Rowan

Rowan's POV

I left Lyra's room, my feet pounding down the hall towards Commander Rourke's office. Climbing down the stairs, I reach the hallway leading to his office. Stilling myself, I take a minute to calm down. I couldn't let her do this alone. We've taken every step together since we were six. Somehow, some way, I would convince him to let me go.

HE HAD TO LET ME GO!

Knocking on his door, I hear his gruff voice, "Enter."

Entering his office, which was a stark contrast to the gray stone walls of the main building of the stronghold.

Not even asking him, I sit down and start pleading.

"Commander, I know I wasn't summoned, and this might seem a little uncouth," I say, trying to keep from rubbing my hands on my knees, "but I know about Lyra's mission, and I want to go as her backup. She can do this, I'm sure, but for this not to be a complete suicide mission, don't you think this would work better if we both went?"

Taking a breath, I sit back in my chair, waiting for his reaction.

Rourke leaned forward, staring at me like he was staring deep down into my soul. Who knows? Maybe he could.

Finally breaking the silence, he said with a low tone, "Do you think you could really help seal the deal with this mission and not jeopardize it?"

"Yes, Commander!" I stated not even taking a moment to think about it.

Glaring down at his desk in intense contemplation, he picks up a comm and sticks it into his ear. Standing up and stepping away to the furthest corner of his office, I heard him talking to what I assume was one of the council members in hushed, but quick tones.

I really hope this works, because I was prepared to go either way, even if I didn't know exactly how it would work.

After a few minutes, the call was ended, and he walked back over to me, placing one hand on my shoulder.

"Whatever happens, the mission comes first and must succeed. You're going, young Rowan, now go pack."

Shock hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't expecting him, actually, to agree.

Shooting up out of my chair, "Yes, Commander! I won't disappoint you." Saluting him, I ran out of the room back up to the floor, Lyra, and I lived on.

Out of breath from running up four flights of stairs, I ran over to Lyra's door, pounding on it, not even waiting for her to answer, "Ly......I'm coming!"

Running back to my room, I threw it open and began to pack, excitement and nervousness overcoming me because tomorrow, the most important mission of them all begins.

Commander Rourke's POV

I stared at the ceiling, a crystal tumbler of whiskey clenched in my hand. These children I've raised since they were six, since I rescued them from the carnage at the site of one of the worst massacres of human refugees to date, I'm sending them off to their possible deaths.

Years ago, the council called me forward just before the refugees began arriving from all directions in Aurelia. They spoke of the three great packs: The Star Pack, The Arrow Pack, and the Snow Pack, that one day their heirs would lead them to the absolute annihilation of the entire human race.

The race began to assemble children from the ages of five to ten, training them to be the most lethal killers they could be. Training was harsh, weapons, physical combat, poison and silver, stealth, and medical made up most of what they learned. I oversaw everything to the finest detail, but amid it all, I always held a special place in my heart for Lyra and Rowan.

Sitting up, I take a long, long drink, feeling the burn down my throat. It's been years since I let my anxiety get in the way of my duty. Needing to pull myself together, I go to the window and look outside. Along the silver walls, you can see pinetrees shrouded in darkness as the sun sets, hiding all kinds of unspeakable danger and horror.

But alas, the beauty of it all was unmistakable, where if you tried hard enough, you could think there wasn't a war at hand.

Taking another drink, I walk back to my desk, looking for the files for Lyra and now Rowan's undercover mission to the Alpha Academy. All the details were there: dorm rooms, contact information, drop sites, class information, background on all three heirs, strengths and weaknesses.

Putting them into my briefcase, I locked it and would hand them in tomorrow during the briefing on the thirteen-hour armored-car trip to the academy.

Feeling like that's all I could do for the night, I shut the light, then locked my door. Still clutching my whiskey, I walk towards the door at the end of this hallway, where my room is.

Opening the door, I set down my tumbler on the nightstand beside my bed. My room, unlike the others, had a pop of color; I couldn't stand the drabness of the gray that seemed to pervade every aspect of Aurelian buildings. They said the color was to encourage conformity for a united Aurelia.

Lying on my twin bed, which was almost too small for me, I thought of all the ways this could go wrong. They could be captured, tortured, and killed. Or they could achieve success and hopefully come home. If there were no reprisal from the factions, maybe we could live in peace for the first time in over fifty years.

This wasn't the first time we had a conflict, but after the last conflict, with our numbers dwindling and our fertility rates dropping, if something didn't happen soon, we would fade into the fabric of time itself.

So anything and everything must be done to save humanity.

I pulled the blanket up and closed my eyes, letting sleep consume me.