Operation Save the Gibbouses
1793 Words
Rowan’s POV
I don’t know how to feel about all this.
Frankly, I never liked Sophie. She was never kind to me; she never showed me this “big heart” Corrin speaks of.
But Red loves her, and I love and trust Red enough that it doesn’t really matter how I feel about Sophie. If she wants to save Sophie, then that’s what we’ll do.
But Corrin? My own sister has to be the one to risk her life for the wench?
Westley, of course, instantly volunteers to join her.
“Hold on a second,” says Logan. “What exactly are you two volunteering to do? Sneak into the Crescent Castle undetected and smuggle the Gibbouses out?”
“Why not?” Corrin asks hotly. “We did it for Red, didn’t we? Snuck into a vampire castle and smuggled her out?”
“That wasn’t exactly undetected,” I can’t help but point out. “But, I mean, we did get through most of a kingdom of vampires undetected. Sort of.”
I still can’t believe we pulled it off.
“The bottom line is, I’m doing it,” Corrin says sharply. “So you lot can either help me with it, or let me go at it alone.”
“Not alone,” Westley reminds her. The guy really is too much.
“I’d go with you if I could, Cor,” I tell her. I hate the thought of her doing it, but I know better than to try to stop her. “But I won’t leave Red.”
I glance at my father, curious what his reaction might be to me calling her Red. He doesn’t look surprised or disappointed, which suggests to me that my mother already filled him in on what she deduced yesterday. I wonder what he thought about it.
“I’ll go,” decides Emmett Eclipse in his most gallant—also known as obnoxious—voice.
You may have just been right, I link thoughtfully to Red. He must have a thing for her.
Macie clears her throat, glancing at Red. “I care very much for both Corrin and Lady Sophie, but I also feel that my place is by the queen’s side. Your Majesty, what would ask of me?”
Red frowns, glancing at my father. “How many would you suggest for such a mission?”
He still doesn’t looked thrilled with the plan, nor with the fact that his daughter is the one volunteering to lead it. “Frankly, whether it’s three or fifty, they’ll be dead in the water the moment anyone sees them. So, I suppose I’d say the less, the better. Stealth is their only shot at making it.”
Everyone falls silent.
“If I may,” says Emmett, “there is one person I would suggest to be our fourth and final member. He’s not here with us, but he’s in the campgrounds. He knows the kingdom backwards and forwards, and he’s the finest weapon-master in the realm.”
I glance at Red, not sure who he means. She seems equally perplexed.
My father, of course, knows. He knows everything. “Bentley Jackson.”
“The royal armorer?” asks Red thoughtfully. “I always liked him, but I didn’t realize he was so… worldly.”
“He was based out of the Crescent Castle,” explains Emmett, “but he traveled all over for his trade.”
“Are we sure we can lose him?” asks Brody. “Do we not need the royal armorer for the upcoming war?”
“Lose” him, Red links to me. Poor choice of words.
Indeed.
“Bentley’s apprentice, Lucas Ness, has been with him for years,” says Edward. “In terms of the weaponry, we’d be fine. And we wouldn’t need Bentley’s knowledge of the land for our purposes. It’s not a bad idea—if he’ll go for it.”
“He’ll go for it.” Emmett really seems to be putting on a show. Is it for Corrin’s benefit? “I’ll convince him.”
- - - - -
True to his word, Emmett convinces Bentley to join Operation Rescue the Gibbouses by the following evening. The morning after that, Red gathers everyone up for a giant meeting. It’s the first time I’ve seen her use her wings, and watching her soar into the sky to talk to her subjects is my new most favorite experience of all time.
Okay, top five, at least. There are just so many with her.
“I know you’re all afraid,” she tells them. “I am, too. We’ve been pushed out of our homes—again—and we’ve lost our king. Now, for those of you who don’t know, I spent the last few days in Archon, where Ramsay Eaton…”
She trails off, and I’m glad for it. I can’t even hear his name without wanting to destroy everything within a hundred-yard radius of me; I certainly can’t bear the thought of her telling all of these people what he did to her.
“Well, he was cruel,” she says. “And Rowan and I killed him for it.”
A deafening chorus of cheers erupts, and it somehow manages to put a smile on my face, despite the lingering reminder of the vampire from the Sun’s Hell.
“I struck a deal with the new leader of the vampires,” she continues. “Meridian is ours again.”
More cheers. Most of them already knew, I reckon, but there’s still something nice about hearing your queen say it.
“In one week, once we’ve all had the chance to recover from our battle wounds, we will start the journey to Meridian. There, we will re-establish our roots while I take a team of wolves into the neighboring kingdoms to seek out allies who will help us defeat Sawyer Lancaster once and for all.”
Even louder cheers. If there’s one thing everyone here agrees on, it’s that Sawyer Lancaster is the scum of the earth.
“I want you all to know one thing, before we start our journey forward. After this one thing, I encourage each and every one of you to come up to me with any and all questions and concerns, and I promise you that I will listen. But first, I need you to understand this: The Gibbouses are not our enemies. The Lancasters, as you all have seen, are our enemies. And they slaughtered two of the Gibbouses—their own Alpha and his son—before our very eyes. Should a time come that Sophie and Marleigh Gibbous return to us, I beg you to welcome them with open arms. They are not traitors, but prisoners. That, I promise you.”
This time, there aren’t cheers.
There’s just… confusion.
It makes sense, I suppose. So many of them simply have no way of knowing how it all went down. So many of them must have assumed that the Lancasters acted under the Gibbous’ orders. I’m glad she cleared it up, though I get the sinking feeling that some of her subjects might be judging her for it.
“Now, then.” She smiles, seemingly unbothered by the silence. “Enjoy the rest of your week in beautiful Vila—and be sure to thank our most gracious hosts, the king and queen.”
- - - - -
Our most gracious hosts, as it turns out, want something in return.
“You told your people that you would re-establish your roots in Meridian,” Maxton says to Red over dinner that evening. Kenton and Nelle have joined us, but other than that, it’s just us. “But what of Canis, when you overthrow Sawyer?”
Red stops chewing and glances thoughtfully up at Maxton. She doesn’t seem as surprised by his question as me; apparently her not having mentioned Canis was intentional. “You want it back.” It’s not a question, but a statement.
Maxon glances at Leighton, who says, “We do not demand it, Your Majesty. But we certainly do want it.”
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, the thought of us losing Canis. But it was never truly our home—not like Meridian is. I think Red knows that.
“When the fighting is done,” Red says, taking a swig of wine, “I should like to discuss some provisions with you. There will be wolves whose hearts would break to leave their homes. Perhaps they could become your subjects. But, if it’s all right with you, I think we should win the war first.”
Maxton bow his head respectfully. “Indeed, Your Majesty. I agree.”
I expect the conversation to be over at that, but Red brings up another point—one that’s so ingenious, I could kiss her for it.
Okay, I could always kiss her. For anything. But still.
“Remember that potion you made me?” she asks Kenton and Nelle. “The… preservation of a flower?”
Nelle nods. “Indeed. Sounds like it came in handy, given the circumstances of the Lady Gibbous.”
She nods. “It did. I was wondering, though… Do you think there might be a way for you to make that same potion, but with one addendum—that it protects only against… unwelcome advances?”
Kenton and Nelle glance at each other uncertainly, but Leighton chimes in. “It is indeed possible. I’ve made several in my lifetime. It requires a great deal of power and resources, though. How many do you need?”
“Just one.”
I know before she says it who it’s for: Corrin. She’s sending her best friend into the lion’s den, and she wants to protect her as best she can before she does so.
I swear to the Moon Goddess, I’m the luckiest wolf in the world.
- Writer
