Kiromir72

In the time it took Miela to get me up to date with all of the intelligence from my mother's work, my stomach had coiled into knots. I practically shook with rage when the elders finally reached a consensus and agreed that Rolyn needed to be sent back into the cycle. Her and anyone who participated in what had happened, too. Then, we managed to finally get in contact with the Grells; Sorin did at least. He brought a worn old cellphone into the outbuilding and put it on speakerphone between us.

"Kiromir, Sorrin," A voice said in acknowledgment.

"Tavar?" I asked. Sorrin nodded, but the voice on the other end confirmed. I knew him as one of the flock leaders of the Grells.

"So, Sorrin has briefed me on the situation. You'll forgive our lack of expedient response because we appear to have a different accounting of events." Tavar didn't sound dubious, but then again, he was a Grell. They had less empathy and emotion than they did magic.

"I’m not sure what account you’ve been given, but we did all that we could to help the Sentinels evacuate when we saw the vans coming in. We abided by the laws even if they didn’t.” I kept my tone calm and even, despite my raging anger.

“We’ve confirmed that with some of the fledglings. We’re still missing many, but none of them children, thankfully.” The tinny voice on the phone responded with metered patience. I sighed in relief.

“Thank you. Beyond all else, thank you, Kiromir,” Tavar continued.

“Flock, then family,” I recited.

“Indeed. This is why we’re reaching out. You’ve abided by the rules at every step, and I’m afraid we have Rolyn here who has been a bad actor in all this,” Tavar’s voice went cold.

“And the rest of them?” Just hearing my mother’s name raised my hackles.

“Already dealt with.” The voice sounded sharp and final. “The cycle calls them.”

I felt uneasy with what went on, and I heard a strangled cry in the phone's background.

“It appears your mother wants to speak to you, Kiromir.” I tensed as I heard a fervent cry ring out.

“KIROMIR! You have to understand, I was helping the fl—” My mother said.

“Rolyn. Shut up.” I gathered the nerve to speak to her, and she quieted to my calm tone.

“Ask whatever you want, then we can get into negotiations to make sure this little snafu doesn’t happen again.” Tavar was anxious about something, which was difficult around Rolyn’s aura.

“There’s nothing you can say to make me less angry about what happened. There’s not a damn thing that would make any of this right. I don’t even want to know why. I just want to know how far down you’ve dug this hole.” I remained silent after, and so did Rolyn. She was legendary for silence that could kill; If anything, I’d learned it from her. Then, finally, I heard a sharp crack, a hand against flesh, and a whimper from her.

“If Revik had done what he promised, we wouldn’t be in this mess. He ruined everything. I wouldn’t have had to give them Niala back. I wouldn’t have had to give the other halfbreed to him.” Her rant became sharp.

“Wait, another? Is Niala actually a haflbreed?”

“Kiromir, she only has two wings. Seraphim have four. She’s a halfbreed, according to them.” She kept going, and every word made it worse.

“Them?” I asked, wondering if she’d known of other tribes all along.

“Our federal contacts,” every syllable sharp and biting. Even then, on death’s doorstep, she showed her true colors.

“Halfbreed or not, she’s mine. Now, what of the other? They have another little girl?” I asked, but Rolyn didn’t respond, and even after a sharp crack, she only yelped and breathed hard.

“You do not understand. She needs to die, Kiromir. She needs to—” She silenced as another sharp crack rang out. Tavar had no patience for this.

“Why?” I choked a laugh.

“Her people will eventually find her. And when they do, they’re going to destroy you and everything you hold dear. That’s what seraphim do, Kiromir. THAT’S WHAT THEY DO. It’s better the humans be destroyed than us! That’s why I had to give them the other halfbreed.” She kept going, and every mote of it drew my stomach into a knot.

“She’s not—” I wanted to say it, but I couldn’t. She had the traits, and maybe she was a halfbreed.

Sorrin’s lips pursed into a thin line. “Tavar. We understand you were complicit in a lot of the goings-on with this. Were you not?”

Tavar went quiet, pausing, then spoke brazenly, “Yes.” Sorin took a calming breath, and I could feel an aura of contempt crawling around me seductively. I rebutted it, knowing how Sorin’s aura worked. My stomach twisted tighter in knots, and I breathed hard. Sorrin was older than me, wiser, more versed in the law.

“We want her tried to the fullest extent. We want anyone who knew directly of what was going on tried as well. Furthermore, we want restitution for our losses. Our rations are low because we had to take in the wanderers. They’ve lost their compound. Most of them have lost their campers. Do you know how much secluded land there is left in America? Almost none! The mana and work required to build them up a suitable barrier are going to be immense!” Sorrin said everything I wanted.

“We can concede to all of those conditions, with interest and suffering. We only request that you not opt for death. The level at which this goes is deep. I thought we were collaborating for breeding. I had no idea about Niala. We wanted her in our ranks, Kiromir. She’s new fresh blood, but we’re of the understanding that she’s spoken for, tentatively.” Another sharp crack and a shriek came from Rolyn.

“She said there was another halfbreed. If Rolyn refuses to speak, Tavar, I humbly request that I be the one to take care of my mother.” Rage burned in me, and Tavar went quiet.

“She will speak. She will spill every single truth she holds. We can start by plucking her, and if that doesn’t work, we can clip her.” The seething hatred in Tavar’s voice boiled with rage, and while I would have dispatched my mother to the cycle, what Tavar threatened… It made me blanch.

“I also demand she tell us what happened to Revik,” I added with a shaken breath.

“He’s dead.” Rolyn’s response came too quick, too sharp. Sorrin held out his hand to silence me.

“We’re going to assemble our demands and reparations. We’ll give you a list of questions we have. Needless to say that we are very invested in answers.”

Tavar’s shaken breath crossed the receiver in a slow wheeze of sound. A sharp crack emanated from the background, and Rolyn bleated once more. Feeling better, Tavar thanked us for our patience and looked forward to giving in to our demands. “Oh, and Sorrin, Kiromir?”

“Yes?” Sorrin answered for me this time.

“We’re missing soldiers who are acting on orders that are not mine. If sentinels approach you, please try to subdue them before you kill them. If you have to kill them, we will have to understand.” They know what the rules are.

Sorrin thanked Tavar and hung up. A collective sigh of relief spread through the room, and nobody really felt better.