Sadness. Betrayal. Crushing despair. Even a bit of embarrassment. Negative emotions flooded through Leon’s body as he stared at the vote count, but none were quite as pronounced as anger. Wrath flashed through his body like a lightning bolt, white-hot and wild. Rage had his hands twitching. Fury lit a fire in his chest that threatened to spill out into the world.

But, after exercising a titanic amount of self-control, Leon took a few deep breaths and forced himself to remain calm.

He was one of the few who managed to do so, however. The hall had descended into a moment of shocked silence, broken when the Jaguar charged into the area between the benches and the dais, a look of wrath etched into his face so deeply Leon wondered if his face would now be stuck like that forever.

“You… traitors…” he growled as blood-red lightning flickered across his body.

The three elders who’d defected from the Jaguars quivered under the force of his aura, but they remained defiantly standing. A moment later, Hector had leaped over them, landing between them and the Jaguar, his body as solid as a mountain.

“These fine men are the newest elders of the Tiger Tribe,” he said with such a shit-eating grin that Leon wondered if there were anyone in the hall, Tiger or not, who didn’t want to surgically remove his lips. “If anyone were to threaten them,” Hector continued, “the Tigers will defend them…”

“You—” the Jaguar began before Leon’s aura exploded out of his body. Leon let all of the negative emotions he felt loose into his aura, but instead of directing it toward Hector or the elders, he concentrated it on the Jaguar.

“Enough,” he said in a tone of forced calm. “Back down. All elders have a right to vote as they will. I won’t deny them their right to do so.” As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward the three turncoat elders, two of whom at least had the good graces to look guilty. Hector, however, looked as smug as could be.

“Wise of you, pretender,” Hector said. “Accept the vote and leave. Our voices have spoken; you aren’t to be our King!”

“Begone from our island, boy!” the Beast Lord roared, the Bears behind him stomping in approval. “Your power grab is over!”

“Power grab?” Nikolaos shouted in outrage as he rose to his feet, many of Leon’s other supporting elders doing likewise. “We are asserting the natural order! It is your Tribe who made the power grab!”

“Our fellow Tribesman rules by the consent of this voting body!” the Beast Lord furiously responded. “You broach treason! This was nothing less than an attempted coup!”

The Tribes began shouting at each other, the results of the vote still hanging above them all, and beneath the mural of the Thunderbird.

For a moment, Leon tuned them out. His attention was reserved for two men: the Thunderer, and the Ax-Bringer, both of whom were now staring at him. The Ax-Bringer stood with a look of benign interest on his face, but the Thunderer looked like he had been the one betrayed and not Leon. He could barely meet Leon’s gaze, and in that moment, Leon understood that the Thunderer had likely orchestrated little of any of this, whether it was calling for the Elder Council in the first place, charging him with treason, or the intrigues with the elders.

A little bit of his fury melted away with that realization. It suddenly returned as the Beast Lord drew a massive ax from his soul realm and, with wrath writ large upon his face, began brandishing it at Menander, who looked about ready to throw down. In fact, the Ravens and Bison were the only Tribes who seemed in any way calm, though most of the Tigers remained silently seated. Still, that didn’t change the fact that the hall was rapidly filling with killing intent, promising bloodshed unless something was done.

Making eye contact with the Thunderer, Leon called upon his darkness magic and said, [It looks like your people are ready to start a civil war. Can’t say I’m surprised given how long they’ve been amassing troops on the border with the Jaguars.]

The Thunderer glared at him but didn’t respond.

[This vote isn’t done yet,] Leon continued. [Even if it were, I hope you realize that this question isn’t over. Bringing the Bison back unexpectedly was a good trick, I’ll admit, but I have six Tribes on my side, and I’m not leaving. Your people can pull all the tricks they want, but this is inevitable. I’ll win when the Elder Council is next called.]

The Thunderer closed his eyes as if trying to deny reality.

[Have you seen the Bison and Tigers? They want to support me. Even without the rest of the Hawks, Ravens, and Lions, how long until blackmail no longer works on them and some of them switch to my side?]

The Thunderer finally responded. [I know it’s inevitable,] he croaked, even his mental voice sounding hoarse and strained. [I just… All I’ve done has been for the honor and glory of my people.]

[You say that as if any of that would be lost were I to be made King,] Leon responded. [I actually like most of your reforms, Thunderer. I support the vast majority of what you’ve done. Has it ever occurred to you that your reforms might stick better with a Thunderbird King in your corner?]

The Thunderer’s eyes snapped open and locked onto him. But a moment later, he scowled. [We don’t need Kings.]

[And you believe that so strongly that you’ll look the other way when your subordinates pull shady backroom deals? Look at them, are they doing what they’re doing for any love of what you’ve been trying to build?]

Leon nodded his head around the room. The elders were raising a cacophony around the dais and seemed on the verge of fighting each other, no matter what Leon or the Thunderer ordered them to do.

[Seems to me like Hector wants to spite the Jaguars no matter what,] Leon observed as Hector glared viciously at the Jaguar, who appeared one bad word away from executing the three bloodline-less elders behind Hector. [And the Beast Lord just wants to keep the power your Tribe has with you in charge.]

