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Kerry
Hank and Gina Bishop called that night with a whole lotta bad news.
Word had leaked that a Diabolical prince was plotting something major and that there was a traitor somewhere among the wardens. More and more nephilim—in and out of the Sanctuary—were reported missing or turning up dead every day. And what the wardens had found at City of the Future stunned the whole nephilim community.
So, of course, the Council thought it was time to pull everyone into the fold and lock the doors behind them.
“The Council plans to vote on Monday. It looks like a lockdown is a sure thing,” Hank said, “but we’re proposing a caveat that active teams can elect to continue their missions.”
“We have a solid bloc among the elders: Clem, Nathaniel Snyder, Helene Chapman, and a few others who recognize that some of our teams can’t pull out of the field so abruptly,” Gina added. “Oh, and Amanda Greenaway, too, if they decide to recognize her as an elder.”
“That’s kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it?” Jax laughed. “She’s more than two centuries old!”
“Actually, she was born five hundred and forty-nine years ago.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Rome frowned at the phone. “You only need to be three fifty to be an elder.”
“If they don’t count her petrified years, she’s a year short.”
“The Council is really that petty?” Mira snorted. “Ridiculous! A crisis is brewing and your politicians are clinging to hidebound rules?”
“Almost exactly how Helene Chapman put it.” Hank sighed. “It’s not helping that Amanda just revealed that she’s pregnant.”
“What?” yelped the others.
“I wondered how long she’d be able to keep it a secret,” I said.
“How didyouknow?” Jax whirled on me.
“Gemma told me. Kyo found it in Amanda’s memories that day we unfroze her.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Gemma said it wasn’t our secret to share.” I shrugged.
“How did Clem take the news?” Rome asked right as Gigi said, “How far along is she?”
“Five months,” Gina said.
“Not good,” Hank answered Rome. “It destroyed him all over again.”
“Why?” Mira asked. “You’d think he’d be happy—”
“He’sold, dummy.” I rolled my eyes at her. “His kid’ll never know him.”
“Timing is crucial for Firsts who want to have children.” Rome decided to go into more detail. “Too early in your life span and you’ll outlive them. Too late and you won’t have much time with them. Most Firsts feel between two and three hundred is best.”
“I can’t even think of myself living that long, never mind having enough foresight to plan out when I’m gonna have kids.” Mira shook her head.
“Anyway,” Hank said, “there’s a lot of semantics and protocol and in-fighting among the Council members right now. We’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out.”
“Regardless of what they decide about her, what are you going to do if there’s a lockdown, Kerry?” asked Gina. “If youelect to operate without sanction from the Council, you will face a penalty when you return.”
“You already know what I’m gonna do.” I looked around at the others. “But none of the rest of you need to risk your future careers. Or your lives.”
From their faces, none of them would be returning to the Sanctuary, no matter how the Council voted.
