Foreau shakes his head. “And risk another Hundred Year War? No. Sending our army to the sixth province will only result in a full-scale conflict. They will take your coast and then come for the whole nation!”
“We mustn’t engage in another costly war. Not when we killed a magical tyrant to end the last one.” Terrance sniffs, once again worried about our treasury. “Give them the land they took and be done with this.”
“The land they took contains the homes, livelihoods, and bodies of my people, Terrance,” Medea says. “Sliver by sliver, they are bleeding this republic to death. You have convened the Verity Guild on my nephew, who took matters into his own hands to raise an army to fight the Arthagians, but such an action would not have been necessary if this Council actually acted to protect its citizens. We must hold the line. It is beyond time to defend ourselves.”
“They have proven time and time again that they will take as much as we allow,” Paolo says softly while turning his ring. “I stand with Suh and Medea. It is time to declare war and meet strength with strength.”
The Senate is split between those on the west who want a war and those on the east who oppose. By a three-to-two vote, the motion will carry.
Terrance’s eyes land on me again, and I shrink under the hostile gaze. I’ve unintentionally made an enemy out of him today.
“As you have insisted that the High Priestess vote on important matters, surely she must vote on this,” Terrance says. “What say you for the first province?”
No one objects, even though I thought the resolution already passed.
Bloody lies, am I to vote on all of these matters now? What have I done?
The senators stare at me, waiting. I glance at Medea, but she is not intervening on my behalf this time. She studies me, more curious than anything else.
What do I do?
Over the past twenty years, we’ve given Arthago land to maintain peace, so it feels like I should follow suit. But was Verhardt’s nonengagement because it was best for the republic, because of how many men we lost in battle, or because he feared General Hadrian becoming unstoppable if he won a war against our greatest enemy? He’d already won decisive victories as a young general before the Senate pulled him from the front.
I am about to oppose the resolution and deadlock the conclave, but a feeling of wrongness drapes over me. The truth is that I don’t know enough about politics to vote intelligently, and ignorance is dangerous. Especially on something where so many innocent lives hang in the balance. I shouldn’t be voting in this matter, or any of the laws, just as Mirial said during her four-hour lecture, because it isn’t the role of the High Priestess.
My pulse pounds and my wrists burn. I try to breathe, but I only manage shallow sips of air. Heat rises to my temples as the walls close in, but then I spot Julian out of the corner of my eye. He said that I am not one of the Senate at dinner—that I don’t need their permission.
Maybe he’s right.
A calm washes over me as a way out crystallizes. An exit has been here this whole time—I just didn’t see it. They cannot force me to vote. They can pressure me, but I am ultimately the one who has to yield.
I know what I have to do.
I rise from my seat. “Senators, I find that I am unqualified to speak on foreign affairs and, therefore, I am unable to properly protect the interests of the first province. As I agreed to only vote in the event of deadlock and that is not possible with five senators, I will abstain from voting at this conclave.”
Senator Terrance’s brown eyes gleam like amber. Foreau shakes his head, looking disgusted. Medea raises her eyebrows. Everyone is silent, though. I suppose there is nothing they can say.
I return to my seat feeling lighter than I have in days.
“In that case, the motion to declare war on Arthago passes on a three-two basis,” Suh says.
Suh smiles at me, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him grin. It looks odd and ghastly on his face. He cannot contain his glee that we will once again be at war.
Was all of this just to return to battle? The deaths of Verhardt and Eyo meant that the resolution would pass. Suh will now be able to arm the legions again, lining his own pockets with the profits.
Did he kill his way to war?
Julian records the vote, and the three senators sign the resolution bill. He then pours wax and seals it with the stamp of Pryor.
“Now, may I present a motion to elect a Senate Leader?” Terrance says while the ink is still wet. “The untimely death of Verhardt has left the Council rudderless. The needs of Pryor demand a leader, a first among equals, and I resolve we now bring this to a vote.”
Paolo gets to his feet so quickly that the wave of his hair bobs. “No. We must vote on Lucius Calais first.”
Terrance shakes his head. “I currently have a pending resolution. You may bring your motion afterward.”
Foreau’s normally calm features contort. He stands and points a finger at Terrance. “You’d elect yourself leader without the voice of half the people? This is a republic! And you are not a king.”
Foreau bangs on the table so hard that I shudder.
