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“Sounds about right.” Odson nodded.
Jori rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Right. Okay. That’s cool, but what does this have to do with anything that’s happening now?”
“First,” Odson held up a finger. “The same person who might know about the key has also been tracking Consortium activities for centuries.”
“Centuries—” Jori gaped.
“Second,” Odson went on. “My gut tells me there’s a connection between you being brought here, once Kargassa had learned the location of Aeleftheria Nisi.” Odson turned to Stenlen. “He didn’t invade.”
Stenlen shook his head. “I advised him to plan the invasion to gain overlordship of the female colony. That’s what he’d always said was the goal. Instead, he told us to pick up this vlogger he’d been following on-line.” Sten nodded at Jori.
Jori’s expression turned morose as he blew out a breath.
“You didn’t know. How could you have?” Kymri slipped her arm around his waist.
“So it’s true? You found our island because you tracked Jori’s vlog to the Bermuda Triangle?” Marli looked from Stenlen to Jori.
“Yes. I just had no idea why Kargassa was following his show.”
“I still don’t get how any of this is linked, Odson?”
“The Consortium are myth chasers, too. But unlike you, they’re mostly underground, and while they referred to themselves as liberators, they’re quite the opposite. They’ve proved themselves to be exploiters and extortionists to get what they want. And they’re very careful about who they reach out to.”
“Given Kargassa’s nature, they had to be sure the thing existed, let alone where it was.” Sten nodded.
“Still, you said that was decades ago.” Jori looked between the two.
“Right. And Kargassa is unexpectedly dead. The mountain is unstable. I expect they’ll reach out again.”
“Do you know who’s come to the mountain over the years?” Jori asked, peering over Elora’s shoulder at the atlas.
“Some. Kargassa kept us busy, so I didn’t spend much time with newcomers. That was more Eamerson’s department.”
“What do you propose?” Elora asked, looking up from the map depicting the old territorial boundaries.
Odson turned to Jori. “I know you asked me here to help build your new council. I will help with that but—”
“Your gut is telling you there’s something in this, and you need to take off.”
Odson nodded.
“I agree,” Elora said. “Kargassa may have engineered all of this from the very start, Jori.”
Marli swallowed at Elora’s taut expression. Her heart went out to the Ambassador and her complicated past with the mountain tribe. Jonathan slid his fingers between Elora’s. He hadn’t left her side since their reunion.
“He just never accounted for the event that you wouldn’t submit,” Stenlen said to Jori.
“Or that I’d kill him.” Jori nodded, reaching for his mother’s free hand.
“Aeleftheria needs to know about this,” Marli’s soft voice pulled Elora’s gaze.
Elora nodded.
Odson put up his hands. “Just—just let me get more information first. We need more before taking this to the queen.”
Exasperated, Marli said, “The report I sent after I got here was short and vague and they’re going to want to know why I haven’t returned yet. The queen and council have a right to know about this other threat.”
Odson nodded. “For now. The Consortium reached out to the mountain dragons and I expect they will again as soon as word gets around that Kargassa is dead. And with males leaving here, it will.”
