WE START TAKING in new members of the community the very next day.
North has a waiting list ten miles long ready to start calling people to bring them in, and we mindfully inform them about what had happened to free up this space for them.
None of them cared.
Every single person we contact about coming into the Sanctuary is nothing but grateful and desperate to come. I think we could tell them that they have to face the shadow creatures to enter and they’d do it with a smile. The problem with the Gifted who’d left with my father is that they haven’t lived through the worst of what the Resistance is doing out there. They took refuge somewhere safe and forgot what it was we were running from.
I only hope that life on the outside isn’t treating them too badly.
Scared people could do stupid things, and I have no doubt that the tales of what the Dravens can do have only been exaggerated and twisted over the years. Especially as they’ve gone from a powerful family of Top Tier Gifted to the stuff of urban legends and nightmares of biblical proportions.
They’ve even grown since I heard them as a child. I remember seeing North for the first time as a kid and thinking to myself, ‘well, he doesn’t look that scary’. Although, other people don’t have the luxury of an entire lifetime of friendship to fall back on.
I get it, but it doesn’t make any of this any easier. Watching my oldest and closest friends, the ones I share my Bonded with and have built an entire career and life around, struggle with the guilt of their actions sets my teeth on edge.
I wish I could go back to that moment and punch my father in the face as well.
“How many more families do you think we can fit? Did Gabe give you an updated timeline for the housing?” North mutters as he looks over the list again, and I shrug.
“The earliest ETA for the houses to start opening up on the southern block is next week. They’re already pushing themselves hard to get it done by then, any faster and it won’t be safe for the workers.”
North lets out a breath and nods his head. “They’re already doing more work than we ever thought was possible, and a hundred houses will be ready. Two hundred more families will be able to squeeze in if we can allocate them correctly.”
I move some of the papers and point out the demographic lists he’s had made. “If anything, we need to start thinking about expanding the school. All of these families have young children in them, they’ve got the priority here.”
North nods and starts shuffling through his plans until he pulls out a blueprint of the school with extensions. “It’s on my list. I will speak to Gabe about it and keep going from there. He’s talked about it before, and we can figure out how best to put it into place.”
I nod and glance back over at Nox who’s created a small fortress of boxes and information in the far corner of North’s office, shadow creatures slumbering in open archive boxes and on cushions around him. If it were possible to take photos of the nightmare creatures, I would take one and send it to Oli, knowing that she’d treasure it more than she’d ever admit. Since I can’t, I concentrate and send her the mental picture instead. A smile breaks over my face when I feel her joy at the image, the way that it overtakes her and rushes into me, making my chest tighten up.
She loves those damn creatures and the vicious man they come from more than I ever thought possible.
“How many of the newcomers do you think are able to be trained as operatives?” I murmur quietly, and North shuffles papers again before pulling one out. I swear he has information about everything on his desk, every option and opportunity to be explored and discussed and picked apart before he makes any moves.
He’s too good of a man to be a councilman, they don’t deserve him. They never have.
“I have already told the Transporters to send this list to the Tac Training Center for interviews. I was going to head down there in an hour or so to start the process, but Rockelle and Hannity have already requested a meeting with me to discuss what’s been going on.”
I shake my head at him. ”You shouldn’t be dealing with any of that bullshit. Just tell them you’ve got bigger things going on.”
North takes his coffee cup and knocks back as much of the caffeinated liquid as he can in one go, looking as though it’s been months since he slept. I’m going to have to threaten him with Oli soon to get him back into a sleeping pattern.
He’s doing everything he can to not stress her out. If I threaten to tell her how badly he’s taking care of himself at the moment, he’ll get back in line, I’m sure of it.
“I think I’m going to dissolve the council.”
I startle, my head snapping around to look at North as my mouth tumbles open comically. Not much surprises me these days but that sure does.
“How are you going to do that? Why are you going to do that?”
