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ELRETH

Gahrye must have overheard her verdict, because put a hand to her arm. "If you\'re going to fight you have to make sure the portals are closed first, like Tarkyn said. The humans are sneaky and can move in ways and attack in ways we\'ve never even conceived. If you\'re assaulting them head on, you can\'t leave open any chance of another surprise attack at your flank."

"I agree," Elreth said. "The question is, how?"

Gahrye looked grim. "Our… efforts in the portals have to be synchronized. We have to close both at the same time. It\'s important than any other advances you make will work around that."

Elreth looked around. "Where are my parents? I need to understand what\'s happening."

Gahrye looked over her shoulder, towards the door. "They were behind me. I think… I think they just needed some time alone first."

Elreth looked at him sharply. Nothing about this felt good, and his entire approach to this with her parents… "Gahrye, what is—"

"Please, El, just a few minutes. Give them a few minutes to share it with you themselves, as they want to."

She clenched her teeth, but remembered Aaryn\'s warnings earlier and waved it off. "Fine. Then you tell me how many Protectors can we expect to come from the human world, and will they be prepared to fight?"

"I believe so," he said. "Certainly they\'d fight to protect their families. We do have a few that were trained. But we also have younger who only ever lived over there. And more that defected… their loyalties will be stretched."

"Stretched, or do we need to be concerned about betrayal?"

Gahrye shrugged. "I would trust the Protectors with my life," he said simply. "But those who haven\'t had the training, or who left unhappy… I just don\'t know."

"Can you tell us who they are."Â

He nodded. "I can give you a list."

"Do, please. We need to watch them. So then, how much time do you need to get the Anima from the human world over the traverse?"

Gahrye frowned. "A day, day and a half at most. Some Protectors will need to return for additional family members. But… 40 hours at the most—from the moment I get there and tell them it\'s time to move. They\'re prepared. We\'ve been waiting to make sure—"

Elreth nodded and raised a hand to stop him. "You need to get back and get that process started. Space out the crossings of any Protectors that have to return. And have them check in with the Fist Leader in the cave before they do so. We\'ll make sure any critical information is passed back to you that way."

Gahrye nodded tightly.Â

"Do we have any birds here?" Elreth asked, scanning the room. One of the Protectors raised their hands, a tall man whose clothing hung off the angles of his joints. "Are you familiar with flight times—alone, and with the hammocks?"

He nodded. "Yes, Sire."

"How long to reach the Midnight Cliffs—do you know?"

He winced. "I can\'t be certain, but I\'ve heard claims that it\'s done alone in two days—one to the edge of the desert, the next to cross it—if they\'re appropriately resourced."

"And if they were in pairs with hammocks, carrying a load."

"Probably three days or nights, or close to it."

Elreth nodded and turned to Gahrye. "When you go back, set guards on the other side of the portal if you haven\'t already. Make absolutely certain no humans come through—if they come alone, they\'ll be killed without question. You and Kalle and whoever you need to help you, get prepared. We only get one shot at this. And unless you hear otherwise from me, we\'ll take it on the third dawn. When the sun peaks the summit of the Mountain to the east, we\'ll be closing the second portal. Can you sync your efforts with that?"

Gahrye nodded. "Yes, if you\'re certain."

"Of course I\'m not certain. But if that needs to change and your people are already through, we\'ll send someone across to let you know. Remember, any that are returning need to check with us for messages first! This is critical."

Gahrye opened his mouth to reassure her but, heart pounding, Elreth was already moving to the next order. She had to keep herself focused. She couldn\'t allow herself time to consider what the consequences of these orders would be. She would adjust and change as needed, as new information came in. But she, and everyone in Anima, needed a plan. And damned if she was going to let anyone carry the blame if they got it wrong.Â

She turned to Gar. "It sounds like Mom and Dad are going to need a couple of Protectors specific to this… task." She glanced at Gahrye, who looked at his feet, which only made her stomach twist tighter. "Once those have been identified, we need your forces organized. It\'s time for them to make good on their claims and use the skills they\'ve developed. No later than high moon tonight we need them moving towards the great plain. The disformed, especially those who\'ve been to the human world, are going to be crucial to helping us face the human forces." Gar nodded, but his breath was too shallow and his eyes slid to his mate. Elreth waited until he brought his eyes back to hers, praying that Rika truly had given her heart to the Anima, because their job in war was to plan the deaths of their enemies. She couldn\'t have either of their determination diluted.

"I want to hope that their numbers are still smaller than ours," she admitted. "But I can\'t be certain—and even if they are, Rika and Gahrye agree that the risk is greatly increased by their resources. We need the Protectors looking for ways to remove people from among their ranks without being perceived among them. Carve down the size of the hammer, even if we can\'t remove it completely. Can they do that? Can they study the enemy and find ways to… whittle them down."Â

p Gar nodded grimly.

*****Â

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