Page 49 of Drakhana's Secret
Everyone gets worried looks on their faces. I can see that they are not warming up to the idea that we are proposing. So, I add my two cents in.
“Sapphire and I will maintain our leadership roles within the clan,” I say, much to the relief of the elders. “What we are trying to say is we need a council that will take over the day to day running of things.”
“Gallant is right,” Sapphire adds. “We love being your leaders and we will continue to be so, but we also have many plans that we need to accomplish in order for our clan to flourish. Which is why we cannot be here all the time.”
“When it comes to the bigger decisions, we will certainly take a role,” I continue. “But for the daily decisions that can be settled with a community vote, we’d like to delegate that task to you, the elders.”
“Surely, you can’t have all of us in the council,” Baba says, incredulous.
“Which is why we’d like you to talk amongst yourselves to put forth nominations and then we will vote for who gets to be in the council.” Sapphire smiles. “We already have five in the city council, so we will also need five for the settlement council. We will only merge the two when there are bigger decisions that need to be made.”
The air of seriousness in the auditorium quickly becomes one of excitement. The elders begin to chatter with each other. Sapphire and I wait while they decide amongst themselves who will be nominated for the council.
While the elders are deciding, I turn around and speak to the city council. I check in with them regarding the running of the businesses and how everything is going. Sapphire listens with half an ear as she is keeping an eye on the elders in the room with us.
After about half an hour of conferring, Sapphire brings out a white board and a marker. The elders begin nominating who they believe should be in the council. In the end, we get ten choices, which is a good place to start.
Then we invite those ten one at a time to the stage and see what they have to say for themselves. Each of the speeches as to why they should be selected for the council is short and direct. My kind of campaign.
When the time comes to vote, Sapphire hands out several sheets of paper. The elders have to write down five names from the ten choices on the white board. Then they fold up their vote and drop it into the box that I’m holding.
Once all the elders have voted, they take their seats. I take out the votes and read the names while Sapphire places a mark on each name on the board. It takes about an hour, with the elders sitting at the edge of their seats.
In the end, we get the five council members we need, much to the applause of the crowd. We gather everyone in the courtyard of the settlement and introduce their new council members. We remind everyone that Sapphire and I will remain as their leaders, but when it comes to daily life counseling, they should turn to their council members.
Sapphire calls for a celebration, which everyone immediately starts preparing for.
Thirty-Three
Sapphire
Iwake up early the next day, feeling Gallant sleeping soundly beside me. He even has his arm draped around my waist as I lie on my side. Nothing makes me feel safer and loved than feeling his steady breathing and being enveloped by his body heat.
“Sapphire?” he asks, stirring slightly.
I can feel that he still has his eyes closed when I pat his arm and whisper, “Just going to the bathroom.”
He moves his arm and turns the other way so that his back is to me. I push up to a sitting position then stretch my arms above my head. Actually, going to the bathroom is just an excuse.
What I really woke up early for has to do with confirming something. I stand and move to my dresser. I pick up my silk robe and shrug it on.
Then I quickly make my way outside and head toward Baba’s dwelling. She lives a tunnel away. I’m pretty sure she’s already awake and starting her day. She’d always been an early riser.
When I get to her door, I knock and wait. I can already hear movement inside. I told her about what I wanted yesterday and she said she would have everything ready for me come morning.
She opens the door with a smile. “Good morning.”
“Hey, Baba. Good morning. Are you ready for me?” I ask, a little nervous.
“I have the dandelion leaves already laid out for you.” Then she hands me a cup. “Here, you can use this. The bathroom is that way.”
I’m actually already about to burst when I make it to her bathroom. I squat over the bowl and place the cup beneath my legs. I collect as much of my pee as I can.
Once I’m done, I bring the cup to Baba and she begins pouring my pee over the dandelion leaves. It’s the earth dragon sure fire way of determining if you're with child. The all-natural test is never wrong.
“Now we wait,” Baba says. “Let’s have some tea and a light breakfast.”
Ten minutes is the waiting time. I let her usher me to her dining table good for two and sits me down. All I really want is to stare at the leaves the entire time. Good thing she gives me something to distract myself with.
