Destiny or Coincidence?

[Kaisaan]

For as long as he could remember, Kalen had been caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock, well, that was his own heritage, his own nature. He was a halfbreed, but that wasn't really specific enough. Lots of people in the world were halfbreeds now. With so many combinations of races in the world it was bound to happen at some point. But no, he was a combination of two races that were notorious for their feuds whether it was political or physical; shape-shifter and human. He was nothing less than an insult to both species.

And yet, in an odd twist of fate - or was it coincidence? - he'd been chosen. That was the hard place. He'd been born with the mark, a birthmark as rare as time itself, a stupid mark that had obviously meant something to someone at some point and it had landed him in the shape-shifter government's clutches. His father, Thomas Thorpe, couldn't have cared as he was some high-ranking official in the human government and for someone to know he'd taken a shape-shifter as a lover would be the scandal of the year, and for someone to find out a child had been made through that fling? Well, it didn't bear thinking about.

Kalen's mother, Selena Noven, was dead and had been since he was a child. He barely remembered her, was the cause of her death - or so he was told - as she'd passed on only a month after he was born. She'd been a leading scientists in her field, a respected and powerful shifter and her brother, Alexander Noven, was a general in the army, highly valued and respected, powerful as well as both brother and sister had been prone to the lion forms. It was for his mother's sake and for the dutiful - and somewhat affectionate - tendency Alexander possessed that Kalen had been allowed the upbringing that he'd had.

He hadn't been a spoiled child by any stretch of the imagination, but he'd not been hidden away either. Not at first. His uncle had been willing to let him go into the training program when it was discovered that the halfbreed possessed the mark if only for the fact that he didn't know how to control the black-haired youth anymore. Kalen had been twenty-five - about sixteen in human years - when he went into the government program and he felt like he'd not seen the light of day since.

Apparently he was meant to fight some evil devourer of magic that was set to come back after hundreds of years just like it had done in the past. Right. And Santa Claus was real, too. Kalen had rebelled from the start, but after a few years - all right, more like fifteen - of attempting to escape and being hunted down, apprehended and forced to return under heavier restrictions, he'd given up trying to get away for the most part. And to pass the time he learned the majority of things that they wanted him to.

But he didn't believe it. And even if he had, even just a tiny bit, he sure as hell would not have believed that HE was the one who was supposed to stop it. Yeah right. Not the halfbreed reject they barely tolerated and wished could be one of their own, a pure blood.

No. Definitely didn't believe it.

His opinion didn't seem to make much of a difference to the shifters before him, though, three different individuals now trying to fill his ears with some mumbo jumbo about readings and something they'd found near the ocean and whatnot. Honestly, Kalen's black eyes had glazed over about five minutes into it and he shifted in his chair after a time, feeling an itch between his shoulder blades that often occurred when he was restless or bored or scared or angry...yeah, so it itched a lot because he had a bird-like instinct to flare his wings when agitated. Whatever.

The young male stifled a yawn, knowing they'd just start over again if they thought he wasn't listening and tried to keep his expression suitably attentive as he nodded periodically. Hopefully it would be over soon...

 

[Elflady]

Suya released her breath in a small, barely audible sigh, her dark eyes fixed on the Council members before her, bored and nervous, it sounded on them as they finally had gained a clue about where to find the ancient one, some caves by the ocean to the east. Others may have been a bit apprehensive or scared about a private meeting with the rulers of the human district of the city but so wasn't the case. Suya had seen and met with them since she was a child, ten or eleven perhaps, she coldn't quite recall the exact time, so to her they were more an annoying group of people pushing her into something she didn't want to do.

But no matter her inner thoughts she listened carefully, knowing a lack of interest and dedication from her would sadden and shame her parents who were very happy and proud over their only daughter. But all this nonsence about her being the chosen one was just ridiculous, just because of a mark and some old, barely readable texts about an ancient creature that emerged every few centuries to devour the magic in the world. Really, in this day and age people still clung to the legends of such impossible beasts and their threat against the world, it was like taken out of a storybook for children, not a history book. As she was told this for the first time Suya, and her parents, had been chocked, this was not in any history book or any book that could be obtained by the general populace for that matter.

