Magic Rising (32 page)

“Your family would do anything to get the Council back into your grasp.”

“We are not responsible for the shootings or the poisoning,” Etoile responded, her voice a calm riposte to Georgia’s scathing shrieks. “You embarrass yourself, Georgia. Despite all fingers pointing at you, we have been lenient. We have not accused you.”

“Not outright!”

As Georgia continued to squabble with both Etoile and the Council, I noticed Matthew slide his hands into his pockets and rock back on his heels. He still had the supercilious smile on his face and looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. It was almost like he couldn’t believe his luck. Almost at the same time I thought that, Georgia cut off her tirade in mid-sentence as she turned to him.

“You smug bastard,” she said.

“Hey, that’s my husband you just insulted!” A small woman jumped up at the end of our row and glared indignantly at the stage. Paige Donovan.

“This could go on for days,” David muttered. “This is no way to start a strong leadership.”

“It sure isn’t,” I agreed. Why I rose to my feet, I wouldn’t remember later, but now it seemed like a good idea to stand up. “Excuse me,” I said, very loudly, attracting the attention of the judiciary.

Lisette threw her arms up in the air at the latest interruption and sighed. “What is it?” she asked bluntly.

“I think most of us agree this is no way to begin our elected Leader’s reign,” I began, ideas swirling in my head. “Everyone still wants to know if one of the candidates was responsible for the shootings of Etoile and Matthew, and for Esme’s death. It seems to me the best way to get on with this, is to get that out of the way first.”

“I already said it wasn’t me!” Georgia turned her glare on me.

Lisette stopped her with a wave of her hand. “Are you suggesting something, Ms. Mayweather?”

“Yes. I suggest you look into their minds the same way you looked into mine. If any one of them is guilty, find out now so we can move on.” I used the lull in fighting on the stage to glance behind me. Some eyes remained fixed on the stage, waiting to see what the candidates would do next, but many of them were watching me. Some nodded thoughtfully. “If one of the candidates is guilty, we need to know, so they can be charged,” I continued, hurrying before I lost my chance to speak. Any moment now, the Council could swoop in and take over, or Georgia would demand a new vote. Anything could derail the proceedings at this precarious time. “Our new Leader needs to begin ruling without any rumours or gossip suggesting there is any fault to be found with her. And if any candidate was responsible for these attacks, we should know.”

“That is an interesting proposition,” Lisette said, her cold gaze moving from me to the candidates. “Are any of you candidates opposed to this?”

David gave my arm a tug and I sat down, breathing hard. I said my say. I was done. And, frankly, I was a little surprised and shocked at myself and that I’d had the audacity to stand up and say something.

“Of course not,” said Etoile. “I have nothing to hide.”

Georgia crossed her arms. “Me neither.”

“I’m happy to proceed,” said Matthew.

If Lisette was as surprised as I was about their willingness, she didn’t show it. Instead, she waved for a steward to bring chairs to the stage and waited for the three candidates to be seated. To my personal satisfaction, she began with Georgia. Standing behind her, she placed her hands on Georgia’s temples and closed her eyes, but instead of projecting Georgia’s memories for all to see, she released her head a moment later. “Nothing,” she said. “I see no evidence of Georgia causing any problems at the Summit.” Gasps of disbelief rippled through the audience.

She sidestepped behind Matthew and repeated the procedure. She frowned and stepped back.

“Matthew Donovan, please stand.”

Matthew got to his feet, his face poker blank. He didn’t say anything, but he did give a worried glance to his wife as Lisette placed her hands on his head. “You have knowledge of both the weapon used to shoot your fellow candidate and yourself, as well as knowledge of the poison,” said Lisette. “Matthew Donovan, you will submit to a full investigation. If you are found guilty of the murder of Esme Sanchez and the attempted murder of Etoile Winterstorm, you will face excommunication and possible imprisonment.”

My heart pounded as I waited; and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to let out a gasp of surprise — or was it dismay? — when Lisette revealed the true name of the assassin. The room erupted in whispers. Georgia looked puzzled; Etoile surprised; and Lisette looked angry, which was worrisome in itself.

