Chapter 12 #3
“The Great War in itself will not happen tomorrow,” Dad said reassuringly before waving at Venya.
“In truth, every Oracle and Seer believe that while battles and bloody conflicts will escalate over the next few months, the all-out war itself is still a couple of years away. Instead of every world fighting all at once to take down a common enemy, it will be different worlds fighting each other. And too often, it will be for the wrong reasons or because they got manipulated into it.”
“So what’s going to happen with all the deployments if the Sentinels separate from the Alliance?” Vahl asked.
“Once Veredia leaves, they will create a sister division to the Tuurean army that you will lead,” Dad said calmly.
It was as if a bomb went off in the room.
My brothers and I stared at him, mouth agape.
A million questions fired off in my head.
But even as they popped up, they answered themselves.
They needed Vahl to no longer just be the prophesied Great General, but to finally step into that role before the real war began.
If Dad was accurate in his statement that the Oracles and Seers expected the full-on war to blow up in two years, it would give Vahl a reasonable runway of leading a growing number of troops before the ultimate showdown.
“I understand,” Vahl said at last.
It had become a pattern lately for him to use that simple response when overwhelmed but refusing to be defeated.
“Gavin, Lenora, and the twins should be here,” I suddenly said. “We need them.”
Dad stared at me for a second before shifting his gaze to my twin.
“That’s a decision for Vahleryon to make,” Dad replied.
“Gavin should be here,” Vahl concurred forcefully.
My heart leapt, but I forced myself to keep a neutral expression.
“Why?” Dad challenged.
“Because I want him here,” Vahl said as if it was self-evident.
“Why?” Dad insisted.
“Because he’s my Ghan,” Vahl said with a hint of irritation.
Dad narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you sure? You want Gavin and not Trehv?”
“Yes, I want Gavin,” he replied with a conviction that left me reeling.
I hadn’t discussed with Vahleryon the conversation our fathers and Ghan had with Gavin in his hospital room after he finally awakened.
When Dad revealed how they had been grooming my mate for years to stand by my twin, I realized Vahl had not known either.
They wanted him to freely choose who he believed would best help him achieve his monumental task, just like they had kept Gavin in the dark.
I also always believed that Trehvus would be his first officer, as I didn’t see anyone else at the time who could fulfill that role. And yet, as amazing as Trehv undoubtedly was, he never quite matched my vision of another Ghan, not like my mate did.
“The twins and Lenora are an essential part of my team. But I want… no, I need Gavin,” Vahl said forcefully.
“Gavin has been suspended for insubordination,” Ghan said calmly.
Just as I rolled my eyes, Vahl and Rhad snorted dismissively in almost perfect sync.
“Gavin is suspended with the Sentinels, not the Tuureans. So it’s irrelevant,” Vahl deadpanned.
Everyone chuckled, and Dad nodded with an approving smile.
“Good point. Then let’s go home and discuss the matter with your first officer,” Dad said.
The entire journey home, my mind kept racing.
A part of me wished Vahl, Rhadames, and I could be alone, like when we were very young.
We had an almost symbiotic connection, reinforced by the constant rage and bloodlust that threatened to engulf us until Grappa Eryon saved us by teaching us kaa.
Vahl had always been the most powerful and most violent one.
Rhad and I would spend a lot of time and energy soothing him, which further reinforced our unbreakable bond.
Not a day would go by without him expressing his gratitude for keeping him grounded every time he felt on the verge of going feral.
And right now, it wasn’t violence destabilizing him, but the type of burden and responsibility no eighteen-year-old should be forced to carry.
We walked into the house to find Gavin standing outside by the pool with a confused expression as he stared at a holocard.
Sensing our presence, his head jerked up to look in our direction even before I could open the patio door.
His face immediately lit up the moment he saw me.
Arms spread wide, he caught me as I threw myself into his embrace.
Ignoring my stupid brothers’ retching sounds, and Dad’s annoyed grunt, we exchanged a long kiss.
To my dismay, he broke it before we could deepen it.
Although I understood his restraint—and actually agreed that it was more respectful—I also wished he would be less in control and especially bolder in front of my family.
