Page 57 of Cheating Fate

“Officially, we do not know whether some rogue agents are behind it or if the Alliance ordered those hits,” he said at last.

“And unofficially?” Vahl insisted.

“Unofficially, I and a few others believe the Alliance is not only behind it, but needs to be eradicated,” Dad said harshly. “They have lost their way, given in to corruption, and are willing to trample anything and anyone who might hinder their ability to acquire the power they crave.”

“So how do we prove it and then bring them down?” I asked, my voice frosty as images of Gavin burnt to a crisp flashed in my mind’s eye.

“There are many moving parts that need to be settled first,” Dad said carefully. “The main thing you need to know is that Veredia is pulling out of the Alliance.”

“What?!” the three of us exclaimed simultaneously.

“But what does that mean for the Sentinels?” I asked.

While Veredia had insanely strict immigration rules—basically only allowing spouses and blood-relatives to come here after thorough vetting, aside from very rare exceptions—I didn’t worry about Gavin being able to stay here. Not only was he my soulmate, but his family was closely linked to the Veredians.

“We are awaiting our final orders from Xelix Prime,” Dad replied. “We remain a Xelixian army before being a peacekeeping military force for the Alliance. Our own homeworld will very likely drop out as well once Veredia does. Xelixians have already been considering it for a while. This will seal the deal.”

Aunt Venya nodded, intervening for the first time in the conversation.

“Everything that’s happening has been causing an uproar among many nations,” she mused aloud. “Once Veredia is out, countless others will follow. It is not only because of the Veredians’ military might and technological power, but because of you, Vahleryon. They all know what’s coming, and they want to be on the right side.”

My chest constricted for my brother. It was so unfair to lay so much on his shoulders. But once again, he remained stoic as he nodded.

“The Alliance understands it, which is why they tried to nip it in the bud by assassinating you,” Ghan said. “It took this long for us to give you an update on our investigation because we wanted to be certain.”

“I understand,” Vahl replied, his face reflecting the wisdom and maturity of the old soul he’d always been.

“The Great War in itself will not happen tomorrow,” Dad said reassuringly before waving at Venya. “In truth, every Oracle and Seer believe that while battles and bloody conflicts will escalate over the next few months, the all-out war itself is still a couple of years away. Instead of every world fighting all at once to take down a common enemy, it will be different worlds fighting each other. And too often, it will be for the wrong reasons or because they got manipulated into it.”

“So what’s going to happen with all the deployments if the Sentinels separate from the Alliance?” Vahl asked.

“Once Veredia leaves, they will create a sister division to the Tuurean army that you will lead,” Dad said calmly.

It was as if a bomb went off in the room. My brothers and I stared at him, mouth agape. A million questions fired off in my head. But even as they popped up, they answered themselves. They needed Vahl to no longer just be the prophesied Great General, but to finally step into that role before the real war began. If Dad was accurate in his statement that the Oracles and Seers expected the full-on war to blow up in two years, it would give Vahl a reasonable runway of leading a growing number of troops before the ultimate showdown.

“I understand,” Vahl said at last.

It had become a pattern lately for him to use that simple response when overwhelmed but refusing to be defeated.

“Gavin, Lenora, and the twins should be here,” I suddenly said. “We need them.”

Dad stared at me for a second before shifting his gaze to my twin.

“That’s a decision for Vahleryon to make,” Dad replied.

“Gavin should be here,” Vahl concurred forcefully.

My heart leapt, but I forced myself to keep a neutral expression.

“Why?” Dad challenged.

“Because I want him here,” Vahl said as if it was self-evident.

“Why?” Dad insisted.

“Because he’s my Ghan,” Vahl said with a hint of irritation.

Dad narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you sure? You want Gavin and not Trehv?”