“Silence!” Lisette had to raise her voice to be heard above the din. “Silence!”

“I didn’t do it,” said Matthew. “I had nothing to do with this! I swear.”

“It’s a trick.” His wife rushed forwards. Instantly, two stewards were by her side. I took a closer look at their uniforms. They weren’t stewards, but security guards of some kind. I looked around. The guards had moved to the exits and now flanked each wall.

“She did it!” Matthew pointed to his wife and she shrank back in surprise. “I didn’t want to believe it, but you saw my memories. My wife must have planned this all along.” Matthew gaped at her, his face creasing into horrified lines as he stepped away from her. Despite his wife still standing below the stage, looking up at him in absolute shock, he gasped, “How could you do this? How could you hurt anyone? Me?”

“Save it, Matthew. You aren’t pinning the blame completely on me,” Paige screeched.

A death-like hush fell over everyone. Instead of outraged panic, now we all wanted to know what was going on and how Matthew was involved. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said as he took another step backwards, widening the space between them.

“You bastard. It was your idea! You said, all we had to do was make sure Georgia got the blame for the attacks and that was easy enough, if it weren’t for her meddling.” She pointed at me, and left her hand there while she berated her husband. “Georgia should have taken the fall for this.”

“But she wasn’t guilty,” Etoile reminded the quiet, breathless crowd. Very softly, she added, “For once.”

“So? Everyone hates the bitch! She’s a bully and she’s mean and her magic is dark. We don’t want to be pushed around by the likes of her anymore. Matthew would have made a great Leader. He’s exactly what the Council needs to move forward.”

“A cheat and a liar?” someone called out.

Paige wheeled around, searching for the witch amongst the sea of angry faces. “We did what needed to be done!”

“I swear I had nothing to do with this,” Matthew said, still backing away. “She’s delusional. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

“I. Am. Not. Delusional!”

“I’m so sorry for my wife. She needs help. I’m so sorry,” he said, this time to Etoile. “I had no idea she would try to hurt you, or try to kill me.”

Etoile gave him a stony-faced gaze in response. He looked from her to Georgia. “I truly didn’t see this coming,” he told her, beseeching, “I would never hurt you. I would never hurt another witch.”

“But you would use your wife to?” sneered Georgia. “You’re pathetic!”

“No! I’ll get her help.”

Behind Lisette, the remaining members of the judiciary, stood. “You will step down,” said Lisette.

“But I’ll get her help, I promise. I’ll make sure she can never hurt anyone again!”

“You’re such a dick,” Paige snapped. “I can’t believe I let you suck me into this, and now you’re trying to sell me out to save your own ass. I’ll tell them everything!”

“I’m sorry for you,” Matthew said, with a sad shake of his head. “I promise I’ll make sure you’re sent somewhere safe. We can help you, make sure you never harm anyone again.”

“Oh, for the love of Mother Earth, I’m not insane!”

“Of course you are, honey. You must have had some kind of breakdown.”

“I have a recording,” Paige said simply, extracting her phone from her pocket. “When you told me to shoot you, I recorded it.”

“She… she’s lying!”

“Am I? Shall I play it?” Before anyone could answer, she hit a couple of buttons and her husband’s voice streamed out, tinny at first, then clear as the volume amplified. The room fell silent as we listened to Matthew talk about how unfair the proceedings were, how he couldn’t believe Etoile had survived the shot, and after the trial barely dented her reputation too! Not only that, but it had ensured that everyone knew Etoile‘s name, instead of making her the object of bereavement cards. Then he suggested that he be shot as well, to make it look like he’d been attacked, and how he would get a share of the sympathy vote. We listened to him plot and plan how to be hurt for maximum effect, while Paige agreed with him.

“Enough!” Lisette snapped. “Take them into custody. Both of them,” she added, looking towards Matthew as the guards streamed past to leap onto the stage. He fought them as they clamped tightly onto his arms, binding his wrists behind his back. They carried him, bucking and kicking, off the stage. Paige went more quietly, simply walking away, surrounded by guards.