In fact, she had been told that this applied for every living race, only a very small number of people among all the races, humans and mythicals alike, knew about this evil threat, which in turn made it harder to believe for Suya. She agreed freely to this life for herself as the chosen one and all the training and lack of freetime that went with it to satisfy her parents and live up to their expectations and because it was useless to fight against it, not because she believed in those fairytales.

Even if she did believe in it all whole heartedly Suya also couldn't see how she could possibly do anything to stop this ancient beast on her own, although the Council seemed certain that she in some way could kill the beast Suya wasn't convinced. However she wasn't afraid over going to her death as she didn't believe in its existance, she was more concearned over what she might meet on her way, the wild parts of the world covering the area between the cities were filled with dangers at least she had read so in books, Suya herself had never been outside the city.

Snapping back to the present Suya heard the man stop speaking about her 'quest', not even aware that she had tuned out, trying to look alert and attentive Suya focused her eyes on the only woman in the council as she raised her surprisingly strong voice. What was this, Suya thought confused, why would they need to meet with some mythicals before her leave, even worse then that it had to be shifters, what were the council members thinking? They certainly didnt need any help or agreement from those people, if you could call them that. As with most of her kind Suya didn't trust the shape shifters, although the real reason why was forgotten neither side trusted the other very much and lived in a for now quite stable peace, each on their side of the section border.

She didn't know for sure but the shifting itself might have something to do with it the distrust, but, Suya thought, there must be something else as well. Perhaps this was something else that was hidden from the people, deemed unimportant for civilians to know. Suya huffed in annoyance but didn't object or voice the dislike visible in her eyes, if this was necessary before her departure then so be it, hopefully it would be over quickly. To make all parties satisfied the meeting would apparently take place in a neutral building near the border between the sections.

 

[Kaisaan]

"Kalen.....Kalen!.....KALEN!"

His black-haired head snapped up and around at the exasperated risen voice, and the halfbreed grinned. "Yes, your majesty?"

If looks could kill...Kalen would undoubtedly be dead, but fortunately for him they needed him and so it seemed that the shifter in question pushed back his homicidal urge and spoke rather calmly. "You haven't been paying attention to anything we've been telling you, have you?"

A black brow rose. "Were you saying something interesting?" Now the other male's fists clenched and Kalen suddenly felt a painful sting to the back of his head. He gave a yelp and rubbed the spot as a familiar figured walked past his chair. "Behave, Kalen." His uncle's voice was deep, powerful but not unkind. He was blond as most lion-based shifters were, his entire aura speaking of strength and a strange nobility not found often in the world anymore. His warning blue eyes made the young halfbreed grimace, sitting up straight and he watched with a bit more interest as Alexander leaned over to whisper into an instructor's - Diana - ear, glancing at his nephew more than once. The female shifter looked a bit troubled, but nodded and Alexander moved back to Kalen who was already standing, black eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What-"

"Walk."

The blond's hand descended on his shoulder, a heavy thing, but not harsh and the halfbreed did as he was told, looking up to his uncle with a puzzled frown as they started through the hallways of the building and to the elevator, the three scientists or trainers or instructors, whatever one wanted to call them on any given day, following behind. "Where are we going?"

Blue eyes glanced at him in the elevator. "You really weren't paying attention, were you?"

Kalen's grin came back, a bit sheepish this time...barely. "Well, I saw this bird outside and..." He shrugged and finally his uncle smiled, chuckling as he shook his head and ruffled the hair on Kalen's, making the halfbreed grimace and duck away. "Oh, Kalen..." The fond exasperation was clear, but the black-haired youth merely waited, knowing he'd get what he wanted with enough patience. His uncle knew it, too, and simply started to speak as they exited the elevator and walked through the heavily guarded lobby toward the door that would lead them to a black, bullet proof car with heavy tinted windows.

"We're going to meet with the humans."

"What? Wait...why??"

"If you'd been paying attention, you'd know."

