I cherish every moment with this tiny little boy. Memorizing the contours of his face, tracing his cheekbones with my fingers, protected by a layer of baby pudge, fit for a Renaissance painting. The delicate structures of his full lips produce the slightest of pouts. Finally, as he starts to coo and squirm, I know it's time to hand him off and get back to the task at hand for if he dared start to cry, I would be rendered useless for the rest of the day. 

There would be plenty of time for this later, I reassure myself. I would be successful, I would have the rest of his life to hold him. 

Handing him to Harrison, the aged man speaks to the boy in French as he cradles him awkwardly, accepting the bottle from Briley. Gesturing to Briley and Silvia, he takes them down a set of stairs with promises of tales from when he was a child. While Silvia giggles with excitement, it causes me to dream of a time when I would be older, hopefully clutching my grandchildren in much the same fashion. 

It had never been a possibility before the selfless gift of Xavier. 

But, those same thoughts are sullied by the realization that Verando would die with me, that he would not age nearly at the rate that I did. My final breath would be shared with him and Xaiver would lose both of his parents on the same day. Slipping back into my jacket, I pace to the window and gaze at my reflection as subtly as I can manage. 

Suddenly maturity was horrifying, I traced my fingers in much of the same way over the skin under my eyes. The texture felt so different compared to that of the delicate baby. 

Aging had never bothered me before. I'd always been quite comfortable with the thought of my eventual demise. 

Faced with the prospect of leaving Xavier alone in this world, my mind races. 

Would Verando even be attracted to me at that point? How would we manage in my twilight years?

While my face is without wrinkles or blemishes today, what would tomorrow hold? What would he think when I was no longer his young, lively husband? When I had graduated to someone who appeared to be older than he was?

 Lotta startles me as her face appears in the glass beside mine. 

"Worried about wrinkles on the eve of a war?" Her face is gentle, large eyes more sympathetic than I'd ever seen them. "That was a good speech."

It would be easy to hide behind vanity, though that was only half of my concern. I wasn't quite ready to hand myself over so easily to her gentle tone. "Wait for round two." I sigh in an attempt to maintain good humor. Challenging the man in the mirror to get a grip, I run a hand through my shortened hair to fix it. "The second act is always better than the first." 

Nimble fingers press against my temples in an attempt to smooth any offending wrinkles that might threaten to appear, Lotta raises an eyebrow at me curiously. Embarrassed, I ward off the questioning by stroking my chin, "Ready to go to war?"

This seems to get her off my trail as she watches her reflection in the glass. "Is anyone ready?"

"Not in my experience. I never was, at least. But I think that's alright, humanity is what keeps us on the side of good. Once you're comfortable with killing people, with taking lives, I fear that you muddy the line between good and evil. It's a hard page to turn, there's no going back." 

What waited for us on the other side? Would any god ever see it fit to forgive us? 

The corner of her mouth turns up, making an amused sound that causes her shoulders to slump. 

She appears tired, knowing as well as I do that as people in a position of power, we must put on the greatest act of all. We must be the unmoveable rock on the shakey ground of our first step towards freedom. 

"Good and evil, is there even such a thing anymore? I feel like everything I've ever known has been unraveled. Everything I've ever felt... I misjudged you, what else am I wrong about?"

The sentiment makes me laugh, a welcome reprieve from the heavy air looming in the room. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way, overwhelmed by right and wrong at such a pivotal moment. 

"Everything? When you stop being wrong, let me know, I'd like some advice. All we can do is try, Lotta." Touching her shoulder, I dismiss myself for some alone time, an attempt to get into the correct head space. 

Memories of my short life as a king were flooding back, the lack of time to myself was one thing I hadn't missed. 

As I spot the remaining band members leading the large force up the street with Senator Campbell at their head, I motion to the group and we depart the pub to meet them on the street. All of us cramming into the small space wasn't feasible, not only would we not fit, but it would leave us vulnerable to attack. 

Out here, we were exposed, whoever was watching could now see our numbers for what they were. We had effectively given Caspian a head start but that also meant a sneak attack was highly unlikely. 

I hadn't planned for so many, Helen had done an amazing job recruiting. People of multiple different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. While she lacked the raw talent to get a massive amount of people into top physical shape, I did not see an amount of uncertainty in their faces. They were all here because they wanted to be, the cause was gaining momentum.

Taking a quick inventory, I easily counted over a hundred, and not all were lycans. "Good Morning, Senator Campbell." I greet. 

He practices his bow, though clumsy. 

I wave him off, "Let's not start all that quite yet, a new society has no place for a monarchy. When all this is over, I'd quite enjoy not being a king."

"That's a change..." Johnathan tilts his head, frowning. 

I can't help the frown as well. "After immersing myself in the going's on here, I can't say that I would agree with my previous thoughts on what this world needs. The system in place before this all happened was working, it's control and utilitarian rule that put us in this situation in the first place. The only way to rectify this is to give it back to the people. That is what today is about."

