“No. You don’t understand. For a regular Sire, it may only prevent their ability to conduct, but that’s not the only conductive Ha’i that would be affected. Do you know how many people might be in the medical wing at this very moment, being kept alive by Sire healing until their conditions stabilize? Or people who are now well but rely on conductive technologies due to injuries or illness? Anyone with enhanced biology, like Valkyries, rely on conductive Ha’i. Who knows how breathing in antimatter might affect them? Not to mention that antimatter is extremely volatile. If there’s any chance it hasn’t been stabilized properly, it will explode as soon as it interacts with regular matter. If this plan succeeds, many could die.”

My stomach sinks, and my blood feels as if it is pumping twice as fast as usual. Kor may be lost on the path of his ideals, but he would never want what Rafe is describing. I’m sure of it.

“I’ve reached out to Cicero,” Georgie interjects. “No full confirmation on the mists as the vector, but she says the team seemed confident that they have a way to temporarily pollute the air of the island.”

“Who in perdition is Cicero?” Rafe looks as if he wants to tantrum all over the room.

“Irrelevant right now,” I say.

Georgie asks him, “Is there any way you can… turn off the mist?”

He shakes his head. “It doesn’t work like that, and we don’t even know if they’ll be using the mist. What we have to do is be prepared for their arrival and stop them immediately.”

“Don’t forget, Kor is a Sire now. And they’ll have provincial weapons—guns.”

“The Avant Guard have been preparing for a provincial threat since their inception.”

I don’t like the sounds of that. “If the Guard succeed in overpowering Kor and whoever is with him, what will they do?” I ask.

“Muddling won’t work for anything beyond a matter of hours. These intruders know where we live and plan to poison our air and steal our holiest and most important texts? I don’t think the Guard will have much of a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Answer me this, Ada. What will your family do if they’re not stopped?”

“They’re not coming to harm you, just to take information. They have good intentions.”

“No matter their intentions, we need to defend ourselves. Is that not why you felt the need to warn me about all of this?”

Yes. But was warning him a mistake? Is he even right about the gas? Would letting Kor go in and out with possible minor casualties be better than causing a face-off with the Guard where there is guaranteed to be losses on both sides?