A snort answered that as Kalen ducked into the car and gave his uncle a look from across the seat. "Right. Sure I would. You're just trying to make me regret that I didn't listen to the drones going on and on."

Alexander grinned, blue eyes glittering. "Is it working?"

Kalen looked away, his voice a grumble. "Maybe."

 

[Elflady]

Following those of the council who were leaving for the meeting with the shifters, she suspected that for some political standpoint they didn't want to have all the leaders leave the council building at once. Among those who came were the only woman among the eight, Sarah, or the ice lady as Suya like to think of her as, despite being of the same gender Suya had never been able to identify or feel some sort of connection to the older woman with her cold, almost sterile logic. The rest of them where pretty much the same to her, old men stuck in the past, the youngest among them till quite a bit older than her own parents.

"Why do we have to meet with the shifters?" Suya asked tentatively as they walked through the winding corridors and down staircases to reach the parking lot out back. Unable to see the logic behind it all, not that there was much logic to anything they had told her so far.

"If you had been listening to everything we said then you would not need to ask," Sarah said, her voice low and collected. Suya sighed, nothing went past Sarah, her roaming green eyes seemed to see everything, especally when Suya slacked off or did something otherwise unappreciated by the older woman.

"Fine," she admitted with an eye roll. "I'm sorry for not focusing the entire time. Now can you please tell me once more why we are going?" Try as she might Suya couldn't keep the tinge of annoyance out of her voice. But it had been a long talk with many certainly unneccessary additions and strays into other subjects, no one could have an attentionspan for all that.

"You will find out once we get there." The ice lady's words were final and Suya knew further begging or demanding would lead nowhere. Technically the council were supposed to have equal say in every matter but Suya had learned that Sarah had a lot of power and her words weighed heavy in every matter which usually led to if she said something it was obeyed.

Apparently being the chosen one still made you inferior to the great council members, despite in other situations you would think otherwise, but no, being the saviour of the world wasn't enough to get an answer for a simple question. It may be a childish thought but Suya couldn't help herself. Taking a seat in the black, government car with dark windows she resigned herself to not knowing the purpose of their trip.

After a short drive they stopped by a quite anonymous building, a glance further down showed her the shifter district, of course it looked no different from the human side unless someone were using their other form. Having no time to keep looking Suya rested her hands in her jacket pockets and followed the three elders into the building actually starting to get rather curious as to their purpose here.

 

[Kaisaan]

Kalen looked up at the building on the border, a place where many meetings between shifters and humans had been held. There was a lot of history, a lot of blood spilled, treaties signed, decisions made. It was a place that had stood the test of time and now it was about to host another meeting of the races. The halfbreed felt uneasy about the idea. Then again, he always felt that way when confronted with both sides of what he was, like standing on the yellow line in the middle of a double highway. Stray a little off course and you were liable to be creamed. He tried not to think on it overmuch, following Diana, Noah, Kyle and Alexander into the building from the opposite side the humans would enter on. That way no one crossed into someone else's border even to enter the building on the hill overlooking both sides of the city.

The silence was nearly unbearable on the way up the elevator and then they were starting down a blank hallway to the conference room in the center of the structure. They entered in confidence and it didn't matter that the human outnumbered them more than two to one. With lion-based, dire wolf-based, tiger-based and bear-based shifters making up their own side, the odds were more than even.

Kalen wasn't much thinking about such a thing, though, as his eyes scanned over the human inhabitants of the room, black eyes flickering from the older people to land on the youngest. He noted that she was rather beautiful - he was a guy, sue him - and that she appeared as out of place as he felt, but what caught his eyes was the mark on her face. His eyes widened in instant understanding. No way. No. Way.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." His voice was anything but quiet and Noah shot him a look. "Kalen, be silent."

"No! That's-"

"Kalen." Alexander's voice was warning and the halfbreed let out an audible growl, but shut his mouth, looking back to the young woman who bore the same mark that graced his abdomen on her face. What the hell was this? If this was some stupid practical joke... He felt his uncle's hand settle on his shoulder once more and soon realized why as he saw a very familiar face moving out of the crowd, someone he'd not seen before when looking around. His father. Kalen's black eyes clouded with instant anger and the hand on his shoulder tightened just a little, but whether in comfort or warning was uncertain.