North glances back over at Nox, but he is so far in his own world that we could be talking about just about anything without him noticing. “The how part of that is easy. There’s only three sitting members left other than myself, and two of them are here already. The council is an outdated structure, something that was put into place by those who were abusing power anyway. We’ve said it for years, the categorizing of people by what their Gifts can do is disgusting. No one should have precedence over others just because of something they have no control over. Did you know that every single family that followed the General out of here was a Top Tier family? All of the Lower Tier families stayed. They’re the only ones who understood what would happen to them if they left here. They’ve always been left to fend for themselves. I’m not just saying this because of their loyalty to us at this moment. I’ve been thinking about it for years. My father even discussed it with William, and I suppose my uncle is the reason I have hated this position so vehemently from the get-go. No one should be able to be born into this position of power.”
I didn’t know any of that, the inner thoughts of North Draven often don’t see the light of day, and I’ve never gone snooping through his brain without his permission. None of it is surprising when I really think about it, though. All of it lines up with the character that I know he has.
I scratch at the back of my neck for a moment and think over his words, about the actual logistics of all of it. “So we’re going to turn this into a democracy and have people vote? What do we do if they vote an idiot in? I’m not following some brainless civilian anywhere. Rockelle has been bad enough.”
North shrugs. “I still own the Sanctuary, and I’m not going to give up control of it to just anyone, but I suppose it’s something we can work toward. I think that the old council needs to be replaced with a new one, one where people have been voted into positions of power and only serve for a term or two. You’re right though, there needs to be one of us on this damn thing. Otherwise, it’s going to go to shit. I’m not having anything come back to hurt Oleander just because we want to be fair and nice to people.”
North flicks out a hand dismissively, meeting my eye for a moment before looking back over at Nox. “Obviously, I would never do anything that might harm her in any way, but there is no mistaking that we need a change in the community, and we need it now.”
I nod and tilt my head to the side, feeling very ‘godlike’ as I do so. “Setting up voting and a whole new council is going to be a nightmare. You should probably wait until we’ve dealt with the gods before getting into that.”
North’s eyes flash to black for a moment but when he speaks, it’s his own voice that comes out. “Everything can wait until they’re dealt with, but we need to think about what our lives are going to look like afterwards. Otherwise… what’s the point of it all? My Bonded needs a better life, a better world. I’m going to make that for her, no matter the cost.”
THE TAC TRAINING Center is writhing with bodies when I arrive.
Vivian and Unser are already here, directing people in and out of groups and taking forms with Gifts and background information as quickly as they’re being filled out. Kieran and Rockelle are both already on the mats, testing skills and Gifts. I’m surprised to see that the groups are moving through the tests reasonably quickly. There are a lot more men and women who can hold their own in the sparring circles than I ever thought there would be, something that instantly fills me with relief.
We need all of the help we can get here.
I walk over to Vivian first. When he sees me coming, he shakes a clipboard at me. “You need to call the Dravens down here. We need all hands on deck, because we’re drowning.”
I take the clipboard and look over to watch the skills test of the man standing in front of Vivian. He’s a Flame, elementals are one of the more common Gifts, but the part that has Vivian’s eyes gleaming at him in such a manic way is his profession.
He’s been a martial arts teacher for the last fifteen years; a black belt.
He could be a huge asset to get more people trained. I hope he’s as good as the paper in front of me says he is.
“North and Nox are both out of commission for the day. We’ll just have to make do.”
Unser side-eyes me and waves his hand around at the doors. I glance over my shoulder to see that they’re open again, more bodies streaming in. “I’m not sure we can simply ‘make do’. We’re not going to get through everybody today. At this rate, we’ll have to start turning them away.”
I definitely don’t want to do that. “I have someone who can help faster than anyone else, and I have backup.”
I reach out to Oli who has been spending the morning resting, at North’s insistence, under Atlas’ watchful eye. He was so happy to have North’s trust in the matter, and I know how happy it made my Bonded that we were all able to pull together during this time of unrest.