The Thunderer didn’t dispute any of this.

[At the very least,] Leon said, [we can agree that no matter how today ends, no one should die over it.]

The Thunderer subtly nodded.

[Then let’s finish this,] Leon concluded. [Peacefully.]

Turning his attention back to the room, Leon’s aura erupted from him again, causing the storm clouds that lingered around the Elder Hall since his arrival to rain lightning all around them. The Elder Hall was shaken hard, and even though the room was filled with extraordinarily powerful mages in a state of agitation, it caused them to fall silent for just a moment.

But a moment was all Leon needed.

“SILENCE!!!” he bellowed, his voice backed with every ounce of power he could force into it. It echoed around the hall like a thunderclap, causing many of the sixth-tier and weaker spectators to fall to the ground, their ears bleeding.

Leon’s supporters froze, though no one allowed themselves to relax yet.

And then the Thunderer added, “STOW YOUR FUCKING WEAPONS!!!” He pointed directly at the Beast Lord, and his tenth-tier aura settled about the Beast Lord like a pyroclastic surge, freezing the man in place before nearly forcing him to his knees.

The Beast Lord’s look of wrath cooled and after a moment, his ax disappeared in a flash of light.

“BACK TO YOUR SEATS!” Leon shouted. “WE’RE NOT DONE!”

“Yes we are, pretender,” Hector spat. “You lost.”

Leon hardly spared the Tiger a single look before turning to the Ax-Bringer.

“How can I have lost when there are still votes to be counted?”

“Everyone has voted already, dullard!” Hector insisted, which provoked a round of angry shouting from Leon’s supporters, headlined by the Jaguar.

“Insult our rightful King once more and—” The Jaguar was cut off as Leon directly struck him with a bolt of silver-blue lightning. He didn’t pack much power into it, but it was loud and flashy and succinctly made his point. The Jaguar shut his mouth, though he didn’t stop glaring at Hector.

“I still have a vote to cast,” Leon said.

“You are no elder!” an eighth-tier Spider elder declared as the Bears and Spiders shouted their disagreement.

“Where do you think you are?!” Nikolaos angrily responded. He pointed to the Thunderbird mural on the ceiling and added, “How dare you suggest the blood of the Thunderbird has no voice here!”

“He’s using his voice well enough!” the Beast Lord insisted. “He is not one of us!”

Leon turned to the Beast Lord and said, “You attempted to charge me with treason, Beast Lord! You, specifically, even dropped your opposition to my presence! You have already acknowledged me as one of your own! And as the sole remaining member of the Thunderbird Clan, I speak with my Clan’s voice!”

“You cannot vote!” Hector complained. “The vote is about your ludicrous claim! Even if you were entitled to a vote—which you aren’t—you cannot vote in your own election!”

“That’s rather hypocritical of you, Hector,” Leon growled as he faced the Tiger head-on. “I didn’t hear any such complaints come from you when the Thunderer cast his vote. Or are you claiming that he is not just as involved in this vote as I am?”

Hector snarled, but it was the Thunderer who next spoke.

“I support Leon casting a vote.”

He spoke quietly, but firmly, and his voice carried to every corner of the hall, shocking many into silence.

The Ax-Bringer, speaking for the first time since the Jaguar elders’ defections, said, “There is no citable law preventing Leon from receiving a vote. However, there are many laws and traditions Leon Raime could use to claim a vote. Should I recite them for everyone present?”

“That will not be necessary,” Solomon declared as he rose to speak. “The Tigers see no problem with giving Leon Raime a vote!”

“The Rock-Mane Bison agree!” Tillan declared.

What followed was a moment of shocked silence—no elders stamped their feet or shouted in agreement or disagreement. Everyone, those two Tribes included, simply stared at their ninth-tier elders in abject surprise.

Breaking that silence, the Ax-Bringer asked Leon, “So, Leon Raime… how does the Thunderbird Clan vote?”

Without hesitation, Leon said, “I vote for myself.”

The Ax-Bringer dutifully added his vote to the total, bringing the tally into a tie.

As far as Leon knew, ties were fairly rare in the Elder Council, but matters weren’t dropped until the tie was broken. And even if a vote went one way, it could always be revisited when the Elder Council was called again.

[How long will this tie last?] Leon asked the Thunderer. [Days? Weeks? Longer? I still have elders on their way who can swing the balance back in my favor. Even if more elders are convinced to defect to you, how long can your side keep this up? It should be clear that the Bison and Tiger Tribes want me, but have been coerced into siding with you.]

The Thunderer wore a deeply conflicted look and didn’t immediately respond.

Instead, it was the Beast Lord who responded to the tie first.

“This… I will NOT accept this!” he furiously shouted. “This is a farce! This is no less than treason against all of the Ten Tribes! I will NOT accept this!” He drew his ax again, his face now red with unrestrained fury. “It is the sworn duty of all in our Tribes to exterminate those who threaten us! No matter WHO they may be!”

