I nodded along, my gaze dropping to the map without really seeing the lines and circles. Isobel's plan made perfect sense. It was practical and efficient, the kind of move you'd want your Advisor to make on your behalf. We couldn't afford weak links when the ever-present that is Jolyne existed. We needed warriors now, not raw potentials who might fold under the first real pressure.
Still, as the conversation hung in the air, my thoughts spiraled inward, away from the table and back into my own mind. I saw Meredith, the tall woman with the resplendent armor and bejeweled claymore. The hardened woman who taught herself to smile again. The woman whose final moments were spent saving Lyra and me from an engaged Demon Queen.