Can you pull on your training gear and come down to the Tac Training Center? We are overloaded with new recruits, and I need a set of eyes I trust down here.
She sends through a flash of pure joy, and I have to stop myself from smiling back at it. Atlas as well? Or just me? He can always go and help Gabe if you just need it to be me.
I don’t have to think twice. Bring Bassinger. We’re trying to weed people out who aren’t going to be useful for Tac missions. Those who aren’t will be given other work on the construction sites. I’m going to use the Soothsayer to process faster. We’ve discussed it before, and it’s much quicker than I am. It’ll also be a good way to see who’s uncomfortable around the gods.
Atlas, who is listening in now that Oli let him into the mind connection, chips in, Everyone should be uncomfortable around the gods, that’s just smart.
I get what he’s saying, and that’s the real question here. We’re looking for those who can’t handle them or who feel a negative reaction towards them. Any sort of hatred or distrust. Fear is natural and won’t be held against them.
They both agree. I can feel them getting things together quickly, the perfect operatives, even though they’ve never really been recruited.
I look up to see Vivian raising his eyebrows at me as he takes more pages from people, directing them over to Kieran. “Anything you want to share with the class there, Shore?”
I nod my head. “My Bonded and Bassinger are on their way down to help.”
Vivian just shakes his head at me. “I don’t feel like that’s going to be much help here. Fallows will end up pushing someone into a sparring match with her attitude, and Bassinger will only egg her on. You know I love that kid, but she’s got a mouth on her at the best of times. All hell breaks loose the second her eyes change color. Then we’ll be dealing with a stampede situation.”
I smile at him, and then my own eyes shift to black. “I’m three steps ahead of you there.”
“Fuck me, that’s still as creepy as ever,” Vivian grumbles as Unser flinches back from me.
The Soothsayer fills my mind, taking control of my limbs, and I can feel as the emotions and personality melt away from my facial expressions. The Soothsayer reaches out to take the clipboard and Vivian gives it to him quickly, damn near shoving it in his direction, as though he’s afraid to touch it.
It starts to hand the pages back to him with nothing more than a yes or no, its mind moving faster than mine ever could.
Vivian and Unser scramble to set up a system to collect them, and I have to speak directly to the Soothsayer inside my mind to change the way that it speaks, not wanting it to piss anyone off right now. The last thing I want my Bonded walking into is an all-out brawl with hundreds of people using various Gifts. We’d win that fight, but how many would we lose in the process? It’s just not worth it to me.
It agrees for her safety alone.
The moment the doors open and Oli walks in, the Soothsayer drops the paperwork and marches straight towards her, the terrified crowd parting like the sea as everyone gets a good look at the void eyes.
Oli lets out a little squeak of joyful surprise, grinning and throwing herself at the Soothsayer. I would say that she was putting on an act just to rub everyone’s faces in the fact that we are her Bonded and she loves the gods within us as much as she loves us, but the joy is oozing out of her very pores.
She is thrilled to see him, the same way she is thrilled to see me. “What can I help you with, my Bonded?” she asks, and the Soothsayer rumbles back at her happily, pleased at being acknowledged by his eternal purpose, his love, his reason for existing.
I reach out to her through the mind connection, We will send recruits over to you and Bassinger. Then you can set up a sparring match for them. It’s working through the lists faster than anyone else can at this point. I will get Vivian and Unser moving people into the construction area if they don’t check out.
She nods and reaches her hands up to cup the Soothsayer’s face, drawing him down to her lips for a kiss.
Anything for you, my Bonded.
She has the gods wrapped around her fingers as tightly as the Eternal within her does. I can feel the pleasure and satisfaction thrumming through the god at such treatment. She is the perfect vessel for them to worship along with their god-bond.
I lose track of the time as I wade through the scores of people who come through the doors, moving them off into the direction that the Soothsayer sends them. At one point, I look over to find Oli staring at the mat that she has people sparring on. Kieran murmurs to her, pointing things out to her as he accepts her help seamlessly. Atlas watches over her as much as he watches the mats, stepping closer to her side the moment anybody approaches our Bonded, but everyone in the room treats her with respect.
