All the Queen's Men

ELIA

An hour later, she wasn't sure whether to be ecstatic, or terrified. What Gahrye described… it was perfect.

To give the Outsiders a task. A purpose. A job to do, together. To create a network of skilled Anima, fighters, secret keepers, who could hide themselves and watch out. Disciplined adults that would gather information for her, or watch over her, and each other—even secretly.

Everything had to be secret. And the Anima who joined them would be both acknowledged for their work by the Queen, but have a legitimate reason to keep it all quiet.

They would serve her without knowledge of the hierarchy.

Which was the part that terrified her.

The whole idea ran so close to treason, she wasn't sure it wasn't. But it also felt completely necessary.

"They have to be under Reth's rule, though, Gahrye. They have to. We can't have people trained to do this stuff who will rebel again. We just can't risk it."