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“This is absurd!” Nikolaos shouted.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the Jaguar loudly demanded at almost the same time.

“Treason?!” Exallos Aetos cried out, his tone tinged by fury. “How dare you!”

Solomon weathered this barrage quite gracefully, including the less polite shouts from other elders on Leon’s side, but his brother grinned like he was reveling in the negative attention.

“If they’re getting upset,” Hector said to his brother loudly enough for Leon to hear, “then we know we’re doing the right thing.”

Solomon didn’t even acknowledge that his twin had said anything, and if anything, seemed to be suppressing his embarrassment at the whole affair, if Leon was reading him rightly.

“What would you call it?” the Beast Lord demanded belligerently as he rose to speak. “A man who claims to be our King has brought to our fair island one who belongs to the ruling caste of our enemies? Had anyone else done so, they would’ve been fed to wild beasts by now!”

The Jaguar made to respond as Leon’s bloc stomped and shouted their disagreement, but the Ax-Bringer raised his fist in the air and shouted, “QUIET! THESE ARE CHARGES BROUGHT BY THE CUBS OF THE STAR-TEARING TIGER! NONE SHALL SPEAK UNTIL THE CHARGES HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED!”

Silence fell upon the hall again, and Leon thought for a moment that his people would start shouting again. However, to his muted surprise, his supporting elders sat back down, though not without glaring at Hector and the Bears.

“Solomon,” the Ax-Bringer said, “Your Tribe has brought these charges. We await your explanation.”

Solomon took a visibly deep breath, gave his brother an odd yet notable look, and then rose to his feet. He turned his gaze upon Leon, and Leon saw nothing but reluctance in his eyes.

“It is as the Beast Lord said,” Solomon said without much conviction. “A barbarian Princess has been brought to this island by one who claims to be the last bearer of the Most Venerable’s power! The bearer married this Princess!”

With that said, Solomon sat back down, leaving the entire hall silent, as if in disbelief that he ended his explanation so abruptly.

Apparently the man who cared the least, the Ax-Bringer quickly asked in a neutral tone, “Is that all you wish to say? You believe that is enough to charge Leon Raime with treason?”

Solomon tilted his head and made a noncommittal grunt. Beside him, Hector snarled, “Yes!”

The Ax-Bringer reserved his attention for Solomon, but after getting no new information, he turned back to the hall at large.

“Very well! The charges have been laid! Leon Raime, how do you answer them?”

Leon, his heart still racing, started to slowly pace around the edge of the dais. He’d had a few minutes to think of a proper response, and yet, nothing quite seemed enough. Regardless, he said, “Were I seriously asked by those I thought could charge me with treason, then I would answer that I am innocent!”

The Spiders and Bears stomped in disapproval.

“Insolence!” the Beast Lord growled. “Arrogance!”

“Who are you to come to our home with your—” one of the ninth-tier Spiders began before the Ax-Bringer slammed his eponymous ax upon the dais and roared for everyone to be quiet.

Only once everyone had complied did he turn his eyes back to Leon. “Have you more to say?”

“I have much to say,” Leon replied. He turned to face the Beast Lord, a half-baked idea forming in his head. “Just a few minutes ago, you laid bare your belief that I am not worthy to be here. Is that true?”

“You are not,” the Beast Lord spat, to the displeasure of Leon’s elders who made their feelings known.

Leon held up his hand, however, and his elders quieted down. He then turned to the Tigers, though he directed his words more toward the Spiders and the Bears. “To be guilty of treason, would I not have to be one of you? You would not try to charge my wife with treason, would you? She is not of the Ten Tribes, so what would she be committing treason against?”

“You claimed to be the descendant of the Most Venerable Thunderbird!” Hector shouted. “To act against the interests of the Ten Tribes is to commit treason!”

“You claim my Honored Ancestor as yours, then?” Leon retorted. “You believe she belongs to you, and not to me? And yet you believe that I am unworthy of standing here? Of not belonging to the Ten Tribes? By your very charge of treason, you are laying claim to me and my Honored Ancestor! If you do not believe that I am one of you, then drop the charge and bring something else!”

The hall fell silent for another long moment as all eyes turned toward the Tigers and Bears, the two most vocal in pushing this charge.

Leon could feel his heart hammering his ribs even as he did his best to keep his composure and confidence. However, he didn’t think the treason charge was actually going to go anywhere. It was a flimsy charge, one being used more as a pretext to call the Elder Council before his people were ready rather than a serious attempt to get rid of him.