Thomas Thorpe looked over his son with little in the way of recognition, studying him more than anything. They both had the same black hair, the same jaw structure, skin-tone, eye-shape, but Kalen had more of his mother's build, not the stockier build of his father and he had her mouth, her bone structure. And he had her fiery spirit. Thomas looked away from those sparking eyes and instead between the two groups. "We both know why we are here so if both parties would be seated, we will get down to the business we must conduct."

"We might want to introduce them first." Alexander supplied in his deep-set voice, doing well to hold in his opinion of the man who'd been his sister's lover before leaving her to face the consequences of such a union on her own.

 

[Elflady]

Sweeping her eyes over the shifters that entered Suya saw a similar picture before her, a group of four important looking people and one closer to her own age maybe who didn't really fit in. Once more she wondered what all this could possibly mean, she could almost feel the tension from her side of the room and guessed the shifters weren't entirely comfortable either. The young man's outburst snapped her attention back to him, meeting his black eyes that were widened in surprise, frowning at his reaction Suya wondered what his deal was, whatever was going on made her uneasy though.

She felt like she was the only one of the gathered that didn't know the full picture and it irked her. Glancing around at the four beside her gained her nothing, Sarah was as unreadable as ever and by her side Dylan, Ethan, Jared and Philip stood just as stone faced, no help from them.

When the dark haired man stepped forward Suya's attention was drawn to him, she hadn't even noticed him at first, she did recognise him however, Thomas something, a quite important person in the government and she didn't particularly like him. Then again there wasn't many people she did like in the government so that wasn't really anything to go by.

Speak for yourself, Suya though as the Thomas spoke, although she supposed that was more her fault for not paying attention. The blonde man who Suya thought looked almost regal, spoke up and Thomas looked a bit annoyed although it passed his features so quickly Suya wasn't quite sure it had been there at all.

"Right, of course," Dylan said. He was one of the younger council members, already with silver strands staining his brown hair. "This is Suya Taylor," he continued with a motion of his hand towards her.

"And this is Kalen Black," Thomas said shortly before any of the shifters could speak. "Now, to get back to business."

Suya followed her elders' example and took a seat at the large table, attentive and eager to finally hear the reason for all this, sitting straight in the chair her hands resting on the table.

 

[Kaisaan]

Kalen nearly cringed at his own name, the way it was said by his father and the meaning behind it. He couldn't rightly be Kalen Thorpe or Kalen Noven, but Kalen Black wasn't much better. Black was a name given to a lot of halfbreeds of different cultures who looked down on such things. It was a reminder that they were a black mark on the race as a whole, black sheep of a family, that they didn't belong. As if they weren't reminded of that often enough as it was. Still, not everyone knew this history like halfbreeds themselves did and Kalen wasn't too worried that anyone would catch on. And if they did, it was unlikely they'd say anything.

He took a seat with the others and resisted the urge to pull his leg up on the chair, knowing he'd get the lecture of a life-time if he embarrassed his kin...or half his kin. Hmm, he could embarrass both sides of his kin. That might be fun... Oh, crap, there was his uncle's warning blue eyes. Nevermind. Kalen sighed under his breath and made an effort to behave himself, that itch back between his shoulder blades as he looked at the humans across from them, eyes always going back to the younger female with the darkest red hair he'd ever seen. His gaze lingered on her mark, unable to help it before his black eyes met her dark brown and he looked away. Damn, what exactly did it mean that she had the same damn marking he did?

"As we all know, the Threat is showing signs of rising again. Our agencies have been in contact for nearly a year now and together we have all come to the conclusion that the location Dårlig Ulv-Stranden is our best link to discovering the Magic Eater's whereabouts and even where it might strike again." Diana was merely making sure everyone was on the right page, nods all around, before she got down to what they were really here for.

"Of course, we've all discovered recently that it is not one but two Chosen who've been selected for the daunting task of stopping the Threat." Her eyes flickered to Kalen and Suya pointedly and the dire wolf-based shifter cleared her throat a bit. "So we are now here to discuss how they might work together and when would be best to send them off on their mission."

