Chapter 629

Finested

her specific fifteen years required that knowledge. She held my gaze. “I’ve met her. Once. three years ago, durmg the healer network’s informatiofe gathering. She held a moon dagger to my ribs within forty seconds of our introduction.”

“A moon dagger,” I said.

“A fifteen-centimeter one, Ivory said. “She knew exactly where to place it for prolonged suffering rather than immediate incapacitation. She’s been trained.” She paused. The only reason I didn’t remove the situation at that point was because I thought the information she could provide might be more useful later. The moon goddess continues to vindicate this decision.”

“You’re going to blackmail a fifteen-year-old,” I said.

“I’m going to give a fifteen-year-old an opportunity,” Ivory said. “She helps us get the original document, which is also the document that proves what Cassium has done to her, which is also the document that ends Cassium’s ability to do this to anyone else. In exchange, we take her out of Old Haven and out of Cassium’s reach.”

“That’s not blackmail,” I said.

“It is if she says no,” Ivory said.

The room was very still.

“If she says no,” Ivory said, “I explain the alternative, which is that I proceed without her assistance and the document comes out anyway and Cassium removes the problem her on schedule. Her cooperation protects her. Her non-cooperation doesn’t protect her. I’m giving her the option to be on the right side of her own story.”

“That’s still coercion,” I said.

“Yes,” Ivory said. “It is. The world Clara lives in runs entirely on coercion. The question isn’t whether coercion is present. The question is whether the coercion she’s receiving from me produces a better outcome for her than the coercion she’s currently receiving from Cassium.”

I looked at the map.

At Clara’s location. At the distance from safety.

“The plan,” Jordan said, redirecting, because Jordan’s instinct for when a conversation needed a different direction was reliable. “Tell us.”

Ivory indicated the map.

“Cassium’s estate has the document in his private office,” she said. “The office is guarded daily

Against reduced werewitches Ivory said “Some of them. With specific preparation.

“What preparation.” Kitel said.

Ivory opened the compound file.

“The healer network has specific information on werewitch biology,” she said. “They have the werewolf vulnerabilities with the witch’s sensory enhancements. The sensory enhancements make them extremely susceptible to specific compound-based approaches that wouldn’t affect a standard wolf. I’ve developed a delivery mechanism.” She indicated the compound notes. “Airborne. Disperses through a standard ventilation system. Affects the sensory enhancement specifically- creates significant disorientation without incapacitating the physical wolf capacity.”

“So they’re disoriented but not down,” Jordan said.

“Disoriented but not down,” Ivory confirmed. “Which makes the forty minutes viable if the teain is fast and targeted.”

“Who’s the team,” Kael said.

“You, Killian, and Jordan,” Ivory said. “For the estate. You’re going in as attendees of a secondary conference that Cassium has scheduled for the same two-day period – a regional trade meeting that’s open to invited Alpha attendees. You have legitimate reason to be on the estate grounds.”

“You have invitations,” Kael said.

“I had invitations sent,” Ivory said. “Through the appropriate channels, three weeks ago, when the information about Cassium’s meeting schedule first came through the healer network.”

“Three weeks ago,” Jordan said.

“I’ve been preparing for this conversation for three weeks.” Ivory said. “I was waiting for the Convention letter to arrive so the full context was present when I brought it to the team.”

Jordan looked at Kael.

Kael looked at Jordan.

“She planned this before she told us about the Convention letter,” Jordan said.

“Yes,” Ivory said.

“Before she called the general meeting,” Jordan said.

Chips o

Yes, yours said

“She already had invitations to Cassium’s estate ready,” Jordan said.

“Yes, Ivory said.

“For a contingency she was waiting to deploy,” Jordan said.

“Yes,” Ivory said.

“I genuinely cannot tell anymore,” Jordan said, “where her planning starts and where the present moment begins.”‘

“That’s by design,” Ivory said pleasantly.

“Right,” Jordan said. “Right.”

“What do we do,” Kael said, with the specific quality of someone who’d accepted that certain things were true about Ivory and was moving forward from that acceptance.

“You, Killian, and Jordan attend the trade meeting on the estate as invited Alpha representatives, Ivory said. “That’s your legitimate cover. During the meeting’s first evening, you access the office during the reduced security window and retrieve the document.”

“And the rest of you,” Kael said.

“Old Haven,” Ivory said.

“Old Haven,” Kael said.

“Nina, Elite, and I handle Clara,” Ivory said. “The Old Haven club is accessible to women attending as clientele – Cassium’s territory has a specific entertainment economy that runs on this. We go in as customers.”

“You’re going clubbing,” Kael said.

“We’re going to retrieve an asset,” Ivory said.

“You’re going clubbing in the most crime-adjacent district in Cassium’s territory,” Kael said,

“Yes,” Ivory said.

“And Aria,” Kael said.

“Aria can come,” Ivory said.