I schmooze with the other elders for as long as I can get away with. There are questions about Loki's fitness to lead, and others concerned about the teams I've sent out.

Is everyone home?

Is everyone safe?

Yes, they are, though there were some close calls. Minsi and Lilith want to know what they can do to help protect their exposed people. Others want me to coordinate with their people for emergency evacuation signals and plans. I point out that should be the focus of at least one of our meetings going forward, then we can build a committee to address the problem. And, yes, I would be happy to lead the committee.

I check on Isis and the patients, who are doing as well as can be expected. Alyssa's family seems to be doing well. Her niece and nephew are the youngest here, but they have come out of their catatonic states and the halls are filled with the laughter of children. It seems a strange soundtrack for a hall filled with the tortured husks of people fighting for their lives, but the children bring a sense of hope and joy that no one can bring themselves to curb.

After I run out of things to do in corridors A and B, I return to the vampire only sections of New Eden. The control room in the center has an intercom system for announcements. It is a big deal when a new elder is named. There would usually be a lot more fanfare. A retirement ceremony, and a swearing in. Instead, we only have time for a simple announcement. Ceremony will have to come later.

I stall in front of the microphone. I've made thousands of speeches, given millions of orders, but this feels different. More significant. Lasting.

I sit in the chair in front of the microphone. This is easier than my next task, and the truth is I'm stalling. We don't have time for this weakness. I lean forward and click the button that will allow my voice to play through every speaker except those in corridors A and B.

"Last night, Elder Isis made the decision to step down and pass the eldership to someone she felt was better qualified to lead us into a new age. Isis has led us for three million years, and her retirement is well earned and deserved. She joins our esteemed advisors panel, and with her new free time hopes to help all those who wish for children bring them into the world. Our new elder, Elder Loki, has already stepped into the eldership with great success and we look forward to his long and illustrious career."

I switch off the microphone. Everyone will know to come to me with any questions, so there is no need to expand further. It is the least fanfare of any change of power we have ever had, and it will send shock waves through the population.

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Time to get back to my quarters, which takes much longer than usual as people stop me to ask questions about our change in command. I reassure everyone that Isis is not leaving, and she will still be here to smooth the transition in power as Loki learns the details of his role.

The door to my quarters clicks shut behind me. The silence feels like a black hole swallowing me whole. There is nothing else I can do to put this off. No other avenues of procrastination.

I pace the length of my quarters and down a blood packet while I do so. There really isn't time to put this off, but telling someone, especially an old friend, that they've been betrayed is no easy task.

I pick up the phone and dial. Do I want her to pick up or for it to go to voicemail? Both options seem equally bad.

She declines the call.

I hang up instead of leaving a voice mail, and open our encrypted chat service. "Call me ASAP. Important."

The green check appears next to the chat bubble a moment later. She texts back, "5 mins?"

I send her a thumbs up and wait.

I sit down and stare at my phone. Six minutes. Ten. Thirteen.

"someBODY—"

The ringing of my phone startles me so much I drop it. I fumble and mange to catch it before it hits the floor. Good thing so one was here to see that.

"Stata!" I answer, far too bright for the occasion, but too excited to be muted.

"Remus!" I can hear her smile through the phone. "I'm so sorry I am missing the Entreat! I wanted to come, but securing our people is more important. How are you? I've missed you!"

My smile falls. Clearly, I can't postpone the bad news portion of the conversation.

"I… well, I've been better. Do you have a place we can talk confidentially? This is important."

"Of course," she is all business now. I can hear her moving into a new room and closing the door. "We should be free to talk now. Is something wrong?"

"There is no easy way to say this. I can't think of a gentle way to…"

"Just rip the bandaid off, Remus. We've commanded armies together. Intel—especially the bad—is imperative to mission success."

"I know, it's just… this is bad."

"Just tell me," her tone is frustrated and annoyed.

"Former Elder Vulcan has been tried with treason for giving the positions of over one hundred magical beings over to the humans. There are calls for his execution. We need you to come to the Entreat as soon as possible to represent your peoples, and you will need to appoint someone to replace him."

Silence. I wait for her to process. "Are you… are you sure? I mean, I thought—he would never…" Her shock is genuine.

Thank goodness.

If she were a part of this, the dragons would be expelled from the treaties and we would not have access to their hoards. There would be no way to leave earth.

"We have it on film," I tell her gently. "I can show you when you get here."

I can practically see her nodding and playing with the charm on the necklace she always wears. The charm that happens to be an emergency teleport.

"How soon can you greet me?" Her tone is determined now. She will descend on Vulcan with all the fire of an angry dragon, and he will deserve all of it.

"Five minutes."

"Perfect. See you in five." She hangs up the phone without waiting for a response, and I head to the door. This will not be a pleasant meeting.