The Grim (Ravens #3)

xi. the travelers

A/N: Republishing last night's chapter bc I made some edits. 

 Sebastian Augustus was called to meet with President Emilia Grey on the twenty-fifth of April, the first time they'd met in the months since the Wild Crew had been released from the hospital dormitory. Since then he had grown, developed from a nervous teen who always saw the end of the world looming right before him, to a more rational young adult that could stand to stomach his fears. Of course, the squirrelly boy inside of him was still there, taking over in the moments where his past came to haunt him, but he had learned to adapt. He was a real person now, real in their society. He had a purpose. No longer was he simply a forest refugee; he was a guard. A soldier.

"Thank you for seeing me, Sebastian," smiled the president, shaking his hand as he approached her desk. Bashfully, he looked down at his outfit, suddenly feeling wildly underdressed. He wore only a polo shirt and jeans. His mother would never have approved of how informal he looked, but then again, why should his mother's opinion matter to him now?

"Is everything alright?" he asked, "I wasn't exactly given much context about this meeting." He had only learned of it the night before, when Marshal Jefferson had dropped off a note by his locker. He knew no details or what to expect, only that the president wished to speak with him at six the following evening.

"We have good news, actually," she said, although she did not appear to be excited in the slightest. "Take a seat, Sebastian. You know of our recent breakout epidemic, correct?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Yeah, of course I do."

"Well, obviously. I mean, what with your brother and all. I know he hasn't made much progress, but I assure you his symptoms haven't gotten any worse."

"What's the good news?" he asked, skipping straight to the point. He absolutely despised when Adam was brought up in any conversation; his brother's condition was not for anyone else to talk about. In a strange way, he always felt that those words did not belong to his friends, that they did not get to be involved. Adam's sickness belonged to Adam and Adam alone, not Sebastian, or Skylar, or Donny, or even that kid Tyler who thought he deserved to visit him. He knew these thoughts were irrational, selfish even, but the constant condolences always made him cringe.

"There is a cure," said Ms. Grey, her words short and abrupt, making Sebastian wary when this should have left him ecstatic. Her cool air sent shivers down his arms, drew him right to the edge. "Monarchia has a cure."

"That's a good thing, right?" he asked hesitantly, as though simply implying that there was a benefit to this discovery could jinx it.

"It is," she said, "It definitely is. The problem now is that we need someone to travel there to retrieve it. This shouldn't be an issue, but there's no road that connects our cities, so we must travel through the forest itself. I believe you should be on this expedition."

"Excuse me?"

"You're a natural leader, Sebastian, and you have a stake in this journey. What happens here will affect your family personally. Besides, you know the woods. You know how to act, you know the different groups, the terminology. The other guards wouldn't know what to do."

"I'm sorry," he began, "I'm honored, but I'm not sure I'm qualified. Once we get to Monarchia, I—I'm not a spokesperson. I can't negotiate, I'm a pushover. I don't know anything about international relations, public relations, whatever this is."

Emilia laughed, her brown eyes sparkling as they reflected the setting sun from the large bay windows behind her. "You won't have to worry about that," she promised. "It will be you and four other guards, older adults who are more trained in those areas. It's just that your expertise will be needed to get them to Monarchia in the first place."

"No, no, that won't work," he shook his head, casting his gaze towards his lap. An urgent look of concern settled in his wide eyes, almost hidden by his dark brown curls that brushed across his forehead.

"Pardon?"

"You're sending adults out there?" he asked, "That will never work. They won't make it through the woods. The kids out there aren't stupid. They know that all the adults are sitting pretty in the cities that turned them away. They'll be vengeful, angry, and it's not like you can blame them."

"Thank you for your concern, Sebastian, but I'm sure our guards can handle some upset teenagers," President Grey smiled sincerely, placing her hand on top of his, providing a condescending assurance that her plan held no fatal flaw.

"Really?" he snapped, eyes flaring with a sudden temper, "Because that sure wasn't the case a few months ago."

A tired sigh washed over Emilia's body. "I'm sorry about your sister, but you have to understand this is a very different situation. We just couldn't afford to let that violence into our cities."

"She wasn't violent," he said, his voice noticeably lowering as the fire boiled in his blood. The old Sebastian—the forest Sebastian— would have pushed himself out of his chair, begun to pace the room and mindlessly kick every single piece of wooden furniture possible. This Sebastian, however, was far more calm. He remained in the plush seat, his only movement this slight tapping of his food, and articulated his words, volume rising as he spoke. "From what I've heard, which mind you isn't much because I never got the chance to talk to her, that kill was her end of a deal that got her people away from a poisoned lake, saving all of their lives. It was a single, rationalized, and isolated event, not a reflection of her. The people out there are acting on emotion for their pride, for their honor, for revenge, all of which are far more dangerous than Emma ever was. It would be in those kids' best interest to kill those guards, and it's survival of the fittest out there. They wouldn't last a moment, not unless they kill a bunch of kids."

"This is the only way to get that cure, Sebastian."

"Let me organize a team," he said quickly, the words falling out his mouth before he even had time to process what he was saying. "Members of the Wild Crew that have trained in the guard. We know the woods, and we're the right age so we'll blend in. We can get to Monarchia. Your guards can't."

"Monarchia will be dangerous," said the president, "Their leader, King Hunter Summers, is extremely radical. I'm not sure he'll take a group of teenagers seriously."

"It doesn't matter if he'll respect the older guards if they can't even get to his city," Sebastian said. The word "radical" however, sent fire down his veins. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but scowl that Ms. Grey knew the city was run by a corrupt leader, yet still allowed Mai to move there in search of her family. The mere idea filled him with a deep dread, and so he tried to push her warning out, convince himself that perhaps Monarchia was not as risky as she suggested. Not just for his own sake, but for Mai's.

"You underestimate their power," she sighed.

"You underestimate us." Sebastian was not thinking about these words, rolled off the tip of his tongue quite naturally. By "us", he realized, he did not mean his friends who trained in the guard, but all the kids who had ever been exiled to the woods. Although he had been saved from the terror that seemed to accompany every single day out there, the forest was still a part of him. He was still there with the lawless wild youth that howled like wolves under the moon. Civilization hadn't burned the past away, not yet.

"Fine," Emilia caved. "No more than two others from the Wild Crew, and they must be training now. The other two must be in the junior guard with you. Understood?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Talk to your friends," she said, "Report back to me tomorrow. You'll need to leave on Sunday, which is three days from now. That's not a lot of time."

"Alright," he said, standing up and pushing in his chair. They shook hands again, and Sebastian turned to exit the room.

"Oh, and Sebastian?"

One hand on the door handle, he faced her once again, a fierce new determination radiating off his body. "Yes?"

"You better not let me down."