me Artair.” Heather held out her free arm. “Go warn the Cosantirs while they’re all together.”
Placing the cub into her arms, Wells said, “Oliver, come with me. I’ll warn the Cosantirs while you round up the shifter-soldiers. Send Patrin and Fell to the meeting tent.”
“Yes, sir.” Oliver pushed to his feet, staggered sideways a step, then yanked the mini pack off his back. He pulled out shorts and put them on. “Sis.”
Margery’s lips quivered as she smiled at him. “Be safe, bro.”
“You, too.”
Oliver sped after Wells, who’d already headed for the festival grounds.
Thorson turned toward Heather. “We need to send the cubs somewhere safe.”
“Yes.” Heather’s gaze met Margery’s, and she saw the same determination there. Time to get moving. Get a head start.
No Scythe soldier was going to get anywhere near the little ones.
Tynan didn’t want to be stuck in the fecking Cosantirs’ meeting. By the Gods, he needed to go after Meggie, not listen to Ryder talk about computers.
Earlier, Angie had grabbed him and told him about Meggie and her littermate. Had handed him Oliver’s note that said he’d headed to Canada.
Meggie had gone after him.
Tynan rubbed his chest, feeling as if she’d had taken a knife and stabbed him.
Before he could grab Donal and follow her, his brother was called to deal with a clawing. Stupid young males.
Then Alec dragged Tynan into the Cosantirs’ meeting, saying, “You’re a deputy and a pack beta. You’re part of the shield that protects the Daonain.”
So here he was, listening to the idiot Rainier Cosantir say he had no idea humans could eavesdrop on cell phone conversations or that a human might notice the flyer he’d posted in the grocery store about the festival.
That thick gobshite had put a target on his town and on this festival.
Appalled, the others in the meeting—except for Pete’s own people—were shouting at the idiot.
Tynan shook his head. While they yelled, he’d go make sure the festival was safe. Instinctively setting a hand on his firearm, Tynan headed for the door. He’d ask Patrin and Fell to post the shifter-soldiers as sentries until something better could—
Blocking the exit, Wells stepped into the tent. “Cosantirs, you’re going to be under attack. Probably at dark.” The spymaster’s loud voice stilled the arguing shifters. “The Scythe are on the way.”
Everyone jumped to their feet, yelling.
“Silence.” Calum’s voice slashed through the noise like claws across a snout.
“Do we have time to get our people out?” one of the Cosantirs asked.
“Doubtful,” Wells answered. “The road will be watched—possibly blocked. In animal form, the fastest shifters might escape the approaching line.”
Calum motioned Wells forward. “Spymaster, you know our skills, our numbers. Show us what we’re up against and make us a plan.”
Beside the poster board, Ryder ripped off the paper he’d been using and handed Wells the colored markers.
Using black, Wells drew a circle for the festival grounds, then a double line for the blacktop road to the south. Dashes marked the footpath from the road to the grounds.
“This is where the Scythe were spotted.” A line of red Xs crossed the forest to the north. “Their mismatched gear implies we might be facing mercenaries. If the Colonel is keeping this quiet, he won’t pull from the normal Scythe resources.”
Wells traced his finger from the grounds, around the side of the Xs, and back down. “We can send wolves to attack these soldiers from the rear. Quietly.”
Calum pointed to Shay. “Shay, take charge of all the wolf packs. The other alphas will take orders from you.”
The Rainier pack leader, Roger, opened his mouth to object.
Calum’s eyes were turning dark, the mark of the God, and Roger sat back quickly.
Wells made green Xs behind the northern line of Scythe. “Wolves, get behind them. Don’t wait for dark. Night-vision goggles are highly effective, which means the shadowy time before the goggles are useful will be your best choice. With thermal vision, it’s difficult to tell friend from foe, so if they’re carrying that technology, we’ll hope they save it for clean-up.”
“If the wolves take out the attackers, everyone at the festival should be fine.” Pete’s face was pale.
“No, you won’t be fine.” Wells gave the Rainier Cosantir a look that Tynan recognized from his new shifter days—one that said the elder would be surprised if this idiot could find his way out the forest on a wide trail at high noon. “When capture is the objective, forces attack from all sides to prevent any escape.”