I struggled to fall asleep. Countless scenarios of what could go wrong played out in vivid detail every time I drifted off, giving me a nasty case of restlessness. The weirdest part was that I wasn’t approaching it from the perspective of a protector. Instead, I continually came to the situation like a general allocating his resources. Maybe Tristan was rubbing off on me.

The plan was fairly solid, but every step was a few degrees away from falling apart. We were playing the losing hand, and no one could convince us otherwise. Manipulating Nyarlean law to give ourselves a tyrannical advantage was a hefty gamble. Especially considering how ruthless Magni had been up until now. On top of that, the Ejderha’s existence made everything much worse. They were a wild card that we had to consider constantly.

We were up long before the sun, sticking to the shadows between dilapidated houses. After an uncomfortable discussion, the plan was set into motion. Keke would act as our eyes and ears while the rest of us stationed ourselves atop a hill far away from Rājadhānī. Keke would follow the hunting party, using Ravyn’s hand mirror to signal to us. I wasn’t happy about it, but the logic was sound. She was undeniably the best person for the job. We needed updates on their position at all times, and Ball was not the one to do it. Keke’s reaction time would be much faster and didn’t involve Spells.

We would ambush them between the downward slope of two dunes depending on where they journeyed. No matter where your feet took you, it was only a matter of time before you had to cross between them. That was where we would make our play.

“I hate this,” I admitted, looking over the desert as I lay on my stomach.

It was still difficult to see from this distance. The stars began disappearing in the twilight, but the sun still hadn’t shown its edge.

“Me too,” Cannoli said in a hushed voice. “I can’t believe we’re kidnapping catgirls.”

Well, maybe we won’t have to. Maybe they’ll see reason.

If it came to a fight, Cannoli—and to a lesser extent, Destiny and Lara—worried me. Tristan knew his Party better than I did, but Destiny and Lara were anything but menacing. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine them trying to pull off a villainous persona. Even so, I sooner trusted them to pull it off before Cannoli.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this?” I asked. “We really have to sell our position.”

“Well, maybe we won’t have to be bad!” she reasoned.

The debate was still fresh in my mind. Cannoli had suggested that we attempt to talk with them first. If they could be persuaded to see our way, they might try and draw the dragon out of his castle with us. I liked the idea. Kidnapping catgirls, under the guise of peace or not, didn’t sit well with me.

“We can’t rely on that,” I said to Cannoli again, never looking away from the horizon. “We have to assume they’ll fight back.”

“I am assuming they will.” Cannoli paused. “But I’m hoping Saoirse will find her way into their hearts and show them the true path.”

Sorry, Cannoli. But I get the feeling the Ejderha are pretty godless.

“Do we need to go through it again?” Tristan asked Destiny as he scrolled through his iPaw. “And do you have everything you need?”

Destiny responded with a curt nod. “I understand the plan, and I’ve got everything I need, Tristan. That’s the third time you’ve asked me.” And yet, she always graced him with a smile, no matter how many times he asked.

Tristan stopped, pausing to look up at her. “Sorry, I just want to make sure this works out.” He looked back at his iPaw. “I never want to put your lives on the line.”

Tristan and Destiny stood at the bottom of a valley between two dunes. His suggestion to kidnap the hunters was eating at him, and Destiny had gone the extra mile to ensure he was confident in his decision.

“There’s no putting it off forever, Tristan,” Zahra said with her hand on her hip. “Eventually, we have to put our lives on the line. At the very least, you and Matt should be safe.”

“This is about more than just Matt and me.” Tristan looked up from his iPaw, looking at Destiny, Lara, and Zahra. “So much more.”

“Sister can be terrifying when she wants to be,” Lara said, her hand pressed against her lips. “Fire likes her very much.”

“Lara, not now,” Destiny said with a hint of pink on her face.

A sigh escaped Zahra. “I agree with you, Tristan,” she continued. “But you must try and relax. This plan won’t work out if you can’t keep a level head. That’s especially important out here.”

“It is as she says,” said Destiny. “Everyone has their part to play. All we can do now is wait and see what happens. Hopefully, this won’t come down to a fight. But if it does…”

Her voice trailed. Tristan put out a hand to stop her from saying anything more.

“Alright,” said Tristan. “Let’s get into position.”

Without the sun to create a glare, Cannoli had left our friendly neighborhood blazard with Keke to generate a burst of fire. I was concerned that it would give the hunting party an easy way to find her, but Keke had reassured me that she had the perfect vantage point for such an occasion. The sharp flash of light from the hand mirror was unmistakable.

Always impressing me, Keke.