If Kalen had been prone to gaping, he would have been by this point. The halfbreed looked from his people to Suya and then back again, brow rising. "Annnnd you thought NOW was a good time to tell us all about this grand plan of yours? How about, oh..." he looked up at the ceiling, hand making a slight circling motion. "I don't know, maybe when you actually became aware that we weren't the only fu-"

"Kalen!"

The black-haired youth clamped his mouth shut, looking away from the shifters and the humans both and instead out the window, head shaking, his hair falling over his stormy eyes. Absolutely freaking ridiculous.

 

[Elflady]

Listening as the female shifter was repeating what was already known Suya looked over at the shifters, curious and apprehensive at the same time, they didn't look all that different from humans, not in this form. Suya had actually seen very little of shifters, partly because her free time growing up had been scarce with all the extra training. Her eyes were drawn to the black haired youth, Kalen, curious about this other 'chosen one' and met his black eyes, perhaps he was thinking similarly.

"What!" Suya straightened in her chair, eyes wide. What the heck was going on, out of all the things she had imagined this was not it. Not once had any of the people around her even hinted at this, not any of the texts that she had read either had mentioned this. "How long have you known?" She said her voice laced with veiled accusation, rightly suspicious of them, she wouldn't be surprised if it had been years as the council members only told her what they deemed important for her to know.

Suya usually didn't complain and accepted not knowing the full picture despite how annoying it was but this. This was a bit too important to keep from her, especially as they knew who the other chosen one was. Maybe it wasn't a life or death situation but if they were now pushed into this mission then wouldn't it have been a good idea to meet earlier than this, one could wonder what they had been thinking with.

"Since we agree on which location is the best one I don't see a reason to dawdle on the preparations," Sarah said her voice cool, as if she hadn't heard Suya at all, which was just like her. "This is a threat too grave for us to waste time with."

"But we must be certain to send them off well prepared," Ethan added, pulling a hand through his white hair. "We can't be too hasty and put them in danger. The way to Dårlig Ulv-Stranden is not like a walk in the park."

Once more Suya grew annoyed at the way the elders were speaking, even if she was in the same room it was like she wasn't there, was it really so hard to direct a sentance her way when it concerned her. Nothing really new of course but it was equally frustrating every time, it weren't those old fossils who were leaving the safety of the city on some mission based on a legend.

 

[Kaisaan]

Oh, sure, didn't want to be too hasty sending them off, but hasty in everything else was perfectly fine. Yep. That sounded about right.

Kalen glanced to Suya as she spoke and noted immediately that no one answered her, as if they hadn't heard her at all. He understood that well enough - though in his case it was more that everyone told him to be quiet all the time - and for a brief moment he felt empathy toward her, but it was fleeting. She probably wouldn't appreciate it anyway, least of all coming from him. No, feeling irritated at all the old geezers in the room would probably a better waste of his time. Now he did lift his leg up into the chair, his uncles blue eyes be damned and he pushed his chair back from the table a bit and spun the chair around in a circle, garnering exasperated looks from the shifters and puzzled ones from the humans.

The halfbreed smiled charmingly at all of them. "Oh, don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not here. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, giving an audible sigh before he looked up to Kalen. "What, Kalen?"

A black brow rose. "Are you sure?" Hands went to his chest and then outward, fingers spread a bit as if warding something off halfheartedly. "Because I would hate to impose on your little meeting about my life...and her life, no less."

"Kalen, just say what you want to say." Diana cut in, patience running thin and the halfbreed's smile dropped, flinty black eyes taking all of them in. "Why weren't we told of this sooner?" At his question, Thomas spoke up, his impatience coming through clearly. "We don't have time for this non-"

"You shut up!" Kalen snarled, his leg moving down and body surging upward, causing Alexander's to do the same as he reached across and gripped Kalen's arm in restraint. "You don't get to have an opinion here!" he hissed out and his father looked only slightly startled, but more like he'd seen a ghost than anything as Kalen clearly had his mother's temper. The man dipped his head just slightly and held up his hands a bit, and Kalen let his uncle push him back into his seat, his black eyes stormy as they turned to look back at the shifters. "Well?"

