Eyes of Emerald

Chapter Twenty-Nine (2)

"We have to move," Wynn said loudly. "Look, they know where we are. If we don't move, we'll all die." We were in a war council meeting - one person from each species were here - Oberon for Faeries, Wynn for Warlocks, Iris...well, she was the only Hybrid, a Vampire I hadn't met because they couldn't come out in daylight (he came to the meeting under a huge parasol and when he took his dark glasses off, I saw that his eyes were a very dark blood red) called Sanguine. Lew represented Werewolves, Ffi was there for Elementals, a girl with blonde curls and a bronze dagger named Anna. And me, of course - but I wasn't really much use since I had no idea what on earth was going on.

                "We can't. We have nowhere else! The people of Alatza will die without us - we won't have enough food without the fishermen..." Anna said, gesturing wildly to the town just along the coastline. I stared out of the window at the gorgeously blue sea. A few fishing boats were already bobbing out there on the waves. In the distance, I could see the trail of an aeroplane - a sudden reminder that my world - my old world - was so close it was like I could almost touch it.

                "Wait, is that why so much of our food is fish?" I asked, to a sigh that seemed to come from everyone. Oberon nodded patiently, placing his hands palm-down on the table.

                "Yes, we have an...agreement, as it were, with the fishermen of Alatza. We protect them, they provide us with enough food and if anyone asks, we're not here. As you can see," he gestured around us to the mountains that surrounded the camp and then to the steep cliffs that fell into shallow waters and dagger-like rocks, "the element of Earth has been used wisely here. The mountains protect us; the King is a fool if he believes he can cross the mountains, even in summer. And the sea on the other side is infested with Mermaids who, if I remember rightly, hold a grudge against the King and his armies."

                My eyes widened. "Infested with Mermaids? But we were swimming -"

                "Back to the point in hand," Sanguine said in his slippery-smooth voice, eyeing me with distaste, "we must find some alternative. Moving would be good; staying would be bad. With sentries patrolling the perimeter, we may be able to hold out against small guerrilla groups. But an army..." he shuddered, and everyone else looked down at their hands. "Even with the natural defences, we would be slaughtered."

                "We have to choose what is best for us. For the people who don't have a say in all of this. We have to think of everyone." It was Ffi who spoke this time. She played with a dagger in her hands, picking the dirt from her nails with the tip.

                "So will we vote?" Lew asked, tapping a hand on the table and looking off into the distance like he'd much rather be somewhere else.

                Heads were nodding around the table and Oberon spoke up, his voice rippling with quiet authority. "All those who think it best to find a new place to move, raise your hand." Wynn rose his hand straight away, followed by Sanguine's covered hand, Ffi, who's wrist glinted with brass beads. Lew stuck his arm in the air, but I got the feeling that was just because he wanted to get out of here. I joined them.

                "And all those who want to stay and fight?" Iris' hand rose this time, followed by Anna's and Oberon's. I swallowed. They were outnumbered. Iris picked at her nail, a scowl forming on her face. Oberon nodded. "Very well. I'll send out scouts to find suitable places to stay until we find a new home." He stood, and everyone else seemed to take that as a sign that they could leave. Lew was first out of his chair, stretching like a cat and leaving the room before I'd even thought about getting up.