Or so he was assuming, anyway. Whatever the case, he still had the votes with him to win out on any potential charges—especially since he could see the Bison and the Tigers, Hector aside, were not so keen on continuing to hammer him with these charges.

Breaking the silence, the Jaguar rose and said, “I can verify that these charges are false! Leon Raime has done nothing to warrant such outrageous charges! What’s more, as the last descendant of the Most Venerable Thunderbird, we owe our allegiance to him as our King!” The rest of the Jaguars largely began stomping and jumping up to their feet in support.

“I agree!” Menander declared as he took to his feet, the rest of the Lion delegation doing likewise in his wake. “Leon Raime has done more to strengthen our Tribes than anyone else has done in thousands of years!”

“He has brought us closer to our Honored Ancestors,” Sar loudly stated as he joined the others on his feet, his Tribe following suit. “To even consider levying such charges upon our rightful King is ludicrous! It is extraordinary and will require extraordinary proof of intent for my Tribe to believe it!”

“If anyone has this proof,” Tillan said, finally breaking his silence as he spoke for the Bison, “let them come forward. I have not seen anything that would lead me to believe Leon Raime has committed any kind of treason! Nor would I agree that he has no place here!”

“Indeed!” Singer-in-Caves added as the Hawks rose for Leon as well. “Look around you! To say that one of the Most Venerable Thunderbird’s blood does not belong in this place of all places is to court madness and to insult all of our Ancestors! Of all of us, Leon has the most right to stand here!”

Before anyone else could speak, the Ax-Bringer slammed the butt of his ax upon the dais again and asked Solomon, “Do you wish to press these charges?”

Solomon didn’t immediately respond, leading Exallos to rise with the Eagles and say, “Yes! If you have any proof, then—”

Leon raised his hand again and cut him off. Exallos remained standing, however, showing his Tribe’s solidarity with Leon. While Solomon continued to think, Frode led the Ravens in rising to their feet, silently adding throwing their support behind Leon.

Solomon continued to sit there and think, his eyes flitting around the hall, eventually landing upon Leon, and then turning to the Thunderer. After a moment during which the two men seemed to silently communicate something, Solomon rose to his feet and said, “I do not bring proof, nor do I wish for this to become a trial! We have other business to conduct today!”

The Ax-Bringer nodded and declared, “Then let us vote! ‘Aye’ to dismiss this charge of treason, ‘Nay’ to press!”

Leon’s people roared ‘aye’, and he was gratified to see several dozen Bison and Tigers adding their voices to the mix. The Spiders and Bears nearly to a man voted nay, but the nays didn’t even crack three hundred votes. Tillan and Solomon remained seated in the small minority who abstained.

“The ayes have carried it!” the Ax-Bringer declared. “All charges of treason are dismissed!”

Leon breathed a sigh of relief as his elders began to cheer and roar their approval. Notably, those Bison and Tigers who’d voted with him attracted little attention from their respective Tribes, though the Spiders and Bears had some dirty looks to give them. Hector, too, glared around at his fellow Tribesmen who’d defected for this vote, though he didn’t say anything right then.

“Now,” the Ax-Bringer continued as the noise died down, “charges of collusion and sabotage were included when the call was made by the Tigers. Will you press these charges as well?”

“Yes!” Hector shouted as he sprang to his feet.

“No.” Solomon calmly countermanded a moment later. He remained seated even as his brother glanced back at him with a look of anger and betrayal.

“The charges will not be brought!” the Ax-Bringer announced. “The continuance of the war is also on today’s agenda! However, before we begin that discussion, does anyone else have any business they wish to broach?”

Without hesitation, Leon answered, “I do!” He was pleased to see little argument, though the Spiders and Bears certainly didn’t look pleased.

“What business do you bring to the Elder Council today, Leon Raime?” the Ax-Bringer asked.

Leon smiled and paced around the edge of the dais a little more before coming to a halt and turning his gaze upon the Thunderer, who so far had remained surprisingly quiet.

“I can’t express the magnitude of the joy I felt,” he began, “to learn that the Ten Tribes still venerates my Honored Ancestor so. My Clan has been vilified on the mainland so completely that it felt quite strange! I can assure you that my Clan—even though I am all that’s left of it—remembers each of your Honored Ancestors as well! Your loyalty is a thing to behold! To be so warmly welcomed to your island has been one of the greatest honors of my life!”

