Chapter 97: 47

Estre laughs. "I've done nothing but talk to the council about it," he says. "It seems like every argument I make, they have a counter. It always comes back to respecting the establishment, to keeping the alliance safe. They're unmovable. The happiness of the whales trumps everything, always. They've pretty much written Cinza off. They don't even call her 'Cinza' anymore. It's always just 'that mermaid' or 'the traitor.' It's really scary." He chokes up a little bit. "She might die, and all my clout, all my respect, it means nothing. I can't even save someone that I care about."