"Aren't you?" He turned to face me, and the rawness in his eyes made my breath catch. "Look at yourself in the mirror and then tell me I'm being dramatic."
It hurt. Did I really look that bad?
Was it the bruises? Or did he find my thinner body unappealing?
The silence stretched between us, loaded with everything we weren't saying. I wanted to go to him, to wrap my arms around him and promise that everything would be fine. But I couldn't make that promise because I didn't know if it was true.
"We should get ready for flight training," I said instead.
"Kailin—"
"I know you're angry, but you will have to deal with it. I can't change who I am or what I can do." I pushed back the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out his training uniform. "I just wish you valued your own life as much as you value everyone else's."
38
RAVEL
"When rot is discovered in the foundation, half-measures and prolonged deliberations will not do. Cut deep, cut fast, and rebuild on solid ground."
—General Soren Bardaky, On Military Reform
The war room occupied the center of the command floor, its curved outer wall a rounded protrusion of windows that offered panoramic views of the mountains. Other than that one architectural detail, the space was designed for function, with rows of seats arranged in a semicircle and facing a raised podium.
Today, every seat was filled.
General Lesten Zorian stood at the podium, flanked by the four wing commanders. Colonel Darian Voss of Fury Wing sat to his right, and Colonel Arella Drayden of Wrath Wing occupiedthe seat beside him. On the general's left were Colonel Soren Blackwood of Sentinel Wing and Colonel Kaida Weston of Storm Wing, the most recently appointed wing commander in the Dragon Force.
I took my place in the second row among the other squadron commanders. I nodded to Major Lisha Merrick, my section commander, who sat directly ahead of me with the other section commanders.
The entire force was assembled. The general, four wing commanders, twelve section commanders, and thirty-six squadron commanders.
General Lesten Zorian stood at the podium, his expression grim given the gravity of the recent events.
"Let's begin," the general said, and the murmur of conversation died instantly. "As you are all aware, the Citadel has been infiltrated by Elusitor's converts. Twelve have all been identified as support staff who'd failed to qualify for bonding. The interrogation revealed that they had been recruited in summer training camps in the Podana region and brainwashed to submit to Elusitor and the Sitorian cult of death. Over the past seventy-two hours, coordinated operations across six provinces have resulted in forty-seven more arrests. Names obtained from the converted traitors in our custody led us to more cells. Podana, Hartzoza, the Vallene Valley, and even as far as the eastern border settlements. This infiltration and conversion scheme has been operating for far longer than anyone suspected, two decades or longer. The evidence suggests a carefully planned, long-term strategy to convert susceptible, troubled youth and place them as sleepers throughout Elucian society to await orders."
I thought of Noven Sarhan, sitting in his cell, his eyes empty as he recited Sitorian doctrine. Recruited at twelve years old and corrupted before he had a chance to form his own personality.
"General Bardaky has made a decision," Zorian said. "Effective immediately, all civilian summer training camps are suspended."
A murmur rippled through the room. The camps were essential, training young Elucians so they could defend their communities from Shedun attacks along with the veterans and preparing them for future military service. Suspending them would be detrimental to Elucia's defensive capabilities.
Commander Verik Tallen, who led Talon-2 Squadron, raised his hand. "For how long, sir?"
"Indefinitely. The training programs will be conducted exclusively at official military installations. No more civilian-run camps. No more rotating instructors with minimal background checks. We will control every aspect of the program."
"That's not going to be popular," Colonel Drayden observed. "Parents trust those camps. They've been sending their children there for decades."
"And for decades, those camps have been breeding grounds for Sitorian converts." Zorian's voice was flat. "I'll take public criticism over another generation of traitors growing up in our midst."
I couldn't argue with that logic, even as I suspected it wouldn't be enough. The Sitorians were patient and adaptable. If we closed one avenue of recruitment, they would find another.
"Additionally," Zorian continued, "a purge of suspect personnel is underway across all Elucian Forces. Anyone with connections to the identified camps is being scrutinized, and the Intelligence Corps is working on revamping protocols. They will be distributed to all commanding officers by the end of the week."
I studied the faces of my fellow officers. Some looked grimly satisfied that decisive action was being taken. Others seemedtroubled, perhaps wondering if this purge would sweep up innocent people along with the guilty.
Both reactions were valid.
