When Good Plans Go Bad by J Boyd Long

Author:J Boyd Long [Long, J Boyd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781948169097
Publisher: Mad Goat Press
Published: 2019-04-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Quentin stood before the elders, with his hands clasped before him to keep them from visibly shaking. The cooling-off period was over, and they were back in Viho’s house to decide how they were going to handle the capture of Bob and Tocho. Quentin felt like he was on a stage in front of a crowd, even though there were only five people in the room. Public speaking was definitely not on his list of strengths. His mouth was dry, but he ignored it and focused on what he was about to say.

He looked around the room, making brief eye contact with each person, just as Eissa had coached him. Tahki and Viho sat on one side. Two of the tribe’s elders sat on the other side, and Eissa was at the far end. She gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up, and he straightened his back.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about this today,” he said. “I know you have, too. Bob and Tocho are important to all of us, and this is a very difficult position to be in.”

Eissa subtly pointed to the left and the right, reminding him to sweep the room with his eyes, and avoid getting tunnel vision. He glanced around, grateful that they had worked on some public speaking tools. She had also told him to imagine that everyone in the audience was naked, but he decided that wasn’t very sound advice, at least not in this situation. He resisted the urge to wipe the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, and continued with his speech.

“It’s not in the best interests of the Bribri to attempt a rescue for Bob and Tocho. That would almost certainly cost lives, and there’s a good chance we wouldn’t even be successful. There’s also no way that Eissa and I can rescue them on our own. Rescue just isn’t a good option.”

Viho was nodding as he spoke, but Quentin didn’t expect that to continue for long. He was just now getting to the controversial part.

“That being the case, I think we should go on with the original mission. If our plan works, and I believe it will, then we will be able to rescue Bob and Tocho once we have succeeded, or negotiate for their release. This way, the Bribri tribe will be reunited, the abuse by the guards will end, and Bob and Tocho will be released. It’s the best way that I can think of to deal with this mess.”

He looked at Tahki, trying to gauge her reaction. She nodded at him, her face neutral. It wasn’t a standing ovation, but it wasn’t an outright dismissal either, so he had that going for him. As always, Viho was a rock. It seemed that he only displayed anger and pain, and those only when they were boiling over.

“Please, sit,” Tahki said, patting the rug beside her.

Quentin sat down quietly, surprised at how calm he felt. He was nervous, of course, but he wasn’t the emotional train wreck he expected to be.

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