The ruler felt confident, came out in the open, and then they died in an "accident" or from a sudden "stroke".
The Council's philosophy had always been to achieve the maximum result with the minimum involvement, in order to protect the secret of Awakening and its community.
This time, however, their usual approach had failed. Their tactics had managed to slow Thrud's advance but that was it. Sooner or later, she would conquer the entire Kingdom and then it would be too late to stop her.
Awakened were creatures of great longevity that counted time in decades and weren't used to being in a rush. It was the reason the Council had summoned all of its members, no matter their seniority or power, in hope to find a solution to their problem.
