Kendrick sat back and rubbed his chin. "Let me guess...Lycaonia."
Aiden nodded.
Darian gave a harsh laugh. "It gets even better. René Evreux is Lycaonia's representative."
"That douchebag?" Meryn exclaimed.
Anne looked up at him. "I know nothing about your world or how things are normally run. But when a group is formed like this, it's usually done with a purpose in mind, and I don't think it has anything to do with Aiden's performance."
Kendrick looked down the table. Anne's words rang true. "So what are they really after?" she asked.
Aiden hesitated and looked around. "Ryuu?"
Ryuu appeared in the doorway. "Sir?"
"Could you step into the room please?" Aiden asked.
Ryuu stepped inside completely, and when Aiden turned back to Kendrick, their eyes met. Without having to be asked, Kendrick closed his eyes and cast a soundproofing spell.
He opened his eyes. "Done."
Aiden relaxed back in his chair. "Thank you."
Ryuu walked over until he was standing behind Meryn. "I take it from my requested presence that my input is also welcome?"
Aiden turned his head and looked up at the squire. "Yes. I'm not too proud to ask for opinions and help. Except for the women, with Keelan laid up, Colton and I are the two youngest paranormals in the room. I have a feeling that whatever is bubbling to the surface, started brewing a long time ago."
Gavriel turned to Aiden. "The Elder Generation has never been satisfied with the division of power after the Great War. Many of them held seats of great influence before the four pillar cities were created and we became more diverse. With the exception of Evreux, all of the Committee members I saw today have much to gain if they garner the people's favor by uncovering nefarious deeds performed by everyone's most trusted Unit Commander."
"So, it's a witch hunt?" Anne asked then gasped. She looked up at him. "Sorry."
He smiled at her. "No offense taken, the term is used correctly. What grievances have they brought forward?"
Aiden sat back, his eyes closed. He looked too exhausted to answer. Knowing how most bureaucratic bodies worked, Kendrick guessed that he had probably been raked over the coals all afternoon.
Colton spoke for his friend. "Offenses include, but are not limited to: allowing Meryn to command the units; being responsible for Amelia destroying the town square; being responsible for damages caused by Meryn's flour spell that made the invisible ferals visible; Aiden leaving Lycaonia while it was under attack; Aiden taking units away from Lycaonia while the city was under attack; unilateral decisions regarding technology; unilateral decisions regarding warrior training; placing unit warriors in positions of power to gain more influence; allowing a unit witch to cast the perimeter spell over the whole city, and finally, allowing a unit warrior to be compromised by the enemy."
Meryn paled. "Holy shit balls, that's mostly crap I've done," she declared.
Amelia's cheeks were flushed with anger as her eyes flashed dangerously. "They are daring to complain about the square and Meryn's flour spell? We saved lives! Or does that not matter anymore?"
Rheia's voice trembled. "I can't believe they are using what happened to Keelan as a grievance, and we have no idea who cast the perimeter spell."
Elizabeth turned to Aiden. "Who are they talking about when they said you put a warrior is a position to gain more influence?"
Aiden sat up and sighed heavily. "Caiden. He's been performing two roles since Amelia was born. When his father, the witch elder, decided to travel with his mate, Caiden picked up the duties since it didn't require a lot of attention. He's been acting as Storm Keep's witch elder and unit leader for decades. I don't see why it's such a big deal now."
Elizabeth pursed her lips together. "I'll bet you my favorite day planner they use that as a platform to put someone else of their choosing in that role--'temporarily', of course. Aiden, you have to be prepared to lose him as a unit leader; he's too valuable as an elder to lose that seat due to positional jockeying."
Gavriel agreed. "Beth is correct. We need every ally we can get at the council level."
Aiden nodded. "I'll start looking at rosters."
Anne frowned and looked around the room. "So, basically, what you're saying is that the charges are technically accurate?" Her question was met with silence. She continued. "Then what you need is a good, old fashioned, spin doctor."
Colton blinked. "A what?"
Amelia clapped her hands excitedly. "She's right! This so-called Committee is trying to launch a smear campaign, so what we need to do to counter that is share all the great things that Aiden and Meryn have been doing."
Darian didn't look convinced. "Do you think that will work?"
Elizabeth nodded slowly. "If done correctly, yes, it could definitely work. But we need to avoid giving them new ammunition against us."
Everyone at the table turned as one to look at Meryn.
"What?" she demanded.
Amelia wagged a finger at her. "You know what. Be good."
"Why does everyone always say that to me? I'm never really bad." Meryn pouted dramatically.
Aiden chuckled. "My little angel."
Meryn grinned devilishly up at her mate before looking around the table. "On to the next order of business, ferals." Meryn pulled her legs up until she was sitting cross-legged in her chair. "Okay, so what do we know? I'm not sure how much information Kendrick had available to him. There's no telling what was released by the officials at Storm Keep, and I know Anne is clueless, so let's lay it all out for them."