Wynn explained. “Because I think it’s a bad idea to put the Order on their guard. Magic recognizes magic. If we plunk two Guardians and two Wardens down in the middle of a dinner the nocturnis think they control”—she did not even pause to acknowledge Dag’s snarl of protest—“they’ll be able to sense our presence. And if that happens, then they’ll know we’re onto them and they’ll have to suspect we figured out their plan. The only logical reaction to that is to either change the plan or abandon it.”
The witch shook her head. “I’m sorry, but after all the time and energy we’ve invested in figuring this plan out, the last thing we want is for them to change it. If they do that, we’re back in the dark, and the chances of us coming up with an effective counter to the new plan become almost nil. And abandoning the plan altogether? That just means they’ll strike at another time and place, and we won’t have a warning.”
Ella nodded. “She’s right. The element of surprise is one of the biggest advantages we have going into this. If we lose that, our chances of success go way down. Yeah, they’ll sense us at the keynote address, too, but we’ll have a much bigger crowd to blend into, and by then, it will probably be too late to change their plan. They’re a lot more likely to go through with it at that stage even if they know we’re there.”
“Okay, all that makes sense,” Kylie acknowledged, “but us staying away until Sunday and then just strolling in blind does not. We need to get an idea of the layout of the room, the entrances and exits, where the stage will be set up, what pathways will be laid, how traffic will flow. All of that will not only help us figure out where they’re most likely to set the portals, it will also tell us the best ways to get people out quickly if we need to do that.”
“Which means someone will have to take a look around at some point,” Fil said. “I’m thinking Saturday afternoon or evening. For an early Sunday event that large, the convention staff is going to want to set up the room the day before at least, to give themselves plenty of time.”
“And this risks the same problem of detection as attendance at the dinner,” Dag grumbled.
“Not necessarily,” Spar said, his gaze turning to Kylie. “While I do feel a small aura around your Kylie, she has not yet been Warden long enough to read as one. Her magic has such a unique flavor to it that it does not make one think of the Guild at all, especially not from any distance. I think she might pass entirely undetected, or if not, as merely an untrained human with potential. Someone might target her for recruitment, but I doubt they would perceive her as a threat.”
Kylie thought of the possibility of a nocturni attempting to lure her to the dark side as they had with Dennis Ott and his girlfriend. “Yeah, that would go well for everyone.”
“Wynn is the other logical choice,” Knox growled, not sounding happy with his own conclusion. “As much as I dislike the idea of sending you into such a nest of vipers without me by your side, you are the most likely to pass beneath their notice. Your magical energy still reads at first glance as witch, not as Warden. You should be able to pass as nothing more than a witch with a strong interest in the environmental actions the conference will be espousing.”
“I agree.” Wynn smiled and leaned over to kiss him lightly. “But you get special brownie points for figuring it out on your own and not pouting about it too much.”
Fil stifled a smirk. You know, eventually. “Alrighty then, so if Kylie and Wynn are going to be our advance team, when do we send them in to reconnoiter?”
“The conference opens Friday afternoon, with the welcome dinner that evening. Since we’ve put the kibosh on attending the dinner, we definitely have to be there on Saturday, preferably early, or after the fuss I made getting on the list, it’s going to look weird.”
“Well, nothing says we have to spend the whole day there,” Wynn said. “We can show up early to check in, disappear for a while, and go back when we think we have the best chance to get a look at the keynote room setup. At an event that big, it’s easy for people to assume you’re just at one of the other sessions if they don’t see you in theirs.”
“Yeah, that could work in our favor.”
“Gathering our information on Saturday will not allow us a great deal of time to set up our defenses,” Kees observed. “We will need to strategize the best method to deal with the attacks we expect and make plans that require only fine adjustments to the details in order to operate successfully.”
“Agreed. And you in particular have a lot to learn,” Wynn said, fixing her gaze on Kylie. “Have you been practicing the things I showed you?”
“Me?”
“No, the other brand-new Warden in the room.” Her tone could teach dry to a desert. “Ella, Fil, and I have all experienced battle with the nocturnis. We know what to expect, but you don’t. Those exercises I taught you are going to become really important really fast.”