Chapter 214

Almara’s Pov

An hour later, the plan is drawn up in the first with all of us huddled around it. After Robert finally calmed down after my insinuation that he was a double agent, Arthur was able to express his idea that maybe Robert should do exactly just that.

A rough sketch of the vampires’ territory is etched into the dirt with various rocks representing different buildings. This is all made from memory and as far as we know, the entire layout could have changed since we were there last.

Who knows, with their newly acquired familiars everything about their setup could be different. The only building that we assume has to remain stable is the councilmen’s building. There would be no way to relocate it when it’s already the most expensive building in the center of the city.

If anything, the councilmen would have every other market, housing, and road work around their building. Grace may not be held at that specific building, but the men in charge are and if we can at least get to them we can get to her.

“What makes you so sure they’re going to believe me?” Robert says, still unhappy about my accusations and even less thrilled that we’re now using him as bait.

“They might not,” Arthur admits. “But, that’s why you have to be convincing,” Arthur says flashing Robert a quick smile.

“And how do you expect me to do that?” Arthur mutters.

“If you can get me to acknowledge you as my firstborn on t.v, I think you can manage this,” Roman says. It almost sounds like a compliment, but I think he means it to be more of a warning.

“Tell them that you made a mistake choosing to be a wolf,” Arthur says. “Last they know is you were a mutated hybrid, who then underwent a cleansing and rid yourself of both natures, became fully werewolf and realize you hate it,”

“Yes, but what if they bite me and I become a ‘mutated hybrid’ as you so kindly put it, again?”

“Then we’ll get the cleansing position again and do the whole dance all over,” Arthur says losing his patience with Robert’s useless protests. “You’ll do whatever it takes to get them to believe you. That’s an order. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” Robert mumbles. That’s the other thing about this whole plan that we haven’t worked out yet.

Once Robert gets into vampire territory, assuming they don’t just kill him on the spot, we know of no way for him to relay any information back to us. It’s not like he can simply call us, especially not when our phones are likely to be tapped.

In fact, that’s the part of the plan we all instantly agreed on. We have to ditch our phones and handle this old school. We move as a pack, using howls to reach one another, relying on our advanced sense of hearing and smell for danger.

“Let’s just figure out the rest of the plan,” Arthur says with a sigh. He crouches down next to Arthur and studies the elementary map outline of the vampire's territory.

“You’ll be entering here,” Arthur says pointing to where a twig is lying. The dried-up twig is representative of the barren land we had to cross before we rammed down their pointed black fence.

“We can only travel as a pack up until this point,” Arthur continues and lets his hand draw a line in the dirst about half way behind the twig. “If we come any closer, we risk being spotted and the entire cover is blown.”

“We’ll still be able to hear you should the plan deteriorate at this stage,” Charles says, offering some solace to the whole situation.

“Yes, but it can’t,” Arthur says looking squarely into Robert’s eyes.

“And it won’t,” Robert gives a firm nod.

“Once you’re in, whoever lets you in, they’ll probably deliver you right to the councilmen,” Arthur says and draws a line from the entrance path to the center of the map where a shiny rock is planted into the ground. He uses a leaf to represent Robert and presses the leaf into the ground so it doesn’t blow away.

He then uses his hand and draws a big half-circle from where we’re waiting on the outskirts to the outer sides of where the councilmen building is, still far away enough that we won’t be seen. Hopefully.

“We’ll try to stay on your scent as you’re being led to the councilmen. We’ll come around to the side which will put us at an advantage should we need to come running to you because we’ll be entering in through backways which may buy us some time,”

“You tell them that we have no idea you’re here, but you believe you can deliver them Grace. Chances are they will tell you to go get her and come back to show your seriousness, in which case you let them know you believe they already have her.”

I interject here, “Butter them up. Tell them that you have reason to believe this because of the civil war happening back in the wolf land. The Hurricane Pack is too busy fighting off their own that no one has even had a chance to locate Grace- which is why you came to them empty-handed,”

Arthur looks at me and smiles. He nods in agreement and adds on. “Tell them you have the plan figured out. That the civil war was intentional and meanwhile they have Grace the whole time. Tell them it’s genius,”

“They’ll either be too prideful to ignore the compliment or insulted that you should think you have them all figured out and maybe, just maybe, give you some important information about what they’re up to,” Another solider named Max says.

“Exactly,” Arthur says.

“And how do I give this information back to you?” Robert says looking between each of us, waiting for any of us to be able to answer that impossible question.

“Suggest they send you on a quest to prove your loyalty,” Arthur says though he refuses to meet Robert’s eye. There’s no way of knowing how the vampires will respond or what they’ll have Roman do.

“How long will you remain close by?” Robert asks,

“For as long as we can,” Arthur says. “One howl and we’re in there fighting for you and for our daughter,”

“What happens if I see Grace while I’m in there?” Robert asks. Arthur and I exchange uncertain glances about the best way to handle that if that happens to be how this whole endeavor unravels.

“Do I howl and we all fight then and there and hope for the best? Or, do I play it cool and lie to my niece that I’m not really there to rescue her?”

I think about how Grace must be feeling and my heartbreaks, even more so when she sees a familiar face and comes to learn, even if it’s not true, that her seemingly only chance of escape has turned on her.

Robert does have a point though. If he howls right then and there, the numbers are staggeringly against us. “I guess,” Arthur says puffing out his cheeks as he blows out air, “You’ll have to use your best judgment. We’re trusting you on this one,”

The fate of my daughter lies in Robert's hands, and my stomach twists in knots.