Page 2 of The Ruler
“And where is that?”
I tilted my head and spoke calmly. “Laura is safe in the Brown Area; there’s a dojo in the desert where she lives.”
“What is a dojo?”
“A studio where martial artists are trained.”
“And she lives in the studio?” Jenna asked with her nose wrinkled upward.
“No, she lives close by, but I don’t think we need to go into the details of her living arrangements; all you need to know is that she’s in the Brown sector and that she’s safe,” I said.
“My sector.” Sheana arched a brow that made her look so different from her normally smiling persona. “Why haven’t I been informed about this? I should like to meet this Laura.”
I smiled softly. “Of course, I’ll make sure to get you the details of her whereabouts.”
“Is there any chance Laura would be interested in returning to the Northlands?” Isobel asked and gave the floor back to me.
“That’s not my impression. Laura has explicitly asked to stay here,” I replied.
With deep frown lines across her forehead, Isobel leaned forward. “Who votes for Laura’s right to stay as long as she chooses?”
I activated my vote and wasn’t surprised to see one hundred and one votes confirming that Laura could stay.
“We are in agreement then,” my mother concluded. “But that leaves the question about the priestess that has been taken hostage by the Nmen. Since we’re unwilling to meet their ruler’s request to return Laura, what are our other options to have the priestess returned home?”
“Could we pay a ransom?” a young member suggested.
I cleared my throat. “That’s not an option. It’s against our policies and even if we were willing, I’ve already spoken to their ruler Khan Aurelius and he is very firm that they want us to return Laura at once.”
“You spoke to him?” Naomi looked horrified. “How did you speak to him? Surely he wasn’t allowed to connect to our Wise-Share network?”
“Isobel appointed me to negotiate with him. But I assure you that I’ve done nothing to jeopardize the safety of our network. I was guaranteed by our tech people that they had established a secure line that was safe to use.”
“And what did you say to him?”
“I’ve informed Lord Khan that we don’t know where Laura is.”
“And he believed you?” Patricia asked.
“For now.” I nodded my head.
“So what happens when we don’t return her? Will they kill our priestess?” someone asked.
“The priestess’s name is Athena,” Isobel pointed out.
“Oh, that poor woman,” Patricia cried out with great sympathy. “She must be so frightened. Maybe they caged her and raped her already.”
“Again,” Isobel reprimanded, “let’s not be ruled by our fear or speculate about things we have no way of knowing. We should focus on finding a solution to help her.”
“Sanctions,” Jenna interjected. “We could use heavy sanctions to make the Nmen cooperate.”
“Yes.” Isobel agreed. “I suggest we close down all trade with the Northlands until they’ve returned Athena.”
“But what guarantees do we have that sanctions will make them return her?” Juliana asked in a high pitch.
“None,” I said firmly. “And after speaking to their ruler, I would say that we’re risking Athena’s life. They are primitive people with little regard for human life and threatening them only brings out the worst in them. I don’t think sanctions will make them give in to our demands.”
Gasps were heard, followed by low mutters.
