To The Ends of The Universe (ONC 2024 ✔)

Chapter 5: The Council

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Eileen groaned. The last of her sleep lifted like a cloud toward the horizon. Her desperate mind stayed on top, trying in vain to bring it back down over her. "Five more minutes."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"I said five more minutes!"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Eileen grabbed her pillow. "Five more minutes!" She launched it at the door. Thud.

Bullseye! That'll teach you-the pillow dropped to the ground-Pavel? Her eyes widened at his startled look. Oh no, I just assaulted a prince with a pillow? How many years is that? Will he cut off my head? I don't have the energy to run for my life right now.

"Prince Pavel, I'm so sorry!" Her grip tightened. "I thought you were Ursus." No sooner than she said the name, the wall to her left slid open.

Ursus stepped out. "Sorry, I should have warned you about that." Eileen's eyes roamed over him. He was dressed in a dark navy colored tactical gear decorated with silver pins and emblems. Two guns rested on his hip holster. "She's not a big morning person."

"Ursus?" She croaked.

His eyes snapped to her. His lips twitched with a hidden smile, no doubt feeling her conflicting emotions. Heat flushed her face when the amused smile broke free. "You like what you see?"

Oh yes. She liked it alot.

"Ahem." Pavel glanced between the two of them. "Please save-" He motioned to the two of them "-whatever that is for later." If Eileen wasn't hot before, her face was burning up now. "I came to warn you that the council is here." The council?

"The council is made up of the three races, one male and one female. When an issue arrives, they gather to vote on it. If the vote ends in a tie then the royal gets the last say. Since I'm not king yet then it would be my mom's vote."

"And they're going to vote on whether I can join or not?"

"Yes, they are." He nodded. "It's required for the council to get the final say when it comes to who joins in the challenges."

Pavel glanced toward Ursus.

At the look they shared, Eileen frowned. "What's going on?"

Pavel hesitated. "We think we have a good idea of what the council will try to pull." Ok? "And it's really important that you don't look like a threat. If they decided that you're too much of a threat then..." He shook his head. "It won't be pretty." His eyes burned into hers. "Think you can do that?"

"I don't really have a choice." She couldn't shake the feeling that the ugly thing he was talking about was death. And I am not about to die.

"Alright, we need to get you dressed." He turned to the wall Ursus stepped out of. "Activate the transformation room." With a low groan, the wall slid open. "Step in."

Eileen stared into the empty room. "What's going to happen?"

"Nothing bad." His mischievous smile didn't ease her tension. "Just step through and see."

Reluctantly, Eileen stood up and headed inside. Her eyes widened as warm green light scanned over her body. Disinfecting...disinfecting.

"Disinfecting?"

A gasp left her lips. Jeans and shirts vanished, shifting into a beautiful leather tactical piece of dual chrome blue and greens. The glowing walls dimmed, showing the woman staring back at her. Is that me?