Outside of Chinook, War-Kin Training Facility, Early October
Bree loved her mate. Rhuv had been the first and only male she had ever been attracted to. They had meet when she'd first joined the training program. She had just gone through her Tempering and wasn't completely comfortable with her new body yet. Her instructors in her home clan had told her that she'd be going for advanced training even before her change though. Up until the last century or so possible candidates for the Ashen War-Kin could be sent on for advanced training as soon as possible sometimes before their change into adulthood. Now days however the candidates weren't sent for advanced training until they had the basics well learned.
The change in the procedure had started with Niculai's father, Daavi and as far as Bree was concerned it was a good one. It had really snowballed in the eighties though. They weren't living in just clan groups as much anymore and as such family ties were becoming more important then clan affiliation. It just made more sense for the trainees to learn the basics from the Siblings assigned to their area and only come here if they qualified for it. The aristocracy in general and the DeNeam, who were the highest level of aristocrats, however hated it. They were loosing power, it was slipping away from them and into the hands of the common Anvidai. something that they were actively trying to stop.
Sabrina went to her classroom to get everything set up while Milosh sent the trainees to the showers. Even if her nose hadn't gotten more sensitive with her pregnancy Bree knew she didn't want to trapped in a closed classroom with a bunch of trainees right after a physical class. Her three hour class would feel like it was three years long with that in her nose. After only a few minutes the smell would make her nauseated, not to mention want to run for the door. And frankly she'd had enough of that to last her the rest of her life. There were some things that almost made her wish she hadn't gotten knocked up and morning sickness was top of the list. Thank god for ginger ale and saltine crackers. That combo was just about the only thing that had gotten her through it.
Today's class was on improvised explosive devices, IED's as they were usually called. Some might of thought it was odd for her to be teaching a class on explosive devices but none of them would be her fellow Siblings. They all knew, that like all of them, she was skilled in many different aspects of combat and that included explosives. The truth was that Bree was the resident expert on traps and explosives. Not just finding and disarming them but building them as well. Just because she looked like the sweet innocent didn't mean that she was one. In fact she was an ass-kicker of the first order. She was well matched to her mate Rhuv.
Sabrina was not only teaching how to find and disarm the IED's but how to build and hide them as well. She was also teaching why each different type might be used and the damage it could cause. Bree knew that the trainees hadn't expected to be trained in many of the topics they were learning and this was one of them. It hadn't been that long ago after all that she'd been in training herself. As to the why of the class? Well, the Undying loved their little presents didn't they and if they could kill Siblings as well as what or who ever their target was, so much the better. Many of the trainees in this class would go on to helping guard their clan heads as well as help the Ashen lead the warriors of their individual clans. some of them could even be considered for induction into the Ashen War-Kin itself.
After the class had been finished for awhile there was a soft knock on her classroom door. Bree sat up, realizing that she'd fallen asleep at her desk working on her lesson plan. There was a pattern on her face from the metal rings that bound the notebook she'd used as a pillow. Well wasn't this embarrassing, at least she hadn't fallen asleep while teaching. That would of been so much worse. Rubbing the sleep from her face, Sabrina breathed in deeply. She smiled to herself as she caught the scent of her mate, and that of Milosh as well.Shaking herself the rest of the way awake Bree called out, telling them to come in. She knew the two were going to razz her for falling asleep. Especially Milosh, he really loved teasing his siblings in the War-Kin. It was one of his most endearing and annoying habits, depending on whether or not you were the target of his humor.
"You look like Worf. What with the bumps on your cheek instead of the forehead," Milosh said, a characteristic smile on his face wide enough to show his fangs.
Sabrina glared at Milosh. The target of her pretended ire raised his hands as if warding off an attack. At his gesture Bree broke out laughing. This was her family, even more than the one she'd been born into. Her parents may have insisted that she be allowed to train as a fighter and fought for her to get her advanced training. But the rest of her family and especially her clan had been horrified that a a Lushidai had been sent. Especially a female one. After all as far as the DeNeam were concerned the Lushidai were only servants and females were useless.
Some of them had even wondered if she was actually a female or some changeling sent to shame her clan. Anything to avoid realizing that female and Lushidai would and could fight and do it well. Bree reached out to The two Ashen, one of them her mate and the other as close as any brother. They had her back just as she had theirs. All of the Siblings were her family and these two the closest of all.
