Things had gone to Hel in a well-crafted handbasket, and Daz wasn't just talking about the most recent meeting with the Synedrion. The Empire was balking, yet again, about funds for the Chandric Barricade. Daz didn't blame them, really she didn't. It seemed like the Anyeli were shouldering the worst of the financial burden, border patrols having reported too many Mystrider scouts crossing Empire territory for comfort. The mountains were the spine of the mainland, cutting eastern civilisation off from the biggest threat - the location of the Acanthan portal - so support was generally slow in coming, as if Alexshire and all the rest failed to realise that an invasion could just as easily make for the Fae portal and then get up close and personal before they even knew what was happening. The Faeth clans and communes had volunteered manpower, at least. The Anyeli were probably the least vulnerable of the lot of them, though, shielded as they were by rugged mountains and cloud-top abodes. So, no, Daz didn't blame them.
She was fed up of having the exact same meeting every week for half a year. Granted, she didn't have to attend them all. They'd probably prefer she didn't, actually, but Xanth had given her carte blanche to Aide as she pleased, and she hadn't spent so long as the Archon (mindless or not) to let the new guy slide her people into oblivion. She was fairly sure he was trying to discredit Xanth for his own ends. Normally, she wouldn't give a damn about all this political and religious crap - let Xanth defend herself - but with another god waiting in the wings to take over, Daz would be damned (more than she was already) if she'd let this go unargued.
“Ergh.” She wanted to kick his head in, so she kicked at air instead. She was perched on the roof of the Central Tower after the meeting, stripping flakes of moss from the tiles. She could just make out voices from the Council Room's balcony below, but was trying not to listen for fear of being pushed over the edge - not literally, because she could fly if that happened and she had excellent footing, but she was already tempted to throw Alexis off the nearest balcony. And oh, look, the nearest balcony was right there.