"No?" Thornmaker leaned forward. "Did you see what he did to Cassius? The way he systematically disabled him before crushing his skull? That wasn't combat, Warchief. That was butchery."
"It was effective," said a desert warrior who had arrived ahead of his main contingent. "They ran. The ones who survived."
"And they'll return with numbers," Thornmaker countered. "With Cornelius himself, perhaps."
Moonsinger's quiet voice cut through the rising tension. "We all knew this war was coming. Sebastian merely hastened it."
"The timing isn't my concern," Thornmaker said. "It's his methods. His nature."
"You were happy enough with his nature when he was killing vampires," Boarstaff pointed out.
"There's a difference between killing in battle and what I witnessed tonight." Thornmaker looked around the circle. "We need parameters. Limits on what he can do, where he can go within the village."
Ironfist nodded. "Agreed. He should be confined to specific areas when not actively helping our cause."
"Confined?" Boarstaff shook his head. "He's not a prisoner."
"No," Rockbreaker said. "But neither is he free to roam as he pleases. Not after tonight."
"What are you suggesting?" Boarstaff struggled to keep his voice level. "That we lock him away between battles? Use him when convenient and discard him when not?"
"I'm suggesting caution," Rockbreaker replied. "His combat skills are valuable, yes. His knowledge of vampire weaknesses, essential. But that doesn't mean we should ignore what he's capable of."
Stonehammer stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps a middle path. Assign warriors to accompany him. Not as jailers, but as... guides."
"Spies, you mean," Boarstaff said flatly.
"Observers," Stonehammer corrected. "For his protection as much as ours."
"He doesn't need protection," Thornmaker muttered. "Not after what we saw tonight."
Moonsinger, who had been quiet for some time, spoke again. "The Heart Tree accepted him. Twice. That should count for something."
"The Tree's motives are its own," Rockbreaker said. "And even it sealed him away after his return."
"At his request," Boarstaff reminded them, although he wasn’t sure that had been the case when Sebastain first entered the tree for his second transformation.
"We need to decide what to do with him," Thornmaker said finally. "He's too dangerous to leave undefined."
"He's not a weapon to be stored or deployed at our convenience," Boarstaff replied, more sharply than he'd intended.
"No?" Thornmaker raised an eyebrow. "Then what is he, Warchief? A refugee? An ally? Something else entirely?"
Before Boarstaff could answer, movement at the edge of the firelight drew everyone's attention. Sebastian stood there, his scarred form half-illuminated by the flames. The council fell silent, several members reaching instinctively for weapons.
"If you're discussing me," Sebastian’s voice carried easily across the distance, "I should be here."
Thornmaker rose to his feet. "This is a council meeting. For council members only."
"I fought for your settlement tonight," Sebastian replied. "I've killed my own kind for you. I deserve a voice in matters thatconcern me. Need I point out that the dwarves at your table are not part of your council?"
The silence that followed was heavy with implication. No vampire had ever attended a council meeting. The very idea violated traditions older than anyone present.
Boarstaff felt the weight of all gazes turning toward him. As warchief, his word would settle the matter. Yet he found himself uncertain. Part of him wanted Sebastian there, wanted the council to see beyond the violence to the person beneath. Another part recognized the wisdom in their caution.
"Let him speak," Boarstaff said finally. "We can learn from what he knows."
Thornmaker's displeasure was evident, but he resumed his seat without further objection. The other council members shifted uneasily as Sebastian approached the fire. He remained standing rather than taking a seat in the circle, his position making his outsider status clear.
