“Three are here in person. Two more are standing by for a holo-conference. We still lack someone from the Mountain Goat village,” she admitted with a sigh. “But Velmar has their signed statement agreeing to participate. They just couldn’t get someone down here this quickly and—as you know—they shun technology.”
“Velmar is here in person?” Eza asked. It felt odd to refer to Sorcerer by name. Like Sage, he would always be Sorcerer in Eza’s mind. She sighed inwardly. This was the start of a new era, an end to secrecy. That had to start with her. She looked at Sage and let the codename dissolve within her mind. This was Arpovae Xett, Prime Healer of Riverside, a founding member of the Shadowborn Rebellion.
“Velmar was one of the first to arrive.” Arpovae shrugged with a smile. “Surprised me too.”
“Ready?” Malik prompted, obviously more than ready to begin.
Eza took a deep breath, then nodded.
Malik opened the door and motioned for her to precede him. The other council members had already taken their seats. Indrex narrowed his gaze when he saw Eza and Malik walking side by side.
“You’re late,” Indrex said, his tone cold and hostile. “Do we need to go back to locking the doors at the start of each meeting?”
Eza just looked at Malik and smiled.
Indrex waited until they took their seats to begin, but Eza didn’t let him get far.
“I want to keep this as short as possible. As I’m sure you’ve heard, my sister was murdered by those bloodthirsty Outcasts last night and—”
“I have bio scans proving that there are three shadow agents on this council,” Eza announced. “I propose immediate expulsion of all three.”
“This is outrageous!” Indrex shot to his feet. “My father’s technology was never perfected, and—”
Rather than argue, Eza activated the holo-display in front of each council member. “The image on the left was taken before implantation. The image on the right highlights the lenitas.” The double images were stacked, so the scans of all three shadow agents were displayed.
“How did you get these?” Indrex demanded to know. “These are private medical records.”
“The original image is from your annual physical. The second was taken by remote scanner in response to a warrant obtained by Governor Xett.”
“This proves nothing,” Indrex insisted. “I might have lenitas, but the technology doesn’t work.”
“Like hells it doesn’t,” Jantis snapped. “Isolaund switched me on yesterday and controlled me like a puppet. My implants have been obliterated, but the healers are still trying to determine what residual damage your sister caused in me. For this reason, I vote to support Lady Eza’s proposal and offer my resignation effective as soon as the other two shadow agents have been removed from this council.”
This was surprising. Eza had expected resistance from all three. She deactivated Jantis’ scans. “Thank you, Councilor Jantis, and I will pray for your full recovery.”
He accepted the offer with a dignified nod.
“Obviously Indrex is one of these agents,” Dayun said bitterly. “Who is the third?”
“I believe it’s me,” the representative from Witernel said regretfully. “I’ve been suffering strange headaches and other neurological issues for the past few weeks.” He looked at Eza and asked, “Are Indrex and I the other two?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I’m very sorry.”
“This is ridiculous!” Indrex kicked his chair out of his way and lunged for Eza. Malik immediately blocked his path. “We have only her word that any of this is true. She’s in league with the Outcasts. She’s their leader’s whore!”
“Would you accept the testimony of the Prime Healer?” Malik challenged.
“No! Arpovae is your godsdamn mother, and you’re clearly a rebel sympathizer.”
“Security,” Malik motioned two of his soldiers forward. “Escort Councilor Farr to a holding cell. I’ll be there directly.”
“I vote no!” Indrex shouted as they dragged him away. “My vote is no!”
The doors banged shut, and silence descended on the massive room. “Obviously, Indrex’s vote is invalid. Would anyone like to contest?” She paused, breath trapped in her lungs, as she waited to see if anyone reacted. No one did. Her breath escaped in a shaky exhale. The original plan had been to invalidate all three votes, but the statement was so much stronger if even the shadow agents agreed. Trusting her instincts, she glanced at Malik then said, “Those in support of this proposal, please raise your hand.” Everyone raised their hands, including the two shadow agents. Barely able to believe what had just happened, she fought back a happy cry. “The proposal is passed.” Without needing prompting the two shadow agents excused themselves and left. Eza cleared her throat, knowing that the next step was even more radical. “I have another proposal. One I feel is long overdue.”
“My vote is yes,” Dayun said with a grin. “Whatever you want, my vote is yes.”
Eza smiled. “I appreciate the support, but this idea was Malik’s, and it’s entirely new.” Needing everyone to understand the significance of what she was about to say, Eza pushed to her feet. “The concept behind this council is honorable. The Guiding Council was meant to give all the Sarronti a voice in their government. The problem is it reinforces the designations. We propose restructuring the council, to allow each village, each unique community to send a representative here and those representatives will become a new and far more effective council.”
“Only six? Or will it still be a seven-member council?” Ralnor asked thoughtfully.
“One member from each of the six villages and a high councilor, just like before,” Malik told him.
“How will the representatives be chosen?” Dayun wanted to know.
