Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(60)

Another murmur passed through the group. How I wished I could see their faces! Stella’s chair scraped against the ground when she stood. I could barely make out her face. I imagined Clive at the receiving end of her intimidating glare.

“I oppose all of it,” Stella said in a voice of solid granite. “You have no grounds.”

The back-and-forth banter continued for the next fifteen minutes. Some paced, splitting off into side discussions. Others sat, saying nothing. I could only catch a snippet here and there before straining to distinguish words gave me a headache.

“I think he should be exiled. Both Derek and that wild daughter of his.”

“Indeed. Out of control.”

“Exile seems like a harsh punishment after all his service. He has kept us safe these seventeen years.”

“Exile. Send him to the North.”

Jansson broke through the melee in a commanding voice that quieted all the rest.

“Be calm, Council,” he said. “We cannot stand divided. We must make a decision now.”

Slinking like injured cats when they crossed in front of the peephole, the Council Members returned to their seats. My heart hammered in my chest.

“We will vote once. The final tally goes to the High Priestess for her ultimate decision. Those in favor of keeping Derek Black as the current Head of Protectors, raise your hand.”

I strained to see, though I knew it was pointless. Stella’s hand rose tall and proud, but I entertained little hope that enough of the other Council Members would vote with her. I didn’t know my hands shook until I put them to my flushed face.

“Those against.”

A long silence fell.

“There you have it,” Jansson said in a quiet voice. “The Council votes to remove Derek Black from his position as Head of Protectors six to four. Let us move onto the next point of business; our suggestions for nomination of the new High Priest.”

His low drone continued in the background. I pulled away from the peephole, disgusted. It was just a tradition. But they couldn’t let go of it, and they never would. I recalled Merrick’s words from a previous lesson.

Tradition isn’t always a good thing. Keep that in mind.

I was beginning to understand exactly what that meant. With a frustrated sigh, I turned away to tell Papa their decision, my heart heavy.





An Ideal Solution

“You can’t be surprised by the Council’s ruling,” Merrick said as we walked back to Chatham Castle. He’d allowed me to sleep in that morning before our lesson, so the day was already bright with an angelic blue sky. I carried both buckets of rocks at my sides while he strolled next to me, unburdened and enjoying it. “You already knew they were out to get him.”

“That doesn’t make me like it,” I muttered, grunting when my forearm wrenched and threatened to cramp in pain. Merrick agreed with a lift of his eyebrows. A quiet shuffle off to the left, tucked in the back of the gardens, caught my attention. I stopped and set the rocks down.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

“A bird,” he said dismissively. “I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Merrick disappeared with the soft sound of transportation. I abandoned the buckets and crept silently toward the sound. Last time I’d seen something out of place here, a dragon popped up. A low murmur of voices met my ears the closer I approached the hedged garden. I knew it well. Inside was a fountain with angels spouting water from their mouths. Several trellises lined with blooming white flowers formed a ceiling above it, filtering little snippets of light through their thick petals. It was rumored to be the High Priestess’s favorite garden.

“I don’t like it,” Ambassador Marten said in a firm tone. “I don’t like it at all, Mildred.”

I slipped down onto my stomach and peered just around the corner. Marten and the High Priestess stood in the back of the small garden, their hands clasped and bodies pressed close together. The High Priestess’s face angled away from me with a sad, rueful expression.

“It’s not an ideal solution, Marten, but at least it’s something,” she said, but her voice didn’t have its usual sting.

“I don’t agree,” Marten replied. “You can figure out another way to solve it. This isn’t the only way. You’ve encountered more difficult situations before and come up with better answers.”

A bit of her spine returned. She stiffened and shot him a haughty look. “I think I know what I’m doing. After all these years together, don’t you trust me?”

“I’ve always trusted you.”

“I’m the one to make the final decision in the end,” she said with impressive resolution. “This is how I plan to move forward. It’s the best thing for the whole Network.”

“And Stella?” Marten asked in a vehement voice. “What did she think?”

“She thinks I’m right. She doesn’t like it, but she sees the wisdom in it. It won’t happen any other way. I think you know that too; you need to come to terms with it.”

His shoulders slumped as he capitulated to her words. “Yes. You’re right. I can’t stop you. But I just . . . I want more time to try to make this work. I don’t want to lose you, Mildred.”

“Have you ever really had me, Marten?”