Councilor Andam quickly waved a hand to keep the other Council members both quiet and still but neither of those things happened. The Council members quickly began to gossip between one another, words flying so low and so quick that, try as he might, Jake just couldn't understand what they were saying. He didn't have to understand the words though, to know the meaning. He knew exactly what they were talking about – Rose and her fiery, dramatic exit.
"ENOUGH!" Andam roared, letting out a spurt of fire as he did so. The rest of the Council swiftly bowed to his limbs, closing their mouths and straightening up at their places. "If we are going to talk about this," Andam seethed, "We will do it in a calm and concise manner – it will be a group discussion, one opinion at a time so we can clearly find a result in this quandary. Understood?"
With grumbling agreement, the Council resumed their dignified expressions and faced the remaining three guests.
"Councilor Omina," Councilor Andam said calmly, "you seemed to have a very strong opinion on what just occurred. Would you like to share that with the rest of us now?"
Councilor Omina cleared her throat. "Yes; I would. I believe that this display just proves why we should not, as the expression goes, hitch our wagon to theirs. She is, not only unpredictable, but she has no moral compass. As the effects of her genetic engineering begin to take over, the Huntsmistress will only get more volatile. I fear what she will become in the future. I was hesitant about a partnership with her before but now I am dead set against it. We, meaning the magical community as a whole, simply cannot join forces with the Huntsclan."
Councilor Andam nodded as she spoke. Jake felt a tug of anger in his gut, but he pushed it away. There may still be a chance to rescue this mission (and it never did any good whatsoever to have he and Rose lose their temper at the same time that always ended in disaster). He needed to appear calm and collected, no matter what he felt on the inside.
Councilor Kulde spoke directly after Councilor Omina. "I tend to agree with you, Omina. I think that we should sign an agreement with the Huntsclan. However, it should not be the agreement we originally thought should be put in the words. I think that it should state simply, that the Huntsclan should not involve themselves with anything magic related. It will put an end to their tyranny and we will be able to monitor them from afar without their knowledge."
Jake nearly snorted at that. Like the Council could do anything concerning the Huntsclan without the Huntsclan knowing, especially since Rose was now sure to be hyper vigilant after the Council meeting.
"Councilor Kulde," Councilor Andam requested, "What is your opinion on this matter?"
"I think we should cease contact with the Huntsclan immediately," the bearded-man replied. "I have a very negative feeling when I think of the Clan and the new Huntsmistress. Perhaps I am being close-minded and prejudicial but magical creatures have come so far on their instincts and it would be unwise to ignore those now."
"Is that all?" Councilor Andam asked, surprised at the brevity of Councilor Kulde's speech.
Councilor Kulde nodded. "I needn't speak for hours to get my point across."
"Very well. Councilor Kukulkan, do you have anything to add?"
"I surely do!" Councilor Kukulkan cried with force. "I am in complete agreement with Councilor Kulde. But I think we should take it a step further. Not only should the Council refuse any more dealings with the Clan, we should make it mandatory for all dragons, and by extension, the rest of the magical creatures, to avoid contact as well. You know, Andam, that I was against having this meeting in the first place. I was not simply hesitant like Omina, I almost refused to appear at this meeting. How are we so willing to overlook the past of the Huntsclan? A new leader does not ensure a new direction! We are putting ourselves at their mercy."
"If I may play devil's advocate," Councilor Andam said slowly, thinking through his next words as he spoke, "Why do you think that a ban on Huntsclan contact would benefit the magical community?"
"Well they wouldn't be murdered in their beds for one!" Councilor Kukulkan exclaimed. "I don't see how we're considering this. Every moment one of us spends in one of their company, the more vulnerable we become. God only knows what kind of information she's already stolen from the American and Chinese Dragons! Huntsmistress Rose the kind of con artist that Huntsmaster Theron only wished that he could be. All because she's taking off her clothes for the young dragon!"
"Wait just a minute!" Councilor Kulde scolded Councilor Kukulkan. "I have put great faith in the American Dragon since he was just a young child –"
"Which was obviously misplaced because he was a heroin addict!" Councilor Omina snapped.
"Crystal meth," Jake whispered to Fu, tone dripping with irony. "I like how much attention they pay to the matters they decide upon."
"Welcome to reality, kid," Fu muttered in return.
"Nevertheless," Councilor Kulde said with authority and superiority, "I still have faith in him. And no one in this room can deny that Lao Shi is one of the wisest dragons alive today. Whatever Huntsmistress Rose's intentions originally were when it came to the American Dragon, if they were ill, I believe that Lao Shi and Jacob would already have discovered them."
"Are you telling me," Councilor Kukulkan sneered, "that you're a romantic, Kulde?"
Councilor Kulde fixed Jake with a look. "Approach, please," he requested.
Jake stepped closer to the Councilors' table. "Yes?"
"Can you please tell us about the beginning of your relationship with the Huntsmistress?" Councilor Kulde asked.
"I didn't know that Rose was of the Clan when I met her. I met her in high school. She sat beside me in a class. It wasn't until months later that she was revealed to be the Huntsmistress."
