The child is not pleased.

"But it's my idea! I should be the one to present it!" Tantruming, as children do.

"He's right. I know it is frustrating, but it is bad enough I will be presenting the idea. If you are there, they will just accuse me of being carried away by contrarian ideas for the purpose of being contrarian," Johnathan counters. He is correct, that is exactly what the other elders would believe. It is what I believed when Isis called and told me he had run off with some newborn against orders. "Elder Isis will try to blame my disobedience on you. If you are not there, I will have a much easier time countering that argument without you in the room."

"You have assembled a compelling argument," I interject. "We might be able to convince them without you. Johnathan here, well, he has a reputation for causing trouble. If you are in the room, the other elders will assume he is just trying to make trouble again. Your not being there also protects you in the event we are unable to convince the others."

"In what way?" she crosses her arms over her chest and glares, "I'm not a child! I can take care of myself." She spits, just like every child to walk the earth before her.

"If you are not in the room presenting ideas like they are yours, the other elders will assume you have been roped into one of Johnathan's insane schemes. This assumption could save your life if they reject the plans." Johnathan nods along with my assessment.

"But… They will agree to my plan, right? I mean, it is our best chance for peaceful contact." She looks unsure now. Scared. In way over her head.

"The elders are… stuck in their ways. There is a reason I reinvent myself every twenty to thirty years. I make an effort to keep on top of new ideas and keep in touch with the evolution of humanity. The elders… they prefer to disengage." That's right, it has been fifty years since we were last close. He must have reinvented himself twice by now.

"I am using the wrong name now, aren't I? " I ask.

Johnathan beams, "It's Damian now." Of course it is.

"I shall endeavour to remember that."

"No worries. I think everyone calls me a different name at this point. I respond to them all."

"You don't think they will accept the idea." Her eyes flick between us. Nervous. Scared. I should just secret her away for a few centuries until she is old enough to be involved in such schemes. I would berate her coven leader, but it is clear Remus entrusted her care to… Damian. Given how he's been occupied with the building and care of many of our refuges, that was not a mistake. Though, Damian is unpredictable at the best of times.

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She must see the answer in our faces. She huffs, and turns toward the door, "Fine, I'm going for a walk. I'll be back by two." She sends one last pleading look to Damian. "Convince them, please." Then she is gone.

I wait until she is out of hearing range, before turning to Damian saying, "You like her."

"Like a daughter," he agrees.

"Yes—"

"I can't see a way to get her out of this alive." He looks sadder than I've seen in centuries.

"You can't stop, can you?"

"And damn our people to death by dissection? No. I can't." He shakes his head. " All the tricks I've played, all the schemes I've run… the steaks have never been higher." He starts needlessly organizing the papers on the desk. This is the side of him no one else gets to see. The uncertainty. Knowing that he's right, having more information than anyone else, but feeling bad about acting on it. And then having to force others to do what is good for them, almost always with life and death steaks for someone.

"The Entreat starts soon. Are you ready?" I ask, concerned. I know I will lose my friend to his masks soon.

"Yes, I'm logging on now. " By the time he says 'now' his masks are firmly in place.

I sit next to him. The camera is on. The other elders are appearing in the zoom window, though we are all muted for the moment. Soon, we have full attendance.

I unmute us. "Thank you all for coming on this short notice. Some information has come to light that requires our immediate attention. Damian will now walk us through the problem and a detailed plan for remediation."

I maneuver the camera so Damian is centered on the screen. I relish the small signs of shock the others can't hide. Damian smoothly takes over the meeting while I closely watch the others to determine who will support our cause and who won't. It becomes quickly apparent Damian's reputation is preventing many of the elders from taking this seriously. Only the elders who know Damian like I do are agreeing—a tiny minority.

When it is time for the elders to debate, it is not about what the initial message should be, but how much of the information in the plan is fabricated. There is no chance we will win approval. Damian knows this, just like he knows I had to try. The longer the debate lasts, the more I'm convinced Damian never had any intention of convincing the other elders. He is using this meeting to determine who might be a coconspirator. This is a convenient way of finding and convincing them all at once.

We log out of zoom, failures. Damian has orders to bring the child back home to her coven. His immediate return will be met with only minor punishment, and she will continue along her normal developmental path. Failure to comply will result in a hunt that ends in both of their immediate termination.

"What do you need?" I ask.

"The names and contact information for every member of every race that are in technical graduate studies. The location of your lab with instructions on how to work the relevant equipment, my kit, and a promise to protect her when this all goes south."