Out of close to a hundred and fifty applicants, two-thirds of them are accepted to start training here in the center. Of the third that we move to the construction process, only one has a bad reaction to seeing my void eyes. His fear borders on an angry reaction, something the man can’t control, but it isn’t smart to be around us.
I reach out to North to let him know the Gifted’s name and family so that we can do more research into him. We need to see whether or not we should remove him from the Sanctuary and find some other safe lodgings for them. All in all, it feels as though we have won something today.
When the Soothsayer finally lets me go, slipping back into the dark recesses of my mind, Vivian comes forward, holding a cup of coffee out to me.
“That thing isn’t very friendly, is it?” he observes, sipping at his own cup as he looks out over the sparring mats.
Kieran has gotten into the ring with the black belt, and it’s highly amusing watching them scuffle. The Gifted isn’t very scrappy. He has a lot of perfected techniques that could be an absolute asset out in the field, but Kieran is more of a combination fighter, intent on doing whatever it takes to win the sparring match. It’s an interesting match.
“It doesn’t really have any feelings towards anything except Oli.”
Vivian nods for a second and then shrugs. “If it’s ready to burn the whole world down just to keep her safe, then it’s a good thing we have it on our side. Maybe we can channel it a bit to keep the community safe as well.”
“That’s the plan. Who knows if we can make it happen.”
I go back over to my Bonded, and Atlas slaps me on the back in a friendly gesture as I move past him. His eyes are narrowed on the group of men standing together murmuring amongst each other. They’re not talking about anything of note, but Atlas is on high alert anyway, as he always is with our Bonded around, and I’m not going to blame him for that.
“You’re back! How did it go?” Oli asks, leaning into my side as she watches two of the women fight.
Both of them have a little more than basic training, which is a great starting point, one that will get them on missions quickly under the right training regime.
“Everyone who came has been processed. Honestly, everything that happened might just turn out to be for the best.”
She sighs and nods, calling out directions to one of the women as her feet shift a little dangerously, and I smile down at her. “Who would’ve thought that the girl who hated the treadmill would be correcting other people’s stances?”
She scoffs at me and groans a little under her breath. “I still hate the treadmill, and you were an asshole to me. The real reason I’m here today is because Vivian was a true gentleman.”
Black looks over at her like she’s crazy, and Rockelle jabs a thumb over his shoulder. “That Vivian? Because that Vivian’s a way bigger asshole than Shore has ever been, that’s for sure.”
Oli props a fist on her hip as she pulls herself into her own fighting stance. “You better not be talking smack about Vivian right now, Rockelle. I will piss in your Cheerios so fucking fast.”
He makes a face at her, glancing at me as though he’s expecting me to jump in and save him, but only an idiot would speak badly about Vivian in front of Oli.
“We’ve almost gotten through the entire crowd. I didn’t even think that was possible this morning,” Kieran murmurs to me, and I nod back.
“Any standouts?”
“The black belt, but we already knew that, and maybe a handful of others. We should be able to replace those we lost fairly easily. How are North and Nox doing?”
I don’t want to say much, but I never have to with Kieran. “Busy, both of them. I’ll be dragging them out of the office later, I’m sure.”
He gives me a curt nod before he starts barking out orders to rotate the people on the sparring mats once more, moving the last group in.
Oli bumps me with her hip, careful about how much affection she’s showing me now that we’re in business mode while still grabbing my attention. “You’re going to make sure they come back tonight, right? They’re not going to be sleeping up there again, are they?”
I nod my head. “Even if I have to physically drag both of them down, we will all be at the house tonight, Bonded. I promise.”
Her shoulders deflate a little in relief, and just to make sure I keep that promise to her, I send the image through to North and Nox.
Your Bonded wants you home tonight. No excuses.
Neither of them question me.
