All Is Fair In Love And War

Chapter 35

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Claire asked.

"Attack?" Jim offered uneasily.

"Hilarious." Archie rolled his eyes.

Carter was looking at the broken window, lips pulled in a thin white line. His brows were furrowed, and he looked troubled. "He's planning an attack on Arcadia."

Everyone stopped and stared at him.

"What?" Toby demanded, eyes wide.

"That's where he's planning to start everything." Carter tore his eyes away from the window, looking at Jim. "We need to stop him, Jim. If he gets Arcadia..."

"Oh dear," Blinky's eyes were wide.

"If he takes Arcadia," Carter continued carefully. "That means he'll have managed to kill us, and there will be no one left to stop him."

Jim blinked, processing that. "So... what you're saying is that we are the last line of defense against your dad?"

"The only defense." Carter corrected. "Against any threat." He gestured to everyone. "We're all that's left. Have been for a while."

Douxie put a hand on Carter's shoulder and they shared a look. Jim realized with growing horror, that Douxie and Carter had been virtually the only people actively defending the world from magical threats. There really was no one else. And he remembered what Carter had told him.

"Because we're kinda... divided. There's no cohesive unit, no safe-space."

Nimue's burden laid heavy on his mind. Strickler's nickname for him had never had more merit than right now.

"Okay," Jim said slowly, trying to feel his way through a plan. "Let's think. We have Carter, so that's one leg up on Vameus already. Any other advantages?"

"Oh!" Toby's eyes blew wide with excitement. "We found something!"

"Right!" Krel looked at Douxie. "Vameus' essence."

Douxie stared. "Oh fuzzbuckets."

"It may not necessarily be a bad thing," Fenris cut in. "We may be able to use it to our advantage."

Carter stared at his over-sized dog. "You're not serious."

"Carter, it may be the only way to get you on even fighting ground."

Carter pursed his lips. "Fen, I don't think..." he sighed. "Let's go. We can't waste time."

Douxie gently caught Carter's upper arm, drawing him in. "Love, you need to-"

"Don't tell me to wait." Carter snapped, pulling his arm away. "Don't-don't tell me to rest. We don't have time."

Douxie had a pained expression on his face. "You're hurt."

"I know," Carter let out a heavy sigh. "But you can't help me. Not now."

Douxie pursed his lips. "Okay." He looked at his brother. "Jim? Any ideas?"

Jim thought for a moment. "We need to get back home. We have to warn everyone." He looked at Blinky. "We need the trolls. Vameus has an army. We need one too. It's the only thing that's going to give us a fighting chance."

Douxie nodded. "Okay."

Carter looked to the door, jaw tight with anxiety. "I want to find my sisters."

"Is there time for that?" Toby asked.

"Probably not," Fenris said gruffly. "Carter, I know you want to protect them, but-"