grow to natural size once inside.”
Bridget made a noise and eyes turned to her. “I’m sorry, but haven’t you seen enough action movies to know that plan never works out? Shrink ourselves? We’d be chopped to bits or eaten by fish. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids illustrates my point perfectly. There are so many ways to die when you’re tiny.”
Tyler made a face, indicating he had not seen those movies and was a bit offended by her comments, but Bridget didn’t seem to notice. The bouncy redhead stood and placed both palms on the table in a dominating pose. “Vinya got us through the dome once, yes?”
Vinya nodded carefully. She’d stayed impartial through the briefing and struck me as someone who weighed all her options. “I got through the dome’s magic, but they were immediately alerted. You saw how fast the guards were on us.” She glanced at Tyler who agreed. “They would quickly overwhelm us like last time.”
“Last time, you didn’t take us.” Bridget gestured to her crew: Charlie, Disha, Rowan, and herself as if it were what humans called a no-brainer.
I knew this group had taken on some very bad characters back at the Academy. I was there when they fought Mystro Ponomarenko and won, but Charlie had nearly died and many people got hurt. Yes, her magical cuffs, her item, gave her great power, but she couldn’t stop bullets, could she? Honestly, I didn’t know. Though bullets seemed our last concern when Supernatural mutants came into play.
The dean put her hand on Bridget’s in a motherly way. “We are looking for ideas that would cause the least amount of casualties, Bridget. Those guards are being paid by the Habermanns to fight us. They don’t deserve to die.”
“Neither do the creatures they’ve mutated and forced to do their bidding,” I added. “They’re controlling my cousin, somehow. He barely knew me.”
The dean pointed in my direction as if agreeing, then addressed the group again. “What we need is a precision operation. One with a small team that can sneak inside the dome without detection to find out how they are controlling those they’ve manipulated, and who is the warlock behind the dome’s construction and maintenance. In and out. No deaths.”
Tyler took the dean’s idea and built on it. “We could attack the dome’s perimeter with a larger group, exchange some fire to create a distraction, and give the team time to slip through.”
“I should go. I can make myself invisible.” I turned on my power to demonstrate.
“I’ll go, too,” Charlie offered, shooting a sly smile my way as I rematerialized. “Tally and I have worked together before.”
Rowan grumbled in the back of his throat, but it seemed these two had dealt with similar situations before because, after Charlie shot him a look, he remained silent.
The dean glanced across the table at the silent witch standing beside the map, looking downcast and tired. “Vinya, are you up for it? You would need to create an opening in the dome and get the ladies out when the time came.”
Vinya nodded solemnly. “Whatever it takes.”
The dean took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “This is not without risk. Those… whatever they are… poor creatures will be waiting for us, as will the guards. And those who go inside the dome will risk being captured. The Habermanns are not forgiving people. They want to see us dead and will do whatever is in their power to make it so.” She glanced around the room. “Yet, I see all of you are willing. Once again, I find myself amazed and blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful young people.”
Her warm smile lit up the room for a brief moment, making me wish I’d gotten a full education at the Academy under her tutelage and not just a few months of solace. I owed my life to her, in more than one way, and perhaps, when this was over, I would owe her more.
She stood, hoisting herself up and grimacing a bit as if it pained her. “It is late. We are tired. Please, get some rest. We’ll reconvene in the morning.”
The group watched her go before getting up themselves. Charlie and Rowan got up together, linking arms, making me long for Vaughn’s embrace. I thought back to his words and my reply. I’d told him I loved him. What would that mean when he woke up? My mind ran over it again and again even though there were many more pressing