“The blood of the Thunderbird shall always be welcome amongst the Ten Tribes!” the Jaguar shouted, and the Jaguars stomped and roared their approval.

“And for that, I am most grateful!” Leon shouted back. “And I would reciprocate as well as I can! I have come here to make my claim! I am the blood of the Thunderbird, and I would be your King!” As he finished his short spiel, he spread his arms and let silver-blue lightning arc between them, the bolts traveling above his head.

He didn’t think he was going to convince anyone with those words, but he felt they were worth saying anyway. Besides, he felt like he could always be proven wrong and encourage a few defectors again.

“Our King has returned!” Nikolaos declared. “The Jaguar Tribe supports Leon Raime’s claim!”

The Thunderer’s aura suddenly spiked in intensity. The man did nothing more than that, and a moment later his aura receded, but it was more than enough to silence the hall as Leon’s supporters were just getting ready to declare their support.

“Why should the Ten Tribes give ourselves to you, Leon Raime?” the Thunderer asked accusingly. “What do you offer us that could possibly be enough for us to give up our hard-won independence? Why should the Tribes bow down to a tyrant of the blood that led us here, far from the homelands of our respective Tribes? The Ten Tribes have not had a King for thousands of years! I would assert that we do not need Kings!”

The Bears roared their approval, as did the Spiders. The Tigers and Bison were a little quieter but were hardly as silent as Leon’s supporters.

“And how would you justify our lack of progress made in the past eighty-thousand years?” the Jaguar shouted. “We are living as we have since the day we were forced from the mainland! Little has changed! Our lives were made undeniably poorer with the fall of the Thunderbird Clan! But that power can be regained! We only need the proper bloodline upon the throne, which has sat vacant for far too long!”

“Prosperity does not lie in the ‘proper’ bloodline!” the Thunderer retorted. “It lies in unity! It lies in centralization! The greatest successes the Ten Tribes have ever had only come when we were united! When we acted as one people, not ten! That is what we must do!”

“And you would wish for us to unite behind you, isn’t that right?” Nikolaos asked. “You ask for us to vote for you again when a scion of the Thunderbird Clan is before us?”

“Have I not done all that I promised?” the Thunderer irately demanded. “Have I not delivered victory upon the Sword? Was it not my plan that forced back the barbarians?”

The Bears roared their support, and the Spiders made quite a bit of noise as well. However, they were the only Tribes to make so much noise. Leon almost felt bad for the Thunderer as he turned his eyes this way and that and found few sympathetic gazes looking back.

“Those are the victories of the Tribes,” the Jaguar said. “They cannot be claimed by any one man!”

“I was not trying to claim them all for myself,” the Thunderer bitterly said. “All I’m saying is that behind me, we were united enough to strike back and take the Sword! Could you have sacked Argos if not for the simultaneous attack upon the Sword and the Shield? We are stronger together, but that doesn’t mean we must unite behind an unproven King!”

“Leon Raime has proven enough!” Sar shouted. “He has won the support of the Ancestral Hart and given us a gift beyond value! What is the Sword next to a greater understanding of our inherent power?”

The Thunderer fell silent. He closed his eyes and sighed. Leon imagined he was struggling with his inability to convince the Tribes of his position.

“Why must we argue as if these are separate issues?” Leon asked the hall. “If it is unity that you desire, then why do you refuse to unite behind me? The minds and the warriors who accomplished so much, combined with the power of the Thunderbird!”

Leon’s supporters—and the Jaguars, in particular—roared their agreement.

“We will not bow to you just because you have different colored lightning!” the Beast Lord argued. “The Thunderbird was worthy of respect and veneration; you are not!”

“Leon Raime has done more for my Tribe than the Bears have in recent years!” Singer responded. “He has won the respect and veneration of the Heart-Stabbing Hawks!”

“As he has done for my Tribe,” Sar irately added, irked that he had to repeat himself.

Leon’s other supporting Tribes made similar statements refuting the Beast Lord’s words, though he didn’t look at all convinced.

“How much is there to debate?” Leon asked as the hall began to get rowdier. “We know what we’re here for! We’ve been preparing for this for months! So let us put it to a vote!”

“That is not your place to decide, pretender!” one of the ninth-tier Spiders angrily responded.

Leon rolled his eyes before looking to the Ax-Bringer.

