Vi’le:

  Prime Minister Vi’le leaned back in his chair with a smile as he watched Fletcher walk out of his office. S’wane entered soon after, the [Fairy] ducking his head in respect.

  “Prime Minister Arev awaits your call, sir,” S’wane said. “Shall I form the connection?”

  Vi’le nodded. “Yes. Thank you, S’wane.”

  The [Fairy] walked around the desk and placed both his hands on Vi’le’s forehead before closing his eyes in concentration as he quietly muttered, “[Communication].”

  The [Skill] activated, and Vi’le found himself sitting on nothing in Arev’s office in the city of Mi’ga, where the majority of high ranking government officials worked. The room was spacious with broad windows along the far wall showcasing the beautiful green ocean just outside.

  The [Tengu] Arev was there, as expected, sitting behind his desk with his clawed feet up. Most of his body was covered in sleek, brown and tan feathers, and a yellow beak took up the majority of his face.

  Shi, a [Ghoul] and fellow Prime Minister was also there. Her grayed out skin seemed more hollow in the bright sunlight from the windows, and her head was almost completely bald except for a few strands of lingering hair. Her twentieth birthday wasn’t more than a year away, in which she would pass on and spawn two new [Ghouls] in her stead.

  “Vi’le, good. You’re finally here,” Arev greeted him. The birdman sat up, lowering his feet to the ground. “What did Lady Tekara say?”

  Vi’le shook his head. “She declined the request. The [Demanlics] remain firm on their neutrality.”

  “Supposedly,” Shi said, a glass of wine in her hand. “But why would the gods send a representative only to give us the same answer?”

  “What are you suggesting, Shi?”

  “Their stance is not as strong as they pretend. The [Demanlics] cannot stand to see a world in pain and disarray. If the Humans keep up with this aggression, I believe they will act in our defense.” The [Ghoul] smiled, showing off her yellow teeth.

  “You are wrong. Not after the Travesty.” Vi’le shuddered, still unable to comprehend what act could have been so atrocious as to chase away their god-spawn protectors.

  “The Travesty was caused mainly by Humans. If we can only goad them into a full attack—”

  “The Humans will not come against us in open war. They are not so foolish.” Arev waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, war gains us nothing. Killing the Humans will cut us off from our only chance of progressing to their level of technology.”

  “Ha. You put your faith in the Diplomacy Initiative still? You are both fools for believing such things will work.” Shi took a sip of her wine, hatred in her eyes.

  She’d won her position campaigning on a completely anti-Human platform. Vi’le found it concerning she’d been elected, the last war with the Humans still fresh in his mind, and the devastation of the singular nuclear weapon they’d been able to launch always haunting his dreams.

  Arev looked at Vi'le, dimmed faith on his face. “How does the Initiative go, anyway, Vi’le?”

  Vi’le smiled. Now he could share the good news of the day. “Very well. I actually just finished speaking with Fletcher Anders before coming here. He returned early from his trip to see his family for the Human holidays because he missed the city.”

  Shi’s face was one of disgust, but Arev perked up significantly.

  “That is very good to hear. He is acclimating quickly, faster than we could have expected.” The [Tengu] leaned forward, one feathered hand on his desk, lightly tapping against it. “I doubted your plan in allowing the assassination attempt to go forward, but it seems you were correct in that it would build his confidence.”

  “Truthfully, I worried myself for a time, but the relationships he has formed with others in the city overcame his fears,” Vi’le concurred.

  Shi spit on the floor. “That jemlk’wp will never be one of us, and you are both old fools for even trying this.”

  “Doubt us as you want, Shi, but Fletcher Anders is only the first of what is to come. If this works out how I expect, we will finally achieve all our goals,” Vi’le assured her. “Our next step is simply to wait.”

  Arev raised his glass, and Shi followed suit despite the bitterness on her face. What had once been a crazy, impossible scheme was becoming a reality, something that could change the face of the world and save the planet. Vi’le had chosen his candidate well. Everything hinged on Fletcher, and the Human would not let him down. He had faith in that.

  Taki:

  “Sir, I have that transportation report you asked for,” Lieutenant Jackson said with a dip of his head.

  “Go ahead,” General Taki waved him on.

  “Anders was on the train yesterday. He’s back in Bren’it’p already, but his departure wasn’t for another week.” The Lieutenant handed him the file which gave more details.

