Murmurs of disbelief swept through the room. She could feel their skepticism like a weight on her shoulders.
"Urgent situation?" Lyam challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. "What could be more important than this meeting?"
His voice was sharp, cutting through the tension. Starfania took a moment, choosing her words carefully.
"Maybe this will help me explain better. " she explained, her voice softer yet firm. Reaching into her pockets, she retrieved the small glass vial containing the ominous black substance. The flickering candlelight reflected off its surface, illuminating the swirling, inky liquid inside. She held it up for all of them to see.
A ripple of confusion spread across the room. Eyes narrowed, expression shifted, and whispers erupted between the gathered leaders. They stared at the vial, their curiosity battling against their disbelief. Lyam, unable to mask his bewilderment, took a step closer. His sharp gaze flickered between Starfania and the vial before he finally asked, " What is that exactly? "
Starfania tightened her grip on the vial. " This is the poison created by VulcanFire. "
A stunned silence fell over the room. The weight of her words settled over them like a suffocating fog. Shock rippled through the gathered leaders as they exchanged glances of disbelief and growing alarm. Finally, Lyam broke the silence, his voice laced with urgency. " Where did you get it? "
Starfania turned to Lyam, her mind racing with memories, and she asked. " Do you remember the VulcanFire camp you were last at? "
Lyam nodded without hesitation. " Of course. I remember. "
Starfania took a deep breath before continuing. " When me and my friends were looking for you. We found the VulcanFire camp you were last spotted at and in one book, the vial was hidden inside. "
Lyam fell silent, his expression unreadable as he absorbed Starfania's words. Then, frustration flickered across his face as he let out a sharp exhale. " You mean to tell me you've had this all along and never thought to bring this to my attention? "
Starfania shrugged, unbothered by his exasperation. " I wasn't certain what it was. To me, it seemed like just an old vial. And let's not forget, you've imprisoned both me and my friend. "
Lyam sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if trying to push away a forming headache. He turned to Aeron, seeking some sort of logical explanation. His eyes silently pleaded for assistance in making sense of it all. Aeron, however, simply crossed his arms and smirked. " Hey, I'm not the one who locked us up. "
Violet also chimed in. " Not to mention you did separate us from our dragons. Not a very good first expression. "
Lyam narrowed his eyes, the weight of their words pressing down on him.
"I understand all of that," he replied tightly, "but knowing you had that vial could have changed everything."
Starfania met his gaze steadily, the corners of her mouth quivering just slightly. "Maybe, but it didn't seem worth mentioning until now."
Aeron shifted his stance, clearly enjoying the tension in the room. "If you're gearing up for a blame game, you might want to bring more to the table. We all have our share of mistakes."
Lyam leaned back, crossing his arms defensively. "This isn't a game, Aeron. People's lives are at stake, including yours."
Violet stepped closer, brow furrowing in concern. "Look, we can argue all day or we can figure out what's in that vial. That's the real treasure here." Lyam glanced at the small glass container in Starfania's hand, its contents swaying gently. "Fine. Just go and take that vial to our head scientist. "