The Spell Realm (The Sorcery Code #2)(5)
Augusta swallowed. This was exactly what she was hoping for, but the ugly starkness of those words made her chest ache. Despite the horrific results of Blaise’s actions, the idea of him dying—or even being in danger—was still as painful as ever. Be strong, she reminded herself. If she had done this from the beginning, Barson would still be alive.
In response to Kelvin’s statement, Ganir rose to his feet. “No,” he said vehemently. “We can’t do that.”
“You suggest we do nothing?” Kelvin asked acidly.
“Officially, Blaise is still a member of this Council.” Ganir’s voice was filled with barely restrained emotion. “He was never formally removed from his position. Killing him would be the same thing as killing one of us.”
Despite her inner turmoil, Augusta almost smiled at those words. The Council Leader had clearly spoken without thinking. Gina, the newest Council member who took Blaise’s place, appeared more than a little upset by his statement. An ambitious and talented sorceress, she had to be irritated to hear that her spot on the Council was ‘unofficial,’ and Augusta had a strong suspicion Gina would now be firmly on Augusta’s side.
“Ganir is right,” Jandison said, surprising Augusta. The old man rarely agreed with Ganir on anything. “If we were just talking about the fate of this creature, I would have no hesitation, but a Council member . . .”
“Why don’t we compromise?” Augusta suggested. In a strange way, she felt relieved that the discussion had taken this turn. “Let’s destroy the creature and offer Blaise the honor of the trial that is his right.” It was an alternative that she could live with: the abomination dead and Blaise judged for his actions. It wasn’t necessary for Blaise to die if the Council chose to grant him mercy—as long as he could be prevented from making another monster.
Kelvin stood up from his throne. “I see no need for that kind of compromise. Blaise is clearly guilty—”
“And we shall let the trial determine that,” Augusta said firmly. She was glad the debate was focusing on Blaise’s fate. Nobody seemed inclined to dispute the fact that the creature needed to die—not after the horrors they saw in Augusta’s Life Capture droplet.
As though in response to her thoughts, Ganir stepped forward. “We need to discuss this further. We are talking about a being that has thoughts and feelings. She has shown empathy on numerous occasions—”
“She destroyed Davish, one of my most loyal servants,” Kelvin interrupted furiously. “She made him useless as an overseer! Don’t you see? This thing can manipulate our minds. She’s dangerous.”
Augusta let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Though she didn’t have much sympathy for Kelvin’s loss of his notoriously inhumane overseer, the fact that Blaise’s creation could do something like this was especially frightening. And Augusta wasn’t the only one who thought so; she could practically smell the fear rising in the room. Kelvin’s words drove home the terrible power that the creature held—the power of the ultimate rape. It could change someone’s mind to fit whatever it wished. If it were so inclined, it could replace the entire Council with puppets dancing to its tune.
“If there is any doubt about our course of action, then we need to vote on this,” Jandison said, looking around the room. “That’s the only way to settle this matter.”
“Fine,” Kelvin snapped. “Then let’s do it. Let’s vote right now whether we should destroy the creature and put Blaise on trial.”
“No,” Ganir said, his tone utterly uncompromising. “This is too serious for us to act on a whim. The vote will take place in a few days, when we’ve all had a chance to digest this information.”
Nobody voiced an objection to that, and Augusta remained silent too. Ganir was still the Leader, and as such, had the final say when it came to procedural matters. Besides, ultimately it didn’t matter. If the vote took place today, people might side with Augusta out of fear, but a few days’ delay wasn’t the end of the world.
She would just have to work harder to ensure that the majority of the Council voted the right way.
Chapter 4: Barson
“Are you going to bury him with the rest?” Larn asked somberly, watching as Barson lifted Kiam’s lifeless body onto his horse.
“We have no choice,” Barson said harshly, wiping the rain off his face with the back of his arm. “We can’t bring him all the way back to Turingrad.”
Larn nodded. “Then I guess the woods are as good of a place as any.” His face was drawn tight with grief and anger. Barson knew how his friend felt because an identical mixture of rage and pain gnawed at his own insides.
Nearly a third of his men were dead. Their bodies lay strewn all over the muddy field, stomachs cut open and limbs missing. In all his years as a soldier, Barson had never lost so many of his own. The rebellions he’d had to suppress had been nothing compared to this.
It made him wonder if he was ready for what was to come. Many more might die once he put his plan in motion. Good men. Loyal men. Was he prepared for that? Taking a deep breath, Barson looked around the bloody field. Yes, he decided, he was. Ambition required sacrifice. There was no other way to greatness.
This senseless slaughter, however, was something else. Ganir had done this; he’d pitted them against the girl, thinking he was getting rid of at least one problem. Barson chuckled humorlessly at that. The old man didn’t realize that he had actually created a problem. This young sorceress would be the most deadly enemy the Council had ever faced.