Please raise your hand if you deem Flight Mentrus the victor of this task.”
Most of the hands in the stand went up. Savages. Dragons were the worst.
Despite losing, I wouldn’t do a single thing differently. Deri was a little boy who had suffered more than enough in his short life. He didn’t deserve to be arrested so we could score points with a bunch of old dragons who wouldn’t know compassion if it slapped them in the face.
“The first task goes to Flight Mentrus,” Nerio announced triumphantly, though he didn’t look as enthusiastic as he had before the trial. “Task three was already awarded to Flight Galon, which leaves task two as the tie-breaker.”
“Before you vote,” a feminine voice interjected from above, making everyone startle as she landed on the edge of the floor, next to Flight Mentrus. She retracted her golden wings, carefully pulling her arms through the sleeves of her dress which she’d been holding over her chest to preserve her modesty.
“Zena, what are you doing? Go home,” Jason barked, eyes wide with alarm. He moved like he was about to physically pick her up and toss her back into the air.
“No,” she replied curtly, giving him a look poisonous enough to stop him in his tracks. “I think I’ll stay. Our neighbor came to visit while I was preparing dinner and told me all about the flight that was running for Council with their gold. Running against my mates. Strange, that you never mentioned that to me.”
Her gaze whipped to mine, some tension easing from her face. “You must be the gold they’re all talking about.”
“I’m Shira.”
“Zena,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “You don’t look like much.”
“Neither do you.” I shrugged. It wasn’t strictly true. She was tall and confident and far more imposing than I was, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. “So, are you joining in? Running with your flight?”
Jason made an outraged noise, but Zena got there before he could say anything. “Yes. All of Flight Mentrus is running for Council since apparently that’s an option.”
I could just make out the sound of my mates chuckling over the uproar. Flight Mentrus had circled their gold, looking like they were trying to convince her to retract her statement while she hissed obscenities at them. The Councilors argued among themselves, Seff’s parents grinning like they’d just won a chest of precious gemstones, surveying the chaos.
Ezra’s hand snaked around my back, gently cupping my hip. I didn’t want to show physical affection to my mates in front of the Council, not wanting them to see it as a sign of weakness. It wasn’t though. I could serve on the Council and still be the gold of Flight Galon. I could be a loved and cherished mate and a strong and commanding leader.
I could be a devoted mother and a respected Councilor one day, if that’s what we wanted.
So could Zena. While I thought we were better qualified, since Jason had proven himself to be foolish at best and callous at worst, I found that I could accept my loss a little easier if it meant Zena got a place on the Council instead.
Someone had to be first, and it didn’t so much matter who that first was, so long as they were the first of many.
“Enough!” Nerio roared, his face turning an interesting shade of purple. “We must vote. All in favor of Flight Galon as the victor of the second task and therefore the recipient of the Council seat, raise your hand.”
Every hand in the place rose except for three of Nerio’s fathers who held firm. Some rose them gleefully, most reluctantly, but no one contested my place at my mate’s side.
“My own family,” Jason said in a strangled voice, staring at two of his fathers, betrayal written all over his features.
“Zena is a daughter to us and we love her,” one of them replied, looking at Flight Mentrus sadly. “But she has not taken part in the tasks or proven herself suitable for a Council position.”
//The whole Council would have totally gone with Flight Mentrus if their gold hadn’t put herself forward,// Hiram chuckled. //She swung it for us.//
I pursed my lips. //I’m not thrilled at being the lesser of two evils, but we got what we wanted.//
//Exactly,// Levi agreed. //We have the opportunity to do something with the power they’ve given us.//
And didn’t that thought make me smile? The only thing more satisfying than being given the position because