“Elections will be held as soon as possible, but each village elder or governor has appointed an interim representative. They will serve until the elections take place.”
Dayun grinned. “Well, Governor Xett didn’t contact me, so who’s the rep for Riverside?”
“Arpovae Xett,” Eza told her. “Malik is no longer eligible, and even though Arpovae is the governor’s mate, she’s also Prime Healer. Governor Xett didn’t think the people of Riverside would mind.”
“If they do, they can voice their disapproval through the election,” Malik reminded. Like his father, he didn’t seem concerned about Arpovae’s fate.
“Does this change your vote?” Eza asked Dayun.
“Gods no. The Prime Healer is amazing, and I’m thrilled to be off this council. Always thought it was a waste of time.”
“That’s what we’re trying to change,” Malik said firmly. “This council should be meaningful and productive.”
“And it just might stop a war.” Even as she said it Eza knew it was wishful thinking. These changes were advantageous to everyone except the elite. She was fooling herself if she thought they would just stand back and let it happen.
“Call the vote,” Ralnor suggested. A yes vote would take him off the council. Like Dayun, he didn’t seem upset by the possibility.
It had to be unanimous, or this was the end of the new council. “Does everyone understand the proposal?” Eza’s mouth was so dry she barely got the words out. Everyone said yes. Now came the really hard part. “Please indicate your support with an upraised hand.” All four hands shot up into the air, and Eza’s heart did a happy flip. They’d done it. The Guiding Council was no more.
“Have fun.” Dayun made a beeline for the door.
Ralnor stood, but paused to ask, “Who did my village send?”
“Lake Walkers will be represented by my cousin Jaron Tyge,” Malik said.
Skinwalker, Eza thought with a smile. No, his name was Jaron.
Ralnor nodded. “I knew his father well, and the son is cut from the same cloth. Jaron is a good, solid male. I wish you all luck in this new endeavor. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
By the time the doors closed behind Ral
nor, Eza was shaking. “Did that just happen? My gods, did we just overthrow the Guiding Council?”
Malik swept her into a friendly hug, laughing with excitement. “We did it! No, you did it. That was amazing.”
“The basic idea was yours,” she reminded. “I just—”
“Presented it so eloquently that no one even considered refusing. You are really good at this. Stop selling yourself short.”
Smiling despite her embarrassment, Eza pressed her hand over her pounding heart and took a step back. “Ironically, Isolaund did this. Without her shadow agents, this would not have been possible.”
The doors opened again, and Arpovae stood there, grinning from ear to ear. “Are you ready for us?”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for any of this,” Eza admitted, “but we need to get the new council ratified before the Ayrontu find out what we’ve done.”
“This is where I get off,” Malik said with a thrilled smile. “I leave you in my mother’s capable hands.”
“Eza is high councilor, so it’s the other way around,” Arpovae told him.
He just smiled and departed, but Eza felt the weight of true responsibility for the first time. They were poised on the brink of redefining the world below. She was exhilarated and terrified.
Three Shadow Circle members filed in. Arpovae had seen it all before, but the other two looked around in awe. Two would attend through holo-com, and they had the Mountain Goats’ signed commitment to participate. One member from each village, just like Eza proposed. There really would be elections, but each of these representatives was well-respected and popular in their respective community. It was unlikely the membership wouldn’t change much, if at all.
Eza, the new high councilor, was the seventh member.
The only new member was Ayran Marr. Tajon’s younger brother. Their father was chief of Wind Rider clan and refused to consider anyone else. Malik insisted that Ayran was nothing like his brother or his father. Eza spent a full day with Ayran and scanned him extensively. He seemed forthright and honest, genuinely interested in improving life for his clan. She knew better than judging anyone by the actions of their family members, so time would tell if Malik’s confidence was justified. Still, she was going to keep an eye on Ayran while she allowed him to earn her trust.
Eza sat in her usual chair, but Arpovae tapped her on the shoulder and motioned to the seat at the head of the table. “That’s your place now.”
Loath to sit on a chair that had been occupied so long by Indrex Farr, Eza hesitated a moment longer. Then she felt a rush of energy and looked at Arpovae.
“Cleansing pulse,” Arpovae explained with a wink. “He makes my skin crawl too.”
Soothed by her new friend’s easy manner, Eza sank onto the high councilor’s chair. Everyone else chose their places at random. There was no hierarchy here, just a group of representatives ready to solve real-world problems.
“I was told everyone agreed to my being high councilor,” Eza began. “I would still like a show of hands.”
The other five members immediately raised their hands. Eza was humbled by their confidence in her.
“Sorry, Eza,” Sorcerer said, his midnight-blue gaze filled with secrets. Eza gave herself a mental shake. She had to stop doing that. His name was Velmar Rylin. No more codenames. No more secrets. “You’ve been our leader from the start, and we wouldn’t have it any other way,” Velmar stressed.
“Besides,” Jaron, formerly Skinwalker and one of the two holo-representatives, said, “your true loyalty is to the Outcasts now. It makes sense for you to facilitate unless they are directly involved.”
