Leonel still wasn't sure of exactly what to do. It was a troublesome position to be in. But ultimately, there was no other way to go about this.
At the very least, this current position was still better than what would have happened had he just stood to the side and did nothing. At that point, the Rapax and Sea Gods would become allies and then he would be screwed.
'Hm… something is still odd here.'
While he was certain that the Rapax had to be being controlled by someone, where were they?
Also, Xenothrall's actions didn't seem like he was getting marching orders from someone else. He reacted much the same way any other Rapax would. If he was being led by someone else, why not take this step?