"You and Suya were not informed of each other's existence for the simple reason that we could not train you together. There was really no need to let you know there was another when you could not meet until this moment. And Kalen, for a forty-five years, you HAVE been the only Chosen. There was no need to change that until now."

"You mean there was no need to let me or her think there was another option because then we might not go along with you little plan." the black-haired youth spat back and Alexander chuckled slightly. "Kalen, it's not like you've been compliant anyway."

"Damn straight."

 

[Elflady]

A small grin tugged slightly at the corner of her mouth seeing Kalen's antics, but it stayed for only a few moments before her face clouded over again, anger and frustration having replaced her earlier confusion although she never showed it as clearly as Kalen did, she did, however agree with him. It was quite clear that the young shifter opposed this much more openly than she did, Suya had more or less resigned herself early on and had never bothered to protest much, a few years in her younger teens she had her share of defiance but it was quite subdued like many of her outwards emotions.

It was quite obvious however that Kalen didn't restrain his emotions, when Thomas spoke Suya tensed up at the seething anger shown from the shifter, making her wonder if he really was angry solely because of the current matter or if something older was the cause that she was unaware of. It wasn't really her problem though and somehow she got the distinct feeling that any snooping into any matter regarding Kalen would not be well recieved.

Slightly surprised to see the older man yield in front of the angered Kalen Suya forgot it quickly as she turned her eyes to the shifters to await their answer. Indeed had she known there was another Chosen she would surely have been less compliant, although she would also just as surely have continued down the path set to her. Suya had never been good at confronting people close to her and while standing up and say no to the council may have been possible for her doing the same to her parents really didn't lay in her nature, or rather it was much simpler to just go along with what others said.

"While that may be true," Suya said calmly but with anger seeping through, knowing since long back that screaming did little to argue her cause with Sarah nearby. "I think it was our right to know. This is not just a little mission outside the city walls but a dangerous one that certainly requires us to be able to work together and that works a hell of a lot better if we at least knew about each other and not just having the knowledge thrown in our faces so close to when we are supposed to leave." Her normal calm giving away slightly at the end, her brown eyes glaring at the older people in the room.

This time Philip rose his voice, having been quiet so far. "Our choice was based on what was best for you and your training," he said. "And during those twelve years it was easier for you to work unhindered." He continued, brushing off her words.

"Well, I'm glad I have other people deciding on what is best for me and how I work," she snapped, words laced heavily with sarcasm. "Last time I checked I was a person and not a thing for you to perfect like I couldn't think for myself." Suya wondered briefly if she had finally snapped, she had never opposed them this openly or talked back after they decided the matter closed.

Maybe the young shifter and his manners were influencing her to protest like this or if it was just waiting under the surface anyway and now broke out like the single rock that causes a jar to overflow.

"Suya!" Sarah snapped, her voice like the crackling of a whip despite its low volume. She had very little acceptance for insubordination and now the little she had was used up. "That is enough, approve of it or not it doesn't matter, what's done is done and your childish manners wont change anything."

"Hrm, well, maybe we should move on," Dylan said, clearing his throat.

 

[Kaisaan]

Ah, so the firefly had some bite to her.

Kalen smirked a bit, actually taking a bit of a liking to the waspish tone in her voice and he leaned back in his seat, arms crossed as his black eyes flitted between Suya and her human elders. Her points were more than valid and he had to wonder if the adult humans felt threatened by her. They'd created their weapon and now had to try and control it, and they might be scared that they were losing their control. Well...if he had to work with the firefly...he could almost guarantee they would. The thought pleased him immensely if only because it would cause stress among those that sought to control them, no matter what guise they put it under.

