“I wouldn’t complain,” I said. “But you’re taking advice from the guy that wants us to fail?”
“Does he?” she asked. “He wants this thing stopped.”
“But he doesn’t want Conquest to succeed,” I said. “Fine distinction.”
“Yeah,” Rose said. “We don’t want Conquest to succeed either, do we?”
“No,” I said. “And we’ve missed out on an awful lot of planning time on that front. We’re going to need to use what we have.”
“Yeah,” Rose said. “You want to get us started on the evergreen protection circle? We’ll need the torches too. I guess I’ll get us started on the whole plan against Conquest.”
I began to free branches from the tree and wind them together.
“The plan, the thing I read about in Black Lamb’s Blood,” Rose said, “We need to turn them on each other. One way or another. It was one of the big options presented.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I caught that when I skimmed it.”
“Can we do it?”
“I think we could,” I said. “It’s not going to be easy. Conquest… he’s weaker than he lets on. If Pauz realizes, that’s going to give Pauz the clear win. We need to strengthen Conquest, but we need to do it in a way that puts him on an even playing field with Pauz. We need to do it and we need to get away alive.”
“Yeah,” Rose said. “We have the goblin?”
“He has the goblin. But… it’s not very comfortably bound. Very reluctantly bound. I suspect we could unbind it rather easily.”
“Okay,” she said.
“And we have the Knights on our side. If we get this thing, and only if we can make headway against this thing.”
“Okay” she said. “Give me a minute to think while you work. First things first.”
I nodded.
I looked towards the factory.
First things first.
My hands shook so badly I could barely weave the branches together.
5.06
“Scared?” Rose asked.
“Yep,” I said. I moved the wreath, and checked it over. I pulled some tape from my pocket to fix a spot where a branch had come loose. Four feet across. I wasn’t sure how to make it fit any geometric principle, so I’d simply repeated a simple pattern. One large circle, one smaller circle, and y-shaped branches filling the space between, all taped together.
“Me too.”
Evan descended, setting down on my shoulder.
“It’s an old building,” he said.
“Yeah,” I replied, still pushing the wreath forward.
“Plants growing all over it.”
“Yeah. Did you see anything?”
“No,” Evan said. “I looked in windows, but you said not to get too close.”
“Don’t want anything lunging out of the window to eat you,” I said.
“There’s nothing in a lot of the windows. No people, no things, no walls, no floors.”
“Yeah,” Rose said. “Only emptiness.”
“A little more afraid, now,” I said.
“Good,” Rose told me. “Fear keeps you alive. Just don’t panic. There are rules to follow. It’s abstract-”
“Can’t look straight at it,” I said.
“No. You’re going to have to put my mirrors away.”
“Yeah,” I said. I still carried the little stand-up mirrors that had been in the roadside kit. I began to put them away.
“We’re close,” Rose said. “Let’s get geared up. You know what your number one priority is.”
“Staying alive,” I said. “You and Evan are the scouts, you’re the voice. I’m the vulnerable lump of meat that you two are stuck with.”
I worked while I talked. Only two hands. Four things I really wanted to carry into the building. Gas can, emergency kit, torch and wreath. The torch slid into the holster I’d left for June, a plastic bag over the head, where I’d soaked a strip of bandage in gasoline.
“Evan, whatever happens, you can’t look at the monster, okay?” Rose asked.
“Okay.”
“It might try to trick you. Just look away, and stay away, alright? It might be best if you stay outside the building, unless you absolutely have to come in.”
“Okay.”
I put the emergency kit down on the edge of the wreath, and grabbed a few items, preparing. More tape, right pocket. Jumper cables, around my waist, clamps tucked into left pocket.