I snapped my fingers and motioned for Tristan and his Party to come up beside me.

“Eastward,” I whispered, pointing to our right.

“How many are we looking at?” Tristan asked as he lay beside me.

No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t count the figures. They were too small, too blurry to make out. I waited for further instructions from Keke.

“Can’t tell from here. Let’s wait for Keke’s next signal. They may change direction.”

“I’m glad she’s okay,” Cannoli said with a sigh of relief. “I was worried for a little bit.”

“Yeah, me too,” I said. “We’re not out of the woods yet, though. So let’s not celebrate too soon. We still have to convince them to come with us.”

“Or take them by force,” Zahra finished a few feet from behind me.

“Yeah.” I raised my head a little to see Ceres a short distance away on her belly. I watched her for a few seconds. Had she looked away at all yet? “How’s Ceres doing?” I whispered to Cannoli.

Cannoli blinked, then looked down at the sand. “Very serious. She’s concentrating.”

“Everything’s going to be okay,” I said, mostly trying to convince myself. “You’ll see.”

Cannoli smiled. “I know. Because you’re here.”

Don’t upsell me that much.

“Shh!” Ravyn said a few feet away from me on my right. She had a finger to her lips. “The next signal is coming.”

“Center, down, center, down,” I muttered, watching the flashes of light in the mirror. As the figures walked, the sky was turning to a dark shade of blue. It was getting easier to see them. “They’re heading right this way.”

“Oh, Saoirse help us,” Cannoli squeaked, her eyes snapped shut.

“Relax,” Ravyn said, never taking her eyes off the figures. “They only have one Ejderha with them. Kekeke. Perfect.”

The goal is not to roast them, Ravyn. Please remember that.

“Kekeke,” Ball Gag cackled with half-closed eyes.

Like master, like pet.

“Let’s get into our spots,” Tristan said. He and his Party slid back down the hill and started to monkey-crawl their way up the mound opposite us. I glanced over my shoulder, watching Tristan offer Lara a hand to help her up. Zahra was the first to arrive at the top.

I turned back to the silhouettes of catgirls ahead of us. The next sign came.

“Circle, circle, up, down,” I mumbled. That was it. “Eight hunters, one Ejderha.”

It wasn’t the best scenario, but at least we still outnumbered them. With any luck, the Ejderha would be the only person we’d have to take captive. But with how bloodthirsty they appeared, it was probably safe to assume she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

As long as it’s not that batshit crazy Sanrai, I think we’ll be fine.

As the hunters approached, so did Keke and her mirror. I caught the occasional glimpse of her shape now and then, praying they wouldn’t notice her trailing them. All I could do was trust that she knew how to do this. Honestly, the operation felt like something Ara would’ve excelled at.

The moment was quickly approaching. I motioned to the girls, and we all snuck down the hill with barely a sound. Cannoli and I took to the west end of the dune while Ceres and Ravyn took to the east side. Finding a spot that dipped down and circled around, we followed the path until we were behind the hunting party. As we positioned ourselves for the ambush, Keke came up behind us with a smirk on her face.

Damn good job, Keke.

We slowly rose to our feet while watching the hunting party and their Ejderha bob down the hill and into the dip of the flanking dunes. They stopped when Tristan and his Party, fully fitted in their [Combat Mode] gear, rose with determined looks on their faces.

A blaze of fire came to life in the palm of his hand. “We would like to speak with you.”

The Ejderha took to the party’s vanguard, her spear extended in front of her. Good. Not Sanrai. “What fools do we have here?”

“It’s nothing bad,” I said, backing him up as my Party appeared from behind them. I crossed my arms and glared at the Ejderha as she turned to look at me. “We come in peace.”

The glint of the sun peeked over the dunes to my right. Zahra’s katana and Ceres’ poleaxe glimmered in the morning light. Keke readied her bow. Cannoli puffed out her chest with her scepter extended, and a similar—albeit larger—ball of fire ignited in Ravyn’s palm as her parrot remained perched on her shoulder.

Releasing one hand from her spear, the Ejderha began to reach behind her.

“Don’t even think about it,” Destiny said with a bottle grenade in one hand while lifting the hem of her skirt with her free hand. Tied around her pantaloons were bottles filled with various assortments of chemicals. A few of them had pictures of skulls on the front. “We have the high ground. If I throw just two bottles into this pit, you'll all burn to death.”

Damn, dude. Where is this version of Destiny coming from?

“Earth is very upset right now,” Lara warned. “I would suggest you listen.”

The unsure movement of the Ejderha said we had them.

I furrowed my brow, my knuckles growing white from gripping the axe. “Come on. I know a place. Let’s talk.”