The people behind the senator seem to be much more accepting of this concept than Johnathan himself. 

"Or handing over the reins to an unpracticed society will be our demise..." His voice is low, and firm.

 I make a face, not appreciating the questioning of someone secure in his position in the government. 

"Perhaps you should lead by example then, Senator Campbell, remember who is leading this mission." My tone takes him by surprise. 

I gesture to Lotta to start the sorting process as Ryan and Sulema move to assist her. Weaving through our people, I finally find Landon. Under his eyes are the heavy bags of lack of sleep. He yawns, but he looks pleased with himself. 

With a hurried bow, he holds up his computer excitedly. "It took every bit of three days but after today, all of France will officially be off the Artifice radar. Gospel is ready to go live in two hours, it will self-deploy." 

I lack the excitement that he holds on his face. This was the easy part, stripping away the dictatorship only revealed the monster beneath. How would people react? 

"Are you unsatisfied...?" His expression appears hurt as if my silence is somehow offensive. 

Snapping myself out of my trance, I smile. "I'm just amazed you got so much done in so little time. You truly have a gift, Landon." 

He was a massive liability. The longer we stood in the street, the more I realized I had very little to work with as far as a chain of command. 

"Pascal," I call, annoyed that she had drifted. She quickly appears, less than thrilled by my tone. "You will be guarding Landon in the pub." 

Her jaw drops. "Are you punishing me?"

"No. I'm trying to keep Landon safe. You're a solomonari, we need protection on Landon." 

Landon clears his throat, "Why am I punishment?"

"You're not." I snap in frustration. "You need to be kept safe. You're a target." 

He swallows hard, fear clouding his eyes as Pascal scowls at the thought. 

"This is not a demotion, get it together. You have a job to do. Gather a team and establish a perimeter in the pub. Landon must be protected." 

With a sarcastic bow, she storms off and my blood begins to boil. The prejudice was not lost on me, I did not possess the menacing scowl or the reputation of my husband. Without him at my side, it almost was as if they didn't know how to take me. Arguably, blaming them was short-sided, I was a mess the last time we were separated forcefully. 

But, the thought of the belittling stares was starting to irk me.

As people began to gather around, the immense support reminded me of what we had accomplished. Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect when it came to human support. Would we be shunned or welcomed? 

Judging by the growing numbers, I would say we were not alone in our thinking.  

Pascal gathers her team and leads Landon roughly toward the pub as if he were a prisoner. I offer him an apologetic glance, then I would right the wrong afterward. The nagging voice in the back of my head told me that my Alpha would have eaten her for breakfast right then and there. But, I wasn't willing to shoot people and command the space as he was. 

I begin to walk, leading the growing mass of civilians behind me. 

Paranoia begins to creep in, snagging the edge of my confidence with long jagged fingernails that rake and tear as they eat away at the careful facade. 

What if this was an ambush? 

Shutting my eyes for only a moment, I force myself to take a breath. I feel blind without my partner at my side, we are two of the same person, and going into war without him feels foolish. I step up onto the pedestal of the town square.

The lumbering buildings loom overhead, a silent threat of what is to come. The immense force of Artifice was about to come crashing down, only this time, we weren't fighting the government but a private entity. I gesture to Lotta who joins me at my side, making me feel slightly better.

 Ryan and Sulema meet her on my off-side, his hands blazing while Sulema looks uncertain of her decisions. Finally, Helen and Tyler join me on the other side. Multiple species are brought together under one cause. 

I raise my hand to silence the crowd. "Today we make history. Today begins the first day of freedom for all species. Today, we are no longer us and them. We are united under one goal, equality for all."

The crowd claps, and the cameras of the overhead street sweeper swivel towards the commotion. 

My heart pounds in my chest. "I am not asking you to be soldiers, I'm not asking you to give up your lives for a cause that doesn't involve you today. I'm asking you to consider who is next when all of the magic users have been eradicated. I'm asking you, who is next when all the humans are wiped off the face of the earth? What will be left when those who wish us harm finally succeed and the spirit of the earth is destroyed forever?" 

Unrest rumbles among the ever-growing crowd. Before my eyes, I feel as though I'm back at my coronation. "There are those who wish to wipe humans out, I will not lie. They are powerful, they are magic users, but some humans wish to eradicate magic creatures. For too long, it has been illegal to simply exist. Today, I'm telling you, that I intend to fight to my last breath to change this. Today, I tell you that the machines that try to control us will no longer have a say in our daily lives."

The ground beneath my feet begins to rumble and I cast a glance towards Helen to ready herself. Lotta's body tenses beside me, her hip nearly touching me in her defensive stance. "For too long have we allowed the oppression from greedy cowards cloud our judgment of what is right!" My voice grows as my anger with our situation rises. "We should be free to walk as we want!"

The crowd cheers in agreement. 

"We should be free to work for ourselves."

The rumble grows louder as if the earth itself were growling. 

