Dimitri stood in silence in the council room. Seated at the table were the 5 captains who ruled the city. With them stood their most trusted councillors.  The threat that Dimitri had spoken of was the most serious that they had ever faced. After Vladimir had taken Dimitri into custody he had immediately called for a meeting with his captain Branislav. While they met, Dimitri had been kept locked in a room in Branislav's compound. Such was the seriousness of the charge that Dimitri had made that Branislav had called for his fellow captains. For the first time in history the 5 captains would meet.

There was tension in the room as the captains debated the truth of Dimitri's words.  Dimitri listened to the debate with interest but stood silently. The decisions that lay ahead were not his to make.  He gathered that the older captain that Vladimir served was known as Branislav. To Dimitri Branislav was a good captain. He was prepared to consider the options and make a decision based on the common good. The captain that Dimitri least liked was the one called Igor. He seemed to prefer tackling the threat of the General on his own. Dimitri knew that unless the captains stood together, the General would kill them off one by one.

Eventually the captains halted their debate. Turning to Dimitri, Branislav asked him,

'You claim to be a former instructor and spy for the General. Advise us on where we are weak compared to the General. How can we best defeat him?'

Dimitri took a moment to order his thoughts.  This may be his only chance to persuade the captains.

'You are weak militarily,' he began. 'Much weaker than the General. The General's recruits train many hours a day and there are regular death fights. To survive in the General's army you must kill or you will be killed.'

Dimitri heard Igor muttering in dissent.

Ignoring him he went on. 'The only way that you can survive an attack by the General is to stand together. Together you have enough trained men to maybe withstand the attack. The General prefers you to stay separate. He is counting on it in fact. And when he strikes he will strike with all his force. He wants control of the city more than you know.'

Dimitri stopped. He had said enough. There was no other way that he could persuade the captains. Now it was up to them to make the final decision.

Immediately Igor spoke out.

'Are we to trust a man who is a self confessed spy for the very same General he claims is planning to attack us?'

The captains all spoke at once. There was merit in what Igor said and that was the problem Dimitri thought. He began to feel despair. In spite of his warning the captains would still be debating this when the General attacked.

Suddenly Branislav put up his hand for silence. Unexpectedly, he turned to Vladimir.

'You spent time with this spy. Can you vouch for him? Is he speaking the truth?'

Vladimir took a moment before he answered.

'I met him at the gate one evening,' Vladimir spoke carefully trying to remember all the details for the benefit of the captains and their council. 'He was with a woman. Their cover was that they were farmers from outside of the city. I invited him to join my regiment for a day. He was strong and able and had he stayed in the city I would have asked him to join the army.'

Vladimir paused for a moment. He looked directly at Dimitri.

'Do I trust him? That is hard for me to answer. But I do have a question for him before I make my decision. Dimitri, what happened to the woman who was with you when you were in the city?'

Dimitri's face changed. His expression became guarded. This was the one question he did not want to answer. But honesty would be the only path he could take to convince the captains.

'We were lovers,' Dimitri spoke softly but every captain in the room could hear him. 'It is forbidden by the General. He discovered our relationship and forced a death fight. We refused. In the chaos we managed to escape but my woman, Lia was shot. The General's men caught up with us and captured her while I was trying to gather water and supplies.'

Dimitri saw Vladimir's face and knew that he spoke the truth. The bloodstained clothes and desperate expression when he had encountered  Dimitri in the city now made sense.

Making his decision, Vladimir turned to the captains. 'Yes,' he confirmed. 'I believe Dimitri.'

Branislav was satisfied with Vladimir's answer. Turning to the other captains he made a decision. 'Tomorrow we meet to plan a combined strategy. Dimitri will advise us based on his inside knowledge of the General.'

The other captains nodded in agreement. Igor did not looked pleased at all. 'What do we do with Dimitri until then?'he asked angrily.

Branislav smiled as if he had anticipated the question before Igor had even asked it.

'He stays with Vladimir,' Branislav replied with a smile.