Rising Tides | 2

03 | E m b e r

—

After taking a hot shower, my muscles felt better, and my mind was refreshed. Ragan wasn't in the room when I went in after leaving the Pit. I figured I would see her later. There weren't many places she could go.

I quickly got changed into my clothes for the day: a loose maroon shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. I checked the watch on my wrist, one of the only items from my bag that survived my trip here. It was almost time for the meeting with the Council. Bear would be here soon. I sighed and pulled on my boots.

The devil himself knocked on my door a few minutes later, looking about as excited as I was for this meeting. We had them three times a week for as long as two hours to go over progress, strategy, and anything else General Hatis felt was worth complaining about. I had managed to fall asleep during four of the previous meetings.

Bear and I sauntered down the hall and toward the room where the Council held the meetings. As we walked, drops of water fell from my hair down my back, making my shirt stick to me. A draft of cool air caused goosebumps to rise on my skin.

"You look deep in thought. It gives you an almost constipated appearance." Bear smiled at his comment.

I rolled my eyes. "Way to be professional, Bear. I was just thinking about how boring this Council Meeting is going to be."

"It's boring for you? At least you're there for a reason. I'm just supposed to stand in the corner of the room and make sure you don't do anything stupid. Which, now that I'm thinking about it, sometimes that's pretty entertaining." He crossed his arms and smirked at me.

In truth, I was thinking about that, but my mind was focused mainly on how Ragan would probably be at the meeting. I thought about our interaction earlier in the Pit. I didn't even say a word to her. Hopefully, someday we'd get over all the drama and start talking again.

"Well, I'm glad you find the drool running down my chin when I fall asleep amusing," I responded.

He gave me a firm nod. I rolled my eyes again.

We continued walking through the maze of hallways, throwing in a few jokes now and then to fill the silence. The war room was hidden deep within the rebel base. We had to take what they called the "classified" hallway to get there. Basically, it was a secret passageway to keep unwanted visitors out.

After what felt like an eternity, we reached a dead end. There was a large metal door with two burly guards standing in front of it who almost took up the width of the hall. Well, it was a narrow hall. They saw us approaching. The one on the left, Huck, I believe, gave Bear a subtle nod before pushing the door open. It slowly swung open with a creak, revealing the chamber and everyone inside. We walked in, and I immediately scanned the room.

The first person to catch my eye was General Hatis. He stood dressed in his clean uniform at the head of a long, polished table. His hair was neatly combed, and his hands were laced behind his back. In front of him, lining the table, were tall, wooden chairs. People of varying importance filled those chairs. The seats closest to General Hatis were occupied by his posse of ranked officers. They, too, were dressed in uniform, the only way I'd ever seen them. All of them quietly chatted amongst themselves. After them came Rhea and two others. One of them, a boy named August, was the captain of the Dark Crown Rebellion's pilots. The other's name was Cleo. She was head of the intelligence branch. They were both relatively young, maybe mid-twenties. And, of course, at the end of the table were my friends. The four of them sat huddled together, deep in conversation. Several guards were stationed in the corners of the room, Bear being one of them.

I quickly walked over to the remaining chair in hopes that the General wouldn't see me. Unfortunately, I failed.

"Ah, Ms. Valarious. So great of you to join us. I presume you'll be able to keep your eyes open this time," he sneered.