Undestined: Fight your Fate

Chapter 14, Pt. 1

Olivia stood. "Please excuse me."

Silay stood to. "Can I come?"

Olivia nodded, then looked at Amata. "In fact, Amata, would you gather the rest of your travelling companions? Their insight might be useful."

"Of course." Amata hurried upstairs to the bedrooms, and Silay followed Olivia out the door.

***

The upstairs room of the Town Hall was filled with people, running around and talking. As soon as they entered, a young woman directed Olivia to a man sitting at the table. Most of the action seemed to be revolving around him. Olivia pulled up a chair, and spoke with him softly for a few moments, before waving over a young boy, who Silay assumed was a messenger. Olivia spoke with the boy and he rushed out of the room.

Upon Olivia's entrance, the talking and movement in the room had begun to settle down. Now people began to take seats, or stand quietly against the wall, waiting for directions. Silay stood by a wall near the door, joining the crowd in their expectant silence.

Olivia nodded to the gathered group. "Please, be patient a moment longer. Everyone is not here yet."

Amata slipped into the room, followed by Riya and Talis. They joined Silay in her spot by the door.

"What's going on?" Riya asked in a low voice.

Silay shook her head. "No one has said anything yet. I think they're waiting on someone. Where's Jarlen?"

Amata answered the question. "He was working on an experiment and said he couldn't leave it."

"That sounds like him."

Other whispered conversations where building up around them, while people waited to learn why they had been summoned.

Silay fidgeted. She didn't like all this waiting.

Finally, an older man entered the room and Silay recognized him. The Griffin seer. The others in the room obviously knew whom he was too, as the murmured whispers quickly faded away and all eyes turned back to Olivia. She stood patiently, waiting for the seer to take a seat. Once he was situated, Olivia looked around the room, her eyes quickly glancing at each person's face. Her gaze settled on Silay's, and she gave a small nod, as if she was satisfied with what she saw. She spoke.

"I thank you all for your haste in gathering here at such sort notice. One of our spies in Sojan has returned with very serious news and we need to decide what to do with it. Jordan, if you would?" She nodded to the young man she had been speaking too.

Jordan stood up. "There isn't much to say. The Sojan army is mobilizing, and is reinforced with mercenaries. They are headed for Griffin." He sat down, and the room immediately erupted into a sound, as people reacted.

Olivia cleared her throat, and everyone immediately quieted down. "Thank you, Jordan, for wording that so...precisely." She looked around the room. "We need to decide what to do. We should have at least three days to prepare, possibly four, depending on how long it takes them to mobilize."

A man standing by the back wall spoke up. "The only city that could reach us in that time is Turvew, and they've all been evacuated to Sojan."

Olivia nodded. "We will not be able to get help in that time, and even if we did, it is likely the Sojans have set guards on the roads. We will be facing this alone."

"But what about other travelers?" The words burst out from Silay before she could stop them. There were people from Dargosa coming to see her.

"We sweep the roads." Jordan, the spy, spoke up. "A day's ride out. The Sojans shouldn't have anyone posted that close. We bring in any travelers we find, then we close the gates."

"And then we'll besieged!" The man on the back wall interjected. "We don't have an army large enough to fight the Sojans."

"And don't forget the S'vaeli," the Griffin seer added. "We still don't know what they are doing."

A heavy silence filled the room as people considered this.

"All right!" Olivia clapped her hands, breaking the silence. "We might end up besieged, but our walls are easy to defend. And we won't be cut off. We can use a farstone to communicate with other cities. Our first priority is keeping people safe. Does anyone object?" She looked around the room, and no one spoke up. "Good. Jordan, I know you just got back, but I'm putting you in charge of organizing riders to bring in travelers. Marcus," she turned to the man by the back wall. "Check on our stores. Put together a group to gather any food that can be preserved. We don't know how long the siege will last, and we may need to ration. Everyone else, you know your jobs. Go inform the people in your environs of what is happening, and above all, keep everyone calm!" She looked around the room. "Go. Do your jobs."

People started to filter out. Silay turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. It was Olivia. "I would like your group to stay." Her voice was grim. "I need to talk with you."

____________________________

Yikes! Things are staring to heat up. And what about the S'vaeli? What are they up to?

This update is dedicated to Cinilla, who is often the first person to comment, despite Wattpad not notifying her of updates :). Her comments are insightful and challenging, and are assuredly making me a better writer. She is also the author of an absolutely hilarious historical fiction piece, All Roads Lead to Scandal. It offers wonderful insight into the less glamorous aspects of the ancient Roman world.