My Dad and siblings needed to make peace with the fact that we were a couple, with all that it entailed.
“Is everything okay?” I asked when he released me.
Gavin nodded in greeting at the others then returned his attention to me.
“Something weird just happened,” he said, waving the holocard in his hand. “I just received a special invitation for a private audience with the Divine of Fallhaven.”
“What?!” Vahl exclaimed.
Where Rhadames and I also recoiled at such a stunning declaration, Dad and Ghan merely narrowed their eyes at the card. Although the news also surprised them, they weren’t shocked like us. What else did they know?
“Have you ever been to the Capital City of Dantor before?” Vahl asked.
Gavin shook his head. “No, never.”
“Do you know someone there?” Vahl insisted.
“No. I’ve never had anything to do with them,” Gavin replied, a frown creasing his brow.
“It’s interesting that they should send that invitation just now,” Dad said pensively.
“Why?” I asked. “What else is going on?”
“They were attacked,” Vahl said. “There was a marker on Dantor on the maps Dad displayed.”
“Good observation,” Dad said approvingly. “And yes, Dantor sustained a couple of attacks. And this is forcing them to shift away from their neutral stance. It looks like they are finally going to have to choose a side in the upcoming war.”
“They sent us a cryptic message earlier today,” Ghan explained. “As members of the Galactic Alliance, they requested the Sentinels’ protection, they but want to have a say in which troops will come.”
“That still doesn’t quite explain why they want you,” Vahl mused aloud while giving Gavin an assessing look.
My mate shrugged. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for the past half hour since that message arrived.
At first, I wondered if it had anything to do with my friendship with Keran, but it’s such a long shot that I doubt it might be the case.
Then I wondered if maybe the Divine saw a tragedy that they think I might help avert? ”
“But that’s the whole point of the Divine. He can foresee natural disasters, plagues, and various other tragedies and provide pre-emptive solutions to mitigate or to flat-out prevent them,” I argued.
“We’ll never know unless you go,” Vahl said, his gaze intense as he stared at Gavin. “Do you want to go?”
“I must,” Gavin said without hesitation.
“Do you feel that you must, or you just think it’s diplomatically appropriate?” Vahl insisted.
Gavin didn’t answer right away. His eyes shifted slightly down and to the right as he assessed whatever emanated from his sixth sense.
“Yes, I have to go,” Gavin said at last.
Vahl nodded. “Then we’re going.”
Gavin froze and gave him a confused look. “We are going?”
Dad proceeded to give him an update on the meeting we just had. In that instant, I would have given anything to be able to read his mind as a flurry of emotions flashed over Gavin’s face. Thankfully, they didn’t bring up the part about Vahl wanting him as his First Officer.
To me, this should be handled almost like a marriage proposal, with the two people involved having a private discussion where they determined whether this was the right choice for each of them.
I didn’t want my mate to feel as if it had been imposed on him, even though he had implied that he would be happy to take on the role.
Their lives, and those of millions of people across the galaxy, depended on this partnership being as rock solid as the one between Dad and Ghan. I didn’t doubt they would become a legendary pair. But this needed to be done right.
“Then I guess we indeed go,” Gavin said with an air of wonder. “When? Tomorrow?”
“No,” Dad said in a tone that brooked no argument. “In two days.”
“Why?” Gavin asked.
“Because tomorrow we celebrate those who qualified for the Sentinels and hand out assignments,” Ghan replied. “We will also need time for provisioning the ships.”
“Right,” Gavin said with an uneasy expression. “Under the circumstances, where does that leave me and the other Braxians?”
“You mean the Insubordinate Pack?” Khel asked tauntingly.
Ignoring him, Vahl faced Gavin. “The Sentinels don’t matter. You’re all mine now.”
“And you passed,” Ghan added with his legendary haughty expression.
“Thank the Ancestors,” Gavin breathed with such dramatic relief we all chuckled.
“I told you, you would,” I said proudly, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“You did,” he conceded before claiming my mouth under the reluctantly approving gazes of the other men.