Councilor Kulde smirked at Councilor Kukulkan. "See, Kukulkan. I don't need to be a romantic about the situation – I simply see the reality for what it is."
Councilor Andam cleared his throat. "This has all been very interesting, but we need to reach a conclusion."
"Well," Councilor Omina sighed. "The Huntsmistress and her companions have already left the island so no more peace talks can be had; though I think the Council needs further private discussion before we even think of inviting her back."
"There is your conclusion, Andam," Kulde said. "We convene and discuss where we should go from here."
Andam nodded. "Lao Shi, Jacob, Fu Dog; I am glad you were able to make the trip – please extend that to the Huntsmistress and her companions as well. Though I do not think the Council will be meeting again with this group for quite some time, I do believe that we will be communicating with you often for information.
"You are," Andam continued, "Of course, invited to stay on the island for another night. However, as stated before, the Huntsclan members have already departed and I would not blame you if you chose to follow them. The choice is yours."
"Thank you for having us," Lao Shi said politely. "But I think we will head home on the next flight."
"It leaves in an hour," Councilor Omina supplied quickly.
"Perfect," Fu exclaimed.
(-.-)
The Dark Dragon lifted his head. "It is very convenient that they think Chang is dead," he murmured to Theron.
"You keep saying that," Theron snapped, "but you have not yet explain to me why it is so."
"The Dragon Council has a heavily connected network between all living members – there is not a thing on that island sanctuary that a Council Member is not privy to at any time; and it is all done through a magic network, there is no need for a member to physically be there. Since they think Chang is dead, they did not bother to exclude her from the network. Using a bit of magical trickery, I managed to manipulate the network so I have access to all of the information in place of Chang." The Dark Dragon snorted. "Silly old fools; they think they are untouchable."
"And you have gleaned some helpful information?" Theron asked, a twang of hope in his bitter voice.
"I have. I know where the Huntsgirl is going to be in roughly half an hour. You may get your chance to reclaim your prize then."
Theron's eyes gleamed hungrily. "Where?"
"The airport," The Dark Dragon revealed. "You may want to hurry."
And hurry Theron did.
The Huntsgirl was practically within his grasp again.
And, this time, he would never let go.
(-.-)
"Are you sure it's safe?" Nicholas demanded of Rose.
She gave him a look. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?"
Nicholas returned her steady gaze. "My question still stands," he defended. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Dude," Kyle clamped a hand down on Nicholas' shoulder and gave him a shake. "She's the Huntsmistress. When she's on the prowl, it's the rest of the world that's not safe."
"I do not prowl," Rose sniffed. "Regardless; I am going to walk back to the Huntsquarters. I need some time to clear my head and digest that disaster of a trip."
"All right," Nicholas heaved a sigh. "I can understand that."
Rose smiled and ruffled his hair. Despite the fact that she didn't need Nicholas' understanding, she still appreciated it.
"I shouldn't be too long anyhow," she assured him. "And I'll alert you as soon as I return so you can stop your worrying."
Nicholas grinned sheepishly up at her. "I know you don't need to do it but I really would appreciate it, Huntsmistress."
"And so would I," Kyle snarked. "He's going to be utterly inconsolable the entire time you're gone. You should have seen what a wreck he was while you were on your Headquarters world tour. He must've gone through the list of everything that could go wrong at least a hundred times daily."
"Shut up," Nicholas ordered. "We'll see you back at the Huntsquarters, okay?"
"Okay," Rose agreed.
She parted ways with them at the airport door. They loaded themselves into a cab – stuffing their bags unceremoniously in the trunk – and she walked slowly into one of the alleys tucked next to the airport. Once she was away from prying eyes, she slipped on her Huntsmistress outfitted (having been tucked into her pocket for this exact reason). Leaving her street clothes lying on the ground, Rose prepared to vault back in the streets, unleashing the new supernatural (no, they weren't supernatural powers, were they? They were genetic alterations) lose inside of her so she could move faster than any living creature.
But before she could take a deep breath and take on more step, she felt something pierce her neck. Rose reached upward, pulling a dart from her flesh. She recognized the little object immediately – it was Huntsclan make, roughly two years old, empty – all of its sleeping drug emptied into her system.
She felt her body begin to get woozy. She attempted to fight it but it wasn't working. Whatever serum had been in this dart, it wasn't of the usual caliber the Huntsclan produced. It had been stronger – probably designed for someone much stronger, much larger than Rose herself.
She took a tottering step forward, wondering if she could find a safe hiding spot before the drug took over, but she fell to her knees. She tried to crawl, knowing that whoever had shot her would probably be coming after her soon.
She was heading for a manhole. Despite the disgusting nature of New York sewers, Rose knew them like the back of her hand. She could hide underground for as long as necessary.
She had just hooked her fingers on the manhole when she felt strong arms lifting her. She tried to fight but her mind was becoming as woozy as her body. She whacked her attacker's jawline with a weak elbow, but was curled into his arms easily – the drug had made her docile as a kitten.
Before she completely blacked out, Rose focused on the mask her attacker wore.
"Master?" She blurted before the tranquilizer took over.