| |
"YOU CAN'T JUST DO THIS!" Gudmund shouted at Finn, waving his arms angrily.
Elina watched Finn and Gudmund stare at each other across the table in the greater throne room. Gudmund looked like a bull ready to charge. Finn had just told him about having Ragnur, who sat impassively on Elina's side, join the city council. The rest of the council filled the other seats around the stone oval table.
"Why not?" Finn looked the opposite of Gudmund: composed and calm, even regal, despite his travel-worn attire. "We didn't specify anything in the charter about how people got added to the city council."
"You're just another tyrant!" Spittle flew from Gudmund's lips. "Despite all your fancy words, you still want to be the one who makes all the decisions!"
"Why are you making this so difficult?" Finn asked. "This was the best solution at the time to keep all parties happy."
"The Rebellion will not stand for this," Gudmund said. "If you don't reverse the decision, we will withdraw all our support."
Finn's eyes widened. "You can't do that. We need to stick together."
"Well, you should have thought of that before you decided to bring those murderers in without consulting us first." Gudmund pointed at Ragnur.
"What do you want, then?" Finn asked. "That we put it to a vote? That's fine for me."
"That's just another way of forcing your viewpoint on us," Gudmund said. "You've got the tiebreaking vote, effectively giving you double the votes if it comes to it."
Finn looked round the table. His gaze fell on Elina for a moment. He seemed to be sizing her up. "I will withhold my vote, except if there is a tie. However, this will be the last discussion on Rebellion support or Inquisition matters. After this vote, there is no more Rebellion or Inquisition. We are one, and you abide by our decisions just like anyone else."
Gudmund smiled. He looked at Elina. He knew that if the Manhir stayed out of their politics, as they had always said they would, she would have the deciding vote. A stone sank in her stomach.
"I accept your terms," Gudmund said. "I vote to keep them off the council."
Birgit leaned forward. "I vote that they get a seat on the council."
"We advise you to give them a place on the council," Rockbreaker said. "But we vowed to stay out of human politics. We abstain."
Gudmund's grin widened. Everyone turned to Elina to hear her vote. Gudmund would probably challenge Finn's authority next, use the momentum to push forward. That was one of the things she loved about him, his ability to grab an opportunity and use it to its fullest potential. Elina stared at table, her mouth dry.
"Elina?" Finn's voice was gentle. "We need you to decide."
Elina looked up, right into Finn's eyes. He looked at her with open sincerity. He really would let them vote the Inquisition off the council. He would step aside if it maintained unity and gave them a chance of survival. He trusted her to do the right thing. "I," Elina hesitated. "I vote to give the Inquisition a seat on the council."
"What?" Gudmund slammed his hand on the table. His smile was gone, replaced by a snarl.
"Thank you for doing the right thing," Finn said to Elina. He looked round the table. "Now that that's finally out of the way, we can focus on important matters. We know the Ochloroc will come. How do we deal with them?"
"Can't we stay here and defend Gilgin?" Birgit asked. "Gilgin has never fallen to an enemy force in all its history. It's the safest place we can be."
Rockbreaker shook his head. "The walls of Gilgin were wrought in such a way that they can take a lot of punishment. But they can be breached with enough effort."
"Even if they could hold indefinitely," Finn said, "it wouldn't help us. The Ochloroc would just starve us out. We need to take the fight to them."
"But you said it yourself," Ragnur said. "We don't have the manpower to fight them, even after our victory in Brimir."
"We need to find and destroy the Dark Crystal," Finn said.
"The what?" Ragnur asked.
"It's a magical crystal," Henge said. "Like the Vein of the Gods, but more powerful. It lets magic flow into our world. If we destroy that, then we put ourselves on an even footing."
"Sounds like a plan," Ragnur said. "Where is it?"
Henge deflated. "We don't know."
"We only found a few sources on this," Elina said. "We know that the Ochloroc stole it, but not where they took it."
"Where do the Ochloroc come from?" Finn asked, looking at Rockbreaker.
"We're not sure," Rockbreaker said. "We never found one of their cities."
"Great," Gudmund said. "We're going on a search for some magical crystal that might not even exist, and we have no idea where it is or how to get there. Brilliant plan."
"Can we track the remains of the army we defeated at Brimir?" Ragnur asked.
"No," Finn said. "It's already been a few days. Their tracks will be long gone or walked over by other people by the time we get back to Brimir."
The meeting fell silent. Elina went through everything she'd read and heard about the Ochloroc. A lot had happened since that first encounter here in Gilgin. "Wait," Elina said. All heads turned to her. "How did that Ochloroc force get here so fast when we first released the Manhir?"
"What do you mean?" Finn asked.
"When we released the Manhir," Elina said, "that Ochloroc raiding party showed up moments later. If we assume they can't just appear out of thin air, then they must have come from somewhere nearby."
"That might be the answer," Finn said. "Rockbreaker, can you search for large underground tunnels nearby? Either underneath the city or close to it?"
"It shouldn't be a problem this close to the Vein, even with magic being as weak as it is," Rockbreaker said. He placed his hand flat on the stone table and closed his eyes. The hair on Elina's arms stood up. She tasted lightning in the air as a soft glow surrounded Rockbreaker. "There is something to the South of the city," the Manhir said after a long pause. "It's not very big, but it goes deep."
"Lead the way," Finn said. "It's time to hunt some Ochloroc."