Nethilos stared, absorbing the weight of what he was hearing. “Come then, both of you. I will summon the other elders to the council chamber at once.”
CHAPTER 28
If the Atlantean elder, Nethilos, had seemed less than eager to entertain the notion of working with the Order, it was nothing compared to the resistance Brynne and Zael received from the five other members of the council. The fact that Brynne was Breed hadn’t helped.
After the initial apprehension over having one of their enemy’s kind standing in front of them was soothed, the three women and two men who sat with Zael’s friend on a dais at the front of the immense chamber had listened silently as Brynne and Zael laid out the case for an alliance to protect the two crystals and ensure that neither of the power sources found their way back into Selene’s possession.
They had questions, of course. And understandable reservations. Brynne and Zael had fielded them as best they could, working together to allay concerns and persuade the council to the Order’s side.
Standing with Zael as his diplomatic partner felt oddly natural in this otherwise very unnatural setting. More than once they had finished each other’s sentences or offered answers to a question at the same time. They were an effortless team, and it took all of her focus to keep from smiling at him or beaming with pride as he tackled the elders’ questions with a diplomatic aplomb she hadn’t realized he possessed. Zael was a tangle of contradictions, each one more fascinating—and attractive—than the last.
“I can assure the council that the Order will act as our friend in all ways,” he told the elders now. “I have spent time among the warriors and with Lucan Thorne personally. They are not always gentle in their methods, but they are just.”
Nethilos steepled his fingers and leaned forward in his seat. “And you can assure this council that under no circumstances will we be exchanging one volatile ruler for another?”
“I am prepared to promise it on my life,” Zael replied.
“As am I,” Brynne added, feeling Zael’s fingers subtly brush hers as the elders looked at each other and murmured among themselves.
Although Brynne’s JUSTIS training in diplomacy and negotiations served her well in the talks with the council today, she never would have imagined she’d end up using those skills here, standing beside Zael under the scrutiny of five high-ranking members of his kind. And try as she might to be professional, it was nearly impossible to keep from staring at the unearthly, ageless beauty of the assembled elders.
Nethilos was the tallest and most distinguished with his rich, olive skin and intelligent, contemplative golden-brown eyes. The two other males, Haroth and Baramael, were also imposing figures on the dais.
Haroth, a handsome black male with dark brown skin and sage-green eyes, looked as much a warrior as a diplomat with his muscled body and ebony hair shaved close on the sides and rising into a short mohawk.
Baramael’s dual-colored eyes were what set him apart—one pure blue, the other as gold as a coin. Beneath his jet-black crown of silky, spiked hair, his stare was unsettling, utterly unreadable.
As for the women, the three of them were beyond beautiful too. They had also been the most resistant of the council, firing one question after another. Blonde-haired Nathiri’s silvery gray eyes were as gentle as her interrogation was shrewd. Fortunately, she’d seemed satisfied with the answers she received, as did soft-spoken Anaphiel, a female with creamy, mocha-colored skin and a coil of delicate black braids seated on her head like a crown.
Anaphiel’s fathomless, sapphire-blue eyes had been a comfort during most of the meeting—as they were now, when the last of the council elders, Tamisia, pinned Brynne with a challenging stare from her seat on the dais.
“You say the Order will only ask us to consider sharing our crystal with them under the worst of circumstances.”
The gorgeous Atlantean female had long, platinum blonde hair with a single streak of bright gold running down the left side. Her sky-blue gaze had slid between Brynne and Zael for the duration of the meeting, her slender form perched at the edge of her chair like a viper waiting to strike.
Brynne hadn’t missed the oddly combative posture, but she hadn’t let it intimidate her either. Nor would she now.
“That’s right,” she answered solemnly. “The Order is fully aware that the colony depends on its crystal for many things, including protection. They will never ask it of you unless they feel the crystal is in jeopardy, or if they deem it necessary to combine the power of two in order to prevent a war—or, in the worst case, stop one.”
“Hmm.” Tamisia’s mouth pursed. “And if we agree to this alliance, then one day find ourselves asking the Order to surrender their crystal to us for these same reasons, how will they answer?”
“The Order is prepared to never let it come to that,” Brynne assured her, confident in that fact. “The Order will ensure the colony’s protection from all enemies and will assist with anything the colony should require to maintain its autonomy.”
“Anything except the crystal.” Tamisia’s smile was smug. She swung her flat stare to Zael. “This is no alliance. It is a one-sided proposal from a race that’s been out to wipe us from the planet since the moment they arrived on it.”
“Do not confuse the Breed with their Ancient ancestors,” Zael interjected sternly. “The Breed has shared this planet with us for well over a thousand years. They’ve never been a threat to us or the humans they’ve lived alongside all this time.”
She grunted, clearly unconvinced. “Tell that to the scores of humans who were slaughtered in a single night two decades ago.”
Brynne shook her head, outrage flaring in her. “That was an attack instigated by an animal named Dragos. He unleashed hundreds of blood-addicted Rogues to retaliate against the Order and create a worldwide panic. No one among the Breed wanted that to happen, least of all Lucan and the warriors.”
Tamisia ignored her, never taking her eyes off Zael. “Why did you really bring this female here?”
His answering look was darker than Brynne had ever seen in him before. “Because I trust her. And I trust the Order—as should all of you.”
The elder lifted her chin, her gaze icing over, as dismissive as her tone. “You ask too much, Ekizael.”