Vampire Girl 2: Midnight Star(43)

His smile grows wider. "Impressive, Princess. You know, sometimes I wonder if who you choose as king will matter at all. Sometimes I wonder if, in the end, you will rule us all."

White towers peek over the horizon. Banners of all colors flutter in the wind. High Castle.

We reach shore and make haste to the Council Chambers. They are dark, barely lit by blue torches. Grand chairs surround a round table. The banners of each prince hang behind their chairs. The brothers are already there, yelling at each other.

Asher clears his throat, quieting the room, and takes his seat before the purple eagle banner. I stand at his side.

Fen looks up and grins. Baron circumvents the table and greets Yami and me, and I pat the wolf's head.

Levi, his eyes tired, his white hair unkempt, points at me. "This is no place for the princess."

"She stays," Fen says, glaring at his brother.

Asher keeps his face emotionless. "I agree."

The princes exchange nervous glances. Ace checks the watch-gizmo on his wrist and shrugs. "She will be Queen one day. Let her witness the meeting," he says softly.

Dean scowls. "I don't see why she should be Queen of anything—"

"Enough already," Niam groans. "I vote the princess stays. Four against three. Now please, let us return to the matter at hand."

Zeb nods. "We should at least give the Druid's words serious consideration," he says calmly. "War will cost us all."

Dean scoffs. "Give serious consideration to freeing all the slaves? How would that work, exactly?"

Levi reclines in his chair, throwing his feet on the table. He runs his cold eyes across the room. "Yes, let's consider. How would it work? I suppose Dean would have to bathe himself again, and Ace would need to transport all the materials for his inventions by hand, and Zeb's nobles will need to pick their own crops. And Niam's lords—"

"Enough," says Niam. "Dean and Levi are right. From a financial point of view, this would never work. Our economy would collapse overnight. Our nobles, even the middle class, would revolt. We either fight the Fae or we fight our own kind. Seems a simple choice, to me."

"We fight the Fae," Levi says as spittle flies from his twisted mouth. "We defeated the Druids before, and we can do so again."

Zeb raises a finger in the air. "Technically, brother, we defeated the High Fae, and the Druids went into slumber. How could they have returned if the High Fae blood line was killed off centuries ago?"

My blood runs cold at their talk, and Fen looks at me, frowning.

"Someone must have survived," Levi says. "Which leaves us only one choice. We must find the High Fae and kill it, just as we did before. It will end this war before it even begins."

"I agree," Dean says. "Strike at the head and the beast will fall."

This is going too far. "What if there is another way?" I say.

Levi sneers at me. "You are not a part of this Council, girl."

Fen growls. "Let her speak."

Levi looks around for support, but Ace nods. "I too want to hear what the princess has to say."

I stand straighter, making sure to meet all their eyes at least once as I talk. "We don't know for sure the High Fae have returned, or who they might be. Maybe the Fae figured out another way of bringing the Druid's back. Instead of banking on a gamble, why not work with what you know."

"And what might that be?" Niam asks.

"You know the Fae want their people freed," I say. "That's not an unreasonable request. It's one you would be fighting for if the roles were reversed."

Levi attempts to interrupt, but Fen kicks him under the table.

I stifle a grin and continue. "What if, instead of releasing all the slaves, you turn them into paid workers instead? Give them a share of the profits, or maybe a share of the land. The economy could still function, with some tweaks, and the Fae would be free citizens. It might placate the Druids. It might be enough for a truce."

Niam taps the table with his finger. "And what if the Fae don't want to work for us once they are free? Do we force them?"

I don't have a chance to answer before Levi voices his objections. "Even if they do stay, how do we keep them in line? How do we keep them from using their magic against us?"

I clear my throat, gaining their attention. "Where I am from, there are many rules governing even free citizens. If we apply the same principles here, we can determine a few things: Citizens cannot leave their realms without very good reason and approval from their lord. They must pay for their own housing and food, so if they want to live, they must work. Fighting, or using magic without permission, is illegal, and will be punished by prison or worse."