Eveningstar, Silubra

Some people were not happy with Parliament's decision. Somewhere. Some didn't care, and some thought it was par for the course. Afterall, for some the goal wasn't to actually stop the witchborn from coming to Emphyralis, it was just to give women in charge a hard time.

Seamus Eveningstar was such a person as he sat in his study communicating with other such people. Seamus was the magistrate of the second largest city in Silubra. He was a Silver Dragon, the head of the Eveningstar family, and was the actual mastermind behind the plot to kidnap Britiana and Darius. He was the head of a secret organization called the Anti-senati Syndicate, along with other like minded men. He was the self proclaimed Grand Duke.

His effort to kidnap Chrystianna's children was actually a plot to weaken her, kill her, and have his wife take on the mantle of Grand Duchess until he found a way to take charge himself. It wasn't a bad plan, but he could do nothing about divine intervention. Still, he was unreconciled to his current position. Even if he had to defy the gods, one day their organization would overthrow the women in charge and be rightfully ruled by men.

"There was an unexpected benefit to the current effort," a voice from the five faces floating above his desk stated. The voice was slightly aloof but interested. The face belonged to a handsome, swarthy man with dark green eyes and curly black hair. Vikkernoff Blackhollow, an Onyx Dragon, was Sonja Starshadow's counterpart in the Syndicate, calling himself a Duke.

Seamus, with his cold gray eyes glanced at him. "You mean the hate groups?" he asked.

"Hate groups?" a lazy tone drawled from another figure. Lounging with boredom, yellow eyes drooping, Yvor Sleetfall, a Platinum Dragon, of Thale was slightly curious. Despite being a high ranking member of the Syndicate, calling himself Earl, much of his information was stymied due to the Siege.

A chuckle sounded. A deeply tanned, dark haired man with golden eyes was slightly amused. "We have those here, too." Adonis Brightflame, a Gold Dragon, said. "Elves wanting to get rid of the dwarves. Dwarves wanting to get rid of the sand runners. I've been having to have my priests advise acceptance and peace," he said. Adonis was one of the highest ranking people in the Syndicate. Not only was he a self proclaimed Duke, but he was the High Priest of the Gilded Temple of Orro.

Another member of their group, the Emerald Dragon Draycen Bloomingtree, shook his head. "I haven't seen any of these problems in Vedanta. Most of the races here just want to be one with nature and as long as anyone else is the same, that's fine with them. The only trouble we've had is when a Wyrmling destroyed a batch of Noble trees in Treesong before the New Life Festival. I don't think anyone would disagree that Wyrms are bad," he said, his handsome, mahogany face showing slight annoyance. He also held a self-proclaimed title, calling himself Marquis.

Seamus glanced at the final member of their group. A Sapphire Dragon with a face even colder than his own, indifferent blue eyes, and long blond hair. "What about Isaz, Lucien?" he asked.

Lucien Coldstone, calling himself Marquis, nodded slightly. "There are groups here as well. I have my people fanning the flames a bit, especially targeting the Frost Giants. Historically they were a war-like, hostile race when they first appeared in Emphyralis. Some people don't let them forget," he said with a cold smile.

Seamus nodded. "Very good. Keep stirring the pot. Let's also remind everyone that it was a foreign trading partner that brought the Dragon Hunters to Emphyralis. Let's also not forget that those besieging Thale are also all foreign races," he reminded pointedly.

Yvor perked up slightly, lifting a dark brow. "Eh? That's true isn't it. Hmm. Next time I meet with certain people, I'll be sure to remind them of that," he said. Although he was somewhat lackadaisical, he still managed to do his duty well. He agreed with most of the edicts of the Syndicate and felt he should be in charge of Thale. He also believed in keeping the bloodlines pure, that was why he disowned his sister for breeding with an Elemental, and would eventually find a pure blooded Platinum Dragon woman to reproduce with even if he had no interest in women. There were magical work arounds for that kind of thing.

Vikkernoff glanced at the other man. "Speaking of, isn't Thale about to be connected to Silubra with that Bridging Array? You don't have any involvement?" he asked.

Yvor's face darkened. "I couldn't get any of my people in place. I only managed to have a few workers that prepared the site. Everything else is confidential. Only the Silvermoon girl and a handful of others know how to draw it," he complained.

Seamus frowned, steepling his fingers thoughtfully. "I heard that they are planning to have the Bridging Array placed in each capital. Maybe some of us will get a chance later on," he said. There was a murmur of agreement. 

Yvor sighed somewhat dramatically. "At least I'll be able to occasionally go out and stretch my legs," he declared, looking on the brightside. He hadn't been away from Thale since he was a child.

"With the Bridging Array, it'll only be a matter of time until those people begin to plan to break the Siege," Lucien stated.

Vikkernoff frowned. "They'll make the men handle the dirty work, as usual. Zane Darkwynde, Ulrik Icebridge, Declan Brightflame, and Pierce Bronzewing will be the ones in charge of that," he said.

The others were thoughtfully considering his words. It was true. As things were now, the women oversaw civilization and the men oversaw the military. In the opinion of these few, men should do it all. "Keep an eye out for opportunities. Maybe if the races start a civil war, we'll get our chance to overthrow the women and take charge," Seamus stated.

He wasn't a fool. He knew that was an overly optimistic stance, but they were in a uniquely beneficial time. Before the Plague, Dragon families were numerous. Any number of direct relations could step in if something happened to a member of the Dracosenati or the Conclave. But it wasn't the same now. Families dwindled to just a handful. 

The real opposition wasn't necessarily the women. It was the men who protected them and the status quo. While Silvermoon was incredibly weak, with no true Knight Protector, they had allies. Those were the tough bones to chew, especially the likes of Zane Darkwynde and Pierce Bronzewing, who both paved a bloody trail in the Hunter Wars. Ulrik Icebridge and Declan Brightflame weren't far behind them.

Seamus cut a cold glance at Yvor. They actually had an opportunity to take over Thale after Terrance Icestorme died and before Marius Icestorme was able to stabilize his position. But the secret attempt at a coup was quickly suppressed by the Frost Guard of the Platinum Council and the scapegoat executed after a secret court. This was part of the reason Yvor seemed to be slacking off. He had already made his attempt and failed.

"It's almost lunchtime. I'll see what my wife is making for lunch," he said and unilaterally cut communication with the other five. He stood, put a smile on his face and left his study to find his flighty wife.

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