"We should be free to exist! Human and magic beings. Right now they are watching us," My hand gestures to the trembling buildings. "They are angry with us. They want to come and stop us, stop me from speaking to you because they want to control us. Well, I have news for them. We outnumber you!" 

Panels drop from the street sweepers, audible groans emit from their cores as they almost seem to shift. 

"Today, we liberate France. Today, we take back what belongs to the people. The end of Artifice!" 

Shiny tubes protrude from the panels and the machines open fire on the crowd. 

My ears ring from Lotta tackling me to the ground. We're surrounded by screams as civilians run for cover yet all the buildings are locked. We are trapped in the street under the barrage of gunfire from the machines that sweep through the crowds, I know they look for me. 

I grasp Helen as Tyler shields her, yanking her from his grasp. 

"Get out there!" I snap at her, locking my eyes on hers. "This is what you've been training to do. Get your people and protect these civilians. Take your team and round up those who wish to fight and find a way to arm yourselves. Get the magic users to stop those machines!" 

She nods and Tyler grips her arm furiously. 

"Helen!" He hisses. "No! Absolutely-" 

She jerks her arm away from him. "Either get on my side, Tyler or get the hell out of my way!" Her body disappears into the crowd and I catch the look of agony that he shoots at me as he races after her. 

Lotta grips the back of my shirt and I know she's next. 

"Lotta, you have to let me go."

She shakes her head, lips tight. "It's my job to keep you safe."

"I am the most powerful being in this country. I have to do my job. Save the civilians and don't get shot. Keep them away from the pub. Landon's program should go off shortly, with any luck, it will work." 

Cursing under her breath, she jumps to her feet to work her way through the crowd. Finally, I can stand. 

I gather my energy to my fingertips and direct the ice towards the panels of the machines before forming a shield up to protect the group crowding around my feet from the gunfire. I note the massive inferno dragon flying through the sky and I'm more grateful for Ryan than I care to admit. The rumbling ground makes my feet uneasy, I see Sulema kneeling with her palms pressed to the earth. 

"Something is trying to come up from the depths. I'm blocking it out but I don't know how long I can hold it."

"You don't have to hold it for long. Any idea what it is?" I stand over her, deflecting gunfire as I ice over windows from robots crawling out of the metallic buildings. The tables begin to turn, people begin to gather cover and use their crude weapons. I note that we are not only fighting machines, humans and magic users alike turn on our gathering with a ferocity that reminds me of the bewitched victims of my sister. 

Only, these people are not bewitched, they merely wish for a single side to be victorious. Hate produces the most vicious of fighters. 

Inexperience is met with inexperience and the slight amount of training our New York imports had received proves crucial in this time of mass chaos. Fadri rushes to me, I brace myself, ready for him to turn on me, but he doesn't. 

"Albert's group is helping us. I don't know if they're exactly on our side but it's a start." I blast a cat-like person out of the sky as they lunge for the changling. "Thanks."

"Tell the others not to attack them, they might still harbor bad feelings. If you see a fire mage named Hank, tell him that Ryan could use an inferno boost, we need to melt those machines." 

 I provide cover as he races through the crowd. Sulema groans from my feet, sweat dripping off the end of her nose. I back closer to her, "A bit longer Sulema."

 Raising my hand, I blast one of the sweepers off its base and send it cascading down the street and into a second sweeper. 

"Push forward!" I demand the crowd. "Chase them out of the city!" Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call Pascal and hear the gunfire in the background. 

"Artifice is trying to get in here! What's going on out there?"

"We are almost at two hours." I remind her firmly, "Tell Landon to access the Artifice cameras and put me on the big screen. I want to go live on as many television as possible."

I hear Landon's dismay in the background, "I don't know if I can-"

"Tell him to try!" I shout and hang up I blast an ice barrier up to protect us from the barrage of fire the inferno dragon rains down upon us. My body feels different, strong as if I'm thriving on the use instead of succumbing to it. One of the sweepers towers overhead and I raise my hand only to see it pause, the camera turning green. My face appears on the massive overhead monitor that looks almost like a billboard. 

I look rough, covered in soot, and damp from the snow all at once. Swallowing, I face the camera, "Do not go gentle into that good night... do not let this resistance die. This-" I open my hand to the destruction around me. "This is what happens when you finally say no." 

The Artifice program speaks over top of my voice, excusing the violence and deeming us terrorists.  Infuriated, I draw from the sky, bringing a cloud of darkness to dim the cameras and the ability for the machines to see what we were doing.

With a firm command, I drop the cloud and surround us in a dense fog as Sulema cries out and the massive dragon erupts through the asphalt. I see Gabriel perched calmly on its back, the dragon shakes off the dust and muck as it rights itself on the street. The glimmering eyes shine in foggy luminance under the cloud cover. Steam emits from burning nostrils as the creature's heads sweep. 

 I curse under my breath, calling for Helen. "Can you smell me out a water source? We're going to need reinforcements."