Page 77 of The Flame

“What if they choose the Sisters of Capra?” I left that hanging, dangling like bait, then added softly, “You can’t mow down every citizen in the square, Geneva. The tide has turned. There’s no going back. You either swim with it, or you and the Sisterhood will drown.”

She moved to the window again, casting her gaze outside while seconds ticked to minutes, then she finally brought herself into the room again, sat behind her desk and gestured Daniel and me into the visitor chairs. “How would this work?”

I shared a look with Daniel. “You can explain it better than me.”

“Well, the details must still be ironed out, but there are a few fundamental principles.” He shifted in his chair, not squirming, but not entirely comfortable beneath her seething attitude toward him. That’s exactly why I’d given him the floor.

“The people will nominate their candidates,” he said. “Everyone and anyone is eligible. The top ten nominees will stand as official candidates and the people will then cast a final vote to elect three joint leaders.”

“You’re suggesting three leaders, not one?” Geneva looked at me. “That sounds like a council to me.”

“It’s a committee, a tri-electorate body that accommodates more voices, not just the loudest one.”

She fixed a piercing look on me, searching my head, hunting for my weaknesses, and found none.

“I will be put forward as an official candidate,” she declared.

“We haven’t even started the process and already you’re rigging it.”

“It’s one place out of ten and I’m not the only one with an unfair advantage.” She held a finger up and cocked her ear. “Listen to the people chanting outside. They heard you before anyone else had a chance to speak. They will vote overwhelmingly in your favor.”

I scowled at her, at myself, because was she right? “That’s not what I want.”

“As you keep pointing out, this is not about what you want, Georga. You put it out there, and now it is there.” She pursed her lips. “That is my condition. And you should know, I may drown in the aftermath, but I can put up quite the fight if that’s what you prefer.”

I was sure she could turn this into a war, and she would.

“Daniel will be put forward as well.” I checked with him. “If you’re okay with that? Otherwise it will appear biased, as if our support lies with the Sisterhood. This way, we’re bringing on one person from each of the previous regimes. In the end, the people will have the final say.”

Daniel inclined his head. “I’m okay with that.”

I flourished a hand at Geneva. “That is my condition.”

“You’re making a mistake, but since you insist, we’ll trust the people to choose wisely.”

There was still a lot to discuss and it was another before Geneva called for the technical team to set up a screeningin her office. We’d decided that as the head of the current establishment, the message would be clearer, with no scope for doubt or any backtracking, if it came directly from Geneva.

Daniel and I stood to one side. I had something to say, but she would address the people first.

Once she was prepped for the camera, she took her seat behind her desk. “Dear Citizens, you have spoken, and we have listened.”

Daniel tipped his head to me. “You’d think this was her idea.”

A member of the support staff glared at us and put a finger to his lips.

“Keep an eye on her and what she says,” I whispered to Daniel and slipped out the room to fill Roman in on everything.

Geneva wouldn’t speak for long, so I didn’t have much time to explain myself to him before someone popped out to call me back inside.

It was my turn to address the people. To say what I had to say, for possibly the last time.

I sucked in a deep breath. “Do I look like a nightmare?”

His smile came on slow and steady, washing me in warmth. “You look beautiful.”

“I haven’t even showered this morning.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder, steadying me, and held my gaze. “Are you sure about this?”

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