I read the subtext of that as:Valnea’s a crazy-ass bitch and if this new princess can win this fight, we’d like that, but we probably won’t help.
The dean then nodded to Lhorine, ceding the mic. Yet she stopped as she passed me, giving me a closer once over.
In a hushed voice, she said, “If you wish to plead your case yourself to the undine council of elders, I will happilyset that up. But we will not back a losing force and risk Valnea’s ire. Prove your worth, andmaybewe’ll follow you.”
I nodded, saying nothing.
She then returned to her seat.
Lhorine, seeming undaunted, continued.
“I have already spoken with a representative of the seraphim and they will happily join our cause, if only for equality in Elysial. However, the sylphim, as you might guess, hate this idea and already seem to be siding with Valnea. The seraphim outnumber the sylphim two to one, but it is uncertain how much of an advantage that might give us.”
Wow, did we have any chance of winning at all?
Lhorine gave me a little side smile as she went on, saying, “the nymphs seemed to be mostly behind Izzy, and any who aren’t will probably stay out of the fight if they can.” Then she grew serious again, turning back to the audience. “The dryads, however, are evenly split, and those who oppose Valnea will likely stay out of the fight. Some few have sided with us, but not many.”
Wow. Lhorine had been busy while I’d been resting today. She seemed to have met with everyone.
“Dragons, similarly, are split,” she continued. Those on campus, who have seen what Izzy has done, have sided with her, but that is only about one fifth of the dragon’s forces in Seial. The rest know little of Izzy and will probably side with Valnea. The dragons have always served the elves loyally, in particular the royals. Which means, if we can get the word out about Izzy’s true nature, more might come to our side.”
That last bit was good, but otherwise, only one fifth of the dragons being on our side… didn’t sound great.
“Now, for the good news,” Lhorine said, voice lifting. “The pixies, hobgoblins, and shifters are flocking to our cause. They have the most to gain in this fight. Similarly, many trolls and ogres are siding with us, even though their dwarven masters haven’t yet.”
“Shifters? Really?” someone called from the audience. “And what can administrators and servants do for us?”
Lhorine kept her composure as she answered.
“I will remind you there are twice as many shifters than dragons, and you’ll find they are rather savage fighters when they have something solid to fight for, like equality and a chance to live without the threat of death hanging over them every day. As for pixies and hobgoblins, well, let me say this… how many of you were aware of the massive underground spy network those races possessed?”
She waited as silence filled the hall.
“I didn’t think so. Well, those administrators and servants are privy to all sorts of information, and they’ve been sharing it strategically for generations to benefit their cause. And you’ll find they too will happily fight for their freedom.” A mischievous gleam caught Lhorine’s eye. “We all know how…feistypixies can be. Imagine tens of thousands of them playing tricks on the enemy. Do not discount those who’ve been seen as lesser for so long. They have the most to fight for.”
“Pixies rule!” someone shouted from the back.
“Exactly,” Lhorine added. “And… there is one last force which…maycome to our aid.” She pursed her lips. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say and that few here were going to like it.
Lhorine indicated Bayn, and I nodded to myself.
“Behind me is Baynaruk Dava, prince of the titans. He has joined our cause and has promised an army of titans to fight for us.”
As the crowd erupted in shouts and jeers and rather furious sounding vitriol, I glanced over at Bayn. Maybe I was getting better at reading people because I had a feeling he was uncertain about… something. I didn’t think it was helping me, he’d already done that, which meant… it might be his ability to bring other titans to the cause? I hoped Lhorine hadn’t oversold things.
“Enough!” Lhorine shouted, and her voice boomed through the speakers mostly silencing the objections from the crowd.
“Yes,” she said, voice moderated once things had calmed down, “I know the titans have been the enemies of the elves since the first age. And yes, I was… hesitant myself to accept a titan’s help at first. But…” she held the pause, making sure she had the crowd’s full attention, “Bayn has already proven his worth, fighting against Saldrea. And… we must ask ourselveswhythe titans have been shunned for so long. Who remembers the old tales?”
She didn’t waste any time before continuing. “Let me remind you. After Titania had birthed her daughter, Anadendyra, and the three greater spirits: Dryada, Nymphyla, and Undira, there were only women in the world. From them, the races of Seial would flourish. The greater spirits brought forth both males and females of their species to procreate, but among the elves, there were only women, for elves do not require a male to bring forth life. Yet seeing the joy a male companion could bring, Titania brought forth Titanus to be her consort.”
“Titania created Titanus to be proud and strong, a defender and protector. Yet perhaps he was too proud. After a few generations, as more and more males were born to elves, he saw how they were treated as secondary citizens, and he spoke up. He sought only… equality,” she said that last word slowly, enunciating, making sure everyone understood.
“Titania saw the mere suggestion of men being equal to women as blasphemy. For his transgression, Titanus was punished, chained naked to a tree for a thousand years. She hoped his example would quell the rebellious talk amongst the men, but alas it only angered them. After a hundred years Titanus was freed by his supporters who fled into the wilds, thus creating the schism between elves and titans.”
She let this story sit in an uncomfortable, drawn-out silence.
“Wedrove the titans away.Wecreated our own enemy. An enemy who wishes only to be equal in standing to the rest of the elves. And since equality is exactly what Izzy is fighting for, then why shouldn’t we accept the titans back into our fold?”
