The air within the cave was nearly stifling when they entered, and Sofia paused to take a slow breath, adjusting to the change in temperature. The tips of her fingers tingled with the sensation.
The hawkshifter and condorshifter they’d sent to spy on the army’s camp were already sitting, cups of tea steaming in their hands. Micael was talking softly to Clarita, stopping the moment she and Javi walked in.
“How are the flights going?” Clarita asked.
Javi gave a thumbs-up even as Sofia’s lips pulled down into a frown.
“They’re staying on the mounts without shifting,” Javi said. “That’s progress.”
Clarita nodded. “I know you want our attack to be mostly airborne, but my people are used to fighting. We are willing to act as support on the ground and let the dragons take the sky.”
The idea of it twisted Sofia’s stomach. But Clarita was right. It was safer for them to attack in a way that was familiar.
“There will be a few that we’ll want to fight on the dragons,” Sofia said. “Samuel and Jadia learned quickly and are practicing tricks with their dragons already.”
Clarita smiled at this. “I had no doubt with those two.”
“So, give us the lay of the land,” Micael said, cutting through any more small talk. “Where are things in the camp?” The shifter he was staring at, Bria, swallowed her tea, choking slightly. Micael seemed to realize he was glaring and softened his face, leaning back. “When you’re ready.”
Franco answered instead, slapping Bria on the back twice. “It was how you described with the wolfshifters at the north of the camp and the humans at the south. It doesn’t look like they’ve moved anything otherwise. There’s a small fence separating the camps, and there is aslice of no-man’s-land between them. They have their prisoner at the center of the human camp, in the open.
Bria looked at Sofia as Franco said this, and she knew she’d clearly been clued in as to who that prisoner was. Sofia felt her head swimming, but tried to keep her face neutral. She’d guessed—hoped—Harlow would keep Fox alive.
“It looks like a trap,” Bria said. “Like the chief commander is looking to lure us in with him.”
Sofia gave a stiff nod, and Javi reached out to place a warm hand on her knee. She expected nothing less. This was no less personal for Harlow than it was for her at this point. She was starting to think he wanted her dead just as much as he wanted the rest of the dragons.
“And the wolfshifter side of camp, what kind of access do we have?”
“They’re a bit more scattered than the humans. There is no strict border to their camp, since they don’t use tents or fortifications and they tend to move as individuals, wandering out of the camp alone. We should be able to stage a conversation easily enough for them to overhear—they’ll hopefully spread any rumor we need them to. You’ll need humans for that part though, since they’ll be able to smell any shifter.”
Sofia nodded. She’d guessed as much.
“I still have the uniform we stole,” Javi said.
“Juan has already volunteered to go, as well,” Micael said. “He doesn’t have a uniform, but if it’s dark, they won’t know otherwise.”
“It won’t take much,” Bria said, setting her empty cup down and staring at them across the fire. “Even in the short time we were flying above, a fight broke out between two humans and a shifter over something to do with food. I don’t think the humans are getting enough to eat.”
Sofia pursed her lips. “I’m not surprised. The city functions on farming and domesticated animals. The army is trained to hunt, but they have no experience with the mountains or the faeries. Without the shifters and dragons, we’d be living off rabbits and nuts.”
“The point is tensions are already high,” Micael said. “We just need to push it over the edge.”
He paused, watching as Bria’s face broke into a nearly painful-looking yawn.
“We’ll work out the details over dinner. You can both rest before then. You’ve had a long night. Meet back here at sunset.”
They scattered, Javi and Sofia both moving back into the cave they’d claimed. It was empty. Jacinta had left that morning to help the dragons with fortifying Quelia’s Womb from further attacks, and her father had volunteered to help. He’d been a carpenter back in the day, though Sofia didn’t know if he’d still been working when Harlow had captured him. They’d only spoken briefly of those things. Just enough to know that Harlow had found him and her mom within hours of her escaping the city. Probably before Fox had even had a moment to recover and consider looking for them.
They’d been locked in the same cavern as Eha. The one Sofia had been in—just a few walls separating them.
“Are you okay?”
The sound of Javi’s voice made her flinch. She saw his lips tighten as he watched her.
“I’m fine.” She said the words even as she knew he wouldn’t believe her. She sighed, sitting down on her furs and waiting for him to follow. He sat beside her, their shoulders pressed together.
“Tell me,” he said. He leaned his head on her shoulder, his curls brushing against her cheek.