“Peace, honored captains,” Neridia said, with a hint of steel. The muttering knights instantly fell silent. “You will all heed Rose’s warning. And if any do fall, others must take care. Remember that any warlock with glowing tattoos must be captured, not killed, or else their bound shifter will perish as well.”
“But the shifters can be released?” a knight asked anxiously. Rose knew that he was one of John’s friends; they often came to her pub together.
“We know that a warlock can relinquish their hold over their shifter, if they so choose,” Neridia answered. Her jaw set. “Once we have taken the warlocks captive, we shall ensure that they do so.”
Rose had a sudden recollection of spotted fur shifting into a woman’s naked skin. She swallowed hard, feeling sick. If Ash broke loose from Corbin, he could definitely free the other shifters. But the cost, oh, the cost…and even if any of Alpha Team did choose to gain freedom by sacrificing their animals, would Ash be able to bring himself to do it?
It won’t come to that, she tried to reassure herself. It can’t come to that. We’ll find another way.
After all, Ash had freed himself, twenty years ago…
Neridia was still talking, gesturing at the map. “There is a Sea Gate already established near Shifting Sands. Once we depart Brighton, we will be able to use the gate network to reach the island in short order. After we have come through the Gate, I shall—“
“Your Majesty!” the Knight-Commander exclaimed. A mass intake of breath marked the sea dragons’ shock at his rudeness in interrupting the Empress. “You cannot be contemplating joining the assault?”
“My mate is there,” Neridia said, simply.
“But in your advanced condition,” the man indicated her gravid belly, “you cannot shift. Even with your powers, you will be vulnerable.”
“My mate is there,” Neridia said again—and this time, it was not the woman who spoke, but the Pearl Empress. The hair rose on the back of Rose’s neck at the power in her voice. “And so I shall be there.”
“And me,” Ivy said fiercely, from the back of the room.
“No,” the Knight-Commander said, shaking his head. “I may not gainsay my Empress, but I will not bow to anyone else’s whim. The battlefield is no place for the inexperienced.“
“Tough, because I’m going too,” Virginia said firmly.
“Me too,” Hayley agreed.
“And me,” Connie said, glaring up at all the sea dragons towering over her. “Just try to stop us.”
The Knight-Commander’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, like a fish. He appeared to be on the verge of having a stroke.
“Connie, you’re pregnant,” Neridia pointed out.
“So are you.” Connie folded her arms over her prominent bump, setting her feet. “At least I’m not in danger of actually giving birth mid-battle.”
“If we take you, Chase is going to kill us all the instant we rescue him.” Ivy looked around at Virginia and Hayley. “That goes for you two as well. Do you think Dai and Griff would want you to put yourselves in danger? Neridia and I are shifters, but you’re all just human.”
“Which means the warlocks can’t bind us,” Virginia countered. “If anyone should be staying behind, it’s you and Neridia.”
The Knight-Commander beamed at her like she was his new best friend. “A very compelling argument. Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider. What if a warlock binds you?”
“I am the Pearl Empress—”
“And as we have heard,” the Knight-Commander sketched a small bow in Rose’s direction, “even the most powerful of shifters can be taken by these fiends. If you will not consider yourself, consider your unborn child. What if a warlock can bind him, even while he lies in your womb?”
“He’s got a point,” Hayley said, looking worried. “Neridia, maybe you should stay behind.”
Neridia bit her lip, a crack appearing in her imperial manner. One of her hands spread in front of her stomach in an unconscious protective gesture. “But I have to be there…”
Memory clicked into place.
“Yes,” Rose said loudly, cutting across the rising argument. “We all do.”
“For the love of sweet little fishes…” the Knight-Commander muttered. He looked as though only military discipline was keeping him from beating his head
against the nearest wall. “Honored ladies, I must remind you that I am in command here. None of you shall join the assault. My authority on this matter is final.”