"So tell me how the new trainees did. I know they just started but are there any standouts yet?" Bree asked as the two males took the hands she held out to them. Letting them help her into a standing position.
"Lets get some eats while we talk," Milosh said as his stomach let out a growl. "I clearly need food and I'm sure you and your bump do too."
"Leave it to you to think of food. Are you never not hungry?" Bree asked smiling.
"Never," Milosh said with put upon twang make it sound like he'd said nevah. "How is our momma to be."
Sabrina successfully hid her irritation at that question. Everyone, including her mate had been asking her that question far too many times every day. It was seriously getting old but she could understand why they were asking so she didn't let her annoyance show. Instead she smiled up at the lanky warrior that was one of her best friends. "I'm doing well. At the rate I'm growing I'm gonna be as big as a house before I'm done though."
The chatter was not just to distract the males but herself as well. She didn't want to think about what her last doctor's appointment had discovered. There wasn't one heart beat but two. Multiples didn't usually survive and unfortunately the mother often didn't either. It would have been so much better if she'd been Human. Then she just would have gone in for an ultrasound and found out if all was well. But ultrasound technology didn't work on the Anvidai. Something about tissue density or some such. Sabrina neither knew or cared the why of it. They didn't work so it wasn't an option. All she, or any of them, could do was wait and pray. And most definitely not tell Rhuv, or anyone else for that matter. Rhuv and the rest already worried about her far too much as it was. The information wasn't going to hold much longer though. It had already been over two weeks and she still hadn't told him.
"It's really to soon to tell," Rhuv said, pulling Bree around the desk to his side. "Tolartha looks good though. Time will tell"
Nodding Sabrina asked the question that was really on her mind. "How's Nic doing? He hasn't been to meals for the last week or so." Bree's sorrow and concern were clear for anyone to see. Feelings that everyone in the Ashen War-Kin felt. But especially the two makes beside her. Rhuv had known Niculai since childhood. They had been raised together after the death of Rhuv's parents.Rhuv's uncle, and guardian after the deaths, had been best friends and chief advisor to Daavi, Nic's predecessor as War Prince. As a result Rhuv had been raised with the heirs from young childhood.
It was a real shame what the Foress clan had done to both Tolartha and the missing woman. Bree wasn't going to say anything about that out loud though Milosh felt bad enough as it was. The fact that it had been his clan that had acted so dishonorably had mad Milosh almost mental. After all if he'd followed in his fathers footsteps and led the Foress clan, this situation would never have happened. The Fact that Milosh would have been miserable in that life was irrelevant to the guy. That he wouldn't have been a Sibling also didn't matter when he was feeling guilty about his birth clans behavior.
It was Milosh who answered. "He's not doing very well but that isn't really a surprise. He always takes things hard and this is very personal for him."
Milosh's face, his entire being showed the shame that he felt. Shame that he tried to cover with humor. This wasn't the first time that his birth clan had caused problems. In fact they were a regular source of irritation for Niculai. they were one of the founding clans and as a result they considered themselves to be the cream of the crop as it were. Sometimes Milosh wondered if he should have become the clan head instead of joining the Ashen War-Kin. Goodness know Niculai would have fewer problems if he had.
It wasn't hard to know how Nic felt Bree thought. He'd given his word to protect the infant and he felt like he'd failed. Sabrina knew that she'd feel the same way in his shoes, all of them would have. Bree looked around herself at the classroom she taught in. The twenty desks set in five rows of four. The black boards behind her large desk. She could be in almost any class room in the country. All the normal disappeared as her mind went back to her childhood. Her family had moved here to the states long before her birth. Her parents had also been Siblings, which is why they had worked so hard for her to train if she'd wanted to.
They had been sent to America by Niculai's father. In nineteen-thirty they had left her with family friend and gone to help evacuate the Anvidai that still lived mostly in eastern Europe. They had to get away from the Undying controlled Vril Society. A group that even now most people of any race knew about. The Vril society had taken control over the Nazi party fairly early and had dictated many of the most horrific policies the Nazis had engaged in.
The dichotomy between the class room in the present and what her memory showed her was almost to much for her to take. Shaking herself Sabrina forced herself to see only the what before her physical eyes and not the past. One couldn't live in the past. All one could do was learn from the past and try not to repeat any mistakes.
"Yeah, I would be surprised if he was taking this well. The question is what can we do to help him." Bree's voice was firm and to the point. No longer sad in any way, she was all about solutions. The problem after all was well known to them all.
