The silence seemed to stretch on.
"What say you, king Maelor?" Thornak asked him.
"In my opinion," Maelor's deep voice echoed through the hall. "Our pride has taken us this far, but it won't protect us from a sorcerer's magic. We're facing something worse than we've ever faced. Ignoring the witches would be unwise. Magic is the only thing that can fight magic."
He then leaned forward, bracing his hands against the table.
"We stand at a turning point," he added. "We can cling to old grudges and die clinging, or we can adapt as your king said, as our forebears once did when the world shifted beneath them. This is no longer about honor, not even about vengeance. It is about survival."
Many of the council members nodded in approval.
"Wise words king Maelor," Thornak said. "So then, do we agree to invite the witches into Lycan lands?"
"We need them," someone said.
