— Naomi, — Gabriel called, sticking just his head through the bathroom door. Water was running down his face and hair. — We forgot the weapons at the Oasis.
The young woman, who was lying down resting, brought her hand to her face and grimaced at the oversight. The Ravens who had attacked the group carried revolvers, but she knew that Hylari would have collected them without wasting any time.
— Hylari must already have them, — she said to the young man.
— Yes, — Gabriel replied, returning to the bathroom. — What a gift, huh.
They were preparing for the meeting that Sandy had called earlier, involving the entire Nest. A novice Raven had informed the pair. Naomi had been ready for a while. Lying on her back, she stared at the ceiling, her heavy eyes forcing her to fight against falling asleep. The delay from the other only made things worse.
She didn't like the way the leader of the Nest handled the situation. A direct attack, even though it was part of the Pikes' usual approach, wasn't how she was used to dealing with similar situations, but she kept it to herself. Every city had its own way of acting. Even though they were all Ravens, different attitudes existed, like calling the leader a princess.
— Wake up, Naomi, — Gabriel said, already dressed, looking at her.
She shifted, lost. She had fallen asleep while thinking. She stood up beside Gabriel, who was already ready. As they left the room, they heard voices heatedly conversing in the main hall.
Gabriel stepped ahead of his companion and, using his knuckles, knocked a few times on Livya's door, which was right across from theirs. He repeated the gesture several times, waiting for the novice.
— Could she have already left? — he asked, looking at Naomi as he kept knocking on the door.
— Maybe, — Naomi murmured, her attention drawn to the conversations ahead. — She spent quite a bit of time with that Ana today.
The young man lost patience and abruptly opened the door, poking his head inside the room identical to his. There was no sign of her anywhere. He noticed that his colleague had the same habit as him—leaving the bed unmade, something that always tried Naomi's patience.
— Really, Gabriel? — she said, disapprovingly.
— There's no one here, — he replied, ignoring her comment. — She's probably already gone.
They moved toward the voices. The hall was packed with Ravens, which was an unusual sight since they were usually out on missions or patrolling. Seeing so many of them together was abnormal, even in a Nest.
Some of them paid attention to the couple, observing them from the corners of their eyes. Gabriel could feel the eyes on him from all directions, some subtle and others direct.
Nahara, who was engaged in a heated conversation with a small group, excused herself when she saw them and walked over.
— Are you both feeling better? — she asked as she approached.
— Yes, thank you, — Naomi replied. — How many Ravens are here?
— The entire Nest, — she added. — Sandy was telling the truth about a large-scale attack. All eighty were summoned.
Gabriel, who was scanning the crowd, spotted Livya in a corner, talking to Ana. She seemed to be in good spirits, which relieved him a bit after what had happened. She was eating something that piqued his curiosity; he'd ask her about it later.
— All eighty are here? — Naomi asked, continuing the conversation with her colleague.
— Exactly. I won't lie to you; I've never seen so many of us in one place.
Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd. Sandy was coming down the hallway, standing in a corner by herself. Everyone sat down to listen to her.
— We know the location of the Big Brother, — she declared.
The crowd erupted with the news, and the place filled with cheers and celebrations. The word "princess" was heard repeatedly. Sandy raised her hands to calm them down. Once she succeeded, she continued:
— First, I'll tell you why I called you all here. Tomorrow night, we'll launch a large-scale operation to eliminate this problem.
— That's our leader! — someone shouted from the crowd, followed by others praising her.
Sandy again called for silence, and the satisfaction on her face showed she was loving the moment. She ran a hand down her long braid and tossed it over her shoulder, eliciting shouts of "princess" for a few moments.
— Out of the eighty of you, sixty-five will come with me, along with our guests, — she said, signaling toward Gabriel and Naomi. — We're going to put an end to this situation.
— Who are the fifteen that will stay? — an older Raven asked.
— Simple, Sebastião, — Sandy replied. — Our novices will continue to guard the city, and I'll leave you in charge until I return.
There were no complaints, though the novices' dissatisfaction was clear. Sandy continued:
— Our target is in the area of the old Pit 50. I'll be honest, I don't plan to come up with any elaborate strategies or attack plans. I have a much simpler idea. I'm leaving it up to each of you. Handle the situation however you like. I fully approve of whatever methods you choose.
Once again, the crowd erupted, and Gabriel was almost swallowed by the excitement. Leaving trained and armed people to do as they pleased bordered on madness. He liked the Nest leader instantly.
— Take your weapons to Luís and get ammunition. Tomorrow, we'll go hunting. — And without waiting, she returned to her room to the applause of everyone.
Naomi looked around, startled. The madness had overtaken the place along with the people. Her partner seemed completely absorbed in it too.
— What do you think? — Nahara had to shout to be heard.
— I've changed my mind, — Naomi shouted back. — She's one of the most intense women I've ever met.
Nahara laughed while Gabriel joined the excited crowd.