Chapter Eighteen

Wyn

“So, that's it,” Quint says. “That's our plan – such as it is.”

“Not very elegant,” Zarik says.

Quint shrugs. “We don't really have time to come up with an elegant plan,” he replies. “Besides, that's really not our style anyway.”

“Smash and bash,” Deyro says, chuckling. “That's us.”

I turn to Kaitlyn and there is a look of fear in her eyes – but also one of steely resolve. She looks absolutely stunned by what Quint said, yet determined to do what she has to do. Quint and everybody else talk amongst themselves, ironing out wrinkles in the plan and looking for flaws. We're operating on the fly and don't have much time – and much less room for error. But we need to be as careful as we possibly can – the fates of two worlds are hanging in the balance.

“So, you're okay with this?” I ask.

She turns to me and gives me a smile I can tell isn't quite genuine – but she's trying.

“Of the two options – stay here and be sucked dry like a juice box, or go to this strange, alien world filled with dragons and maybe die a fiery death –”

“I'm not going to let that happen,” I say, putting as much confidence into my voice as I can.

“All I'm saying is that if I'm going to die, I'd rather not die waiting for some evil wizard guy to suck my dry.”

“You're not going to die, Kaitlyn,” I say softly. “I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I give you my oath as a Ranger.”

“You really shouldn't make promises you can't possibly be sure you can keep,” she says, her already small smile faltering even more.

The plan is for Deyro, Zarik, Ella, me, and Kaitlyn to go to Chondelai. Once there, I'll take Kaitlyn to my home with the River Clan and hide her. Between Nyro not being able to lock on to her energy here in the world of man and the magical warding of my people – which will undoubtedly be much stronger there – we should get a decent head start on him.

He'll eventually figure out that we've taken her off the board here though. Once Nyro figures out that she's in Chondelai, he will bring his army of Gahan and try to find her. And given that I've already fought with him once and he knows I'm River Clan, if he's smart, it probably isn't going to take him very long to figure out where we're stashing her.

He'll come to the River Clan lands and then hell will break loose. And once that battle is being fought, we'll be in the keep of the Shadow Clan where the plan is to smash the Deathstone and seal the Doors – and destroy the Ba’Chul once and for all.

If everything else goes wrong though, we have a contingency plan in place. Once we know that Nyro is in Chondelai, we'll get Kaitlyn back through the Doors and back into the world of man. If everything else goes to shit, the Doors will be sealed after her – cutting Nyro off from his seed and his power.

But it will also be trapping all of us, including Nyro, on the wrong side of the Doors – at least, those of us who don't want to stay in Chondelai.

If we can do that though, if we can prevent him from performing the Rites of Ascension and prevent him from ever becoming a true Ba’Chul, we'll have saved at least the world of man. After that, we'll have to see about saving Chondelai. He'll still be strong, but he'll be a lot easier to deal with if we don't let him power up.

Like Zarik said, not elegant, but hopefully effective.

“What about me?” Ashley says. “Where am I going to be in all of this?”

“You will stay here in the training house,” I say. “It's safer for you here. The Rangers and Scouts who remain will be able to keep you safe.”

Ashley looks at me and gives me a small grin. “But it might be my one and only chance to set foot on another world,” she says. “I kind of want to see it.”

“I don't think it would be safe,” I say. “This isn't a sightseeing trip. We're going into a battle.”

“And you're taking my best friend with you,” she says. “If anybody is going to keep her safe, it should be me.”

“I don't mean to offend you, but I don't think you're exactly – equipped to fight this battle.”

Kaitlyn turns to her and takes her hands. “Ash, I don't know what's going to happen. For all I know, I could die over there –”

“Don't you dare say that,” Ashley replies, her eyes shimmering with tears. “Just don't.”

“I don't want to, but it's true. And I really don't have a choice,” she says. “I have this – thing – growing inside of me and if this is the only way to ensure it doesn't become something that destroys the world, so be it. I'll be willing to give my life. But if anything happened to you – I couldn't live with myself. I just couldn't.”

The bond between the two women is strong and I can see their love for one another plain as day. It's a touching display and the emotional depth of what they feel is surprising to me. And yet, it also makes me realize that my feeling for Kaitlyn is quickly growing that deep as well.

It's surprising to me beyond measure. I never expected to feel anything for Kaitlyn – or anybody really. Especially not to this depth or degree. But – well, there it is.

“Please,” Kaitlyn says to Ashley. “Stay here. Be safe. Wyn is going to bring me back safe and sound. You'll see.”

