blazing. “It's difficult enough to maintain stability in Marenon when your existence is illegal, but when you deliberately try to make everyone your enemy, you set yourself up for defeat!”
“I disagree,” Julian said. “Our purpose is to eradicate the Stühocs. If everyone else is willing to stand idly by while the Stühocs build an army bent on Marenon's destruction, then they are already our enemies.” He took a deep breath. No one was surprised at his boldness except for Garland who was now thunderstruck.
“The only allies we need are the Erellens, but we've failed to gain their support as well,” Julian said. “Right now our only hope is to get all the medallions by any means necessary. You know this is true, Teague. This has been discussed and voted on by the Dunarian Council. It is now policy, and we have the obligation to follow that policy. I'm sorry if I sound rude, but you have no right making demands of us anymore. You are not a voting member, therefore you have no input in what we do from here on out.”
Eyes were wide and breaths were shallow. “Julian! Know your place,” Holden said. “You are addressing the founding father of the Dunarian people. If it were not for him, you wouldn't be in this room.”
Garland lightly rapped his fist on the table, as a look of defeat spread across his face.
“No, he's right. I have overstepped my boundaries.” He looked at Julian. “I am sorry for having come in here acting the way I have. I wrote the laws, which the council abides by. I should know them better than any of you.”
The room felt heavy with awkwardness and no person knew where to go from there until Garland spoke again.
“I would ask the council that I be allowed to have some input into the carrying out of council operations, however. I have experience and would be an asset to you.”
Holden cleared his throat. “Someone get Dublin in here.” Councilwoman Katherine Fallera was closest to the door and rose to get the old man. After a moment or two, he walked in with a giant book and quill in his hand, ready to take notes of any action taken by the council.
“Is anyone willing to make a motion for Barton Teague to sit in on council meetings and to give opinion regarding missions involving Operation Reckoning, while acknowledging the member and leader, Kaden Osric, is not present?” Holden asked.
“I make the motion,” Nalani said, giving Julian a look from the side as if to say, I dare you to vote against me.
“I second it,” Quincy Todd said.
“Ward Holden,” Dublin called out from behind his giant book.
“Aye.”
“Katherine Fallera.”
“Aye.”
“Darius Umar.”
“Aye.”
“Myron Lloyd.”
“Aye.”
“Julian Hobbes.”
He stared into Garland's eyes. He felt no remorse for having put the man in his place. He shouldn't have been there. He shouldn't have been sitting at the table. Who cared if he founded the council? He left it behind too long ago to know how things worked now. Julian didn’t want another old man telling him how to run his missions. Ward Holden did enough of that as second in command. The vote was already passed, but protocol forced Julian to vote. It was a question of are you with me, or are you against me? Julian had a feeling that either way, Teague was going to be stepping on too many toes before The Reckoning was ever finished.
He looked down to his right. Nalani stared at him with disappointment in her eyes. He hated this, because he loved her. He knew how much she admired the short history of the Dunarians and how much she must have admired Barton Teague. He wished she could someday admire him as much. She never would if he kept going his own way, but he felt justified. He felt wronged by the council that day. Too many times he had been treated as the least important, the scrub sent to do the dirty work. He stared down into the table.
“I oppose,” he said. He then turned and walked out of the chamber.
Chapter Six
With time running short and the Stühocs hot on their trail, Kaden and Silas charged through the woods at a grueling pace. Silas’ exhaustion had long been replaced with his last reserves of adrenaline. After what felt like a marathon run, they had made it near the entrance of the cave. Silas reached to the ground and picked up the shotgun that had been left where he had cradled