I looked around, seeing no objections, only determination on multiple faces.
“Congrats!” Denis smiled.
“What just happened?” Frid barely moved her lips.
“They found the best person for the job.” I placed my hand on her forearm.
Almost immediately, a group of women surrounded us, speaking all at once. Frid looked a little overwhelmed, but I was used to handling the people of Gora. Without hesitation, I began directing everyone into an organized line for questions or concerns.
“We’ll have to have a separate meeting to come up with the best plan. First of all, it’s important to consider that not all of us will be in the same place in case of a sudden attack.” I said and Frid looked at me with gratitude.
"What about the monsters? What’s going to happen to all of us?" one of the women cried, almost hysterical.
“There’s no need to worry. We’ll walk through everything during our second meeting. For now, it’s important that allthe people get the message that we are going to have another meeting. Please spread the word to everyone you know, make sure to check in with all of your neighbors.” I said.
"When’s the second meeting?" someone yelled.
"Same time tomorrow. Same place," Frid finally regained her composure.
Denis stepped closer to Frid, but when he spoke, his eyes locked with mine.
"Let me know if I can help either of you with anything," he said.
"Thank you," I replied, almost immediately turning away.
Frid seemed a little stressed. I smiled and squeezed her forearm.
"It’s alright. We can handle this," I said.
Everything had turned upside down, a sharp contrast to the routine we had just grown accustomed to.
Frid and I did not have any free time to ourselves. We spent countless hours speaking with the citizens to work out the best plan for evacuation. We both agreed it would be wise to run every detail by Hanoch to ensure our plans would not conflict with the city defenders' strategies. But before presenting our proposals to the clan leader, we first needed to find suitable places to shelter everyone. Once wereached that decision, I set off to familiarize myself with the servants and spent hours studying the building’s intricate layout.
When I went to the kitchens, I unintentionally interrupted the dinner preparations. As I spoke with the kitchen maids, one of the older servants moved in close, scrutinizing me intently.
“You’re so beautiful. No wonder the great Ruh paired both of you together,’ she said.
“What are you saying, grandma?” I leaned closer to her.
"Both of you will lead this clan to prosperity," she said, taking my hands in hers.
“I don’t understand.”
"Hanoch is the clan leader, Tynan's brother," another maid said, shaking her head as she wiped her hands on her apron.
“Hanoch?” The old woman blinked, evidently confused.
“Thank you for your kind words.” I squeezed her hand.
She sighed, and took a seat by the corner table, looking lost.
By the end of the day, we had a mostly working plan that we still needed to implement. I shared all of my ideas with Frid while we were running along the mountain road later that evening and she listened in complete silence. I could tell that she was distracted because, contrary to what she used to do as of late, she did not slow down to let me catch up to her while we were running – like she forgot that I was even there.
“There’s a spacious basement, well ventilated and it has some dry food items. We would have to figure out a water supply and places for people to go if they needed to use the privy. In a cramped space it could be devastating for everyone. What we really need to consider are beds for people who can’t sit on the floor. Pregnant women, the elderly. Are you listening? Frid?” I stopped trying to catch my breath.
“I’m really not good at this. How are you so calm about everything? You’re not even a little concerned.” She stopped.
“I am. I just try to do my best.”
