Michael studied the Heads and Elders, as they called each other, intently. The Heads belonged to a faction of warriors who had been fighting the Supreme Human Alliance for centuries. They had only been in the Council for a few hundred years, but their influence was huge.
Their impression was much better than that of the Elders, who were generally known as more cautious members of the Council. The Elders were scholars and would much rather focus on their people and progress than fight the Supreme Human Alliance.
The Nest Leader didn't tell Michael which faction betrayed them, but it was probably the Heads if he had to guess. The 'warriors' were powerful Awakened, but they didn't strike him as trustworthy. On the other hand, the Elders felt more genuine. They talked to him respectfully, gestured to him to sit down, and were polite enough to offer him something to drink.