His brow rose at the woman who spoke. "I think it's hardly childish. Just because we're not as old as you are, doesn't mean we're not adults. You want us to do adult things, be mature and do this mission for you and yet you want to treat and berate us like children when we don't agree with you. Do make up your mind." Though Kalen was sarcastic and rebellious, loving to push buttons and do the complete opposite of what people expected...he actually was very smart. "And really, don't go assuming you have unlimited power here, lady. We always have a choice. Even if you can make the choices suck, we always have a choice about our own lives, so we can change a great deal."

"Kalen." Alexander's voice was quieter, not warning or angry, and Kalen sighed. "I know, I know...moving on." He looked back toward the window, moving his shoulder a bit, restless and Noah looked to Dylan, clearing his throat.

"I believe we had discussed sending them to Nepolis, a neutral territory, first?"

Diana nodded, unfolding a map and letting everyone at the table look at it if they wished. "We were thinking they might take the Old Trade Route to possibly avoid the war brewing between the vampires and kitsune. Unless of course your intel has received news we have not?"

 

[Elflady]

Sarah turned her icy green eyes to the young shifter. "So you say, but more than age makes one an adult," she replied, her voice hard, leaving it hanging in the air that to her adults did not loose their temper or went against the wisdom gained by older people. "Then you, as an adult, surely realise that the fate of the world and everyone in it are more important than your wounded feelings and rebellious acts." She remarked before turning her attention from him and to the table where Diana soon placed a map.

Suya leaned in to look as well searching out the parts spoken off, still feeling annoyed but she did feel a lot better after her little outbreak just now, it may not have served any purpose what so ever but it was a relief, none the less. Maybe she should do it more often, of course it did take awhile for her anger to reach its limit but maybe it was better in some way to not pent up whatever she felt strongly about, that however was a question for another time.

"Yes." Dylan nodded in agreement. "Last we heard those two were still at each others throats and I suspect it wont be too long before they break out into open war, none of those two have much interest in negotiations."

"That will probably be best yes, while it will take longer to take the road past Nepolis it is still preferable to the chance that the war could break out with them in the middle." Suya wondered darkly if Ethan, and possibly the others, feared their death simply because of how long it would take to find and train another of their chosen ones, if more people would be born with a mark. Maybe it was just a freak coincidence that both Kalen and her had that mark that somehow showed they were 'Chosen', which sucked them in to this mess, although there was a chance it was all true of course but Suya wouldn't believe it without foolproof evidence.

"It would also offer a place to rest safely unlike the shorter route," Dylan added. "If the war does break out I do hope it wont spread far enough to interfer with the Old Trade Route but there isn't many other ways to take that wouldn't take too much time."

 

[Kaisaan]

Kalen mostly ignored the words Sarah said, having heard them so many times they'd become nothing more than buzzing in his ears. Of course older adults would say such a thing, especially since it went right along with what they wanted him - and apparently Suya - to do. How very convenient. And besides, if they were such wise, all powerful adults, shouldn't the old geezers have enough common sense to know how the 'children' would react to such things as not being told they weren't alone on this suicide mission?

And he did note that the woman said nothing about whether they could actually control them or not. Perhaps the woman knew she was beat in that area. Probably the only smart thing she'd done - being silent on the matter - since the meeting as far as Kalen was concerned. Damn, he had a smidgen of respect for this Suya if Sarah was what she had been the one helping to train her. He probably would have killed the woman...or at least he would have gone out of his way to make her pull her hair out.

The mental image made him smile a bit as he looked away from everyone once more, only half paying attention to what was being said, but that was enough attention for the halfbreed to be able to repeat important facts like the smart mouth he was if anyone challenged him on it. His uncle knew it and ignored his disinterested expression, but Kyle looked annoyed, but he too said nothing. The last thing they needed was Kalen being even more obnoxious.

"So we all agree that the Old Trade Route would be the best option?" Diana asked, looking around and Thomas nodded slowly, hands linked together before him as he rocked his hair back and forth just a bit. "It seems the wisest course, yes. They still have to pass through Griffin territory there. We don't have jurisdiction to fly in their air-space."

Noah nodded, thoughtful. "Right, that's why we're not flying them in closer to the Everglass Forest." The two would have to travel through there as well, a far more primitive place than their own city was where cars and planes were welcome things to the inhabitants who lived there.