"And yet it's your use of pronouns that disturbs me, Julianna. My slayer. Your tests." He chuckled and shook his head, and when he next spoke, it was with pure conviction. Cyrus leaned forward, his thumb and forefinger pinching the air. "We are one entity, this Council. Any failure belongs to us all, but in this circumstance, there was no failure. A slayer was bested. If you believe she was not ready, then you imply a systemic failure of the process we have put in place -- one that has worked for centuries! -- rather than acknowledge an ugly yet simple truth... That girl met her match. If that is the case, I must call into question your faith in this organization, and we cannot afford to splinter."

He sat back.

"We grieve for a life cut short, yes. We grieve for a family who has lost its daughter. But we do not let it deter us. She accomplished more on this earth than most people will in eighty years."