Witch's Pyre (Worldwalker #3)(94)

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Lily said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Instead of ending the argument, all she’d done was give Lillian a platform from which to draw more people to her side. “There’s another way,” Lily began.

She looked around at them and debated telling them what she had in mind, until her eyes rested on Caleb. He would smash his willstone and leave her rather than agree, and so would thousands of others. Lily knew the only way for her idea to work was for everyone to already be on the battlefield when it was revealed. Give them no choice but accept her decision or die.

When Lily remained silent, Rowan spoke up on her behalf. “Maybe there’s a way to infiltrate the Hive and kill the Queen without using a bomb,” he said. “We got in there before. It was easy.”

“Yeah, too easy. There’s no way we’re getting back into the Hive now,” Tristan said.

“Lily could jump a small team of us in,” Rowan suggested.

“I can’t,” Lily said, shaking her head. “The Queen is deep underground. There’s tons of silicone in that land, and it blocks me as well as quartz.”

“Then something else,” Rowan said, frustrated.

“Are you so sure that killing the Queen is enough?” Lillian asked quietly. She didn’t look at Rowan as she spoke. “That might disband the Hive, but Grace controls all the wild Woven. She’s the one who has to die.” She turned to Lily. “Is there any way you can jump someone into the city to assassinate her?”

“It’s a big city. There’s no way for me to know exactly where she’s going to be at any given time,” Lily answered. “And if I can’t jump someone directly to her, whoever I send will most likely be chewed up by the Hive in a matter of moments. Grace has every inch of Bower City covered with Workers.”

They were all silent for a moment, trying to think of some alternative.

“But I might be able to use someone already inside the city to kill Grace for us,” Lily said in a small voice.

“Who?” Rowan asked.

“Toshi. I’d have to claim him first, but I know he’s willing. And he’s close to Grace.”

“How could you claim him?” Lillian asked, narrowing her eyes at Lily. “You’re here and he’s there.”

“Remotely. Through the speaking stones,” Lily replied. She sent Lillian the memory of how she used the speaking stone above Lillian’s rooms to claim the ranch hands and the below folk.

Lillian gasped. “I didn’t know you could use it to claim.”

“I didn’t think of it. Grace did, actually. She’s been using a line of speaking stones to claim each new generation of wild Woven that hatches in the east. She’s been doing it for over a century now. I can use the same line to claim Toshi. But—” Lily broke off.

“But what?” Alaric asked.

“We’re calling it assassination. It’s just another name for murder,” Lily said.

Mary humphed. “Honey, war is just another name for murder.”

Alaric turned to Lily. “Think about it, Lily. If Toshi can get to Grace, no one else has to die.”

Lily nodded, knowing this was the smartest choice. She looked up at Lillian and saw her staring back.

Think of the last line you’re unwilling to cross. That’s the line you must cross in order to win.

Like you and the bomb?

Exactly.

I’m not like you, Lillian. And murdering Grace is not my last line.

After the meeting, Lily made her way to the tent she had been assigned, hoping that there was something clean for her to change into. Just outside her tent, Breakfast and Una caught up with her.

“So what are we doing?” Breakfast asked, holding open the tent flap.

“What do you mean, what are we doing?” Lily asked, not getting it. She ducked inside and Una and Breakfast followed her.

“What are we going to do to stop those crazy bastards from nuking a million innocent people,” Una clarified, looking a little wild around the eyes as she closed the flap behind them.

“Well, I’m going to try to claim Toshi, and once I see what’s going on in Bower City . . .” Lily began. Una waved a hand in the air to cut her off.

“Uh-uh. Not good enough,” she said. “Even if you do manage to assassinate Grace, the Hive will still be alive, and you know the batshit brigade is going to want to exterminate them with that bomb.”

“We need to make the nuke go away,” Breakfast rephrased a bit more calmly. “As long as it’s out there, someone is going to be threatening to use it.”

Lily sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I know,” she said. “I have someone on that problem.”

There was a pause while Breakfast and Una decided who would be the one to speak.

“Who?” Una asked.

Lily twisted her hands. “Carrick.” They stared at her, too shocked to speak. “I know, I know,” Lily continued, agonizing over her decision, “he’s probably going to murder about a dozen people to fulfill my order, and those deaths are going to be on me.” Lily’s stomach soured and her mouth warped into a sickly smile. “But if I don’t use Carrick, than I only have one other option. My last line.”

Breakfast paused and then inhaled sharply through his teeth. “I’m almost too scared to ask,” he said, turning to Una with a grimace.