Mordred was almost ready to leave and go home when his phone vibrated on his desk. He paused in the act of getting to his feet and glared at it. He knew better than not to pick up, so with a sigh, he reached for it. It could mean saving someone, and he wasn’t willing to compromise on that.

Sure enough, the text was from one of his people in the heroes who worked for the conclave. Apparently, the conclave was targeting a group of chimeras, and the chimeras would need help. That meant Mordred had to organize a few of his heroes to help them.

He went to work immediately. When possible, he tried to move the targets before the conclave got to them so that everyone could stay out of sight, but it wasn’t always possible. Sometimes, the targets wouldn’t agree to leave their home, and it was a tricky balance. The conclave already knew about Mordred and his rebels, so they wouldn’t be surprised to encounter them, but it would be better for everyone if they managed to stay away from the conclave heroes. The less blood spilled, the better it would be.

He quickly wrote down the details he’d received in the text, deleted it, and used his cell phone to call one of his seconds.

She answered right away, luckily. “I was going to head home,” she lamented.

Mordred grinned. “That’s fine. I can call Bayard.”

Eudocia sighed. “Don’t bother him. What’s going on?”

Both Eudocia and Bayard worked closely with Mordred. Mordred missed the times when was the one going on missions, but now it was too dangerous. He had a target on his back, and the conclave wouldn’t hesitate to shoot if they saw him. That meant that Eudocia and Bayard were the ones who usually went on missions, along with other heroes who worked with them.

“I got news that the conclave is targeting a group of chimeras,” Mordred explained.

“Where and when? Do we have time to go there and try to convince them to move?”

“In a few hours, so I’m not sure. I’ll email you all the details I have. I’ll also keep an eye on the mission from here. You know the drill.”

Mordred could hear the humor in Eudocia’s voice when she answered. “Take only the people I need, be careful when we get there, try to convince the targets to move, and if we can’t, defend them the best we can. I know. It’s not my first time.”

“I’m very much aware of that,” Mordred answered.

He couldn’t help that he was worried. He knew what the conclave could do. He’d been a hero for hundreds of years before he’d finally realized something was wrong with what the conclave made them do. He still regretted the things he’d done, but since he’d left, he was working hard to atone for those sins. He liked to think he had, but some days, he realized that nothing could ever atone for that. He’d killed too many innocents, and no matter how many of them he saved, he would never be pardoned for that.

“We’ll be fine,” Eudocia murmured.

“I hope you will. I need all of you.”

It was hell not to be able to go with them. Mordred had done so for many years, so he wasn’t rusty. He also made sure to train every day. It wasn’t enough, though, not when the conclave was gunning for him. They were especially pissed that Haven had managed to get away from them, even though Mordred had nothing to do with that. They didn’t care, and they wouldn’t hesitate to make Mordred pay for that, too. Mordred had every intention to continue doing what he was doing for a long time, which was why he had to be extremely careful these days.

One day, he and the others would defeat the conclave. Most heroes would realize that what they were doing was wrong, and they would turn their back on those people. Until that day came, though, there wasn’t much Mordred could do.

“I’ll call you when it’s done,” Eudocia said.

“Make sure you do. And keep the communication open. I need to know if something goes wrong.”

He would be following the mission from his office. He always did, even though the people he sent out were more than capable of working on their own. They were all heroes, and the fact that they didn’t work for the conclave anymore didn’t change that. They knew what they were doing.

They didn’t need Mordred. He was the one who had created their secret group, who recruited heroes and had people infiltrating the conclave, but even if he were to die, Eudocia and Bayard would be more than capable of taking his place.

Mordred wouldn’t allow that to happen anytime soon, though. He was immortal, and unless he was killed in a very specific way, he would continue living forever. That was more than enough time to push the conclave to their knees and make sure they didn’t hurt anyone else.

His cell phone rang as soon as he hung up with Eudocia. He frowned, wondering if it was her, but it wasn’t. He recognized the number, and he smiled as he answered. “Haven. I wasn’t sure what to think of your silence.”

There was a pause before Haven answered. “I wasn’t sure whether or not I should call.”

“Yet you decided to. How come?”

“I wanted to talk about your offer.”

Mordred couldn’t help but smile. He was always happy to recruit a hero, but Haven especially so, because he came with Dimitri. Dimitri was a leshy, and while Mordred’s little group was mostly made up of heroes, he would be a good fit if he decided to fight with them. It would help Mordred’s rebels to see they truly could work with supernatural creatures instead of killing them.