Chapter 715: Preparing for Tomorrow
Chapter 714: Preparing for Tomorrow
Lysander looked between the two women standing before him. Felicia stood with her shoulders straight, her hands clasped in front of her. Annabeth stood beside her, her expression calm but focused.
"Alright then, your names will be recorded," he said to them.
He turned to Felicia first.
"You’re already a healer, so you won’t go through the same process as Annabeth. But you’ll need to shadow some of the healers here. Get used to where everything is kept—the herbs, the supplies, the rooms. After that... will you assist us in teaching the trainees?"
Felicia nodded.
"That’s fine."
Lysander turned to Annabeth. His expression didn’t change, but his voice was gentler when he spoke.
"Being a trainee isn’t going to be easy. Especially given what’s coming. Placement tests are already being scheduled, and you won’t be able to take them. Is that alright with you?"
Annabeth nodded without hesitation.
"It’s okay. I just want to learn."
Lysander studied her for a moment, then nodded.
"If you are good enough, you can take the next placement test. But for now, your names will be written down as one of us."
Felicia smiled at Annabeth, who smiled back.
---
Back at the office, the conversation had shifted into something heavier.
Tobias leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Orion.
"I heard what you asked Ronan. About Victoria maybe being part of the Black Circle."
"Do you think the same?" Ronan asked him.
"I’ve always wondered how Selith and Victoria met," Tobias said. "It never sat right with me."
Ronan frowned.
"So what are you saying?"
"I’m saying it’s possible Victoria holds a position in the Black Circle. Maybe not a high one. But something. Maybe that’s how she was able to meet Selith and know so much about black magic."
Ronan’s frown deepened.
"Is there any way to find out more?"
Tobias shrugged.
"That’s my job. But like Jarek said, it’ll be dangerous."
Ronan nodded at that and then turned to Orion.
"What happens if we win this war?" he asked.
Orion blinked.
"What?"
"We haven’t spoken about it," Ronan said. "The war, yes. We’ve talked about that. But what happens after? The Enclave will have to be dissolved. That’s not up for argument. But what then? What about the regions that were affected? The packs that were destroyed or scattered?"
He paused, his voice dropping slightly.
"Who leads the Enclave after?"
The office went quiet for a while.
Tobias spoke first.
"Sophia?"
Orion sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He had not thought about it. There had been too much else to focus on—the visions, the traitor, the war, the pack.
But Ronan was right. They couldn’t afford not to think about it.
"The role of the Luna is to lead our kind," Orion said slowly. "To assist with her visions. That’s what the prophecy says. But I didn’t think that far ahead. I’ve never thought of what would happen after this war ended."
He dropped his hand.
"And honestly, this isn’t a decision I can make by myself. I’ll have to speak with Sophia about it."
Ronan nodded, but before he could say anything else, a knock sounded at the door.
Orion didn’t even look up.
"Come in, Brynhild."
The door opened, and Brynhild stepped inside. She had Raina in her arms, wrapped in a thick cream-colored blanket, only her tiny face visible.
Tobias was out of his chair before she had fully crossed the threshold. He crossed the office in three quick strides and reached for the bundle in her arms.
"Give her to me," he said.
Brynhild laughed softly and handed Raina over. Tobias cradled the baby against his chest, his whole expression softening. Raina made a small sound, and Tobias immediately started making baby noises back at her, his voice high and ridiculous.
Ronan stared at him.
"Shut up."
Tobias ignored him completely, too focused on the baby in his arms.
Orion watched for a moment, then asked,
"Is it okay for her to be out? The cold—"
"Lysander suggested it," Brynhild said. "Fresh air is good for her. So I brought her out."
Orion nodded, then held out his arms to Tobias.
"Give her to me."
Tobias made a face.
"Why?"
"Because I want to hold my niece."
"Why don’t you make a baby with Sophia? Then you wouldn’t need to carry my niece," Tobias told him.
Ronan snorted.
"Perhaps if you made a baby with Sam, you wouldn’t need to hold my niece," Orion told him.
Tobias opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, but nothing came out.
Ronan burst out laughing at that just as Orion stood up and crossed the room.
He took Raina from Tobias’s arms.
Tobias let her go reluctantly, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Not fair."
Raina settled into Orion’s hold like she belonged there. Her tiny face scrunched for a moment, then relaxed. She made a small sound that almost sounded like delight.
Orion smiled down at her, then looked at Brynhild.
"What conclusion did you guys reach?"
Brynhild smiled.
"We’ve created a plan to rotate the warriors weekly until the war happens. Both hunters and guards will be going into Nirvana to get more accustomed to dealing with the beasts of Nirvana."
Orion nodded slowly.
"That’s good."
"We’ll start as soon as possible," Brynhild added. "The sooner they learn, the better their chances."
Tobias had finally stopped pouting and was now leaning against the wall, watching Orion hold Raina with an expression that was almost jealous.
Ronan caught his eye and grinned.
"Don’t worry, baby brother. You can hold her again later."
Tobias flipped him off.
Orion ignored both of them. He was looking down at Raina, at her tiny fingers curled against his chest, at the way her breathing had slowed into something soft and steady.
"She’s going to grow up in a different world," he said quietly.
Brynhild’s smile faded.
"That’s the hope."
