AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“From the street, this looked empty. Can anyone see us here?”
“Only if they are magically trained.” Ysandra gave me a little shrug. “You think I would allow you to walk out into a deserted lot? Come, Cicely, you know better than that.” The prim taskmistress was back. Ysandra was a pretty woman, but she looked like a librarian, behind her glasses and long skirts and stiffly pressed button-down blouses, and a chignon that hid the length of her voluminous hair. She also happened to be an incredibly strong witch, and I’d seen her strike down a group of werewolves once with no more than a single incantation.
We followed her into the building, leaving the guards behind.
The building itself was also an illusion, covering up something far grander than I’d expected. On the outside, it was a simple three-story office building, its paint fading and its brick weathered.
On the inside, however, the building belied the nondescript exterior. White marble floors, veined with green and red, gleamed, polished to a high shine. The walls were the same color as the morning sky. Benches of the same marble lined the walls, and a center counter of the same material overshadowed the entrance, with an illuminated sign that read, information.
Beyond the information desk, a staircase wound up to the second floor, and there was an elevator to the side. Ysandra motioned for us to follow her, and we passed the information counter, stopping for Ysandra to show the woman a badge. She waved us on to the right, down a hall behind the bank of elevators.
Ysandra led us through the hushed corridors. Even though they were bustling with activity—I’d never felt so much magic congregated in one place before—the sound of footsteps was muffled, and people talked in low tones. It almost felt like we were in a hospital, except there wasn’t that sterile, sick smell or the sense of worry that permeated the corridors.
I nodded. Ulean, wait for me.
Always, Cicely.
Standing back, Ysandra ushered us into what turned out to be an auditorium. There were rows of seats—much like in a large study hall—all facing the stage. But there, the resemblance to a university ended.
On the stage, a long raised table stretched out, covered by a pleated cobalt cloth that draped to the floor. Behind the table, sitting in five of the thirteen chairs, were three women and two men, all in black robes, with some sort of cobalt insignia that I couldn’t read.
Ysandra paused, then leaned down to whisper to me, “Good. All the Council Members present are favorable to you. There are three who do not approve of you and your cousin, but none seem to be here today.”
“Well, thank heavens for small favors.” I didn’t mean it to come out so snarky, but the way things had been going, I wasn’t inclined to be so favorable to anybody who didn’t like me.
We edged our way down the sloping aisle, till we reached the front. There, Ysandra motioned for us to sit in the front seats while she climbed the steps leading to the lectern facing the Council.
“Your Eminences, I have brought Her Majesty, Queen Cicely, the Queen of Snow and Ice from the Cambyra nation, before you. She is also a member of the Consortium, leader of the Moon Spinners.”
I stood, not sure if I was supposed to bow or curtsey or say a word. But as I opened my mouth, Ysandra motioned for me to sit down again.
“We have a grave situation. All other questions as to the legitimacy of having royalty among our ranks must wait. For the present, the Moon Spinners are part of our organization and they need our help.”
The woman who appeared to be the head honcho gazed down at us. “We’ve heard.” When I jerked, startled, she stayed any response I might make. “Do you know who I am, Your Highness?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“I am the Mother of the Consortium, you might say. I am the eldest member of the Council. I have the final say, although the Council has a right to vote their opinion, and a majority tends to rule.” She paused. “You seem surprised that we know about the attack, but by oath, word travels, Your Highness, and the Consortium has ears and eyes every which way. We know that the former Regent of the Vampire Nation kidnapped the Summer Queen. We also know that the Blood Oracle is on the loose.”
“Your Reverence.” Ysandra motioned for Peyton to stand. “Peyton Moon Runner, a member of the Moon Spinners. Her father was killed by Geoffrey today.”
The Reverend Mother of the Consortium—that was all I could think of to call her—let out a soft murmur. She looked at Peyton. “Your father sought to protect you.” To Ysandra, she said, “What do they need?”
Ysandra looked back at me, then at the Reverend Mother. “I think…besides protection, a seer. We need to find out where Geoffrey and Leo are. We have to find Rhiannon before Leo turns her. If he tries…she is part Cambyra and we know what that can do.”
The Reverend Mother looked at us, then at Ysandra. “We shall withdraw and consider the matter. Wait here.” The five members of the Council silently stood and, making no sound other than the soft swishing of their robes, disappeared behind the stage.
As we watched them go, I turned to Ysandra. “They know far more than they let on, don’t they?”
She gave me a wry smile. “My dear, the Council of Elders probably knows what the head of the Akazzani eats for breakfast, and what color underwear he wears. The vampires think they rule this world, and we let them think that—it’s safer that way. But the real power…the real power was just in this room. The Council…they may not be as old as the vampires, or shape-shifters like the Cambyra, but the magic that flows through their veins is strong and powerful and has its roots in the very bones of this world.”
Peyton leaned forward, staring at her hands. “I barely knew him. You’d think that I’d get a chance to know him better, but no. They wouldn’t let me have even that. I’ve lost my mother and now my father.” She looked exhausted, but her tears were gone.
“Are you…” I’d started to ask if she was okay, but that was stupid. Of course she wasn’t okay. Feeling helpless, I looked over at Luna.
Luna rubbed Peyton’s shoulder. “What do you need from us?”
Peyton gave her a sideways glance. “A good bed without the fear that somebody’s trying to kill me or my friends. A stiff drink. Maybe someone to sing me to sleep.” She shrugged.
