Page 127 of Moon Claimed

“If you lie to me again, we’ll have a problem,” I told her. “And if you need something from my office in the future, you need only ask.”

Pink tinged her cheeks. “Understood, Head Steward.”

“Let’s focus on Clay.”

I returned my attention to the grid, scanning the area sans binoculars. They were a joke with my better sight.

The east and west team were busy digging. They’d dig as far into the clay rises as possible and then pack the entrances. Hopefully that would prevent Luthers from filling in our tunnels between times. We’d only know if the plan was successful the next time we played here.

Tunnels were a long-term plan.Years,really.

We’d had pitifully few ideas for Clay this week. Water was the real whammy for us, but Clay allowed so little room for new tactics. The terrain was gluggy and played against our physical strengths. The Luthers didn’t allow us to make trap advancements from battle to battle.

My only thought was to use their own past strategy against them. Theskycould be utilised. And then, like us, the Luthers could spend the next week picking up tranquiliser darts.

I checked my phone and clicked my walkie. “This is Big Red. Wrap it up. We’ve got fifteen left. Over.”

Three confirmations came through. Nothing from Rhona—no surprises there. With next week off Grids because of the new moon, I’d give her two weeks to sort her shit. If I didn’t see visible change, I’d relieve her of the dawn training positionandher team leader position on the field.

A series of “Clears” reached me five minutes before the cannon.

Everyone was in position.

Boom.

My gums ached at the surge in adrenaline in the air, tangible on my tongue.

“You think they’ll sweep the area like last time?” I murmured.

“After Timber, I’d be surprised.”

The counter-strategy team thought so too. The terrain here could lend itself to the same strategy we used in Timber—and Sascha wouldn’t miss that.

We were prepared either way.

The wordsOperation Bakinglingered on my lips, but I swallowed the words back. I had to time it right.

“Looks like we were right,” she said.

I squinted. “What are those things on their backs?”

The Luthers below unravelled hoses, climbing the uneven tiers formed by the extraction of Clay over time.

My mouth bobbed as they sprayed the top of the clay mounds.Crap.

“They’re making it too dangerous to occupy high ground,” Pascal said. “Smart.”

Any steward up there had vacated on sight of the Luthers. Even with the wolves retreating to lower ground, my team couldn’t return to occupy the highest positions in the grid.

And I couldn’t use the drones too soon or the Luthers would recover from the tranquiliser dose.

We had another option.

I clicked my walkie. “Big Red here. High ground is too dangerous to occupy. Prepare for Operation Banh Mi. Over.”

Hopefully, most of the stewards had done as instructed and kept an eye out for crevices and cracks during the first hour. Not everyone would find a place, but we needed a rapid change of plan now we’d lost high ground advantage.

I waited a full two minutes. “Big Red. Initiate Operation Bahn Mi. Continue for duration. Over.”