Chapter 28 #2
Who would have guessed a room full of the most powerful men and women of our realm would be likened to toddlers on a playground? They don't play nice and when they see an opening to get what they want, they sure as hell take it.
"We will have order," Soren reiterates, eyeing every king and queen at the table with a furrowed brow.
"In two days, we will celebrate Ronan's wedding.
In the meantime, I implore you to search inside your hearts when making the decision to aid this fight.
Even though Tronovia would volunteer to bear the brunt of this war, we cannot.
We will need our allies to join us if we stand a chance at defeating the coming evil. "
There's a silence that stretches across the room. I've barely eaten my food, and my stomach is sour. I push my plate away.
"They want her, right?" Astrea eyes me like a viper homing in on its prey. "They want her blood."
"Your point, Astrea," Thrane drawls. "Or do you like stating the obvious?"
"They can only open the portal if they have her blood," she says. "We were all there when Enver Sol destroyed the portal to Malvolio. He sealed it with his blood. Only his blood, or the blood of his direct descendent, can open it. What if she is no longer in the picture?"
The hair on the back of my neck stands up and I swallow hard when Astrea pins a malicious look on me.
Thrane barks out a laugh that thunders around the hall. "Are you suggesting we kill her and dump her body in the sea?"
Astrea doesn't flinch, nor does she back down. Her face is nothing short of determined. "One death to save thousands of lives. Then we can put this nasty business behind us."
"That is your suggestion?" Ronan shoots to his feet, slamming his palms down on the table. "I've never heard anything more fucked up in my life."
The Hydrans erupt, hurling insults in Ronan's direction. The Bavans seem to have a soft spot for the Tronovian Prince because they immediately come to his aid, shouting at the Hydrans.
Thrane chuckles, amused by the turn of events. I fear Thrane's enjoyment in riling others up has rubbed off on Ronan, giving him the boldness to tell the Hydran queen off to her face. So much for diplomacy. We've now resorted to mudslinging.
Soren melts into his seat and rubs his forehead, clearly exhausted by the turn this meeting has taken. I can't say I blame him.
The Dwarves seem relieved the unwanted attention has shifted from them to me being offered up as a sacrificial lamb. They allow the others to yell and scream while they dig into their food and drink their wine.
It's then my mother's hand finds purchase on my bouncing knee beneath the table.
She doesn't look my direction, even when I turn to meet her gaze.
Her hardened frown is pinned on the Hydran Queen.
Frost and Sea Elf relations have been shaky at best throughout the last thousand years.
If judging by my mother's expression alone has anything to say on the matter, it's there will be no peace between the two sects for another thousand years if Astrea directs one more out of pocket comment my direction.
I really hate to admit it, but Astrea has a point. The portal cannot truly be reforged until they have my blood. If I die and my body is burned, there will be no hope for the demon uprising. The mortals could track Bastian and his Soul Eaters down over time and then –
"You aren't considering this nonsense, are you?" Thrane's whisper in my ear catches me off guard and I nearly leap from my seat.
I frown up at him leaning toward me, his arms crossed over his chest, permitting the other leaders to hurl insults each other's way.
"She has a point," I admit in a hushed voice.
"A barbaric one."
"Thrane," I say lowly. "If I'm dead – "
"Out of the question," he interrupts, a seriousness hardening his features. "You think the demons will stop if you die? They will find another way."
"But the portal – "
"If you believe the demons wouldn't take a Dwarven engineer captive and force him to create a new portal without need of your blood, then you underestimate our enemy.
" Thrane's statement chills me. "Or perhaps, they'll kidnap your precious Professor Riggs with his wealth of knowledge to discover a new way to release their master.
" He frowns, but there's a sadness in his gaze that chokes me.
"You are the easiest solution to their problem, not their only one. "
I swallow hard, biting back tears welling in my eyes. "What do we do now?" I sweep the room and sigh. "They're not going to stop, are they?"
Thrane shrugs. "They will tire eventually. Sometimes you have to let the children sort things out for themselves." He tilts his head, eyeing me. "Atlas will need to know what happened here tonight."
What he means is, Atlas will need to know about Astrea's suggestion to kill me for the greater good.
I bob my head, averting my eyes from his stare. "I will tell him."
"And do us all a favor, Aurelia, don't go wandering off by yourself," he grumbles. "You are not safe."
"You're just now realizing that?" I tease.
"We all knew you were not safe with enemies searching for you," his tone scares me. "But now you aren't safe amongst supposed allies. Keep your shadow wielder close. Now is not the time to let your guard down."
Keep your wits about you. The Delaney and Harland motto. I'll have no choice but to do just that.