Chapter 6

Three and a half hours later I am falling asleep practically as topics repeat and I am forced to speak up yet again.

About a simple matter no less, too.

"We have an army, just not a trained one, me and my Silent Spector will personally train them and by the time this nasty little war is upon us, not only will we have a trained army, but plenty of allies if our army fails us in the end."

"And who are these allusive allies that are so bloody fantastic." Kol says at the same time Harlan says, "Who are the silent specter?"

Seeing as these two associate with houses allied with my own I start to answer their questions.

Pulling myself up even straighter I turn to face the two, "To answer Kol, how do you think I handled the Coalition, not by myself, that's for sure, and as for the latter question, the Silent Specter are a division of trained specialized agents, of a sort."

"If you have such powerful allies, why did none them at least attempt to have you freed from the prison caverns?"

"Because I told them to stand down and be ready to act when the time was right. I make strategic moves, I play the long game. it is not always best to act right away."

"So, you turned your back on this world, this kingdom, to 'play the long game'."

I lean back in my chair and I start to laugh quietly, one of my hands resting on the armrest and the other hanging freely. I can find no bounds to the hilarity to this situation.

My eyes remain deceptively light, which scares the room more than an angry me does. Angry me is predictable. They are used to dealing and avoiding angry me, but light, laughing me. Something doesn't sit right with the picture.

I lean forward, my elbow resting on my left armrest, my my right thumb nail and left pointer picking at each other.

"Let us not forget who forsake who first," I throw my hands out slightly, then return them to picking at each other, "let us not forget who turned on whom," another quite laugh, "you have no one to blame but yourselves and you're all damn lucky I spent my time doing useful things, sorting myself out, unlike everyone else in this room." A condescending look, "While you have all thrived off of the wealth my foremothers acquired, I was gathering allies for a war that I really shouldn't be involved in."

Not that most of that statement is true, but none of them ever checked in on me, so they have nothing to discredit me. Only my word to go off of and an Aculiacs word has always been good.

The truth being, I don't have many allies, but I do have debts to collect. I'd always been good with making deals and if you make a deal with me, I'm probably your last resort, because once you've done business with me, you'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life.

Quite frankly I don't find anything worth the loss of peace.

"For war you say, if all this is true, if you are good for your word, then this war could have been prevented."

Or maybe you could have stepped up, got off your spoiled asses, and done something useful with your time.

Not that I was doing anything life changing myself, but come on, I was in a damned prison cavern and now I want to just leave, fall asleep and never come back.

It's not like I'm capable of really setting the world on fire with innovative ideas and all that Jazz.

"It could not have been prevented, only postponed and do not dare to take a tone with me, Rivers. I think now is when I get up and go before things get messy here. You know what I know," only partially true, "And you have put me in a place of power. I'll be making the choices from here on out. You, my friends, can simply consult. But I really must get to the Highstone camps, so, If you'll excuse me."

And with that I wave my hand and disappear in a cloud of shadows.

I let silent tears come as I realize that I am truly alone now. I had always held out hope that my Gavrin was alive, had survived.

That somehow he had just left, that he had run and never looked back, but it was just that, a hope, a fantasy.

Deep down I've always known he's been dead all this time, but thinking and knowing are two very different things.

"Love you little Eve."

"Love you too, Gav."

I was his little Eve. I was his everything and for once in my life, someone had put me first, had told me I was special and important.

He was the one that had pulled my body from the ruins of a still burning house, had rubbed my back as I vomited up water and spittle after nearly drowning to death. I had always my sisters, but I never wanted them to know how far Aries had gone with me sometimes in a rage.

Dad had always been their role model, and sure, they saw some of his faults, but they had never known how truly awful he was.

Now the only people I have left to surround myself with are a bunch of advisors that would kill me given the chance. Not the best allies to have during a war.

I should honestly just kill them, at this point they're all more trouble than they're worth.

But I can't. Once I start killing, it's like I can't stop and then I'll be just like the girl Aries tried to make me all those years ago and that is unacceptable.

There are lines even I would not, could not, cross.

How has my life gotten to this point? How have I fallen so far?

What sins have I committed to be so condemned?

These questions haunt me every day, every step, as I get up and wander through empty, haunting halls.

Halls that were once filled with the laughter of a growing child, the joy of love between family's, the happiness shared by two young cousins and between growing sisters

Oh Gavrin, what happened to you?

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