“Are there any questions for the doctor?”
There were several minutes of somewhat invasive questions. The doctor calmly answered them—and occasionally told them something was none of their business. Then she, too, was allowed to escape.
There were some contemplative expressions on a few faces, which Cormal thought was a good sign—but the ninth councilor was still in rare form.
“We have only your word for all this amazing healing,” he grumbled.
Cormal pointed towards the door. “Did you just miss the last few minutes?”
The man’s face went red. “It could all be a trick!”
Kinan, more diplomatic than Cormal would ever be, said, “I’m also now tangible in addition to visible. How could that be a trick?”
The ninth councilor gestured at Perian. “It could all be him! He could have orchestrated it all!”
Perian blinked at him, looking genuinely taken aback, and he repeated blankly, “Orchestrated… what happened to Kinan?”
“Yes!” the obnoxious man spat. “And then you showed up and were able to offer this amazing cure. Ridiculous!”
For a moment, Perian just continued to stare at the man, like he couldn’t quite comprehend. Finally, he said, “At the time of the attack, I was fifteen years old. I hadn’t even come into my magic yet.”
“Soyousay,” the man spat. “We don’t know how those wraiths got into the castle!”
Perian didn’t so much as glance Cormal’s way. “I think you can quite safely assume that it wasn’t somehow at the instigation of a fifteen-year-old stranger.”
The man dug in. “It’s always been suspicious!”
The Queen interceded. “The circumstances were indeed suspicious. But they are no longer a mystery. Unfortunately, Tramad, our former Summus, believed that the secret to magic that could heal the King was related to demons. He brought the wraiths into the castle in his attempt to assist my husband.”
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the room erupted in a babble of noise. Cormal was… less upset than he’d thought he’d be. This was his father’s thirty-year legacy, but… Tramad was the one who’d ruined it, if anyone had. Cormal had let that secret eat him up inside, and he couldn’t express how glad he was that it wasn’t his to carry anymore. The Queen had chosen to put the kindest possible interpretation on the man’s actions, and Cormal wasn’t totally sure he deserved that, but… maybe it wasn’t just for him. Maybe it was for Cormal and for all these councilors and everyone who lived in the castle and might otherwise feel unsafe.
Onadal and Brannal seemed to have a conversation solely with their eyebrows. Onadal nodded faintly, and Cormal assumed they’d all be talking about the details later.
The Queen let the councilors talk for a couple of minutes and then called them back to order.
Cormal had hoped that they could be productive now, but no, the ninth councilor was still being pugnacious. Robbed of his first asinine theory, he had another accusation to lob.
“What about the people they’ve hurt? Do you just expect us to forget about it?”
Kinan answered the ninth councilor before Perian could. “Yes.”
This seemed to surprise them.
“We have to,” Kinan continued. “There is no way we can expect anyone to reveal themselves if we can turn around and imprison them or worse for things they might have done in the past. We need to figure out how to move forward, and we need to do that by forgiving the past.”
“Outrageous!” the ninth councilor exclaimed. “They’re demons who hurt people.” He pointed accusingly at Perian. “You killed a man!”
Brannal bristled visibly, and Cormal wondered about the self-control that was preventing him from just… destroying the ninth councilor. Brannal could take out the entire council before anyone could stop him if he so chose. (And honestly, Cormal was beginning to think that might be the easiest way to start over.)
Probably thankfully, Perian spoke. His voice shook a little, but it was clear. “A man did die when I acted to defend myself, yes. A man who had already been convicted and sentenced, escaped his sentence, and proceeded to abet my kidnapping, restrain me, attempt to assault me, and then attempt to kill me. He was choking me, and I was afraid for my life. With no other options, I fought back with everything I had, Councilor. Though I sincerely hope no similar situation will ever arise, I would do so again if I had to.”
Voice tense but even, Brannal added, “And as we have already said, Cormal and I and other Mage Warriors have killed carnalions—and maybe Life Mages, not understanding the fullsituation. We need them to forgive our past transgressions as well. We’re not just asking humans to trust demons. We’re asking carnalions and Life Mages to reveal themselves to a group of people who have historically killed them on sight. Humans vastly outnumber carnalions and Life Mages, and it isn’t the humans who will be endangered by this.”
There was some muttering from the councilors.
The fifth councilor cleared his throat. “Could we perhaps see a live demonstration of this healing? I think that might put more of us at ease.”
Trill was called in, and Molun and Arvus came with him, as well as the doctor.
