Eirin shrugged, taking a slow sip from his tea. “Useful enough. Why do you ask?”
Sorcha hesitated, her eyes tracking her friends.
Her palms felt sweaty, as she tapped a foot under the table. She didn’t want her friends to believe she was replacingEmry in some way but it was inevitable. Finally, she said, “Commander Nethran has asked that he join our ranks.”
The table went silent. Eirin, who had been lounging casually next to her, sipping his tea, sat upright, his face darkening with disbelief. “It’s only been… what? Five weeks now since Emry passed. And you’re seriously telling me that someone who hasn’t gone through training and isn’t even from here, is being placed in the Circle? This soon?”
The concern on Eirin’s face spread to the others. Rhosyn and Mason exchanged uneasy glances, and even Drystan’s playful demeanor faltered. Sorcha held her ground, her voice steady but firm. “He’s grown to be a friend to all of us,” she countered. “As you said, he fought just as well if not better than any of us. And we need the help. Someone was going to be placed in Emry’s absence… why not him?”
Slowly, reluctant nods passed around the table though Eirin’s jaw remained tight. It was then that Kyron appeared, his confident stride drawing the attention of theentire group. He looked around the table, noting the sudden shift in energy.
Drystan, ever the instigator, chimed in with a grin. “Well, hello there, handsome. We were just talking about you. Welcome to the Circle of Light.”
Sorcha froze, mortified. Kyron stopped short, confusion flickering across his face as he looked around at the awkward expressions and muffled laughter.
Mason elbowed Drystan hard in the ribs and hissed, “No.”
Drystan winced, rubbing his side, while Rhosyn and Eirin dissolved into laughter. Sorcha buried her face in her hands, groaning softly.
Kyron’s smile grew wider as he pulled out a chair. “Well,” he said smoothly, his voice laced with amusement, “I’m not sure what I’ve just walked into, but consider me intrigued.”
Sorcha peeked out from behind her hands, muttering under her breath, “I’m going to kill Drystan.”
Kyron leaned closer, his smirk mischievous. “Should I be flattered or concerned?”
Drystan, ignoring the glare from Mason, raised his glass with a wink. “A little bit of both, I’d say.”
The tension at the table eased as laughter broke out, though Mason’s frown lingered. Sorcha, however, couldn’t shake the flutter of nerves.
Sorcha turned to Kyron, her voice steady but cautious. “Commander Nethran wants to enlist you into the Circle. He asked for my opinion, and I gave it. If you accept, it would mean finding a place to live within the city walls and working alongside us.”
Kyron looked at Sorcha, his expression softening as he said, “I’d be honored.”
Rhosyn turned to Drystan with a sly grin. “Alright, now you can say it, Drystan.” Sorcha crossed her arms, glancing between the others. Kyron’s acceptance wasn’t a surprise, but the unease in the room was unmistakable.
Eirin, finally spoke. His voice was level, but firm.
“Since you’ve made your decision, we need to go over the rules. The Circle isn’t a group of hunters who charge in looking for glory. We don’t kill for sport, and we don’t engage unless we’re forced to.”
Kyron’s smirk faded slightly as he studied the faces around him.
Sorcha leaned forward, fingers tapping against her cup. “That means if something comes through the Veil, we don’t touch it unless it’s a direct threat.” Sorcha made sure his eyes were on her before speaking again “We don’t know if it’s Fae, a god, or something worse. And if we attack first? That blood is on our hands.”
Kyron tilted his head. “So what, we just let them roam free?”
Rhosyn calmly answered. “No. We monitor, we track and we watch. But we don’t act unless we have to. If you want to pick a fight, you better be damn sure it’s one you can win and one you’re willing to die for.”
Mason folded his arms. “And if you break that rule, you’ll wish whatever you fought had killed you first.”
Eirin nodded. “Everything that crosses the Veil is part of this world now, Kyron. Whether it’s Fae, beast, or something we can’t name, it belongs to the earth as much as we do.” Eirin leaned back in his chair. “It’s not our job to decide what’s good or bad. It’s our job to protect the balance. That’s the purpose of the Circle.”
Sorcha held Kyron’s gaze, her voice quieter now, but no less certain. “Think of the land itself. The seasons shift, plants bloom and wither, storms rage, rivers carve through stone. Destruction isn’t unnatural, it’s part of the cycle. Sometimes, what comes through the Veil is just another turn of that wheel. We don’t exist to stop it. We exist to make sure the wheel keeps turning the way it should.”
Kyron tilted his head. “So, you track them. You watch. You wait. But if you never act first?”
Eirin’s stare was unflinching. “Control isn’t the goal. Balance is.”
Kyron’s lips curled slightly, just enough to suggest he wasn’t entirely convinced. “And if they decide to act first?”
