Mine to Fear (Mine #3)(17)
It wouldn't have been any time at all if he hadn't interrupted. “Whatever. I'm just doing my job.”
I brush past him, my arm tingling as it grazes his. Chardonian warlocks! Really, what gives them any idea they can treat people like this? I dealt with it when I was here before, but most of the time, it was secondhand stories from the girls. Rarely was I in a place where it happened directly to me.
Despite his warning to me, it doesn't make me want to change my own behavior. It only makes me want to work harder at changing his.
Chapter Eleven
“I hope you two ladies don't mind, but Daniel wanted to spend the evening with me,” Annabelle says.
I halt my forward movement into her room and instead take a step back. “We can visit some other night, then.”
“Don't leave on my account,” Councilman Daniel says. “Please stay a while. I wouldn't mind getting to know you both better. Annabelle has only good things to say of each of you.”
Another excuse is about to spill from my mouth so we don't intrude on their time together when Tawny says, “If you insist, I suppose we will have to. I must admit, I've been curious to learn more about you as well, since Annabelle speaks of you so often and highly, Councilman.”
Often? We've only been here four days. But there's no getting out of it now. I take a chair across from the Councilman and his wife. Tawny pours tea for them, asking the Councilman how he would like his but adjusting Annabelle's without question. She then pours a cup of warm milk for us and sits beside me.
“Tawny talks with me often,” Annabelle says. “But what about you, Waverly? How are you adjusting to life here?”
I take a sip and try not to scrunch my nose. It tastes burned but is lukewarm. I'll have to see if I can spend some time in the kitchens if I remain here and teach them the proper way to prepare a cup of milk. Whatever this stuff is, it's not at all soothing.
“It's like coming home for me. A different house than I was in before, but still home.”
“You don't find our ways backwards, then?” the Councilman asks.
Time to tread carefully. He may be on our side, but he's still on the council. “They are definitely different than where I'm from. I find many of your people endearing and some others who…” I'd like to punch in the nose. “…aren't as much.”
He laughs. “A good political answer. Don't worry, I don't like a lot of the people here either, but it's home for us too. We're doing what we can to help with that. When we can get around the Grand Chancellor, that is.”
I don't think any of us realized just how good of allies Annabelle and Daniel are. We should have. I'm excited just thinking of adding their help. “How has that been going for you?”
“Lately, people have been more open to speaking with me about changing things. It's been wonderful to see. Unfortunately, the Grand Chancellor knows it and continues clamping down on as many laws as he can.”
“Isn't there more you can do?” Tawny asks. I'm sure this is harder for her to hear than it is to me. I'm used to this, as much as I don't want to be. She's used to how Envado rules.
“I wish there was, but I'm just a voice in a large crowd. One the Grand Chancellor doesn't have to listen to.”
“You do a good job, my dear,” Annabelle says.
He takes a hold of her hand as he continues. “It wasn't always this way, you know. There was a time when the council was actually a council that worked together with the Grand Chancellor. Too many years with too many men grabbing for as much power as they can, has left the position of Grand Chancellor with too much weight.”
“Do you think anything can be done about it?” I ask. Because there has to be. If not, all of this will be for not.
“As things are, I don't know. The Grand Chancellor keeps making things stricter and stricter. At this rate, the entire country will be on lock down unless you're Chancellor Ryan or Councilman Stephen.”
“What? I though Chancellor Ryan was kicked off the council after the tournament when he forced Nathaniel to take the magic from those women. And Stephen hasn't been on since Serena's ball when he tried to have Zade murdered.”
“I'm afraid the Grand Chancellor has reinstated them both.”
“But he got rid of Chancellor Ryan because of the effect he was going to have on relationships with other countries. Doesn't he care about that still?”
Daniel sighs. “Apparently, not any longer.”
“How are we going to hold any leverage against him if he doesn't care what other countries think?” Tawny says.
“We'll just have to keep trying different things,” he replies.
Annabelle yawns. “Excuse me. I'm not used to staying up to this hour.”
“It's getting late,” I say with a yawn of my own.
“I'm afraid time got away from us,” Annabelle says as we all stand. “Thank you for joining us this evening, Waverly.”
“I was happy to. It was great getting to know you both better. I really appreciate your candidness.”
“Anytime,” Daniel says.
As I pull the door shut behind me, I catch a last glimpse of Annabelle and Daniel, still sitting side by side holding hands, but now gazing at each other, perfectly content just to be in one another's presence. If only we could get this country to be so content with everyone else in it. There has to be a way to rid the country of the Grand Chancellor's poison.