Immortal Rider_ Lords of Deliverance Series_ - Larissa Ione [42]
“Faith?” Decker, who was usually easygoing, sat in his chair, stiff as a board, his hand skimming back and forth over his blond high-and-tight. “Faith is for people who want to believe in something they can’t prove. I could have faith that I’m invisible, but that wouldn’t make it true.” He shook his head. “You people are making me nervous. You’re dealing with magic and prophecy and shit none of us understand.”
“And you think the military could do any better?” Malik asked.
“I didn’t say that.” Decker’s Southern accent grew more pronounced as he grew more agitated. “But you have no safeguards in place. Until you—we—do, you shouldn’t put a plan in motion.”
Decker had a point. The military’s paranormal unit dealt in the same things The Aegis did, but because it was the military, the R-XR had strict procedures to follow, a chain of command that didn’t allow for deviation, a firm distrust of magic, and safeguards on top of safeguards. The Aegis relied on what the military feared—magic—and had a tendency to act more spontaneously.
Which could be a good thing… or could be very, very bad.
Right now, the R-XR was preaching caution in every move, insisting that now was not the time to be rash. The Aegis took the opposite tack—with Armageddon on the horizon, there was no time for slow and careful.
“All I’m saying,” Decker said, “is that maybe we should concentrate on finding out what Thanatos’s Seal is instead of this cockamamie backup plan.”
“He won’t tell us.” Lance shook his head. “So unless you can translate his weird prophecy, we don’t have a lot to go on.”
Ky ran his fingers over the page in the Daemonica, the demon bible, that outlined the four prophecies for the Horsemen—the four prophecies that would turn them to evil. The Aegis now understood three of the four. Thanatos’s was the wildcard, and all the Horseman would say was that his Seal was in no danger of breaking.
Behold! Innocence is Death’s curse, his hunger his burden, a blade his Deliverance. The Doom Star cometh if the cry fails.
What. The. Hell.
“We don’t have a choice,” Val said. “It’s now or never. Humans are dying by the hundreds of thousands. The R-XR itself has calculated that if Pestilence continues the way he has, in a year, half the world’s population will be dead. Our plan is a Hail Mary move for sure, but it’s all we have.”
“For the record,” Decker said, “I don’t support it.”
For the record, neither did Kynan. But Reaver was MIA and not available for advice, and The Aegis was going to move ahead on this, with or without Kynan’s approval. Ky might as well be there to make sure no one got hurt.
Lance snorted. “Funny hearing a military guy being so squeamish.”
The light blue in Decker’s eyes turned icy, and before tempers went out of control, Val cleared his throat imperiously. “Bring in Regan.”
Kynan refilled his coffee mug while the only female Elder was called into the meeting. She entered, her dark braid hanging over her shoulder, the ends frayed, and he knew she’d been toying with it while she waited outside the conference room. She took a seat, her model good-looks in no way taking away from her natural warrior aura. She was a fighter through and through, literally born into The Aegis.
“Okay,” she said, in her smoky voice. “What is this about?”
Malik cast her a grim look. “First, you must keep this secret, even from the other Elders.”
Regan frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“What we’re about to tell you can’t get out,” Val said. “Of course we trust all our Elders, but the fewer people who know our plans, the less chance of being discovered. Once the first part of the plan has been carried out, we’ll let the other Elders in on what’s going on.”
Lance gestured at the scroll with his coffee stir stick. “This document was discovered in an ancient Aegis vault. We believe that it may hold the key to stopping Pestilence.”
“And what do I have to do with any of this?” Regan asked.
E snt aveveryone exchanged glances. Just when Kynan thought no one was