"I vote no."
Her stomach dropped.
'DRAV. C'mon!'
"I respect the blessed one. This is simply too much change at once. I'm sorry."
'You're sorry and you still voted no? You looked me dead in the eyes and said sorry and voted no? The audacity. The sheer freaking audacity of this man.'
[To be fair he did say sorry.]
'Puffball I swear to every gods in this world and mine—'
[You're one vote away. Focus.]
She focused.
Yes: six. No: five.
One elder.
One vote.
Everything.
Elder Tessa rose slowly. She'd been so quiet across three days that Faelyn had nearly forgotten she existed. She looked at Faelyn first. Then at both chiefs. Then out at the crowd, all those faces tipped toward her, waiting. Then back to Faelyn.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Come on. Come on.'ฅᨐฅ
Nyx's mind: ฅᨐฅ'Eyes on her. Don't move.'ฅᨐฅ
'Tessa,' Faelyn thought, willing it across the room. 'I don't know you. You don't know me. But I need you. Right now I need you more than I've needed anything in two worlds. Please.'
