Page 3628

“If the rewards can be deemed worth it, then yes,” said Santos. “The money we could procure from this venture would be what allows us to rebuild our nation and protect it. And moreover, from the sound of things, the Drylands will have an even greater need of such funding. We may need to take stewardship over them while the Sandlords remain broken.”

“Just as they did for our people,” added Evangelina.

“And so our finances will be stressed even further,” said Santos.

“Hold on now,” said Salvador. “Abbas Saqqaf yet lives. Whatever else is uncertain, that much is not.”

“Of course,” said Santos. “And I am sure all of Hahl Saqqaf will wish to fight alongside us, but they alone cannot hold the entirety of the Drylands. Until more Sandlords return or make contact with us, we should plan to aid the entire nation, not just the Wetlands.”

Horatio Blackburn decided to jump in now. “I do not know if that is wise. Would it not be better to focus our efforts on the Wetlands first, establish a foothold there, and then worry about expanding into the Drylands if and when it is deemed necessary? I feel we may be biting off more than we can chew, otherwise.”

“You’re right, of course,” said Rayen. “Our subjects must come first. Taking a long view of things is all well and good, Santos, but the grander we make our plans, the longer they will take to enact. The fact of the matter is that we may never feel fully prepared to return. It is always going to seem a great risk. But we have a duty to take it--and sooner rather than later.”

Santos made no response.

Damn. Diego wanted to help, but he wasn’t sure what to say here. He wasn’t even sure if it was his place to say anything. Truthfully, these big meetings with all the heads still made him feel knots in his stomach.

Fortunately, Grandma picked up the slack. “We also have a duty to our own Houses. Our families. And to each other. I am leaning toward Santos’ perspective of preparedness here. This is a critical time for our people. A cautious approach would be best, in my opinion.”

“Relying on the Vanguard again is not the cautious approach,” said Rayen. “If Zeff were here, I am certain he would be agreeing with me. And loudly so.”

Well, she was probably right about that, Diego thought.