Page 42 of Blood Lord

I open my mouth to object. I want to beg for Selene's life, to protect her from the cruelty that I know the Council can incur. I can't stand the thought of her being used the way I was when I was a child, forced into that agony and fed on until I was begging for death.

And I don't want her to be Changed. If she does have to become Made, then she shouldn't be confined to a body that will limit her, making her days miserable. The idea is unbearable to me, for her to lose everything because I am an idiot.

I nearly let all these words fall out of my mouth, but then, I remember who I'm talking to. I can't let my emotions get the better of me. Brinda barely registers hers anymore, being as old as I am. She has turned cold and calculating over the years, and there will be no appealing to her better side. She doesn't have one.

But she is a true leader, through and through. She makes decisions based on what's best for her people, and I know that as much as she wants to punish me, she'll give that up for the greater good of all the vrakken.

I let my jaw set and clear my throat of all emotion. I raise myself up, straining against her grip to look her in the eye, and I swear I see a flicker of disappointment in her gaze as I put myself back together.

"Your plans to punish Selene will benefit no one," I tell her in a cool, clear voice.

Her jaw sets hard. "It's not meant to."

"But think of what could be done with her. For the betterment of all vrakken."

"Raziel–"

"Matriarch," one of the Council members behind her speaks up, and she finally lets go of my hair. I don't dare show an ounce of relief as I straighten up. "I think it's best to hear him out. What could the human offer us?"

I rise to my full height, ignoring Brinda's glare as I look to the other vrakken before me. "Selene will prove more useful in her current state, human and free."

To the right of me, Brinda scoffs.

"You've already seen her bravery," I tell them. "She is our fated prey, and yet, she came to the den of predators that could destroy her, stood up, and gave her best performance. She didn't balk at the most powerful creatures on the planet, and think of what we could do with that bravery."

I turn to look at Brinda. "Think of what she could do if she wanted to help the Council rather than deceive them."

"She's a good liar. How does that help us?" she snaps.

"There is a growing human population on the surface. We did not lie about that, nor about the dark elves sprawling cities and vast numbers. There is still the shift in magic that we noticed, and the dark elves pose a great threat to us."

Brinda sneers, "Not here."

"No, but they will come here. We all know it's a matter of time, especially since we don't know what caused the shift. We have to go to the surface, and most likely soon. It's in the First's prophecy, and as she is always right, she knows this will be the way to our survival. Not hiding underground like a weak race, but rising up against our foes as we are meant to.

"But we can't do that without someone that knows the surface to keep us from making mistakes that will lead the dark elves back to us."

Brinda falls silent as she considers all that I've said, but to my left, I can see the other Council members. They look eager, and I can tell they agree with me. We are all tired of living below ground. We are no longer depleted in numbers and new to these bodies and this world. The dark elves have grown lazy and we can easily defeat them.

Only, none of that will happen without Brinda's approval. She is the Matriarch, and she must say that our race can return to the surface. Otherwise, I may as well be left out in the sun to shrivel and go mad because Selene's fate will ultimately kill me.

And I may have ruined any redeeming chance we had by speaking out of turn. I know that Brinda can be more lenient with me, and she even respects me some—or she used to. That doesn't allow me to behave as I have, and she may punish us just because of that.

"I need evidence," Brinda finally says and my heart nearly gives out. "I need to see her worth. We can't base the future of our entire race on some girl that's won you over. I need to know that her value is worth more than your sentence."

I nod, and she looks past me. "Have them bring the girl back in!" The warrior takes off down the tunnels, going to find Selene, and I nearly sag with relief.

But Brinda catches my jaw in a bruising grip. "If she can't prove that she is worth it to me," she hisses in a low voice that I doubt anyone else can hear. "The original sentence stands."

24

Selene

My body still trembles from the pain of the venom, though I think it has been washed from my system by now. It's hard for me to tell, though.

Just like it's been hard to tell time in this pitch-black coffin they dumped me in. It could have been minutes or hours for all I know. I don't care. I'm just relieved when the top peels back to reveal the two guards as they drag me from the damp enclosed space.

"Oh, look." One of them grins menacingly. "She's awake."

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