“So your plan is to do nothing. You do something at the wrong time and nothing at the wrong time.” Teresa said with a shake of the head. “I can’t believe this. We should be trying to end this with some kind of reconciliation. Something other than war! They are Ironborn with our Heartborn and a Shadowlight pairing. And you want to do nothing.”
Ivy was a timid and young seat on the Council, a young Forestborn who had gained her seat on the Council mostly because she came from the right family and the male Forestborn representative knew she wasn’t likely to speak against his decisions on behalf of their people. At Teresa’s accusations, though, she spoke up, which was rare. “I agree with Teresa.”
“Do you?” Marc spoke up, having sat back down beside Gregor, both of them looking as condescending as possible. “And what form would your reconciliation take? Begging for peace with the people who just came into Geneva and destroyed our home? Our people?”
“I don’t want anyone else to die.” Ivy said softly, though she knew no one really cared about her opinion. She was too young, and even though she was powerful, not many people took Forestborn seriously. Only a little more than most Skyborn, really. Not her, though. She enjoyed peace a little too much for anyone to really take her seriously.
“I agree.” Coren said softly. “No more of our people should have to lose their lives to see the end of this.” His statement raised several eyebrows among the other members of the Council, but he continued. “Right now, that which must be done will be done quietly. Our homes, our people, must not be put in the same kind of jeopardy again. The new Alpha of the Ironborn has refused our proposal for a parlay. If he seeks another attack on us, we must not permit him to come close enough to our homes to cause more bloodshed.
“I propose that this Council adjourn to our homelands to see to the safety of our people. We must bolster our allies against the rising Ironborn threat until it can be averted. Our first responsibility is to our own homes. If our homes fail, then this council seat in Geneva will be nothing but a hall of chairs without a purpose.” He looked around at each Councilor with concern in his eyes, the kind of slow, logical thinking that had won him his position as the Speaker for the Council. “Until we know the full intentions of the Ironborn, we must be cautious, or more will die. That much is certain.”
Teresa still wasn’t happy about that, since she thought that some kind of agreement could be made, but she would have to seek after it on her own time, on her own terms. Coren was worthless as a leader, and she knew it. Something needed to be done. Isela looked over at Coren and Alina, watching carefully as Alina responded to Coren’s decision.
Alina shook her head slowly and dropped her voice low so only Coren could really hear her. “You’re better than this, Coren.”
He stepped back closer to her, which was his rightful place anyway, as everyone considered his proposal among themselves, and dropped his voice just as low as he took a glass from his chair and took a drink. “Yes, I am. And when the rest of these sniveling idiots are back in their burrows and out of our way, I’ll show you just how much better.”
Alina wanted to reach out for him, since that was exactly what she wanted to hear, but then she just looked out toward the others. “We need to make sure the next time we come face to face with those mutts, we’ll destroy them.”
Gregor obviously wasn’t excited about the proposal, but he could at least admit that he saw the wisdom of it. “If the Ironborn were bold enough to attack Geneva, then nothing will stop them from coming for our individual strongholds, Coren. Some might suggest you intend us all to fight our own private war against them when they do.”
“Are you suggesting that is my intention, master Gregor?”
“Of course not.” He said with a grin. “I would welcome the Ironborn into my home with the same hospitality as I welcome every other guest.” Which was quite willingly, since he and his people mainly lived underground in and around the Santorini volcano in Greece. “But I doubt all of our comrades feel the same.”
Coren smiled at Gregor’s response. The Fireborn could always be relied upon. “At this moment, the Ironborn are recruiting followers to rise against us. Our spies report that there are dozens arriving in Spain every day. I only mean to ensure that such a flow does not begin to come from our own loyal followers. Make certain of that, my lords, from your own homelands, and we will soon be prepared to deal with the Ironborn for good. Let me hear the Council’s voice in this matter.”
Gregor just laughed again and nodded his approval, as did Marc, since it was obvious that Alina wasn’t going to speak out against the proposal. Avery, the male Forestborn representative, agreed, as did Nikolai of the Earthborn. Strangely, Enri of the Skyborn shook his head
