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ELRETH

She wasn\'t sure when she\'d gotten to her feet, but she faced her brother, Aaryn just a couple feet to her side.

Her head sang, her heart thrumming in her ears. She was aware of Aaryn and the elders staring between her and Gar.

Everyone was stunned. Uncertain whether to believe him. And, if they were anything like her, strangely certain that he was right.

Her brother was right. But she wished he wasn\'t.

Everyone remained silent and stared at her with eyes that demanded answers, demanded action. Except Aaryn. Aaryn looked at her with a gaze brimming in confidence and reassurance.

Then his fingers flashed. \'You can do this.\'

She almost wept.

\'I don\'t even know what "this" is,\' she signed back, but kept her eyes on Gar, shaking her head slowly. "We need more information. We need to understand—"

"You need to talk to Mom," Gar said with quiet conviction. Elreth nodded even as the Elders began to murmur again.

Nerves trilled in her stomach. Prophecy? Her family at the center of it? Her being the Alpha to lead them all through an invasion? It sounded like something from a fairy story, but this was her life?

And her mother had known this all along?

So many questions swam through her head—why had her mother resisted her father baiting her to challenge him if she believed El was the leader to bring the Anima through this?

Why had she let Gar know, but not El?

What role did Gar believe he had to play—other than letting this particularly vicious cat out of the proverbial bag?

Had her father known more than he let on? Was that why he\'d been so insistent on Elreth becoming the Alpha?

She had so many questions, and all for her family.

These weren\'t conversations she wanted to have at all, let alone in front of the elders. But if she didn\'t have it in front of them, they\'d likely fear she was hiding her family from discipline.

Her head spun. Her hands trembled and she stilled them by pressing them against her thighs.

"My Cohorts," she said quietly. "Someone please call Gwyn, she\'s needed immediately. Urgently. No matter what."

One of the elders ran for the door to speak to one of the guards and send a messenger. "Tarkyn, and Lhern, you too. You\'ll all attend with me. We will sit with… with my parents and Gar and we will explore all of this until we\'re certain we know what we\'re facing—as much as we can. Then we will discuss it ourselves. Then we\'ll bring it back to the councils. This will take careful consideration, and… and I will not rush it."

The elders hummed—approval from those who would attend with her, some uncertainty from the others, but Elreth was past caring.

"Lhern, Tarkyn, take whatever time you need to get the Portal secure—utterly secure—and patrols throughout the WildWood. We need to know now if there are any other humans in our world."

"The patrols are already prepared," Lhern said, with a glance at Tarkyn, who nodded. "We only have to mobilize them."

"Do that," Elreth said, somewhat breathlessly. "I would rather overreact to this news, than… than regret. Get every guard we can spare out into the wood—and the trackers too. We can\'t assume they have stayed to the trails, or the Portal region. The time has come to actively hunt for them."

They went back and forth a few more times, then Elreth watched Tarkyn dart out of the room, vowing to join them at the cave as soon as he was able.

Then Elreth turned to Gar. "Your people—all of them. Do you know where they are?"

Gar caught her meaning immediately and nodded.

Elreth sighed with relief. That was one less thing to worry about if she didn\'t have to worry about patrols finding Marryk and Hannah—

"Some of them have moved," Aaryn growled, glaring at Gar. "He knows where they are, but they are not where they should be."

Gar\'s throat bobbed. "I called those back in earlier today when it was clear things were moving. They should already be among the others."

Elreth began to sweat, her forehead and the back of her neck prickling. Such a fine line to walk with the Elders, to keep the Anima safe without appearing to betray them.

"Go and bring your people together," she commanded with every ounce of Alpha power within her. Gar flinched, but nodded. "Do not leave a single soul roaming. Warn them that any disformed found in the WildWood on any but their normal duties will be petitioned as a potential traitor."

Gar opened his mouth, his brows pinched, but Elreth spoke over him.

"If we need to inform all of Anima about the humans, I will not allow the disformed any reason to be viewed with suspicion. Either they fall in line and conduct themselves in line with all of the Tribes, or they will be regarded as suspicious and held until we\'re certain exactly where we stand, and how they are involved."

Gar growled. "The disformed are your saviors in this, El. Not the enemy."

Aaryn was bristling too, but she didn\'t care. "No tribe has only good people in it, Gar. If you don\'t know that already, learn it quickly. You must be willing to look among your own for betrayers, as willing as you are to look among your enemies."

Gar\'s face went sad, but he blinked and nodded.

Elreth breathed easier. She would deal with the tension in Aaryn later. He had enough on his plate right now.

Then the door swung open and Gwyn stepped in, her eyes wide and searching—for Elreth. Elreth\'s nodded at her, beckoning her closer.

"Okay," she said. "I\'ll fill Gwyn in while we walk. The Cohorts come with me. The rest of you do what you have to, then join us at the Royal Cave. The rest of you, spread yourselves among the people tonight—be seen, be comforting, and be aware. Look for anything odd or suspicious. But where you see nothing, offer a steadying presence. If our people are under attack, we need them ready to fight, not already in fear."

Voices rose as everyone nodded and began to move.

Elreth took a deep breath, then turned to a very startled Gwyn, standing between Aaryn and Gar, looking back and forth between them.

"Are you okay, El?" she asked carefully.

"No," Elreth said quietly. "I\'m going to need you indefinitely," she said and tried to put an apology in her eyes. "I\'m sorry I\'ve been so absent, there\'s been… a lot. I\'ll explain while we walk. Have you eaten?"

Gwyn nodded, her face still alarmed. Elreth tried to force a smile. "Good. You\'re going to need it."

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