed them?
Seeing my mind reel, Dallas interjected to say more.
“Before you ask, it’s a spell. The kid says Sebastian’s got a wholearmyof witches and they live for the sadistic tasks he gives them. So, we could have gone there a million and nine times andstillwould have come up empty.”
“I need the exact location,” I said in a rush, feeling like this sudden sense of urgency would eat me alive if I didn’t move.
“Easy now,” Dallas piped. “Since we’ve got ourselves a bonafied plan for once, we have to be careful. We stand to make a real mess of things if we aren’t smart. One stupid move and the whole plan’s shot to hell.”
I heard him and understood the stakes, but couldn’t accept what he proposed, that we just … wait. When I took a step toward the door, his hand planted firm in the center of my chest.
“Whoa, whoa … did you hear what I said?” he asked, his expression turning sympathetic when his gaze landed on me.
I was desperate and beyond having enough pride to hide it. I was a broken man, one on the verge of self-destruction.
His hand fell away, but he held my gaze.
“We have to give ourselves the best possible chance of succeeding, Liam. And as hard a pill as this is for you to swallow … the way to save Evangeline is not to storm into Sebastian’s town like a runaway train,” he reasoned. “Getting her out unharmed is gonna take stealth, precision, and wisdom. Any of those elements goes lacking and the whole thing blows up in our faces.”
I couldn’t fathom his request. Itsoundedlike he expected me to wait, wanted me to leave Evangeline out there while we waited for all the pieces to fit together.
I shook my head as words tumbled from my mouth. “I can’t … just … stop looking for her,” I breathed.
It didn’t matter that I knew magic hid her and going in alone would be an impossible task. The only thing that registered was that I now had confirmation of the general area where she’d been taken. At the moment, that sounded like more than enough.
Dallas didn’t budge. “Under normal circumstances, I’d never expect you to wait,” he sympathized, “but you know what we’re up against. We need every ace we’ve got if we stand a chance at pulling this off. So, if you rush in, guns blazing and blow the roof off the entire operation … there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get her out of this, no guarantee we’ll take down his entire army, no guarantee we’ll get what we need to help Ivan.”
His reasoning would have made perfect sense to a sane man. Only, I didn’t exactly meet those specifications at the moment.
My fists were clenched tight. For the most part, I didn’t disagree with his logic, but my heart wasn’t giving in as easily. It couldn’t seem to settle on the idea of more time passing, more time away from her.
Dallas and I stood facing one another in the foyer at a stalemate when Elise returned. The look of accomplishment she wore made it clear things on her end had gone according to plan.
“Well, I managed to get a call in to Hilda and she’ll be here by midnight.”
“And the Elders?” Dallas asked, finally pealing his eyes away from me.