  “So Anders has fled from us, right into the hands of the enemy.” Taki shook his head. “That boy doesn’t understand the danger he’s in. I want to protect him, but I can’t spare those kinds of resources for someone who refuses to help us.”

  “It would seem Anders has made his choice, sir. Should I send a message to the Secretary and get him barred from the Human colonies? If Anders wishes to be an Unhuman, then it might be best we let them have him,” the Lieutenant suggested.

  “No. We still have his father, and as long as we have him, Anders can still be used.”

  “Then should I give the order to take Sebastian Anders into custody?”

  General Taki shook his head again. “Not yet. Doing that now would only push our boy further into their control. Our next step is to wait, and when he comes back to the colonies again, we’ll make our move. No more holding back. We need that information.”

  Secretary Walen was pressuring Taki to new levels, demanding more information while dangling the threat of the Contingency Initiative over his head as a reminder of what was at stake.

  “Understood, sir. I’ll ensure our checks remain in place so we are alerted to his next arrival, but it could very well be months.” The Lieutenant ducked his head.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I know, but that gives us time to make proper plans. Send Monroe to my office.” She would know how to best sway Anders to their point of view. Taki hated to think of what the boy’s father might have to suffer in order to get that sway, but it would appear that was inevitable.

  “Yes, sir.”

  The door closed, and Taki returned to examining the file on his desk. Fletcher Anders could very well be the lynch pin on which all of Humanity rested, if only they could convince him of the importance of the information he had. But for now, all they could do was wait, and trust that he wouldn’t reveal anything. So far, he’d proven to be able to do that much, and eventually he’d return to them and give them all the information they wanted, even if it took a little persuasion.

  Taki chose to have faith that Fletcher would choose his own people when the time to pick sides came. Humans stuck together. They simply had to wait him out.

  Tekara:

  Tekara sat up straight in the carriage, her wings furled close against her body but still uncomfortable in the small, enclosed space. She hated traveling this way, but it was better for her visit to Prime Minister Vi’le to remain a quiet encounter. She’d never liked how the people of the lower world pointed and stared when [Demanlics] roamed free.

  The Prime Minister's request had been the usual one, but the Council insisted on sending a personal representative to discuss it, claiming that it was important to make physical appearances occasionally to remind the people that they were not forgotten, not entirely at least.

  The carriage came to a stop, and Tekara pushed the door open, eager to be free. The driver yelped in surprise, stepping back as she exited the vehicle, her wings stretching wide now that they had the space to do so.

  “Thank you, Ce’r. You may go now.” She motioned to the driver, an [Insectoid] man.

  The [Insectoid] hesitated for a moment, bowed, and then returned to the carriage’s driver seat. He ushered the unicorns forward, and she stood there, watching as he drove away, leaving her in the soft prairie grasses. Only a few clouds hung in the sky, but that was more than enough for Tekara’s purposes.

  Once the driver was a safe distance away, she held one hand up and thought of He’vera, the home of the [Demanlics] and their acolytes. The wispy clouds immediately swirled together directly above her, taking on a dark gray color.

  The notification appeared just as they finished coalescing.

  [Activating: Lightning Port]

  A streak of blue light jumped from the clouds, shooting directly into Tekara’s outstretched hand. It did not shock her or even hurt, and in the next instant, she found herself in the central plaza of He’vera, the clouds above already starting to dissipate.

  Several onlookers waved in greeting, and the Hall was lit up in preparation for her report. Those who were not already inside were making their way there, alerted to her return by the lightning. Tekara quickly went there herself, eager to debrief with the Council. She knew it was an honor to be chosen for this task, but while at the office, something else had disturbed her, something which she feared would affect the carefully struck equilibrium of the world.

  The Hall was a hemisphere shaped building composed of intricate stone and glass work. The door inside gave way to amphitheater style seating with the thirteen chairs of the Council waiting at the bottom center. All of the Council members were in their seats, and the rest of the room was still as the last few stragglers found their seats. Tekara fluttered down to face the leaders.

  Silence passed over the room when she arrived on the stage, and Farud, the Council Judge, stood. His hair was now white due to his elderly years, but his dark skin still held the usual glow of [Demanlic]. He motioned to her.

