Witch's Pyre (Worldwalker 3)

“I can do this,” Lillian said defiantly.

“I know you can,” Lily replied. “But maybe we should have Rowan monitoring us? He can take much better care of you than I can.”

Lillian shook her head and sealed her lips, still unwilling to let Rowan touch her.

“I really hope I’m not as stubborn as you,” Lily snapped.

Lillian laughed. “Oh, you are.” She sighed in frustration as the two of them got off the ground. “I need to learn this. Now,” she said.

For the past few hours the three armies had made a tenuous camp on the side of the mountain while the leaders of the factions talked to their people. Raptors were picking off pack animals from above and the Pride was taking the rear-flanking battalions, but there was no help for it. Lily had given Lillian the vibration she needed to get to the redwood grove, but she still had to learn how to jump before she could move herself and her army.

Captain Leto appeared at the entrance to Lillian’s tent. Chenoa and Alaric were behind him and he escorted them inside.

“Sit,” Lillian said stiffly, making it clear that although she had saved Chenoa’s life, there would have been no love lost if she hadn’t. She gestured to a small camp table and chairs that were set up in the middle of her quarters.

“There was one Woven attack on our eastern flank while you were occupied,” Leto informed her. He helped her into her chair at the head of the table and stood behind her.

“Casualties?” she asked.

“Five killed, seventeen wounded,” he replied. His lips tightened as he looked at Alaric. “And there have been several brawls that have broken out since the arrival of . . . them.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Lillian said.

Lily called to her coven in mindspeak. Rowan, Tristan, Caleb, Una, and Breakfast all entered the tent and arranged themselves behind Lily’s chair at the other end of the table, opposite Lillian.

Chenoa narrowed her eyes at Breakfast. “I know you, boy,” she said.

“No, you know Red Leaf,” Lily corrected.

“Does he have the gift?” Chenoa asked. When Lily nodded, Chenoa cackled. “Watch that he doesn’t go crazy.”

Crusty old bat, Breakfast whispered in mindspeak.

Lily stifled a smile as Mary bustled into the tent with a grim look on her face and Riley in her wake. After Lily quickly introduced her to Lillian, Alaric, and Chenoa, Mary took the final seat at the table. Riley stood behind her as her second.

“The long and short of it is this,” Mary said with no preamble. “The below folk won’t go west if you’re just going to blow it up.”

“Many of my braves won’t go either. Not unless it’s for a home,” Alaric said.

Captain Leto made a dismissive sound as his eyes flicked away. Alaric’s nostrils flared in barely contained ire.

Lillian held up a hand to stave off an argument between them. “We can’t fight the Hive soldier to soldier. We’ll lose,” she said.

Mary and Alaric looked to Lily. “She’s right,” Lily said reluctantly. “They outmatch us in numbers and in strength. We can’t beat them.”

“Maybe not with the kind of soldiers you’ve provided,” Captain Leto said. “Walltop soldiers are different.”

“The only way to destroy the Hive is at its source,” Lillian said, defusing another argument between Leto and Alaric. “Bower City. Once we do that, the rest of the country is anyone’s for the taking.” She turned to Chenoa. “How much land would be lost if one of your bombs was detonated underground?” she asked.

“Depends how deep you go, what kind of bedrock we’re talking about,” Chenoa replied, palms up. “I could give you some estimates if you could give me some more facts about the terrain.”

“Whoa, wait,” Una said, waving her hands in the air. “You want to detonate underground?”

“From what Lily showed me, that’s where the Queen and the actual hive is. That’s where the bomb will be most useful,” Lillian replied.

“But isn’t Bower City, like, right above the San Andreas Fault?” Una gave a semi-hysterical laugh. “Someone please tell them why they can’t do that.”