Ashley sniffs and blinks back her tears. “You shouldn't make promises you can't possibly be sure you can keep.”

Kaitlyn smiles ruefully – apparently, having her own words tossed back at her feels like a slap in the face. But, they're both right. Promises of safety right now are foolhardy. I know that. Ashley knows that. And even Kaitlyn knows that.

But we tell each other those lies to keep our spirits up. To keep hope alive. To keep belief flowing. It's a very human thing to do – and one I find that I'm doing more and more lately. I never want to see Kaitlyn in pain or despair. I'll do anything I can to mitigate it – even if that means telling little lies we can both see right through.

“Is everything okay?”

I turn and see Quint standing beside us. I hadn't even heard him walk up. I look from the girls to the big Warden and nod.

“Everything is fine, Warden,” I say.

He motions for me to walk with him, so I stand and give Kaitlyn's shoulder a gentle squeeze before stepping way as she continues trying to convince Ashley that everything will be fine – knowing full well that she can't guarantee it.

“How are they holding up?” he asks.

I shrug. “Better than I expected, to be honest,” I say. “Kaitlyn seems to be taking this all in stride.”

He nods. “She's got strength in her.”

“When will we be going through the Door?”

“First thing tomorrow morning,” he says. “I want to give anybody choosing to stay in Chondelai one last night here.”

“That's kind of you,” I say.

He shrugs. “Some folks are attached to this place,” he says. “But a few don't want to lose their homes.”

“Why aren't you going?” I ask bluntly.

He looks around the room and sighs. “I've built a home here,” he says. “I have the club and I also have Astrid. She desperately wants a family and we're looking at adopting. She's everything to me and I'll never leave her.”

I nod as if I understand. And perhaps, part of me actually does. Though, it's a feeling I won't quite give voice to just yet.

“I also still feel an obligation to mankind,” he says. “There are still many things in this world they need protecting from – things that have crawled, flown, and slithered out of Chondelai. Sealing the Doors and pretending we don't bear some responsibility is turning a willingly-blind eye to the suffering our kind has caused in this world. And I will not stand for that.”

“So, once the Doors are sealed, you'll still continue to fight?” I ask.

He arches an eyebrow. “Won't you?”

It's a question I haven't asked myself yet. One I hadn't even considered, really. The Council believes our mission is complete. And once the Doors are sealed, we're going to be on our own in the world of man. Cut off from Chondelai completely. Doesn't that change what we do and how we operate?

“I hadn't given it much thought, to be honest,” I admit.

“I think you should,” he says. “Because even after the Doors are sealed, we will be continuing on as normal. The Rangers who stay as well as the Children of the Dawn will still be fighting as if our mission hasn't changed – because to us, it hasn't.”

I nod and cast a glance back at Kaitlyn. Part of me wants to remain in the Riverlands with my Clan. Knowing that I'll never be able to go back if I come back through the Doors is giving me pause. Giving me a lot to think about.

“It's a big decision, but consider it,” Quint says. “Give it some thought. I will say this though, if you choose to stay here, I would consider it an honor to have you remain with us, continuing the fight. You're a skilled fighter, one of the best I have, and a valued member of this team.”

Without another word, Quint walks off, leaving me feeling wide-eyed and slack-jawed. That was the first time Quint had ever come close to giving me a compliment. And it fills me with a sense of pride I haven't had since I completed the Trials.

I look over at Kaitlyn again. She looks back at me and gives me a smile before turning back to Ashley and pulling her into a tight embrace. I stand there watching her, feeling utterly conflicted.

“Still weighing out the pros and cons, huh?” Deyro asks as he steps up beside me.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“The way you look at her,” he says, “I'd say you have more in the pro column than the con column.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

Deyro chuckles softly. “I think you do,” he says. “I see the way you look at her. But more importantly, I see the way she looks at you. Seems like maybe you've finally established a connection with somebody.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I say.

Deyro claps me on the shoulder and gives me a smile. “More to the point, seems like you finally found something worth fighting for.”

He turns and walks back and speaks with Glyn and Vanessa as my mind whirls with his words and my own thoughts. I have no idea what the next day or so will bring – or where I'm going to end up. Part of me wants to stay in the Riverlands with my people. Another part of me wants to stay here – with Kaitlyn.

“Okay everybody,” Quint calls out. “Go, enjoy the night. We'll meet back here tomorrow morning. And given that the Ba’Chul and his minions are still out there, be safe.”

The meeting breaks up and everybody files out of the room. I walk out with Kaitlyn and Ashley, still having no idea what I'm going to do.