  “Tekara, you are given the floor. We wish to hear of your meeting with the Prime Minister.” His voice rang out, the design of the building amplifying in such a way that everyone could hear him perfectly without any kind of strain.

  Tekara ducked her head in respect and then began her report. It was just as everyone expected, and the Council members all nodded as she spoke. She concluded with the parting words from Vi’le but hesitated in whether or not she should speak of the next thing. In the moment she had been so sure, but the idea of presenting it to everyone made her question herself.

  “What more, Tekara?” Furad saw right through her, his maroon eyes kind yet stern.

  “Outside the Prime Minister’s office, there was a Human man there.” Her wings furled a little closer to her body. “As you all know, historically Humans have only ever been allowed in those Unhuman cities which are within two-hundred miles of the Breaches, so out of curiosity, I used my [Intuition] on him.”

  Given her [Intuition] wasn’t all that high compared to most of her species, this was the part that made her hesitant to speak. “All I got back was one word, ‘catalyst.’”

  The Hall broke into chattering, but Farud put up his hand.

  “What more, Tekara?” He repeated it, obviously seeing that this was not all she had to share.

  She wrung her hands together, truly doubting if this part had even happened. “When the Human and I made eye contact, I noticed something more…” She took a breath. “My [Species Sense] triggered. It was so slight that I almost wondered if I imagined it.”

  Everyone in the room gasped except for herself and Farud whose lips twitched into a frown.

  “That is impossible.” One of the Council members got to her feet, but Farud motioned for her to sit back down.

  “What was this Human’s purpose in Bren’it’p? Did you learn that while you were there?” he asked Tekara.

  She nodded. “He is serving as their Chief Education Administrator. It is part of an effort from the Unhuman government to better educate their people and improve diplomatic relations with the Humans.”

  “So he is Human, entirely so?”

  “The Second Treaty clearly states that any who are Hexed are to be turned over to the Unhumans, and it is clear that this man was not a prisoner. There was nothing about him that was Unhuman in any way.” Tekara forced her wings to remain still, though they wanted very much to stretch or flutter to relieve some of her stress.

  Farud placed one hand at his chin and glanced around the room. “It would appear your [Species Sense] detected what could be then, and not what is. We have known since the Merger when the prophecy first appeared that one such as this would be born. As long as he remains Human, he is not our concern.”

  The finality in his voice made it clear that this was not open to discussion. No one would speak of the incident again after this.

  “And her [Intuition]? Are we to ignore that too?” Dacir stood from her chair at the end of the row of thirteen, the newest member of the Council after Rac’ta’s passing only twenty years before.

  “‘Catalyst,’” Farud repeated. “We have known for years that the world is careening to another war, and it would seem this Human will have a hand in bringing it about. That is obvious, and I feel there is nothing else to say about it.”

  “And you mean to let it happen?” Dacir was one of the few who wished to see the end of the Pledge.

  “Our Pledge is clear in this case. We will not allow history to be repeated. We learned from Travesty,” Farud growled.

  Tekara shifted on her feet, uncomfortable standing at the center of the room as the two argued, especially when it dealt with Travesty. A new stillness of hurt settled over the room from the invocation of the name.

  Even Dacir’s shoulders slumped a little, though she quickly regained her confidence.

  “And if they discover the Human’s potential?” The woman pushed onwards through the tension, one of the few with the strength to do so against Farud.

  “Then we shall interfere to keep him safe, but the war is not our problem. If the lower people have decided on self-annihilation, I will not stand in their way.” Farud glanced around the room, daring someone else to challenge him. “We are keepers of peace, but what good are we when the people are intent on destruction? Let them fight their wars, just as they have in ages past. When they are ready for true peace, then we shall return. Until that day, the Pledge stands.”

  “But this Human—”

  “He must discover his own path, Dacir. I will not drag him into a life he does not want when he is so far removed from his true self. All we can do is wait, and see how he develops.”

  The next most senior council member stood, taking Farud’s side. “This is the end of all discussion regarding that man.”

  Everyone, Dacir included, ducked their heads and murmured agreements. The resolution had been set, and Tekara had finished her task. She bowed to the rest of the council and then went to the reserved seat along the front for her, next to her mate, but for some reason her mind remained caught up on the Human, even after the Council’s declaration. She only hoped waiting would be the right call in the end. The fate of the world might very well depend on it.