“Are you finished making your claim?” the Ax-Bringer asked.

“I am,” Leon replied.

“And you,” the Ax-Bringer said as he turned to the Thunderer, “have you any more words to add?”

“Everyone who needs to hear what I have to say has covered their ears,” the Thunderer replied. “They have made their minds up. Let’s just have the vote and deal with what comes next.”

“Very well,” the Ax-Bringer said. “By the winged grace, we shall now vote on the prospect of Kingship! On one side, Leon Raime has made his claim known! He seeks to become our King! On the other side is the Thunderer by legal appointment by this very body! Elders, are we ready to cast our votes?”

The ninth-tier leaders of each Tribe needed only a few seconds before indicating that they were ready.

“Then let’s waste no more time!” the Ax-Bringer declared. He looked around before deciding to start with the Harts. “How do the Ancestral Harts vote? Do they vote for Leon Raime?”

To a man, the Ancestral Harts rose to their feet.

“The Ancestral Harts declare for Leon Raime!” Sar roared for all the hear. All of the present Harts, including the Chiefs and those watching from further up the benches erupted in applause, as did many supporting Leon, though they kept it a little more subdued than usual.

After a quick headcount, the Ax-Bringer declared, “Ninety votes cast for Leon Raime!” He raised a hand and conjured a simple illusion in the air. On one side was Leon’s name, and the other was the Thunderer’s. ‘90’ appeared below Leon’s name. The Ax-Bringer then turned to the Hawks. “How do the Heart-Stabbing Hawks vote?”

Once more, to a man, the Hawks rose from their seats and Singer-in-Caves declared, “The Heart-Stabbing Hawks declare for Leon Raime!”

One headcount later and twenty-eight votes were added to Leon’s tally.

“How do the Ji Spiders vote?”

The Spiders were as united as Leon’s Tribes had been so far, and one hundred and sixteen votes were cast for the Thunderer. A moment later, the Bears did likewise, with the Thunderer casting his vote along with his Tribe, earning himself another eighty-eight votes. Leon cocked an eyebrow at the Thunderer voting for himself, but he raised no objections.

“The Tigers?” the Ax-Bringer continued.

Solomon gave Leon an apologetic look even as Hector and a few dozen other Tigers shot to their feet. Solomon led the rest of the Tribe in following them. One hundred and forty-two votes were cast for the Thunderer.

The Rock Mane Bison followed, and like Solomon, Tillan didn’t appear at all happy about what he was doing, but he led his Tribe in voting for the Thunderer. Ninety-five more votes were added to the Thunderer’s score, bringing his total to four hundred and forty-one.

By this point, Leon’s heart was practically in his throat; he could barely breathe and his skin felt like it was burning. All of his preparations had come to this, and while he was confident that he would win, it would be by the skin of his teeth. Such a close margin also meant that even after his ascension as King, there was going to be a lot of work ahead of him to unite the Tribes under his rule.

Buoying his votes, the Screaming Eagles were next, and Exallos Aetos led his Tribe in voting for Leon. With the loss of three elders following their attempted defection, only ninety-eight votes were cast for Leon.

The Lions followed, their votes now slightly lower than they had been just a few days ago. Twenty more votes were added to Leon’s total.

The Ravens-of-Hail-Hall were the penultimate votes, and Leon gained seventy-seven more votes. He was on a roll, but his votes so far only amounted to three hundred and thirteen. Fortunately, the Jaguars were next.

“How does the Jaguar Tribe vote?” the Ax-Bringer shouted.

For a moment, no one moved. This was the final moment, the decisive moment, and it was like all the air had been sucked out of the hall. Everyone stared at the Jaguars as the fate of the Ten Tribes was laid in their hands.

Nikolaos and the Jaguar stood up.

“The Jaguars vote for Leon Raime!” Nikolaos declared, and for a moment, it seemed like it had happened, like Leon had won the vote. Relief flooded through his body as the hall erupted into near-deafening cheers.

But in an instant, the hall went quiet as three bloodline-less elders walked down from the Jaguars’ benches, their visages grim and unhappy but their footsteps determined. They circled the dais until they stood with the Tiger Tribe at their back.

“We declare for the Thunderer!” one of them proclaimed.

The Ax-Bringer gravely nodded and added the votes.

Leon had won four hundred and forty-three votes.

The Thunderer had won four hundred and forty-four.