The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

The Players Identified

The small group was silent as they moved down the short corridor leading into the bullpen and the war room. That is, until Mara dropped back to step beside Naryan.

"It's so good to see you again, Narya," the willowy beauty leaned over to whisper before capturing her hand. "I didn't think I'd see any of you alive after leaving the Lash estate."

Naryan was almost surprised when she pulled Mara to a stop before giving her a hug, the Force Recon officer unaware that her own feelings were so close to the surface. But she also would've been the first to admit that it felt good to give such an old friend a hug after all this time. And a little guilt for the jealousy.

"Ell's here too, somewhere," she whispered back and Mara leaned away, a look of surprise on her beautiful face.

Which, to Naryan's shame, elicited yet another pang of jealousy. Mara had always been pretty, but when they were teenagers, she was as pretty in her own opinion. Now, however, being perfected in a lilith sort of way put her childhood friend on a whole different level of attractiveness. One that would have no trouble keeping Lash's attention focused squarely on Mara.

"Where?" Mara whispered, hopeful curiosity supplanting the surprise. "I'd love to see her and give her a hug, too!"

"I'm not entirely sure, actually ..." Naryan began to reply before the door to the war room was opening and the two of them had to hurry to catch up with the rest of the group. They were just in time to hear:

"Hopefully you won't get your doors rushed next time they open, my wolf," Fiadh noted, stepping close to give his hand a squeeze and brush her hip against his. "The remaining liliths have discovered you're an alpha prime. With only one holdout, they want you to resolve their seasonals."

"We can't afford that," Naryan deftly pointed out as she passed the two to take a place at the war table. "Even if every one of them uses the cloud to make it happen, it'll be a couple weeks before they release our boy here to do his thing against the Nocturnum. And that's two weeks the traitors will have to prepare for our assault."

"Why do you think I've ensconced myself back into the command center, Narya?" Lash said, his expression resolute. "My honor and sense of duty both demand that I respond to every request a lilith makes of my time and resources. Not to mention the protocols and the laws. But if I'm not there to receive them, then my honor and duty aren't impugned."

"You walk a fine line, young master," Vulcrum pointed out, stepping to the map table and bringing it online with a quick, practiced dance of his long fingers. "But one I'd rather you walk now so we can properly prepare for what will likely be a direct assault on the strongest fortification in all of vampiredom."

A wave over the interface and a holographic image of a massive castle that looked more like a gothic cathedral appeared over the table.

"The Nocturnum," the House Lash spymaster named the image. "I took the liberty of uploading everything I had on the government's final line of defense into the Qos Viran database. Which I discovered, thanks to your generously provided access codes, young master, already held a great deal of information on the greatest fortress in all vampiredom."

Lash's expression was grim as he took a spot directly across from Vulcrum, flanked on one side by Mara and the other by Fiadh.

"It was supposed to be in case we needed to defend it against a Brotherhood attack," the Lord Commander revealed. "A desperation rampart that was the final hope of the council to keep itself intact in case something like the Armageddon Project, which was aimed at stock Humanity, was ever targeted at them."

"If we're to make a direct assault against the Nocturnum, we'll need as much information as we can get our hands on, my lord," Kassidy pointed out. "And likely more than the 1500 legionnaires we currently have garrisoning Hunters' Fjord."