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except for the question of whether Mot would be banished or killed—and he had decided. What more could there possibly be to talk about? The Chamber went completely still as the entire clan held its breath, waiting for the reaction of the Elders. The crackling of the Fire was the only thing that could be heard for what seemed an eternity.
    Finally, it was Ag who broke the silence so that everyone, including himself, could breathe. It had taken him that long to control his anger enough to speak. He looked directly into Fet’s golden and unblinking eyes and sent her an unspoken warning. “It appears that Fet the Wise Mother has an opinion on this issue,” was Ag’s best effort of saying that Fet now had permission to speak without the immediate threat of him killing her.
    “Thank you Ag son of Ta. It is an honor to be present, and an honor to have permission to speak,” her voice was melodic and soothing and her words served as an indirect apology to Ag and the Council for her effrontery. Fet knew she was taking a chance, but she had seen something in Mot that she liked long ago, and she now had an ulterior motive. When the word of his adventure had been relayed to her it had only confirmed her suspicions that he might be an Arzat worth saving. Well, perhaps saving, she reminded herself. When Za’a, Mot’s mother, had asked her for the favor of trying, she had decided to take the risk.
    “I will not argue that Mot’s actions did not violate clan law,” Fet continued. “But what real crime did he commit? Who among us would have had the courage to venture into the night alone? Who of us would have had the cunning to beat the great lizards back to the caves? Who of us would have had the fortitude to singlehandedly turn and fight? I know of no one of us!” Fet paused to let the point sink in. She had just indirectly insulted every Hunter in the Chamber, but she felt she needed to do so in order to ultimately win the argument.
    “As far as I have heard, Mot replaced the barrier when he left the caves , and his absence was only discovered by a betrayal.” Her golden eyes panned the room and eventually fell on young El, who squirmed uncomfortably under her direct gaze. While upholding the laws of the Elders was always paramount to the clan, logic and emotion ran the other way when it came to loyalty and informants. Most everyone now knew that it was El who had folded under the scrutiny of one of the more senior Hunters who had passed near the barrier as El stood by waiting for Mot’s return. Fet hoped that by mentioning this fact she might take some heat off of Mot. El, it seemed, was to be given a complete pass on the incident due to the fact that he was directly related to Ag, and only indirectly involved in the actual incident itself. Many in the Chamber turned toward him, staring with intense disapproval. El flinched and cast his eyes to the floor.
    “Of all the great and courageous Hunters,” Fet continued, “who grace our presence this night and all that have passed into the void, I know of not one who has done battle singly with the great two legged Evil Ones and triumphed!”
    There was another huge gasp from the floor. Fet knew she was on shaky ground. Mot had technically broken clan law simply by venturing out, but she could see many heads shake from side to side, and she knew her words were reaching them. Fet also knew she was risking her own demise, but she was old and tired and had seen the fire in the sky herself. The world was ending so that a new one could be born. If the Zanta Clan was to survive to become a part of the new, then Fet and the other females of the clan had devised the only way she thought it could be done. She was determined now that she wanted Mot to be a part of it.
    “I say neither banishment, nor death tonight for Mot. I say let Mot take a place among the others we have chosen for the great sleep. I say let the Creator ultimately decide if he is a worthy Arzat.” Fet was done.