Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(59)

“Oh,” I whispered, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

The palpable darkness felt like a room filled with only black curtains. I held my hands out to feel my way. A dirty wall met my fingertips, damp and cold. The air smelled like rot and mildew. My toe hit the bottom of a stair, and within moments, I was slowly climbing upwards in a tight spiral, the walls brushing my shoulder on each side. I counted each step as I went.

The disjointed, steep stairs led up and up. The decaying wood felt weak in some places. With a whispered light spell, a bright ball of light formed on my fingertips and drifted above me, illuminating the path. I immediately regretted it. The close stairway felt more claustrophobic and frightening once I saw its narrow confinement. A long white object against the wall caught my eye, and I forced back a scream when I realized it was a bone.

“Cease,” I whispered, and the light evaporated into a puff of smoke. I pressed onward, hoping I didn’t encounter the rest of the skeleton along the way.

“Where do I stop?” I whispered, reassured by the sound of my own voice. “Surely there must be—”

A single ray of light distracted me. I continued up the stairs until I came eye-to-eye with the small beam. It was exactly my height and about the width of a marble. I peered through to find it looked into a room I didn’t immediately recognize. I saw a wall, and heard a couple of voices. Then another beam of light caught my eye to my right, and I realized that there were several smaller holes in various spots in the stone.

Keep your ears open, Stella had said.

I pressed my eye back to the cool wall, looking at a blood red tapestry adorned with twisting black designs. A familiar face moved by. Stella. My gasp echoed off the narrow walls.

The Council Room.

A bell broke through the low chatter. “Witches welcome,” Jansson said. “Let us join in an invocation for wisdom before we begin the Council meeting.”

A quiet chant reached through the cold stones. Positioned just right, I could hear every word the Council Members would say. A little thrill ran through me. Reliable Stella!

Once they finished the invocation, the meeting began.

???

“The first issue for discussion,” Jansson’s voice rang through the air, “will be presented by the Chatham City Coven Leader. Clive, the floor is yours.”

A slight shuffle of movement came next. I could see half of Stella’s face and half of a Council Member I didn’t know through the peephole. Clive made short work of getting right to the point.

“I won’t take up much of your time, esteemed Council Members,” he said. “I would like to submit a petition on behalf of the witches of Chatham City. They, along with myself, ask that you consider removing Derek Black from his position as Head of Protectors. It’s quite simple,” he concluded, “with war on the horizon, can you trust him?”

The question sat in the air for some time before a low murmur ran through the room. The other Council Member in my line of vision stood, a silver mug with steaming contents in hand, and disappeared out of sight.

“He’s lied to us and the High Priestess these seventeen years,” one Council Member called. “Clive is right. Can’t be ignored. He’s the only witch to have ever, in centuries of ruling, broken one of our traditions.”

My stomach turned. In an effort to spare the High Priestess backlash, Papa had told the Council that she had not known of Mama or me. Although she had severely chastised him for not allowing her to take responsibility, she saw the necessity of his plan. If the Network knew she had any part of it, they’d demand she step down as well. Now Papa bore the whole burden himself.

“Can’t be trusted.”

“And who else would you put in his position? He may have lied, but Derek’s the best Head of Protectors we’ve ever had!”

The arguments continued for several minutes.

“Let us not forget,” Stella’s voice called above the rest in a cool tone, “that Derek served us more than faithfully those seventeen years. I call upon any of you to recount a single incident for which he should be rebuffed.”

Silence descended. My heart swelled in gratitude and hope.

“That is a subjective observation,” Clive pointed out. “There could be many such incidents that he’s lied about, just like any Head of Protector may have also done in the past.”

Another chorus of agreements, but this time with less gusto.

“By that argument we could also say that he is not the first witch to have broken tradition,” Stella said. “He may have just been the first witch that was caught.”

The room was silent now.

“We are talking about honorably maintaining a family instead of casting them to the dogs,” Stella said. “It’s hardly subterfuge. Besides that, we have the obvious question of whom you would place in his position. There is no one ready to command the secretive side of war.”

“You insult our Protectors,” Patrice, the Council Member for the wealthy Ashleigh Coven, said in her nasally voice. “Any of them are skilled and capable witches. It’s a question of trust, Stella.”

“The Protectors will not replace Derek unless he stands down,” Stella said.

“How could you know that?” another voice called. It was a female, with a thin, thready tone.

“Because I asked them.”