Shadow War: Book 3 of the Shadows Rising Trilogy (WIP Rough Draft)

6. Not Entirely According to Plan

8th of Eylestre

Erdan and Hedwyn were the last in, shrugging out of their damp coats as they took their places next to Rugga and Phaestra on the far side of the map table.

Orrelian's eyes sparkled with repressed good humor. "Bit 'o trouble?"

"Need ta fix that South Hoddle Street gutter. Th'entrance were a foot deep in overflow," Hedwyn muttered, mopping at his face and hair with his neckerchief.

"It's been coming down hard for a while. We had to go the long way around to Redtree alley," Erdan supplied. He wiped rainwater from his nose as he surveyed the maps, the sheaf of sylvo prints, and the strategy board Orrelian had been working on. "Busy night?"

Orrelian nodded, his gaze flicking briefly to Arramy and then to me. "Could say that." Then he glanced around at the rest of the team. "Right. So. T'catch y'up, Miss Warring and Cap'n solved Razhan's code in the wee hours, and now we've got ourselves a good list o' viable, verified targets." He pointed at one of the Xs on the map table, located in the winding mess of backstreets that made up the poor district of Southside. He peered up at Erdan. "What make-ee there?"

A smile spread over Erdan's face.

Rugga let out a laugh and swatted at him. "Go on, get your gloat over."

Hedwyn heaved an angry sigh and crossed his arms, biceps and chest muscles bulging. "It's perfect, innit? Shoulda done something about that lot last winter, when we told ya we were seeing activity, but no... had to wait til Sir Almighty put a mark on it for us."

Beside me, Marin shook her head in annoyance. "Hed, you know very well why we couldn't take that nest last year. They were moving them too fast. Now we've got the arrival time, even the shipment size," she said, snatching up the sylvo she had been studying and shoving it across the table at him. "Going in blind is too dangerous. If we miss, they'll just move, and we'll be right back at the beginning, hunting for leads again."

Hedwyn let his jaw jut but didn't say anything more, casting a sullen glare at Arramy's end of the table as Orrelian held up his hand for quiet.

"None of this is competition." Orrelian said, tone sharp, his dark gaze skewering Hedwyn first, then moving to the rest of us, one by one. "There be no tally keeping, just better information. We've got where and when, now, so we have to decide which targets are most valuable. Just so happens... there's human cargo moving through this nest tonight, and saving those people be our first goal." He tapped the X over Southside. "Erdan, Hedwyn, you'll be going on that with me." He paused as Rugga slapped Erdan on the back. "Marin, Rugga, Ynette, you'll come with us. For the rest of ya..."

He grabbed a marking stick and scrawled a circle around the rail line north of Razhan's estate. "The slaves are going south through the city, but they're coming in from this rail, here, and something else is moving on from there into Lodes. Something big, looks like. Cog, think you can take out that line? I'm not talking a little bit. I want it so far gone it'll take months to rebuild. And I want whatever is in those freight bins gone."

Cog rubbed his chin, then nodded slowly. "I got the gear, yeah."

"Good." Orrelian straightened. "Cap'n will be heading this one. Compare notes on what sort engine Razhan's using, what sort ordinance you'll need to get job done. Phaestra, you'll provide support, an' Bren, you'll go as extra hands, eyes an' ears. Right?"

Surprised, I glanced up to find Orrelian giving me a speculative squint. I had been hanging back, watching the team meeting from the fringes, sure I would be relegated to the hangar. "Yes, sir." I nodded, aware of Marin's gaze on my face.