I read Destiny Interrupted by MossyTreestump, Void Born by LizzieBowen18, and Genius Siblings by RaysReads (and some others but these are the most relevant i think) in one sitting and then had a two hour car ride for brain to turn it all over.
This story is not based on or directly inspired by any of these stories, and in fact has very little in common with any of them, but the idea did start forming while I was thinking about them, so credit where credit is due.
Title is a quote:
"I am involved in mankind."
~John Donne
:::
Talia Hale was very light on her feet, but she had never quite mastered her older brother's gift for silence. Peter heard her approach long before she settled herself beside him in the thick brush of the treeline, watching the clearing beyond. This bit of land was Hale property, just outside the edges of the Preserve, well kept and open to the public. His ears did not have to strain to pick up the shrieks of children and calls of parents. It was near lunchtime and the perfect fall day for a picnic.
"Are you certain, Brother?" Talia asked in the quiet between them.
"No," Peter confessed. "The Power runs in his family; I believe he carries the Spark. He is the sanest option I have investigated. He forms strong attachments and his moral compass appears dependent upon who it applies to. A perfect candidate. But I suspect no mentor is ever certain when choosing his apprentice."
His sister hummed.
"So you have chosen him then?" She waited for Peter's head to dip fractionally. "The Emissary will not be pleased."
Peter flashed his teeth.
"All the better."
"Peter."
"I would have anyone Deaton fears on our side, Alpha. That is all."
"For a Left Hand, you are a terrible liar."
"I have never made secret my distaste for the Druid. It does not help that his own kind have grown wary of him. I admit I would prefer to keep an eye on anyone he takes interest in, especially a child. What a thing of fortune that such a child has the aptitude of a Left Hand."
They did not speak for a time, observing the clearing in the trees.
"How do you know?"
"How do I know what, Sister?"
"That he has the aptitude? How do you know he will protect my Laura when the time comes? When we cannot."
"How do you know that Laura will inherit your Spark, Moon willing it pass on naturally."
Talia made no reply.
Peter continued, "She is hardly your only option. She has siblings older, stronger, faster. And you needn't have limited yourself to only your children: there are plenty others in the Pack. But you picked her practically from the cradle. How did you know?"
"Instinct, I suppose."
"Yes. So it is with this."
"Very well. I will begin making arrangements."
They stood shoulder to shoulder in the shadows of a low tree canopy and the camouflage of the brush, watching. After a time, without a word, they turned together toward the Preserve and disappeared into the foliage.
Moments later, in a clearing surrounded by trees, a mother called, "Stiles, time to go home!"
:::
"Mr. Lindner? That milquetoast? Right. Mr. Lindner the milquetoast. So what did you think the devil would look like?"
~How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Tomas C. Foster
Happy Fourth. Drink water, eat well. Be kind, be strong. Remember you are loved, God Bless you.
~Rachel