The Exiles (Book 1 of the Exiles Series)

Seventeen

No one else came to the house that day. Sasha figured it was because of the cold. I guessed that many people, including myself, were readying for winter. We spent the rest of the day preparing. Sammy and Sasha were already quite prepared, so after we were done fashioning winter things (like mats, blankets, et cetera) we all sat inside, chatted, snacked, and went to sleep with the sun.

The next morning our loyal army returned. It was much warmer outside the next day, and the snow had packed down so that it was easier to travel.

Once everyone had arrived, Nic told them about the arrow. Everyone seemed very shocked to hear that such a thing had happened. Several people suggested that we get revenge. But with a quiet raising of her hand, Nicole dismissed the remarks.

"That's very irrational," Nic replied. "It would give us no time to plan and think. What good would that do?" Nicole glanced at me. I nodded in approval.

"What if we attacked them in the spring?" I suggested, stepping closer to the crowd. "It would give us time to plan and give Magnus and his army a false sense of security. A surprise attack would be much more effective." Several people nodded in agreement. Nicole gave me a small smile.

"I think that's perfect," she agreed. "I like it. But we need a plan." Nicole had a point. Procrastinating was not an option.

"Who here owns a weapon of some sort?" Sasha asked the crowd. Over half of the hands shot up. "Good," Sasha murmured. The hands went down abruptly.

"I know where Magnus's house is," I told the crowd. "We could catch him there by surprise."

Nicole shrugged. "Magnus's base is the Center, remember?" she reminded me. "I highly doubt he goes to his house anymore. The Center is safe, and warm."

"But by springtime he may move back," I countered. Sammy quietly raised her hand.

"I have a solution," she said. "What if we split up into two groups, so that we'll catch him no matter what?" The sound of whispers filled the tiny house. Nicole nodded, looking genuinely impressed. "That's a good idea," she admitted. "But what happens once we find the army?" I snapped my fingers as an idea formed in my head.

"What if we had a way to contact one another?" I suggested. "Like a flare, or some sort of battle cry? Then we could alert the other team, so they could come to our location and help."

Nicole nodded again. "I like it," she said. "But I would like to add on. What if we had designated team captains, people who were in charge and were the ones to send the signals?"

"I love it," I told her. "But who would be the team captains?" Sasha and Sammy both rolled their eyes. A girl raised her hand. "I nominate Nic and Talia," she said. Several other people raised their hands in agreement. I looked over at Sammy and Sasha again. They were nodding, looking pleased. It was unanimous. Nicole and I were going to be team captains. I was honored, but also frightened of leading a group of people.

"Why us?" I whispered to Nicole. She rolled her eyes. "This is our fight," she explained. "The two of us, literally. I guess it seems obvious to me." I shrugged. A knot was forming in my stomach.

"I'm scared," I admitted in a whisper. It is never a good thing if your leader is scared. If your leader is scared, bad things happen. People lose their intelligence and all sense of direction if they're trapped and without a leader.

Nicole squeezed my hand. "So am I," she replied, looking out at the sea of people. Everyone looked very relieved, with flushed cheeks and calm, never wavering smiles. I hoped we would live up to their expectations.

"Nicole," Sasha said, "what will the signal be? I mean, we need to know the signal." By 'we,' she was referring to our army. The talking ceased and the smiles vanished. Everyone was once again focused.