Horsemen's War (The Rebellion Chronicles #3) - Steve McHugh Page 0,20

think?”

“I think he’s always trying to push the boundaries of what’s possible, and sometimes he doesn’t stop to think what’s safe.”

I smiled. “That sounds a lot like Leonardo.”

“I love him, but he can be hard work,” Antonio said, with a warm smile of his own.

“So we’re really going to send a group this big?” I asked Hades.

“The Knights of Avalon have been running skirmishes against a lot of the humans there. The army has been drafted in, but even with guns it’s hard to kill people who can throw fireballs at your face before you’ve even raised the weapon.”

“They’re going to start a war in the middle of the city,” Selene said from beside me.

“Yes,” Leonardo said. “Several from here have already gone through the realm gate. Nate, I just want to say that something feels off about this. From what I’ve been told, these KOA were attacking the human forces not long after the White House went into lockdown. It feels like this was planned.”

“Great,” I said. “So where does this realm gate go?”

“Ah, we changed the address,” Leonardo said. “It goes to a realm gate under the Lincoln Memorial.”

“There’s no realm gate under the Lincoln Memorial,” I said. “I know, because I’ve been there several times.”

“There wasn’t until three months ago,” Zamek said as he joined us. “Jinayca and the dwarves we met in Valhalla worked together to get one working. They found one under Valhalla—it’s what destroyed a big part of it—and while that didn’t work properly, this one does. They built six new realm gates; DC was one of them.”

“So these gates . . . they’re safe?” I asked.

“Completely,” Zamek said. “They’re dead gates until linked to another gate. And seeing how very few people can change the realm gate destinations, we didn’t need to worry too much about them being used for evil purposes. Besides, we made sure there are guards and the like.”

“You ready?” Antonio asked.

I nodded. “Keep safe out there,” I said. “And Leonardo, check to see if you can find anything about a gate in Atlantis.”

“Mordred already told me,” Leonardo said. “We’re looking into it from here.”

“It will be everything he does for however long it takes,” Antonio said with one of his usual warm smiles.

“Keep him out of trouble,” I whispered to Antonio.

“I’m not bloody deaf,” Leonardo snapped.

I stepped through the realm gate and found myself in a dimly lit basement the size of a football field. There were dozens of people from the resistance alongside me, with many more making their way up the stairs toward what I presumed was the exit.

Jinayca walked over. She was a dwarf who had seen her people taken almost to the brink of extinction, only to lead those who remained to survive for centuries. A second dwarf stood beside her, a young female whom I’d met a few times. She was Zamek’s sister, Queen Orfeda. When Orfeda and her people had learned that Zamek was alive, they’d tried to get him to take the throne. It had not gone as they’d planned. Zamek had no interest in being a king and was happy to let his sister lead the dwarves.

“Your Majesty,” I said to Queen Orfeda.

“Just Orfeda will do,” she said. “You are not one of my subjects, and considering your friendship with my brother, I think we can dispense with formal speech. Unless you want me to call you Horseman Death all the time?”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” I said.

“So just how bad is it up there?” Selene asked.

“The White House is completely inaccessible,” Jinayca said. “The human law enforcement have set up a camp in Lafayette Square, but the White House has snipers on the roof and enough firepower inside to stop anyone from a full frontal assault. The Secret Service are all human, from the best we’ve figured out, but Gawain is in there with some of the BOA, Blade of Avalon, and that’s bad.”

“And the incoming forces?” I asked as we joined the exiting group and made our way up the stairs to the outside, where the darkness of the nighttime would hopefully make our job a little easier.

“Four thousand KOA and roughly an equal number of BOA,” Orfeda said. “The first group of Avalon forces are only three thousand strong, coming over the Rochambeau Memorial Bridge and Potomac River by boat. They’ve already engaged several groups of FBI and Secret Service, and both sides have taken heavy casualties. There are several Special Forces units being sent to help, but it’s