Existence

Chapter 15

"Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?"

Amadeus Philips had been Ambassador of Sinicca for as long as Byron had known him. Byron had often associated him with a teapot: the plump and short stature, the metallic gray eyes, the blond hair streaked with gray. He looked no different today, in a purple vest that clashed horribly with his orange button-up shirt.

"You could come home right now. Your parents managed to plead with the Grand Shifter—"

Byron bristled at the mention of the title. "And then what? Be asked to hunt my comrades down and capture them? I'd refuse and get locked up straightaway. I may as well continue what I am doing here."

"Your parents—"

"I appreciate you trying, Ambassador. But I'm sure my father is well aware of what my response is." And yet he'd still asked the ambassador to talk to him.

Why? The untrusting voice in him asked; the part he'd gained and slowly grown in the past year.

Maybe only Mother sent him, another voice reasoned, and the ambassador doesn't want you to think less of Father.

The old ambassador heaved a sigh. "Very well. It was good to see you again, Byron."

"It was good to see you, Ambassador." Byron shook his hand. "If you happen to stop by the Kestrel Citadel... give my sister my regards."

With a final nod, the Ambassador left the Council House. Byron caught a glimpse of Alfred waiting just outside the door, ready to escort the ambassador back to the border.

Once the door was shut, Byron slumped against the table with a sigh and closed his eyes. He hated the Council House. It was the same in every village. The same long table surrounded by a dozen chairs, the same drab carpet, the same paintings of things the village held dear, the same sense of creeping suffocation. However, it was custom to discuss matters with village ambassadors here and nowhere else.

"What did he say to you?" Chief Zandu emerged from his office on the other side of the room.

The Ambassador had refused to speak to anyone else. Ambassador Toren had made a fuss, but he'd eventually relented and agreed to wait outside. Chief Zandu had quietly slipped into his office, and Ambassador Philips made a point of talking quietly to Byron in the middle of the room so neither side could eavesdrop.

"He advised us to accept the Shifters' deal. Sarah Walkman for the safety of Solquis." Byron ran a hand through his hair. "Sinicca marches with them. Along with a few other villages they have conquered. He fears we will be overpowered."

"And what did you tell him?" The Chief casually leaned against the table next to him.

"I said I'd let you know. It is not within my power to dictate Solquis's actions. He will know the answer at sunset, one way or another."

"Yes," Chief Zandu fixed his eyes on the front door. "Was there anything else? The warning is most helpful, but you are right. It is not within your power to decide for Solquis. Yet he insisted on speaking solely to you."

Byron avoided the Chief's searching gaze. He did not quite feel like sharing. "The Ambassador had news regarding my family. He thought it best to tell me in private."

The Chief hummed in response. "Your family needs you to return?"

"Not any time soon, Chief," Byron said, narrowing his eyes. "Why? Thinking of placing me under assignment? It is not something Alex and I haven't discussed before."

Byron made it a rule to follow Alex. He owed the man his life. He figured the least he could offer was his loyalty, his determination to help free Adventia of the Shifter rule. Alex was a good leader. He'd never steered them wrong before, so Byron never saw fit to go against him. Not when Azazel suggested tweaking his plans with Tree-Walker strategy. Not when Casey wanted to do something wild and completely unplanned. The only things he went against Alex on were his powers and his village.