When they were gone, the door slamming behind them, Lisette called for order again. “There will be a full trial. You have all borne witness to the confession of Paige Donovan and the part Matthew Donovan played in this debacle. We will proceed with the ceremony. Georgia, we thank you for your participation. You may return to your seat. Etoile, please take your place as Council Leader.”

Despite the recent shock, I couldn’t have been prouder the moment Etoile stepped onto the dais and crossed to the circle painted in its middle. The swearing-in ceremony was brief and to the point. Etoile swore to serve our kind as best she could and not let anything impede her judgement. She promised to defend us, to work to keep witches safe from all others, and to be the voice of reason even during times of uncertainty.

I hoped to hell she knew what she was doing.

When she accepted her duties and finished reciting the ancient oath that bound her to her title, she looked tired rather than giddy with excitement.

“The Council,” Lisette said, stepping aside as the old Council took the stage and waited for Etoile‘s judgement.

Etoile gave them a long look. “Those who wish to retire from service may leave the stage now, with thanks from the community for their dedication.” She sounded incredibly self-possessed and sure of herself.

The Council looked amongst each other.

“Is this unusual?” I asked Anders, who had taken the seat on the other side of me.

“Yes. I don’t believe a Leader has every offered a Council member a better way out before,” he told me, leaning in as he whispered. “She’s letting them save face by accepting their resignation, rather than simply waiting for them to quit or dismissing them straight off. It’s unprecedented.”

“And so it begins,” I said, turning away to watch.

Steven was the first to step forward. He bowed before Etoile and left the stage, striding between the rows of chairs until he came to a stop by the Winterstorms, where he took the empty chair next to them. That explained why they’d kept it vacant. Several more members left in the minutes that followed, bowing quickly and taking up seats in the audience. That left six members of the Council, including the judiciary members. Lisette surprised us a moment later by stepping forward and bowing to Etoile, the tail of her long red braid sliding across her shoulder. I saw her lips move briefly, and Etoile reply before the woman left.

“Do you wish to remain on the Council?” Etoile asked the remaining members.

“I ask to be
considered
for the new Council,” one man said, carefully emphasising his request.

“That’s Rick Chavez,” said Anders. “He’s a good man.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked. Chavez was the man who briefly glanced at me during my trial.

“My parents spoke of him often. I believe my mother, Brita, knew him from childhood.”

“I too,” said another Council member, a woman next to him, though like Chavez, she didn’t clarify why she wanted to stay.

“And you?” Etoile asked the remaining two. They looked at each other, than at her. “I would like to thank you for your service,” Etoile continued, “which has been long and dedicated. You are excused. Rick and Antonia, I would welcome further discussion with you.”

“She just told the other two to get lost, didn’t she?” I asked Anders.

He grinned. “Yes.”

“I will announce my Council tomorrow,” Etoile said, her voice strong and clear. “Today is a new era. Tomorrow the Council will begin its work.”

The audience burst into chatter as Etoile exited the stage, sliding behind the curtains and disappearing.

“I can’t believe she actually won,” said Seren, turning to beam at me. She gave her parents a wave. “She’s going to do so much good.”

“It will be an uphill struggle,” said Anders. “I’m going to go and offer her my congratulations. Tonight, we’ll celebrate. Stella?”

“I’ll be there.” I looked away from the empty stage and at the assembly behind me. I hadn’t noticed that the werewolf delegation — all of them looking very sullen indeed — had taken up a row of chairs towards the side of the stage. The vampires were noticeably absent, given that it wasn’t yet sundown, but I had no doubt the news was already on the way to them. The shapeshifters seemed more pleased with the results than I guessed they would be, though maybe they were just happy at the impromptu drama given by the Donovans.

I looked around for the demons and found them at the rear of the hall, having apparently arrived late. Hunter was there, looking elegant in a black suit and a red tie. The formality of his attire was reflected in the other members of his party. With a start, I realised Evan was amongst them. He caught my eye and held it for a long moment, but if he wanted to impart some information about why he was suddenly very publicly aligned with the delegation, I clearly missed it. My relief that he was fine and safe was tinged with worry about what this outing meant. Far from being disinterested in demon politics, at this moment, Evan appeared to be very much in the thick of it. Micah stood slightly behind him. His jaw looked stiff, but his face was blank.