Kira's forehead creased. "How many?"
"All of them."
Kira rubbed her eyebrow in confusion. That was different. The forty three rarely gathered in force. They considered it too dangerous.
No wonder Selene was on edge.
"Does Alexander know what they want?" Kira asked.
Selene shook her head. "No."
The forty three didn't follow a strict hierarchy in the same way the Tuann or even certain factions of the Consortium, like the military, did. It was probably a consequence of their upbringing. Their ability to follow orders from anyone not themselves as poor as Kira's own.
While there were no technical leaders, there were those whose opinions and voice carried more weight.
Alexander was one of them. His role more like that of an elder than a leader. Selene would be too if she hadn't turned herself into a practical hermit to keep the children’s existence a secret from the forty three.
Except for Selene, Elise, and Alexander, Kira didn't have much cause to meet with the rest of the forty three. Pallas was more of an enemy than a friend. The others she'd encountered every now and then, but most gave her a wide berth when they came across her. The only things she really knew about them were what she remembered of them as children.
For them to exclude one of the few people Kira had significant contact with from their decision making process was a concerning development. Particularly when she was about to walk into a room with them.
"They're forming factions," Kira noted softly.
She never thought she'd see the day. They'd always been so united.
Selene seemed as troubled by that prospect as Kira.
"What do they want?"
"I don't know," Selene confessed.
Kira looked up to find Alexander watching them closely. If she didn't know better, she'd say she and Selene weren't the only ones worried.
"Kira," Selene called, the soft ache in her voice making Kira still.
She could see the guilt that haunted Selene. The question of 'what if' likely keeping her up at night. Maybe she could have prevented this, she'd tell herself. If only she'd been there.
That was the thing, though. The past didn't change just because you wanted it to. The only thing guilt accomplished was wearing you down and destroying your soul.
"I want to go with you," Selene confessed.
Of course, she did. She'd raised Elena when it was too dangerous for Kira to do so. Her protective nature and sense of responsibility were why Kira had entrusted her with Elena in the first place.
"No."
"She's my niece too," Selene choked out. "For the first time in an eternity, I wish to rampage. To be the monster our masters created me to be."
"That's exactly why you can't come."
Once you went down that path, it was so hard to come back from it. Selene wasn't like Kira. She had vulnerable lives counting on her. How would she offer them the softness they deserved if she was mired in darkness?
"Elena needs something to come back to. That's you."
If Kira and the rest didn't make it, Selene was her back up plan. She'd be there to step in if the worst came to pass.
Kira met her gaze fully. "Protect yourself and the rest of the children. That's how you help."
Selene's composure cracked. A tear rolled down her cheek, only to be dashed away a second later.
