Beautiful Tragedy

Sixty

             Third Person POV
                  *** Polis ***

"We know that there are three entrey points to the Valley." Octavia starts off addressing her war counsol. "While Cooper, Madi, and I soften the battlefield, Miller will lead the First Battalion through the southern Tributary." She continues causing Millers gaze to jump from her to Indras.

"First?" He questions.

"You have a problem with that?" Octavia asks standing up straighter.

"No, but the first batalion's Indra's."

"Not anymore." she replies shaking her head

"It's fine, Nathan." Indra says looking to him. "You're prepared."

"Kayleigh, you're with Miller." Octavia says with a look in her eyes that was challenging Kayleigh to say otherwise. Instead Kayleigh kept the blank mask in place simply nodding back at her.

"Madi." She calls next, and the girl tenses a little at Kayleighs side. "Come stand beside me. You're my second your place is here." Even as she said the words, her eyes were on Kayleigh's.

Kayleigh subletly let her fingers brush against Madi's in a silent gesture to let her know it was okay. Octavia wasn't going to do anything to hurt her, not a child in a room full of people.
She wanted Kayleigh here to show her army they had Kikhedas support on this venture into war, for those that still believed having her with them-they would win this war.

But Octavia was also doing this to make a point, to show Wonkru her displeasure at both her and Indra.

Taking a breath, Madi did as she was bid and came to stand at Octavia's side looking over the map of her homelands.

Kayleigh wasn't paying attention to the words being spoken around her, just studied the map, committing what she could to memory.

War is here...

The war was always here it never left.

"..and release them here, here, and here."

Her eyes followed the areas Cooper was pointing to, wishing she had been out there in the woods longer to get a feel of the area herself instead of relying on a map.

One other thing didn't make sense to Kayleigh either, which was another cause for her silence. Octavia didn't trust her, and she didn't trust her either, so why did she send for her to be here discussing battle plans?

A trap was being set and Kayleigh wasnt unconvinced that the trap being laid out wasn't just for her.

          *** Shadow Valley***

The defectors from Polis, sat around the church that was based as their prison, some quietly talking, others eating, when a big man came barrelling through the door.

"Which one of you is Raven Reyes?" Vinson calls out to those in the room, his dead eyes behind his glasses, scanning each face.

No one said anything, and Echo gave Raven a look that screamed not to make a move. Instead she mentally cursed in her head when she saw Raven slowly stand, moving closer to Shaw.

"Why is he wearing a collar?" she questions quietly.

There had to be a reason why this man who looked even more harmless than those she'd seen guarding this place, looked more like a prisoner than they did.

"You don't want to know."

"Tell me."

"Serial killer." Shaw answers never looking away from the man. "He kept his victims' hands and feet as memetos." Shaw says as the man begins walking around. "Other than that, hes a nice guy."