Neeko stood at the end of a hall, silently perched and waiting for them to catch up yet again.
"How do you know that?" Camille whispered.
"Because their remains lie in the sanctuary tomb we walked through when we entered the vault."
Camille's mouth gaped in shock, but before she could process Theo's revelation, a putrid stench hit her nose and Theo dropped into a crouch at the end of the hall. A slight scraping of metal on wood rang out from the depths of the empty corridor. He pulled her down beside him before tossing the torch back down the hall from the direction they had come, submerging their surroundings into pitch black.
"You think it's him?" Camille asked in a barely audible whisper, blindly grasping for Theo's hand in desperation to know that she wasn't alone.
"No idea. But if it is, Acher isn't alone. You smell that?"
She did: the putrid stench of Chimera wafted through the air with the promise of at least four beasts awaiting their arrival.
***
Vesyon shook his hands out as the wind pulled against the sleeves beneath his leather armor. His entire body felt tight with anticipation, making it hard to wiggle his fingers freely. Even the leather chest protector felt like too much. He hated being weighed down during a fight and usually found it unnecessary as a Praetorian, but the Chimera's presence required additional protection.
In their head-to-toe garb of green and white, iron and leather armor, the Romeo Village Rogues resembled little green bugs marching toward an inescapable slaughter. The massive black beast that was the High Court would flick them aside, killing each one of them upon impact. Vesyon knew by now that their plan was going to fail but was hesitant to show it for fear the soldiers scurrying around him would see. His confidence was flimsy at best, and he was struck with the desire to laugh sardonically as he watched three huge warships cut through the clouds in the distance. They needed more time, months of it, to prepare for what was already knocking at their door.
The entirety of their Rogue army crouched along the far south side of the compound, hunkering in the tall grass like lion cubs waiting to pounce. It was slightly laughable with their small numbers, but there was nothing else they could do. It was too late; the Chimera alone outnumbered Vesyon's troops, not to mention the hundreds of Equestrians bringing up the rear. The Rogues had a mere handful of men posted in the trees to gun down whomever they could. He hated to be the cynic, but this wasn't a promising outcome even with the plan to vacate the premises as soon as the alarm rang.
"Get that scowl off your face," Vesyon barked at Phillip as they passed through the town square. "You're scaring them."
"This was a bad idea," Phillip shot back in a hushed tone.
Together they moved toward the area where most of the troops were waiting. They'd left the gates to Romeo Village open, and the compound's entryway was impossible to miss. Now all they needed to do was wait for the invasion to begin.
"And it was mostly your idea," Phillip went on, eyes wide with worry. Neither Vesyon nor Phillip had seen Charlie in over an hour, and Vesyon hadn't missed the General's fingers drumming against his thigh as her absence stretched on.
Vesyon glared despite the justification of Phillip's fears. "The only option we have is to stand our ground. We know how much LeMarc is willing to sacrifice to get what he wants—but we still don't know why."
The pair of them moved through the waist high grass along the edges of the outer wall. Their boots crunched loudly in the frozen underbrush, the noise ricocheting through the silence.
"You think sacrificing our people—sending them to their deaths—will tell you why he wants this stupid plant so badly?"
Vesyon stopped suddenly and faced Phillip. "I'm sorry if you feel this is an unwarranted and unnecessary attack. I believe the opposite. This isn't only about his search for Ephidra Lily; it is to confirm that he's making a move. We’ve had eight years, Phillip. There was no other way to prepare for this."
Phillip glowered back at Vesyon, his head tilted downward. "You are sending my men to slaughter. They will die today, you know this."
"Then I will die as one of them!" Vesyon burst out.
"And Camille? You're willing to sacrifice her?" Phillip knew all too well that he'd hit a nerve, yet he continued. "She was never part of the plan, Captain. We shouldn't be standing to fight, we should be running from it. If you believe there's a purpose in this plan though, I will stand beside you and fight."
Vesyon nodded and extended his hand. "I believe this is the only way. The rebellion must breathe life again, and if this is the spark to set loose the flame, then we must make it."
Phillip took it without hesitation, grasping Vesyon's wrist in firm solidarity.
A thunderous boom rang out overhead as the mortar fire rained in from the proceeding ships. Cannon fire exploded into the main square of the village, pulverizing the weathered skeleton of the remaining structures.
"Charlie knows to fight only until the warning horn sounds for retreat, right?" Vesyon asked.
Theo was supposed to have been with him to keep a second set of Praetorian eyes on Charlie and Phillip, as he'd always been Vesyon's right hand in times of battle. He needed him, but Camille needed him more. There was no way he was going to allow Camille to stand on the front line, and Theo had been the only one he trusted to get her out of harm's way.
"Theo showed her several weeks ago where to retreat to; she knows to cut and run at the horn. She's very aware of how much time she has to get away from the village before the detonation of the underground. Once she's
