The Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly #1)(33)

“NO!” I yelled.

I had sat patiently long enough, listening to them go back and forth discussing me. Jumping up, I startled the Adepts. “I refuse to be scrutinized or studied like some sort of experiment. I would rather live on the street than stay here.”

“She mustn’t leave. She must be dealt with.” Breah paled. “She could endanger all the Denai. She’s an abomination, I tell you.” I had no idea what she was talking about but I headed for the door.

“And what do you propose we do?” Pax yelled back. “Kill her?”

He squared off against the small doll-like Breah, who pursed her lips in thought and looked directly at Pax and said, “Why yes. If it comes to that, she’s dangerous.”

“Stop it! Both of you!” Lorna spoke, her voice echoing with power throughout the room. “We must consider all options.”

I made it to the heavy, wooden doors and pulled on them but they wouldn’t budge. I was locked in. Feeling a moment of alarm, I started to pound and kick the doors, but they were held fast. Turning, I looked for the key hole; there was no lock on the door. The Adepts were keeping the doors closed by their power.

“I’m sorry, child,” Cirrus said, rising from his seat and walking toward me placing himself squarely in front of me. “You are an enigma, a puzzle, an unknown, and to the human population that is a terrifying factor. To calm the stories that are going to be spread about you, and believe me there will be stories, it would be best if we understood you better and that might require careful documentation.” He gently rested his hand on my shoulder and turned me to face the others. “Can you imagine if others found out that you somehow acquired or stole powers that you weren’t born with and that you could possibly steal more? It wouldn’t be safe for you in Calandry. People may try to hurt you.”

“But I didn’t steal anything,” I shrugged defensively. “Don’t forget that I was the victim here.”

“No, but they won’t understand that. For your safety, it would be best if you stayed here, under our protection. Maybe we can find a cure or a way to reverse what was done.” Adept Cirrus spoke to me like a father calming a frightened child.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand?” Kambel said nervously, taking off his spectacles and cleaning them before donning them again. “How come the mercury stone didn’t recognize her? It is able to distinguish the Denai blood the same way Cassiel does. So does that mean she doesn’t carry any of the normal Denai gifts? If that’s so, we don’t know the range of her abilities or if she is a threat to us.”

I felt my heart quicken in dread at the implication. Here it comes, I panicked, the guards, torture, death. My palms were sweaty with perspiration, so I gripped the door handle harder turning it desperately, while shrugging off Cirrus’ hand from my shoulder.

“There’s an easy way to find out!” Breah stated. She stood up, pulled energy toward her into a ball of blue fire and walked determinedly over to my chair, her lips pressed into a thin, straight line. The slight tick of her jaw betrayed the amount of control she was using to keep her emotions in check, but I could read the animosity that was in her eyes.

I turned to face her, my hands never releasing their hold on the cold door handle. I wanted to cry out in frustration as escape was within my grasp, literally, if I could only open the stupid door. It wasn’t even locked and I still couldn’t open it. I looked over my shoulder at her ice cold stare and felt that this truly was the end.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for a quick and merciful death, but opened them at the last second. Movement caught my eye.

“STOP!” a clear voice commanded.

I watched the blue fireball stop a hand span away from my face. I sat mesmerized as it danced and fluttered in her open palm. Breah’s eyes blazed angrily, she swallowed and slowly closed her fingers and the ball shrank until it was the size of a fly and then disappeared.

The ugly tapestry of the hunter and the horse on the wall began to move. A small, feminine hand pushed it aside, and a beautiful woman with red hair and blue eyes stepped from behind it. Her dress was of the finest blue silk and a cloak covered her shoulders. It wasn’t until I saw the circlet upon her brow that I realized I was being addressed by the Queen.

Queen Lilyana left the alcove that was obviously her listening room and Commander Meryl followed close behind her. It struck me that I had seen her before when I first came to the school. And that I had seen her leave Lorna’s office. She must frequently sit in on the Adept Council’s discussion protected from sight by the tapestry. In fact, she probably was there on every occasion. No wonder Breah would shoot nasty looks at the tapestry when no one was looking. But it didn’t explain why the Queen was here now.

She stood before me and I began to fidget, uncomfortable in her presence. Her voice was neither soft, nor uncertain. “You won’t hurt me, will you?”

“No, ma’am, I mean, your Highness,” I stumbled on the words, still reeling from being in the presence of royalty.

She smiled sweetly at my ignorance. “Do you plan on harming anyone here in Calandry?”

I shook my head so hard I could hear my teeth rattle in nervousness.

“I have heard what all you have had to say and I don’t take this decision lightly. I really do believe that because of these unfortunate changes in circumstances, we have no other choice but to keep her here. I’m sorry, Thalia.” She looked grim. “You leave us with no other alternative. You must stay here permanently until we release you.” The tic in her jaw lessoned as a grin escaped from between her lips. “Or until you graduate from our training program.”