Most of him wanted to say, ‘fuck it’ and rush to Thalia’s aid, but a small portion couldn’t desert Daruvar when she’d left the place—and her people—under his protection. He also couldn’t see leaving the fortress with Gavriel, given what Sky had foreseen. Maybe that made him a superstitious fool, but he had to plan his course carefully and pick the path that didn’t end in tragedy.
I need the best of both worlds.
“Let’s have your brilliant plan,” Gavriel demanded.
Once, Raff would’ve made a joke about how that wasn’t his wheelhouse, but right now, Thalia needed his best, so he dug deep, and it wasn’t even that hard, when he reached for it. Without answering, he spun and strode toward the strategy room. Gavriel was still yapping at him, but Raff tuned him out as he reprogrammed the drones currently patrolling nearby. They’d all be back at base within half an hour.
The Noxblade grabbed his shoulder just as Magda came in. Her hair was freshly braided, and once Raff would have paid her a compliment or flirted a little, but those days were done. This task was too important to delay.
“Leave him alone, he’s trying to help your princess.” When Gavriel didn’t let go, Mags grabbed his arm and twisted. “Do we have to fight…again?”
Gavriel glared at her and uncoiled his fingers. “Don’t test me.”
“Why, do you like it or something?”
“Get out of my way or get a fucking room,” Raff snapped.
He pushed past them and ran for the stockpile his people had laid in before they left. Food would have been nice for the hungry workers in the kitchen, but instead, he had crates of munitions. If Thalia succeeded at Braithwaite, if Raff’s idea proved helpful at all, the scarcity of supplies would cease to be an issue after today.
All or nothing.
The other two followed him, and the group picked up Commander Olwyn along the way. “Do you know how to arm and load the drones?” he asked.
Mags nodded, but the Eldritch men offered blank looks. Raff sighed. “I’ll teach Olwyn. Mags, you show Gavriel the ropes. We need these in the air as soon as possible.”
“You’re striking at Braithwaite,” she guessed.
“Damn right I am. I’ll drop payloads on the fences. I don’t know exactly where Thalia is, but if she’s already inside, the distraction will draw forces away, and if she’s trying to get in, a breach in their defenses can only help her.”
“You’re planning to bombard a location where—” Gavriel clamped his teeth on the words, looking as if he meant to chew them and spit them out. “What an idiotic idea!”
“It’s the best I can do from here,” Raff said. “She left Daruvar in my care, but I’ll be damned if I leave her without backup. I can program the drones to scan for her, and if she’s nearby, I’ll abort the strike.”
“Do it,” Mags urged. “I agree with your assessment, and it seems unlikely that she can take out Ruark Gilbraith with only one Noxblade at her side.”
Thalia and Ferith, against a small army. He got cold chills just thinking about it, and he let out a snarl, nearly losing control of the fear and rage that made him want to go wolf and start running. No, can’t do that again.
With their help, Raff armed the drones with explosive shells. Good thing that the heavy weapons the Golgoth favored hadn’t reached Eldritch territory yet. One CTAK could’ve brought down the walls at Daruvar and turned the tide for Gilbraith, but the bulk of Tycho’s forces were scattered, the majority concentrated in bear country, which was Callum’s problem, not his.
“All right, new flight pattern laid in. I’ll monitor remotely from the strategy room. Payloads will deploy in five and a half hours.”
Nobody had stirred from the room, even when the chatelaine brought tea. There was nothing extra to be had in the larder, so Raff downed the herbal mess with a grimace and tried not to think about how hungry he was. If he was better at planning, he would’ve hunted down more than a rabbit. Still, the hot liquid did fill up his stomach a little. Magda caught his eye and made a face in sympathy.
“You don’t like it?” Gavriel asked, but he was talking to Mags.
“It tastes like wet weeds.”
Raff agreed, but he wouldn’t say so as Madam Isoline was gathering the dirty dishes. He’d never noticed this about Mags before, but she didn’t much care about people’s feelings. The housekeeper had doubtless done her best with limited supplies.
“Tact can be charming. You should read up on it,” he said to Mags.
She laughed. “Fuck that. Honesty is the best policy. That way nobody can ever claim they didn’t know what I’m about.”
“I’m sorry,” the chatelaine said quietly. “Will there be anything else?”
“No, thank you.” Raff gentled his tone.
Huh. Thalia’s people feel like mine. When did that happen? But there was no denying that he had the same urge to protect the Eldritch, just like they were members of his own pack. In fact, he was about ready to fight Magda over her rudeness; he squashed that urge with effort.
Commander Olwyn cleared his throat, likely noting the awkward atmosphere. “Are the drones on target?”
He stood, heading over to the screen to check, though he’d inspected their progress not more recently. “ETA ten minutes now. Too soon to scan for the princess specifically, but I’m not showing any humanoid life signs to the west.”
“That will be perfect as a distraction,” the commander said.
Mags nodded. “Let’s hope she’s found a way inside.”
With a sibilant curse, Gavriel lunged to his feet and started to pace. He didn’t look any paler than usual because his skin was like steamed fish
