Page 15 of Immortal Bonds

Speaking of which, he hadn't dialed up the charm when he walked into the council room. His focus had been too much on Romilly and Archer. He had wanted to grasp the moment for what it was since they had slid past each other multiple times, like two ships crossing in the night, and he had really wanted to set down anchor and block their path so that they could meet.

With that accomplished and conversations starting about what they would do to replace the council seat, he found himself at peace. He hadn't pretended to be anyone else. Hadn't thrown out all the posturing he normally did, and people accepted him.

In fact, they seemed more open to the idea of him contributing because of it. Had he been shooting himself in the foot this whole time? Was he holding onto old notions based on previous experiences?

It was something he would have to think about more in-depth. For the time being, he’d continue on without the fanfare. Life was much easier that way.

"I suggest that we hold an election as planned. Candidates can come forward — no more than five — and the horde will split their votes between them," one of the council members said.

"I think that splits the vote up too much," another chimed in.

Romilly didn't say a word. He had his arm around Archer, banding the young man to his lap. Looking closely, Thalric could see his thumb stroking against the young man's ribs. It looked to be a soothing measure. Whether it was for Romilly or Archer was their business.

"What do you think, Thalric?" Silas said, breaking his concentration.

"About the fact that you want to introduce five candidates — I think it's a bit much. Three could really do it. Five lends more possibility to a tie, and what if you don't have five people that are qualified and you have to fill those spots anyway?"

"I'm sure we have qualified people," one of the council members said, their voice full of disinterest in Thalric's opinion. At least that's how he perceived it.

"I'm sure you do, councilman." He didn't wait for the man to fill in his name. "However, it is best to prepare ahead of time. Three people — three solid, most-likely-to-handle-the-job-well candidates being brought before the horde and voted on makes sense. If there is a tie and you have a runoff, you take it down to two and go from there. I really truly think you'll find your winner that way."

The group murmured as if to agree with him. Even the council member who'd been reluctant nodded along.

"Then who will the candidates be?"

The room erupted into chaos, voices speaking over one another. The volume rose quickly as people not only rejoiced at the options but also questioned the motives of some. It took Romilly whistling and his dragon coming forward for it to stop.

Thalric's dragon came out in response, happy to see a family member. The magic in the air also danced, and to Thalric's surprise, he saw it hovering around Archer. Yet another mystery he didn't have answers to. He was told that Archer was human, but if he had magic running through his veins, maybe he wasn't so human after all.

Or maybe it was the castle protecting Archer from all the big, bad dragons in the room.

"The candidates could nominate themselves and the council can whittle it down to three. How does that sound?"

Everyone pondered it for a few moments. It looked as if they were about to come to an agreement when Soren entered the room. Their gaze met each person individually, as if challenging them to question why they were there.

"You have something for us?" Romilly asked. The smirk he wore said he was happy to see Soren but also that he truly hoped his sibling had something of use for them.

"Because of this meeting and knowing what would happen — you all arguing relentlessly — I took it upon myself to poll the people of the horde and ask them who they think should run."

"We hadn't even discussed it," one of the men said.

"You've discussed it now," Soren replied, unbothered by the challenge.

Romilly waved his hand at his sibling. "Tell us what you found. Do you have candidates that would fit?"

Soren stepped forward, extending the papers to Archer since Romilly was further back. When Archer turned the pages to his mate, Romilly's eyes widened. The siblings shared a look, and Thalric got the distinct impression that there was a lot more to the list in Romilly's hands than they were letting on.

The rest of the room had to know too, but they would not be able to inquire about it. It paid to be family, because he was going to get the answers. He couldn't not know. He hated secrets.

He almost laughed at himself, because he was keeping plenty of secrets. He should probably say instead that he loved gossip — and gossiping about family was enticing.

"Are there three candidates listed?" one of the only women on the council asked. Thalric remembered her from his youth. She was a very strong-willed dragon. She took no one's shit, and she was still very beautiful, despite what he knew had to be centuries of age showing.

"There are," Romilly stated slowly. He then listed off each name while the council and family listened intently. When he finished, there was silence for a solid minute. Then voices began to rise again, as if they had not been told to calm down mere moments before.

Whoever these people were, they were causing a fuss. He knew if the council felt this way, it was likely others did too. Maybe he needed to stay a while longer — or was he just making up excuses? He pushed the thought away, instead looking to Silas to see how he felt on the matter.

The former king hadn't spoken up. Instead, his eyes were on Soren and Romilly, where they were sharing some kind of silent conversation. Thalric had no doubt that Romilly was mind-linked to his sibling. That type of bond from the king meant he could speak to everyone at once or to individuals, and since Thalric heard nothing in his head and Silas did not appear to either, he knew it was a one-to-one conversation.