“Do not be so vulgar you stupendous sea urchin!” Geraldine cried, back handing him around the head so hard that he almost head butted the table in front of him.
“If this rift is feeding Lavinia more control over their shadows, they will be guarding it furiously,” Orion warned. “I seriously doubt we will be able to just force our way in there. Besides, if we linger too long Lionel will likely show up and we still aren’t ready to take him down.”
“And he’ll probably bring the Dragon Guild with him,” Darius muttered.
“Well if Gabriel is busting into one of his Inquisition Centres that should buy us some time at least,” I said and Orion nodded as he thought on that.
“Why don’t we just play to our strengths then?” Seth suggested.
“Which are?” Darcy asked curiously.
“Well, you may not have noticed, babe, but I can be a bit of a showboater when the occasion calls for it.”
“The occasion never calls for it and yet you do it incessantly,” Orion pointed out and Darius snorted in amusement.
“I beg to differ,” Seth said, raising his chin. “Like right now for instance, the occasion most certainly calls. If we were to attack them outwardly, maybe snatch a few of their friends and tie them to stakes, leave them screaming for their little buddies to hear, then the Nymphs would all come running to help them.”
“Then what?” I asked, trying to understand how us drawing the lot of them to us would make getting to that rift any easier.
“Then Cal shoots round the back while they’re distracted and blows their rift to smithereens before they even realise he’s there,” Seth said simply, grinning at Caleb who seemed to like the sound of that idea.
“Yeah, I could play hero if you need me to,” Caleb agreed, pushing his fingers through his blonde curls in that flirtatious way he always did as his gaze lingered on Seth’s.
“You can’t blow the rift up,” Orion growled, shaking his head. “It is a tear in the fabric which separates our realms and unlike the bridge we leave open to the mortal realm, this one is dangerous. We need it sealed so that the shadows can’t slip through anymore. If we do it wrong then we could end up making it bigger and gifting Lavinia and the Nymphs more power instead of taking it from them.”
“And you’re saying I can’t manage that?” Caleb asked, quirking a brow at him.
“I’m saying it will take dark magic and a whole lot of concentration and even then, I’m not certain it can be done. The rift will be incredibly volatile, one wrong move and we could tear it wider, releasing more shadows upon our realm instead of sealing them away. And fuck knows what will happen to all of us then,” Orion replied tersely.
“Well if anyone can manage it, it’s you, Lance,” Darius pointed out and we all turned to look at our former professor as he frowned.
“It will be dangerous,” he said and Darcy’s throat bobbed as she looked at him.
“Everything is dangerous these days, dude,” I pointed out and he nodded in reluctant agreement.
“I’m guessing it will require the use of a binding needle to do it which is a seriously dark artifact which none of you have been trained to handle,” Orion added thoughtfully.
“This is the kind of blow we need to strike against them,” Darius said firmly. “So I say we do it. I can lead the charge to distract the Nymphs and draw them out of the temple. But if you’re going to need to concentrate while you work to mend the rift then you can’t go alone. You’ll need to bring someone you can trust to watch your back.”
“I’ll go with you,” Darcy offered instantly, but Orion shook his head.
“I’m guessing getting in there without being noticed will be seriously difficult. I’m going to need to move at my top speed and I can’t do that while carrying someone. It’s better if I go alone, Blue.”
“Or bring the strongest Vampire in Solaria with you,” Caleb interjected, his chin tilted up in a challenge as the two of them faced off. “I can watch your ass and deal with any threats that might come at us while barely breaking a sweat.”
“Fuck yeah you can,” Seth chuckled, his eyes alight as Orion simmered, a refusal brewing in his gaze.
Darcy reached out to grasp Orion’s arm, giving him a stern look. “If you can’t risk carrying someone then Caleb is your only choice. He’s powerful and you can trust him. So what’s the problem?”
“Yeah, all you have to do is ask me nicely and I’ll come protect you for sure, Lance,” Caleb said, smiling sweetly, though the effect was ruined by the sight of his fangs peeking out.