“Or the vote is split three to three,” Velmar reminded.
The rules and goals had been discussed and negotiated at length in the days since Isolaund’s death. Everyone wanted to hit the ground running so they’d be in full swing by the time the Ayrontu organized an opposition force. And everyone knew they would. It was only a matter of time.
Arpovae motioned toward the empty chair. “Any ideas on how to get the Mountain Goats to cooperate? They like to pretend the rest of us don’t exist, but each village must have a representative for this to work properly.”
“Savage and I go way back,” Velmar said with a secretive grin. “I’ll convince him to appoint someone, or I’ll drag his sorry ass down here myself.”
“Savage?” Eza asked. “Does he have no other name?”
“None he’ll respond to.”
“Do what you can,” Arpovae encouraged. “Five out of six isn’t good enough.”
“Before we go any farther,” Jaron cut in. “I’d really like to change the name of this group. The Guiding Council has negative connotations for almost everyone I know.”
A grumbling chorus of agreement followed.
“Suggestions?” Eza asked. “Or objections? Is anyone opposed to changing the name?”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Velmar said. His assent was echoed by several others.
“The Shadow Circle?” Jaron smirked, making it clear he wasn’t serious.
“This rebellion might have been born in shadow, but everything we do from this moment on will be in the open for all to see,” Eza stressed.
“Agreed,” Arpovae said. “How about the United Council?”
Velmar made a face. “That’s a bit lofty for my taste.”
“Not if we make it a goal,” Arpovae suggested. “Something to aspire toward.”
Velmar nodded, so Eza asked, “Any objections?” Everyone shook their heads. “Then I call the first official meeting of the United Council to order. New business anyone?”
WHEN EZA RETURNED TO the Wheel six hours later, she was exhausted but smiling. More had been accomplished in one meeting than in many moon cycles with the Guiding Council. She had no doubt that the real challenges had yet to begin. The Ayrontu would fight this in every way possible. Still, the Shadowborn Rebellion had the people on their side. And now, thanks to the United Council, they had laws to support them as well.
“You look rather pleased with yourself, mate,” Kage said, snapping her attention toward the bedroom. “Didn’t you miss me at all?”
Crying out happily, Eza flew across the room and into his waiting arms. He lifted her off the floor and kissed her deeply. “I missed you horribly,” she said in between kisses. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
“I’ve been back for hours.” He carried her into the bedroom, his forearms locked under her butt. “Where have you been?”
She laughed, joy bubbling up inside her. “We overthrew the Guiding Council today. It was amazing!” She explained how she and Malik accomplished the feat as Kage stripped away her clothing layer by layer.
“Congratulations.” His dark green gaze shone with encouragement and pride. “I knew you’d find a way. I never doubted my rebel elf for a minute.”
She loved it when he called her that. “Now we need to lock in a plan with your advisors. Things will happen fast once the Ayrontu recover from the shock. We need to be ready.”
He chuckled. “I’ve already set quite a few things in motion. I might have been stranded on Bilarri, but that didn’t keep me from making holo-coms. I’ve met with Malik almost every day. We decided on six locations, each near a Sarronti village. We agreed on mixed populations. Both sides are open to interaction and are curious about the ‘aliens.’” He accented the word with finger quotes. “If Sarronti females are compatible with Outcast males—and all indications point toward yes—it gives hope to those Outcasts whose potential mates returned to Earth.”
“It also gives the human females another option,” she pointed out.
“True.” He didn’t sound nearly as happy about that possibility as he had about the first. The reaction made her smile. Kage couldn’t help it. His loyalty was, and would always be, to the Outcasts.
When he didn’t say more, she smiled up at him. “You’ve been almost as busy as I have.”
“I had to do something to keep my mind off you.�
�� He leaned down and kissed her again, one of his hands lightly stroking her breasts.
She shivered and reached for the front of his uniform pants, the only garment he wore at the moment. “Did Drakkin finally bring you home or did you escape?”
He laughed, pushing his pants down then kicking them aside. “I had an escort, wanted to save all my energy for you.”
“Glad to hear it because you’re not leaving this bed until I’m utterly satisfied.” She crawled onto the bed and pulled him down on top of her.
“You know how I love to be challenged,” he whispered against her parted lips.
If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review!
And don’t miss the exciting spin-off series, Shadowborn Rebellion
Book One Features Malik!
Coming Soon!
Want to know more about Kage’s backstory?
Check out Beyond Ontariese, the series that started it all:
The story of Vee and Belle is detailed in Book Two (box set 1)
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About the Author
Passionate Sci-Fi with a touch of danger and a whole lot of sass.
Cyndi has written about rock stars, vampires, and cat shifters, but she’s currently focused on outer space. Her stories are fun, fast-paced, and seriously hot. Her books have made the USA Today Top 100, and frequently land on Amazon Best Seller lists. She is currently working on the Shadowborn Rebellion, a spin-off series set in the Outcasts universe.
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