Praetorian Rising, стр. 44

to keep him in the dark. "We don't know yet." Vesyon kept his eyes latched on the sparking flames of the hearth, anything to keep from meeting Phillip's fiery stare. "I spent the last year sending out thinly veiled clues to other villages and soldiers that we had an underground vault filled to the brim with the plant."

"Why would you do that?" Phillip interjected. "That isn't true."

Vesyon snorted. "Of course it's not true, but LeMarc doesn't know that. And neither does the spy who told him. The goal was to make them believe we had it. I don't need to know what he plans on doing; I only need to know when he plans on doing it."

The fire crackled loudly as Phillip absorbed Vesyon's words. "What is it about this plant—this Ephidra Lily—that he wants so badly? What's he going to do with it?"

Vesyon inhaled a massive breath of smoke and blew the flavorful tobacco out between pursed lips. "All I know is that LeMarc is willing to send his entire army and a fleet of ships our direction because he believes we have some in our possession. That alone tells me the stuff is hazardous."

Even though Vesyon understood the basic concept of why LeMarc and even Langhorn coveted the precious plant, he had no idea why the High King was so desperate for it now. Ephidra Lily extract was a strong bonding agent used to create the Praetorians. It was their primary source of stability, the only thing that kept the Praetorian virus at a manageable level within their systems. Very few knew about the plant at all, and even fewer knew how the plant was effectively used in any such capacity. As far as Vesyon saw it, only Langhorn and LeMarc himself understood what Ephidra Lily was truly capable of.

"Let me see if I understand. We plan to pull the High King out of hiding by luring him here with the promise of Ephidra Lily that he no longer has stock of. Delay his plans, whatever they might be, and lead his troops and soldiers into the maze of the compound and blow them all to smithereens," Phillip recited. "Do I have that right?"

"Correct," Vesyon replied. "None of that included her, however."

Phillip had the gall to laugh. "Thank you, Captain, but I'd figured that out for myself."

Vesyon ignored his dry tone and continued. "This upcoming battle that I told her about is only meant to distract LeMarc's attention; I don't need her standing in the middle of it making a stance for the rebellion."

Phillip stopped his rhythmic pacing to fall into the high-backed chair across from Vesyon. "You will surely pull the High King's attention if the King Regent sees her in your possession. Not to mention the reformation of the Rogue Rebellion. They've been looking for Camille. For an entire year. Any reason to attack the Rogues, they'll attack, and they will do so in the name of protecting the kingdom from rebels. All the while planning to yank her back into the hands of the High King."

"They won't see her," Vesyon assured.

"Oh no?"

Vesyon didn't respond. Instead, he dumped out the burnt embers of his pipe into the fireplace before beginning to clean it. "I'll make sure she's out of sight."

Even as the words left his mouth, he knew they weren't entirely truthful. He had told Camille a half-truth, and now she wanted to help their cause. Phillip was right; he shouldn't have brought her to Romeo Village, not now. Taking her to White Wall to be in the security of Langhorn would have been a smarter plan of action. Currently, however, he couldn't be more at ease knowing she was only a few floors away from him.

"And the leak? You better have a plan to fix this. I never agreed to this, and I definitely don't do well lying for you when asked about it."

"It's not a problem. I created it purposefully, and so far, it's worked."

"There are over one thousand people within this compound, Captain. How are we supposed to deduce who's feeding our secrets to the other side?"

"Don't worry," Vesyon said, focusing on the flames in the fireplace. "I'll figure that one out too."

"Right. And if we figure out that issue, how are we going to evacuate those not able and willing to help us in the fight? My people not only don't have a clue of what is coming—as you requested, we kept them blissfully unaware—they also have no idea what you are asking of them when the battle is at our doorstep. This is their home, Captain. I hope you remember that and take it to heart."

Vesyon refilled his pipe with a wad of tobacco leaves, their scent sharp and inviting to the rush of nerves fluttering through his system. "They will deal with it in the same way as we did, General. They will accept it for what it is."

"And what is that exactly?"

His eyes rose, staring at the General, his arms crossing in stark defiance of what was heading their direction. "Survival," Vesyon replied, stone-faced and determined to make his point seen. "I told you years ago after we rebuilt this compound that every bit of this sanctuary was temporary. You knew then that this homestead would never last. My plans from then haven't changed."

Phillip nodded, though Vesyon was sure it wasn't from actual agreement so much as it was acquiescing to the forward motion of the plan set in place. There was no stopping its trajectory now. For several minutes, the only sound in the room was the pop and crackle of the fire as they both fell into a trance, watching the sporadic display of light and smoke swirl in an endless dance.

Finally, Vesyon felt Phillip's gaze returned to him. "You have to tell Camille, Captain. You can't keep this a secret much longer. If she's already experiencing Praecollection, it's only a matter of time before she remembers what she did. Who she is."

"It's not an easy thing