Ashwin cleared his throat, the sound slicing through the fraught silence that’d been building in the room.

Rifaq and Dhriti glared at him from across the table. Unnati watched him through narrowed eyes, but her demeanor was more calculating than enraged.

Raizada was massaging the bridge of his nose, head in his hand and elbow parked on the armrest of his chair. “Look here, Ashwin. I’ll be honest with you.” Lifting his head with some difficulty, he focused on the Aeriel. “I dislike the idea of this alliance as much as anybody else in this room. But I dislike the idea of a war with Vaan even more. No matter which side wins, it’ll be a pyrrhic victory.

“So, I’ll support your proposal if you can explain to me how this deception will help us counter the cults without plunging this country into civil war. And what role do you play in this plan?”

Ashwin raised a quizzical eyebrow. “The role I’ll play? That of a figurehead, nothing more. A…symbol, I suppose…of the alliance between our two governments.”

“You plan to be appointed the official ambassador of Vaan in Vandram.” Unnati’s voice was flat, the words phrased as a statement rather than a question. “I suppose that would be difficult if the public knew you’ve been defrauding the authorities for almost two years.”

“Does your sister know of your plans?” Dhriti asked, her tone as cloying as ever. “Or is this more of a…solo venture?”

“An official alliance, by itself, won’t solve the lynchings,” Jheel pointed out. “I hope you realize that. If anything, it might worsen the problem. Even with the best publicity, such a dramatic paradigm shift in the political landscape is bound to make people nervous. But to overturn centuries of public policy practically overnight?” She shook her head. “That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“It’s really not that black and white.” Despite the heated interrogation, Ashwin’s tone remained light, tranquil. “The lack of an official alliance has never stopped humans from partnering unofficially with Aeriels, even in the last few centuries. Take, for instance, Janak Nath’s alliance with Kaheen and the other Exiles last year. An official alliance will put a stop to all the chaos caused by these under-the-table deals and unauthorized clashes.

“I don’t think any of us have forgotten the destructive Hunts the feather mafia orchestrated in residential neighborhoods, with the help of the Exiles. How many civilians died last year because of that ‘alliance’ between the Exiles and the mafia? An official partnership with Vaan will allow both governments to work together to ensure that nothing like that can happen again.

“If the public has a grievance, there’ll be a representative they can bring it to, a proper process to resolve the issue. If nothing else, they’ll have a single, well-defined target for venting their frustrations. Instead of letting it fester until it erupts in the form of mob violence and public lynchings.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“And I suppose it doesn’t hurt that you were the darling of the media until a few months ago,” Jheel said. “If the public will accept anyone as Vaan’s official representative, it’ll be you. But it isn’t just the Vandran public we’ll need to pacify, if we go through with this. It’ll evoke a backlash from Kanbar and Zaini, erode trust between our countries.”

“Collaborating secretly with Vaan for over a year. Knowingly entertaining the prince of Vaan within our borders, even allowing him access to the IAW.” Speaking for the first time since the meeting began, the white-haired minister of commerce shook his head slowly. “The foreign minister is right. Kanbar and Zaini will see it as a betrayal of the anti-Aeriel doctrine we’ve shared for centuries.”

Ashwin dipped his head in acknowledgement. “I do understand your concerns. But the fact is, my sister is dead set on establishing diplomatic relations with the governments of earth. If not Vandram, it’ll be one of the other two. And considering the…” his lips quirked. “Benefits of such an alliance, sooner or later she will succeed. The only question is whether those relations will be with Vandram, Zaini, or Kanbar.”

“And you want to trigger a competition between the three countries to court an alliance.” Jheel let out a sardonic little laugh. “Each of us thinking that the other two might use the alliance with Vaan to gain military superiority. Not to mention greater access to Aeriel feathers and all the associated financial benefits.”

Ashwin gave a slight shrug. “As you well know, Kanbar and Zaini used to be satellite states of Vandram before the Rebellion. To a great extent, this was because Ragah was the primary bastion of the Aeriel monarchy. Before Tauheen’s misrule began, Vandram had been, for centuries, the unrivalled global superpower. It could regain that position once more, or become a satellite to the next superpower. As long as there’s peace between humans and Aeriels, I don’t much care about the particulars of the arrangement.”

The pinched expression on Jheel’s face told Ruban she knew exactly what Ashwin was doing. She didn’t like the thought of being manipulated by an Aeriel. At the same time, she did want Vandram to have the economic and tactical advantages of being Vaan’s first ally on earth.

Particularly if the alternative was to hand those advantages over to either Kanbar or Zaini. Because no one in the room was naïve enough to believe either country would be able to hold out indefinitely against the temptations presented by such an alliance. Unconstrained access to Aeriel feathers, not to mention the increase in military strength and capabilities that an alliance with the powerful immortals of Vaan would provide.

The first country to accept the alliance would gain an immediate economic and military edge over the other two. And that knowledge alone would trigger mutual suspicion and drive each nation to try and seize the opportunity before being undermined by the others.

It was a catch-22 – exquisitely designed and impossible to escape from.

“You present a compelling argument,” said Prahlad, the minister of commerce. “An official alliance with Vaan definitely has its benefits. It’ll restore the government’s monopoly on the supply of Aeriel feathers, increase said supply, and all but wipe out the black market. All good things, undoubtedly.”

Ashwin raised a curious eyebrow. “But?”

“Do you know why the feather mafia caused so much trouble for the government last year?” Prahlad asked, sitting back in his chair.

Ashwin’s second eyebrow joined the first, disappearing into his hairline. “Because they were endangering civilians by orchestrating Hunts in residential areas?”

“That was part of it, yes.”

Ashwin cocked his head. “Enlighten me.”