n

n

nEvery member on the table agreed to his proposition.

"Yes, we should vote,

" all agreed.

nNiiya looked clearly upset but he didn't have a choice.

"Okay,

" he replied.

nOn his cue the staff members of the Council distributed small leaflets of paper around the table.

"You are supposed to write a cross or tick with the tip of your fingers,

" they instructed.

"The 'Yes' is in favor.

"

nA stroke became red or green according to what the member traced on the paper.

nWhen the voting was done and the staff collected the papers and magically the entire 'Yes' and 'Nays' piled in two neat columns. The 'Nays' stack was four times higher than that of 'Yes'.

nThis was not the first time such a situation arose in the Council, but it was an unpleasant one. Niiya expected it. To say that he was devastated was incorrect. His hopes dashed against the cold attitude of the members, of Adrianna who was his friend and those who were at one time in his favor. He was very impatient while the voting was going on but as soon as the results were out, he was embarrassed and humiliated. Only one-fourth of the members voted in his favor. Even though on the inside he was disappointed, on the outside he controlled his emotions and said with his head held high,

"I accept the Council's decision. Let us move forward and vote for the next Head.

"

nHe hated Dmitri. He hated him a lot. He didn't comprehend his emotions for Adrianna. She was sitting quietly over there, subject to her husband's decisions. He took in a deep breath.

nWhat happened next surprised the people.

nBefore the next round of voting began, the Elf rose from his chair and said in a very authoritative voice,

"I would like to stand up as a candidate for the honorable position of the Head of the Council.

"

nA murmur started amongst the people around the table. This was unexpected. However, elves had been previous Heads of the Council too, so it wasn't new that he stood as a candidate. His aura was commanding and they feared him. He looked like a natural born leader. They knew that the elves had been asked to become the Heads for a long time but they haven't accepted the position only to favor the Humans.

nAdrianna's fear returned. She held her head in her hands. If the elf were chosen, he would never help them because of Haldir.

nDmitri furrowed his eyebrows but there was little he could do. He knew where elf's urge for candidacy stemmed from and he was a formidable opponent. His only solace at the moment was that at least there was no other contestant. His thoughts were the same as his wife.

n

"What do we do?

" she asked mentally.

n

"There is nothing we can do. Just watch,

" he replied coldly.

nThe elf looked at the two of them for a second before sitting.

nDmitri got up from his chair and announced his candidacy,

"I would also like to stand for the position of the Head Council.

" Before he sat, he gave a confident smile to the elf.

nThe next round of voting started. The members were once again given tiny leaflets of paper, on which they had to write W or E – Werewolf or Elf.

nAs the hall fell silent, Adrianna became mentally apprehensive about the results. She started twisting her wedding ring in her finger.

n

"Relax,

" Dmitri said in a gentle voice.

"There is little we can do.

"

nAdrianna touched her face and then glanced at the doorway. She had already cast her vote. Soon every member had cast his or her vote. All the leaflets rose together in the air and glided to the middle of the table. Over there they stacked in neat piles of two columns. People watched their votes flying. Since there were many papers, it was hard to keep a track as to who voted for whom. This process made sure that secrecy was maintained about the choices.

nThe W pile began to rise. It rose and rose while the collection of E stopped soon.

nWhen all the leaves settled, the results were evident and Dmitri jumped with excitement!

"Yes!

" he whooped. Adrianna's complexion became ruddy. She had been so anxious a while back. She got up and was literally bounced on tiptoes. There was lightness in her chest. She enjoyed the energy that she could feel from other members.

nEveryone congratulated Dmitri. It was a huge moment for him. Dmitri hugged his wife and stayed in that position for a long time before turning to the members and accepting their messages. He could now imagine a safe future for his son. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the elf had got up and was going out. His face was still stone cold.

nThe people came to Dmitri one by one and congratulated him. The Fae couple was amongst the first ones to do that.

nThe staff asked everyone to sit back in their chair. This was an important moment and the formalities had to take place. At the Council's Head, Dmitri had to take every vow that came with it and that process could take an entire day. Dmitri was more than ready.

nAs for Niiya, he had to live with those vows for the rest of his life.

nEvery person seated back. There was fervor amongst them.

nAdrianna smiled. Her plan to meet some of these before the meeting worked beautifully. There was a lot to be done. After Dmitri's vows, he had to make amendments and create positions. While she was thinking about it, suddenly the meeting was interrupted. A messenger walked in and announced,

"It is suspected that the King of Serpents was killed.

" He was looking extremely nervous.

nOnce again silence consumed the room as each person stared at the messenger.

n

"What?

" Niiya said loudly.

"How can that be possible?

" His gaze darted to Adrianna whose face was pallid.

nAdrianna clenched her jaw. Her fists became tight as anxiousness again rose in the chest. Dmitri held her hand and squeezed it. He was also very nervous. He had just been declared as the Council's Head. If they came to know that it was Adrianna who had killed them, they would be expelled.

nNiiya narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted to Dmitri and then back to Adrianna. They were both sitting straight with their back stiff as ramrods. He scoffed.

"Isn't that interesting? Just before the voting begins, an important member of the Council is killed.

"

n

"This should be investigated,

" the representation of the dark world, said.

n

"What else did you find?

" asked Niiya to the messenger, not shifting his eyes from the royal couple.

n

"We found remains of a woman buried under the debris, and half-burnt skins of serpents hanging inside of a small cave,

" the messenger replied. He was panting and his eyes showed fear.

nA murmur erupted.

"Who was that woman?

"

n

"We believe that the woman was a witch because we also found a broken cauldron. The cave smelled of putrid meat. When we cleared the debris we found bones and burnt flesh.

"

nAdrianna closed her fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms. She did it all in self-defense. She had to tell them the truth.

nThe messenger said,

"We have come to the conclusion that the witch killed the King of Serpents. She had somehow found her way inside the Northern Mountains.

"

nDmitri held Adrianna's hand and stopped her from getting up. This explanation was superb. He laughed internally and Adrianna could listen to him. She sat back, as guilt gnawed her. She bit her lip.

nNiiya stared at the messenger with a gaped mouth.

n