What was she proposing? Something that would draw her guardians away from their search for Nick and the remaining element. Something she hated to do but which she couldn’t see another way around.
She turned to face the room. “I think the Council’s going to move on the Misos once they have them segregated. They destroyed the Kyrenia settlement once before because the witches inhabited it, and they wanted to prevent them from rising to power. They forced what remained to the fringes of society. As Skyla said, they see any bit of difference as a threat.”
“Fuckers,” Orpheus muttered.
Theron ignored his interjection and focused on Isadora. “Have you seen something to indicate this?”
Her gift of foresight wasn’t always reliable, especially when it related directly to her. And this definitely did. But what she had seen… Her stomach rolled all over again. She wasn’t ready to share that with anyone, because she was hoping like hell it wouldn't come true.
“No.” That was the truth. What she’d seen had nothing to do with the Misos. “But I feel it.”
“I think she’s right,” Casey said, her soft brown hair swaying as she turned to look up at her mate. “I read about what the Council did to the Kyrenia settlement. A repeat of that would cut Isadora’s power at the knees and make her look weak to the inhabitants of Argolea.”
The burning of the Kyrenia settlement was a dark part of Argolea’s history. It hadn’t happened all that long ago, but Isadora remembered the stories about the suffering. Her father, the king, had granted the Council permission to eradicate what he deemed “a viable threat” from the witches, and though Isadora hadn’t been strong enough to stand up to him or the Council then, she was determined there would never be a repeat.
“All life has value here,” she said, “regardless of race, gender, or affiliation. And I’m not about to let Nick’s legacy be destroyed. Protecting his people is the least we can do after everything he’s done for us.”
Casey smiled at her sister, but Isadora didn’t have the strength to smile back. If the Council had their way, Casey would be segregated right along with the Misos. She was a true half–breed, but because she was the king’s illegitimate daughter and the mate now to the leader of the Argonauts, they turned a blind eye to her.
“You’re talking about pulling the monarchy’s private guards and stationing them at the Misos settlement,” Theron said.
“And Argonauts.”
“And Argonauts,” he muttered, clearly not approving of this plan. “That will leave the castle vulnerable.”
It would. But Isadora couldn’t see another way around it. “We tried keeping the Misos within the castle walls, but that didn’t work. I don’t blame them for wanting to get away from this place. Any kind of segregation is a prison, no matter how elaborate the facility may be. But if the Council gets their way and forces segregation, things are going to escalate quickly.”
When the leader of the Argonauts clenched his jaw, Isadora sighed. “The job of the Argonauts was never to protect the monarchy or this castle, Theron. The Argonauts were established to protect the human realm, and the Misos are part of that. You know I’m right.”
Theron didn’t answer, but a vein ticked in his temple. One that told her he wasn’t happy.
“Demetrius will never go along with this,” Casey warned.
“This isn’t Demetrius’s call,” Isadora said, looking at her sister. “It’s mine.” Demetrius was where he needed to be right now—looking for Nick—and it was time she did what she needed to do—take care of Nick’s people.
She focused on Theron once more. “Tomorrow, I want you to take however many soldiers and Argonauts you need and secure the Misos. The rest of the Argonauts I want split into two groups. One looking for the remaining water element, and the other helping Demetrius search for Nick.”
“My queen—” Theron started.
“That’s my decision,” she said firmly.
Shuffling sounded by the door before he could argue with her, and Isadora looked that direction. Max, her eleven-year-old nephew, stepped into the room carrying a smiling Elysia. Behind him, his mother and Isadora’s other sister, Callia, followed.
The baby cooed, and Isadora’s mood jumped at the sight of her happy daughter. Elysia was only six months old, but she was growing fast, and she looked huge in Max’s arms.
The baby wrapped her chubby little fingers around a fistful of Max’s shaggy blond hair, then pulled. The two had a special relationship. If Max was anywhere close, Elysia wanted to be near him.
“Ouch,” Max said. “She’s definitely got Argonaut genes. She’s getting stronger every day.”
Callia grinned behind him. “Babies tend to do that.”
Orpheus let go of Skyla and pushed from the couch before Isadora could reach for her daughter. “Gimme that kid.”