That notion of children still hiding themselves was not something Reagan had expected to hear, but it made sense. The entire estate was still recovering from Clodagh Foley’s murder. The sentiment shouldn’t have surprised him at all.
It was possible he was clinging to every past attempt to cleanse the estate of that line of thinking, but the insidious fear of being a hybrid-born was probably more present than ever. In that single moment, he saw an honest picture of Mountheim, stripped of the idealism he had once painted for Jane.
“Jack, what are you doing there?” Onorio’s voice came as he hurried over with their meals. “Apologies, My Lord. We lost track of him. I hope he is not bothering you.”
“He is,” Reagan said as Jane answered, “Of course not.”
Onorio gave a low laugh as he placed the dishes on the table.
Jane glared at Reagan.
“Jack, say goodbye then come inside.”
“See you, miss,” Jack said, sliding from the booth. He shot Reagan a glower that held surprising determination. Reagan snorted.
“They are afraid to say he is hybrid-born,” Jane murmured once the boy and father were gone.
“It has been a while since I heard that,” Reagan said. “But this reality won’t change unless we dismantle the Order. Or unless we enforce real punishments. We haven’t found the murderer of the Foley girl. Everyone is still afraid.”
Her gaze drifted from where the child had been to him. She nodded slowly, still thoughtful.
“I spoke to Malory about it,” Reagan added.
He had refused to burden Jane with this topic over the last week.
“I told her everything,” he continued. “Every unresolved case about the disappearance of hybrids and the complacency of the courts. I told her we suspect the Order is behind this. We havethe locations of a few Scion hideouts, and that our patrollers will be tracking them.”
Jane stared, eyes widening. “And what did Malory say?”
“She will help build the case. She tried to hide it, but she was disturbed by the lack of punishment for what happened to you and every other unpunished transgression I told her about. She has an interest in this direction.”
His face was solemn, and Jane narrowed her eyes. “But…”
“This won’t be resolved quickly. It will take years,” he admitted. “We could ban the Order of Scions, and others would simply form under a different name. Change their speech a little and continue.”
She considered this, her gaze fixed on the tulip.
“But it’s a start,” Reagan said.
“Do you think dismantling the Order will help end the hatred and injustice against hybrids and humans?” she asked.
“Yes. We challenge the differences in how these groups are treated. We demand that the laws of the mage folk apply equally. We begin a rebellion.”
Her lips twitched. “Can you call it a rebellion if a Mage Lord starts it?”
He thought for a moment. “I don’t define the laws. And I didn’t sayIwould start it. There are many, better people to spearhead it. People who have rallied before and will also choose better names to call this movement. What matters is the purpose, which is that we make this estate a safe place for them to rally and focus first on their protections.”
“Which should be the bare bloody minimum,” she added, sighing. “Do you think the mageborn would rally behind it?”
“Some will. The hybrids certainly will. And we’ll find more. We choose trusted people to be the public faces. Meanwhile, you and I work to force action on the magisters’ side.”
“Do they change the laws? People like Malory?”
“There will be phases to this. A petition with enough signatures would force magisters to examine it. After that, we negotiate. In the best case, there will be arguments from the Order, campaigns, audiences. In the worst, violence.” He leaned back, already picturing the insufferable people they would have to stomach. “We may feel compelled to tear our ears off. But I’m good at intimidating. You’re good at deceiving. We will make a formidable team.”
She looked at him through lowered lashes. “That sounds like a good foundation. Deceiving and intimidating.”
He shrugged. “Only the ones who need encouragement.”
