Chapter 18: Chapter EIGHTEEN

"Oh, there you are!" Andrei called out to them, running towards them with heavy breathing. "Ellana is waiting for you in her office with Vassili. I have to go break the news to Shaun and his family..."

His voice had cracked at the end of his sentence and the features of his face were closed, almost tortured at the prospect of his next task. It was obvious that something serious had happened. Mia barely knew Shaun, but the idea that something bad could happen to the two brothers made her heartache. The teenager was brimming with positive energy and enthusiasm, she just didn't want to see his face flooded with tears.

"What news, Andrei?" Adam exclaimed gravely in a hurried tone.

"Ellana will explain..."

I hope it's nothing too bad... she prayed mentally as she followed the group to the General's office.

"His parents accompanied the last convoy…" murmured Irina, passing through the open office door. "Don't tell me that's what I think..."

Mia remembered the teen telling her about his parents' work as Sentinels. The puzzle pieces were starting to come together, and the blonde feared the worst. It meant that something had happened to Shaun's parents, but whether Ethan and herself were involved in the equation was still questioned. And it was an answer she was less and less eager to find out.

The General's office was a large room divided into two distinct parts: a secretarial side with a huge wooden desk overflowing with various parchments overlooked by tall bookcases and a meeting room with a gigantic table in the same material that could accommodate ten people at the very least. This part certainly served as a gathering point for the various high dignitaries and high-ranking soldiers of the ruling part of Callis.

Ellana was standing arguing with two other men who were seated on either side of the table. One had tanned skin, long brown hair tied in a braid, and a mid-length beard. He was a towering mountain of muscle, but his face was made up of soft features, and he was a very handsome man. Mia supposed he was in his thirties based on his looks. Opposite, the other individual was a white man in his fifties with short graying hair and stern features. He had a small paunchy belly, but there was no doubt as to his membership in the military corps. A few meters further on, Vassili leaned against the cold stone of the wall in silence, his eyes closed. The subject of their argument seemed particularly heated, but the conversation died down when they saw the group arriving. The two men stood up and gave them a military salute before inviting them to sit down to begin the introductions.

"Zerkan Droug, Commander of the Sentinels," the man in his thirties introduced himself.

"Robert Finnegan, Colonel of the Resistance army," continued the second.

"It's not under these circumstances that I imagined meeting the symbols of the Resistance," Zerkan laughed to try to lighten the atmosphere and failed miserably.

"Tell us what's going on, Ellana," Irina begged, ignoring the Commander.

"And especially how it concerns us," Ethan added sternly, in a tone that bordered on disrespect.

"Ethan," called out Vassili, who was finally approaching the group to tell the Vila to keep calm.

Mia slid her hand over her soulmate's as she felt him clench his fist, catching his attention. He fixed his gaze filled with rage on hers, but said nothing, understanding the silent pleas of the blonde. She didn't want him to make the situation worse, even though she understood very well that Ethan felt extremely betrayed and hurt by the vampire's schemes.

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Please don't aggravate things, she tried to communicate non-verbally.

The Vila's fist loosened and he exhaled deeply to calm himself. It was Ellana's moment to begin her explanations after seeing that she had the full attention of her guests.

"Wang is dead. Her delegation was attacked while crossing the Woods of Tears. There are no survivors."

"I can't believe it..." murmured Irina, placing her hand in front of her mouth to absorb the shock of the news.

"It's Impervia, isn't it? These Woods are under her control, it must be her."

Mia couldn't grasp the situation, and Ethan didn't seem to understand more of what was going on, even though Adam had mentioned his mother's name. Yet no one seemed to care about their complete lack of information and misunderstanding.

"Yeah, and she left a little sealed gift on the way. Igor thinks it is for Ethan and only he can open it."

"What's happening? Could someone give us a bit of context before you break such news on us like that?" Ethan roared, annoyed at not understanding something that directly concerned him.

"Wang is... was part of the Council. She took care of all diplomatic relations with the outside world," Irina explained.

"She had already been on her way for several days when we started the attack on the Arena. The main mission of her expedition was to go around our allies to warn them that hostilities were beginning... She was accompanied by four Sentinels to travel light and above all discreetly," Ellana continued.

"Georgia and Mark were part of the expedition," specified Zerkan which provoked a new exclamation of despair from Irina.

"Shaun's parents," Adam added, seeing the young couple's looks of incomprehension.

The news triggered a feeling of intense sadness in Mia at the thought of the young teenager finding himself an orphan with his brother. What she feared before their explanations was confirmed, and they were not at the end of their troubles.

"They were massacred while crossing the Wood of Tears. The convoy was found using the tracking beacon after noticing that it had been stopped in an inhospitable place for several hours. It was Zerkan who discovered their corpses."

Mia was clearly not ready for the horror tale the Sentinel Commander was about to tell them. She had never been particularly sensitive to the violence and gory massacres in the movies, but hearing it knowing that it was all true and that the individuals in question were relatives of her acquaintances was completely different.

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