Leon hardly gave the man a serious look. Instead, he stared pointedly at the Thunderer. The Beast Lord was his elder, after all.

Still, with the Beast Lord baring steel once more, blades began being drawn all throughout the hall, and for a moment, it seemed like the vote would devolve into violence.

[It seems you were alone in wanting to build something for the prosperity of all Ten Tribes,] Leon sorrowfully said to the Thunderer. [Side with me. Work with me. There are no reasons we should be opposed on this matter. I will fight back if attacked, but I want all Ten Tribes to work with me!]

The Thunderer wore a look of pain as threats were passed between the Tribes. The Bison and Tigers had drawn their weapons as well as the others, but, to Leon’s eyes at least, they seemed the most defensive of all the Tribes. If there was going to be any violence, it would be the Spiders and Bears who would come out the worst.

That fact had most of the Spiders and Bears hesitating, but the Beast Lord looked almost wild with rage.

And then the Thunderer made his choice. With a snap of his fingers, the Beast Lord was forced to his knees, then dragged across the floor, up the dais, and to the Thunderer. With the weight and power of a mountain, the Thunderer smashed his fist into his fellow Bear’s face, sending him reeling across the hall. The Beast Lord wasn’t killed, but the Thunderer’s statement had been made.

“Sheathe your weapons,” he hoarsely growled as the hall descended once more into stunned silence. To the Ax-Bringer, he said, “I wish to change my vote.”

A mortal could’ve heard a pin drop in the hall as all eyes were fixed upon the Thunderer, and while all the Tribes had their disagreements, nearly all the Tribesmen in the room at least wore the same expression of disbelief for a moment.

“As you say,” the Ax-Bringer said, reducing the Thunderer’s vote total to four hundred and forty-three, and raising Leon’s to four hundred and forty-five.

“My vote was counted in error!” Tillan then declared. “I voted for Leon Raime!”

“As was mine!” Solomon added. Their voices truly broke the silence the hall—and the Bison and Tigers—was under, and dozens of elders began calling out for their votes to change.

And then dozens became hundreds. Leon could hardly believe his ears as more and more elders were declaring their support for him now that the Thunderer and their Tribes’ most respected elders had done so.

He was gratified to see that even a few Bears and Spiders joined in, though the three defecting Jaguars didn’t make a sound. Instead, they quite diligently stared at the floor, looking as if their entire world was collapsing around them.

So many elders were calling for their votes to change, in fact, that the Ax-Bringer had to call for silence and had to systematically work his way through the Tribes again.

When the final votes had been cast, Leon had won six hundred and ninety-one votes, while the Thunderer had won one hundred and ninety-seven.

Leon stood watching the votes add up in shock, hardly any emotions rushing through him. At this point, he was almost expecting some hitherto unseen Tribe to spring out of the woodwork with a thousand elders who would all vote for the Thunderer.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

“I call this vote to a close!” the Ax-Bringer announced. “By the winged grace, our elders have made their will known! Leon Raime, the last descendant of the Thunderbird, shall be our new King!”

Most of the hall exploded into wild cheering. The Lions sprang to their feet and roared at the ceiling, Menander and Xanthippe even transforming into their lion forms to do so. The Jaguars did much the same, along with stomping and calling out their support.

“For our rightful King!” one shouted.

“To restore the world!” another added.

“With bloodied fangs, our enemies will tremble!” a third roared.

The Jaguar himself sprang up, only to fall to a knee a moment later. “My King!” he shouted as he bowed to Leon. Many Tribesmen throughout the hall echoed his movements, and Leon found his people bowing to him from just about every angle.

Singer led the Hawks in a wordless song, the Harts stomped and cried out in glee, and the Ravens sat relatively stoically, though Leon could see more than a few faint smiles among their number.

The Bison cheered, and the Tigers—most of them, anyway—roared their approval. The Spiders were more subdued, but those few who’d voted for Leon stomped their feet in support.

The Bears were the quietest, and not even the handful who’d supported Leon made any noise.

Hector looked like he’d been forced to swallow a lemon, and the Beast Lord stared at the vote totals in shock, the massive bruise that the Thunderer had made on his face shining purple in the hall’s light.

“Send word to every corner of Kataigida!” the Ax-Bringer shouted. “The Ten Tribes have a new King!”

The hall erupted into cheering again, but Leon tuned most of it out. Instead, he stared at the Thunderer.

The large man stood on the dais with closed eyes and crossed arms. He didn’t look even remotely happy at having lost the vote, but Leon quietly hoped he wasn’t going to take this too hard. While the Jaguar hated him, Leon found that he actually thought rather highly of the Thunderer, even without considering his change in vote. He would need to have a long talk with him later.

But for now, he widened the scope of his attention and raised his arms in celebration as he slowly sauntered to the middle of the dais. The hall cheered again, and it finally started to sink into his mind.

The vote was over.

He’d won.

Whatever he was before, he was now a King.

He smiled and reveled in the cheers of the elders. There was going to be a lot of work ahead of him, but for now, he could celebrate.