Chapter 15: Fifteen

Karina’s POV

I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I looked around my room. It's different from the one I had been given when I first arrived here. It was larger and felt less temporary, like home. That's a word I never thought I'd be able to use again.

My table was stacked with reports, and medals I worked my ass off to earn, for two years.

Two years. It didn’t feel like two years. It felt longer.

I slowly stood up and walked towards the bathroom. I went through my morning routine robotically.

By the time I stepped outside, the sun was just beginning to rise fully. And the training grounds were already occupied.

I walked past the troop of warriors, stopping only to greet them; they nodded in return. Others stepped aside instinctively.

It still felt strange how much they respected and looked up to me; I no longer felt unwelcome.

I got to work, immediately in coordinating activities.

“Up early as usual.” I heard a voice from behind speak.

I didn't bother to turn. I already knew who it was: Drake. He fell into step beside me.

“You’re late. I’ve been here for an hour.” I replied.

“Then you should look less relaxed.”

“I am relaxed,” he said, stretching his arms over his head. “You know some of us don’t need to look like we’re about to go to war at sunrise,” he replied, smiling.

I turned to look at him briefly. “You should try it. Might improve your performance.”

“I see you're still holding onto that one win?” he replied, laughing.

“It wasn’t one.”

“It was the first.”

“And not the last.”

He shook his head, smiling, but didn’t argue. Drake was the one good friend this place had given me. I enjoyed our endless back-and-forth.

We walked in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. “They’re expecting to see you today.”

“I know,” I answered.

I walked down the stoned path towards the conference room, the guards positioned outside greeted me and allowed me, without questioning my presence here.

Two years ago, I wouldn’t have made it past the entrance.

“Karina.” I turned slightly as one of the attendants approached, bowing his head. “You're here, good, everyone is waiting.”

“I'll be with everyone shortly,” I. He stepped aside immediately.

Drake slowed his pace beside me. “You don’t have to stay for all of it.”

“I do,” I replied coldly.

“You’ve been in three meetings this week already.” Drake protested.

“And?”

“And most people at your level would avoid them if they could. It's just extra work.”

“I’m not most people.”

“ I'm well aware of that karina.”

Finally, we reached the door, and Drake stopped there. “I’ll be at the grounds, try not to argue with all of them.”

“No promises,” I said, smiling.

I took a deep breath and walked into the room.

The council chamber was quiet, in a way that would make anyone called here afraid, but I wasn't; I've been through this too many times to be afraid.

I understood that this was a place where conversations were layered beneath whispers, while decisions were already forming before words were even spoken.

I looked around, and several of the council members were already seated.

Elders. Commanders. Advisors.

And him.

Kole stood near the far end of the table, and my heart did the usual somersault whenever I saw him. He was speaking quietly with one of the senior members, and didn’t look up when I entered.

That wasn’t new; he seemed to have mastered that act over the past two years.

I took my seat without announcement. A few heads turned and nodded in acknowledgment.

Then the discussion resumed. one of the elders began speaking. “We’ve sent out a couple of our warriors to assess the situation firsthand.”

“ That's good, I don't think the attacks at the various borders have been random; they all have to be connected somehow

” Another added.

“They’re testing us,” someone else muttered.

I listened and didn’t interrupt. This was something I had to learn over time.

Sometimes they wanted you here just to listen and learn, and to speak only when it mattered and when you had something meaningful to contribute.

"We don't know for sure yet, attacks at our borders aren't something new for us." One of the commanders said, “It's important we wait and observe.”

“And give them more time?” another countered.

“No, we're not. We need to avoid escalating something that isn’t fully formed. We have yet to recognize the pattern in the attack, and even if we were to attack, we wouldn't know who exactly we are attacking.”

The discussion went back and forth, and the elders were unable to reach a decision yet.

“They’re mapping us.” I began speaking. making sure my voice sounded clear and confident.

“If they were just observing, their patterns wouldn’t be this consistent and regular. They’re marking our weaknesses and how we respond to them. I've been going through the reports for a week now.” I continued.

“And your suggestion?” one of the elders asked.

“We don’t wait, in fact, I think we've waited for far too long, waiting any longer must cost us.” I paused and looked around the room, then got up to further explain my plan.

“We allow the ground to send out to engage with them, not aggressively, just controlled engagement. We must let them think there's a gap we can't see.”

“And then?” another elder asked.

“And then we close it. We catch them by surprise when they think we're most vulnerable.”

“You’re suggesting we bait them,” the elder asked.

“I’m suggesting we stop reacting and start deciding how this plays out. We have two choices here: be players in their own game, or make ours?”

The elders nodded. I could tell they were convinced and impressed by my idea.

“What do you think?” the council head asked.

I remained silent; the question wasn’t directed at me. I knew that, I turned my eyes to Kole, who hadn't spoken yet.

His eyes moved across the table briefly before settling on me for a second, before he turned his direction to the charts being displayed.

“She’s right, waiting is a dangerous game, but attacking without first understanding what's happening is a worse one. Let's go ahead with Karina's plan,” he said. When he spoke, you could tell his voice carried weight in this room. He had the final say.

“Then we’ll need to assign a unit,” one of the elders said.

“I’ll handle it.” I volunteered without thinking.

Kole’s eyes returned to me.

“i hope you understand what you’re asking for. From what I know, you're already handling a lot of duties. Are you sure this is something you want to add to it?” he asked.

“I do,” I replied immediately. This was the way to move higher in the ranks in this place.

“ That means you’ll be responsible for the outcome.”

"I'm aware, it was my plan anyway, so might as well see it through."

"In that case, we'll move forward with the plan, and I approve Karina as head." Kole said. I smiled slightly.

After we discussed some details of the plans, duties were assigned to the rest, and the room began to empty.

I stayed back; I would like to say I didn't know why, but I did.

By the time I stepped out into the courtyard, most of them were already gone. Except for one person. The one person whom I hoped to run into.

Kole stood near the edge, looking across the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought.

I paused for a few seconds considering walking past him, but I didn't. I never did.

I walked and stood by his side quietly without speaking.

“You could have assigned someone else,” I said, stopping a few steps away.

“I could have,” he replied.

“But you didn’t. Thank you.” I replied.

“ You're welcome,” he replied.

I waited.

He turned then, facing me fully.

“You’ve improved,” he said. I smiled, remembering how he said those exact words to me two years ago.

“Well, I’ve had time,” I said.

“Time isn’t enough. And it shouldn't make you too confident,” he warned.

“i know. It hasn't.” I replied.

"Well, I like your look when you're confident. It suits you." He replied and walked away.

My heart felt like it was about to run out of my chest.

I took a deep breath, regaining my breath. This was how close I ever got to exploring these things between us.

I promised myself I wouldn't let it distract me. And I wasn't going to start now.

By the time I reached the training grounds, everything was in motion.

Drake noticed me and walked towards me

“Well?” he asked.

“I’ve been assigned a new mission.”

“Already?” he asked.

“I volunteered.”

He stared at me for a second. “Of course you did. I'd tell you how important it is for you to take things easier, but I know you won't listen.”

“I need a team.”

"Well, you’ve got one,” he replied.

"Good. We have a lot to do. I'll send you the plans as soon as I'm done with them, in the mean time meet, banner to brief you on what was said in the meeting." I replied and walked away.

Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day, so I needed to retire to my room early and start planning.

My status in my pack was backing on it, and I wasn't going to lose, not now, not ever.