The Council

by BooksGoSocial Fantasy

  “Fresh clothes sound great, thank you,” I say.

  Crowe and Kieran flank me as we walk down the long corridor back to the main room. The butler appears with a fresh change of clothes that he hands to Crowe and to me, and I arch an eyebrow, wondering how he knew so fast. Crowe and I depart for different bathrooms to pull on the blue clothing and arrive back at the main room, where Kieran still waits, at almost the same time.

  “When will you be back?” Kieran asks his brother.

  Crowe shrugs and looks him in the face, the corners of his lips turned down. “I don’t know. These are troublesome times we’re living in. I really wish this visit could’ve been longer but duty calls.”

  “Well, good luck, brother,” he says, pulling Crowe into a one-armed hug. “And good luck to you having to put up with him,” he calls to me over Crowe’s shoulder.

  “You can say that again,” I murmur with a hint of a smile on my face before leading the way outside as Crowe follows behind. Kieran closes the door behind us as we stand beneath the grand archway and begin to walk back down the hill. “They seem nice,” I remark as we step into the water surrounding their house like a moat.

  “If nice equals obnoxious,” Crowe scoffs. “But it was nice to see them again. I apologize for my brother’s behavior.”

  “He’s not so bad,” I say, grateful for Kieran’s stone as I realize my legs and feet manage to stay comfortably dry. “So are the Alchemists nice?”

  “We’ll see when we get there.” His voice turns sharp.

  I flinch, wondering what’s bothering him this time, when I think better of it. If it pertains to the situation, I’m sure he’ll let me know what’s on his mind. Otherwise, it’ll be just another thing he has to get over on his own.

  For the time being, I think about the next Coven on our tour, and I suddenly feel excited to see Ambrossi’s place of origin…even if it isn’t over the best conditions.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Alchemy

  THE FORESTS OF Alchemy remind me of the Grove as we stand outside of a house that looks similar to my parent’s home in Ignis. Much to my relief, the walk between Aquais and Alchemy had been much shorter than the walk between Aens and Aquais had been. The sun had just slipped beneath the horizon when we closed the distance between the edge of the clearing to the tiny cabin; the pink-purple sky peeking through the trees carefully lights the final leg of our journey.

  Crowe knocks as we wait impatiently for the occupant to answer. He didn’t say a word about who we would be staying with tonight, and I wonder if they know Ambrossi or Lynx. I wrap my arms over my chest to block out the chill of the early hours of night, gladder than ever for Kieran’s stone which had managed to keep me dry during the last few hours in Aquais.

  Crowe hadn’t been satisfied by the progress report Grail and his mother had given him. He had wanted to see for himself—Crowe had decided to go door to door, talking to each family for signs of even the slightest oddity. I thought at first he had been motivated by his duty to The Council, but mid-way through the quest, I realized it was legitimate concern that drove him to do it.

  He’s worried about the people he had grown up with…people who had raised him and cared about him and his family since the time he was born—people who had been sworn to protect his UnEquipped family with their lives. Seeing everyone again had been his way of making peace with the unpredictable situation.

  As the silence extends, I hear a thought from Crowe, clear as day. The man you’re about to meet is the oldest witch in Alchemy. He’s trained most of the people in the Coven and knows more about healing herbs than anyone. He trained Lynx before The Council recruited him. Best regard him with the utmost respect.

  My jaws part and I prepare to make a retort when the door finally opens to reveal an aged man cloaked in long blue robes. His tiny blue eyes watch us from a face framed in a gray-white beard.

  “Ah, is that Crowe I see?” he asks, scrunching up his face as he reaches a wrinkled hand out to set on Crowe’s shoulder.

  “Indeed, Lazarus. We’re here on Council business,” Crowe replies, managing to put a smile on his face despite the concern I feel biting inside his mind. “I bring company this time.”

  Lazarus turns to me, his eyes boring into my soul much the same way The Sage’s did during our last talk. The wisdom in them makes me shudder. “Are you with The Council as well, little lady?”

  I nod. “I’m Lilith.” It’s a simple statement but doesn’t do justice for what I want to say. There are a lot of questions I want to ask. As he stares back at me, I can tell he’s a gentle soul, but I wonder if he’ll really tell me everything I want to know about Ambrossi or not. For a moment, I probe his mind, picking up images of a young version of Ambrossi—memories.

  “Ah, a mind reader, this one?” Lazarus asks Crowe, lifting a hand to his forehead before my view of his thoughts is violently disconnected, bringing me back to the moment.

  A blush creeps across my face.

  “She’s new,” Crowe murmurs, shooting me a disappointed look. “Anyway, we were hoping to crash here for the night.”

  “Of course, come on in,” he says, stepping aside to reveal his home.

  Crowe leads the way and I follow a moment behind. The inside of the house smells of parchment and herbs. It reminds me of The Sage’s room though this building is tiny in comparison to Headquarters. The house consists of the main room, a door leading to what I guess is a bedroom, and the door behind us that leads outside. The inside of the room contains only a big round table with a handful of chairs, a couch, a fireplace, a rack of different herbs and flowers.

  I glance at Crowe, wondering how well he’ll handle these conditions since they’re even smaller than what we faced at Papra’s.

  “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you, boy,” Lazarus says, taking a seat beside his fireplace. A large black cauldron sits inside. His blue eyes glow eerily in the firelight as he waits for Crowe’s reply.

  “I apologize, but things have been rough,” Crowe replies, dragging a chair to sit beside him.

  “How’s Lynx been?” Lazarus asks as he picks up a bit of root from the nearby table and tosses it into the cauldron.

  “He’s good, adjusting decently.”

  “How’s his healing?”

  “Very good,” Crowe says, thinking of Callista back on the Grove who remains on the brink of death.

  “Magical damage?” he asks.

  Crowe frowns. “We’ll see. There’s a patient in critical condition back at Headquarters that is depending on his knowledge of healing magical wounds.”

  Just then a knock interrupts the conversation. Crowe and Lazarus stare at me expectantly. Being closest to the door, I don’t hesitate to open it. Flora’s wide brown eyes focus on me from her pointed face. Her arms are full of various plants which she seems to struggle to hold onto.

  She swallows roughly and faces me. “H-hi. I-is Lazarus here?” she asks.

  I nod and step aside for her to scurry past me to the table at the back of the room.

  “Ah, Flora. Were you able to get the herbs I needed?” Lazarus asks.

  “Y-yes, sir,” she manages, dumping the bundles of herbs and flowers on the desk before nervously pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

  “Go ahead and sort those for me,” he commands, eyes on his cauldron as a crackle of the liquid draws his attention.

  I shift my weight as my eyes focus on the herbs Flora spreads out on the table. They appear the same to me, but she seems to organize them with ease. It amazes me just how much information each Coven knows that no other seems to duplicate.

  Lazarus glances at me as my movement catches his eye. “You can take a seat, girl,” he offers, pointing to the empty chair beside Crowe.

  I tilt my head to one side, feeling a radiating ache in my bad leg as my gaze shifts between him and Crowe. Crowe returns the look through eyes not dulled with exhaustion. I wonder how the trip hasn’t managed to drain him. “Actua
lly, I was thinking I’d lie down if that’s okay.”

  Crowe nods. “You deserve some rest. Your limp got worse on the border.” I almost feel his admiration for me traveling the length of time I had without complaint.

  “Bad leg?” Lazarus asks, rubbing his scruffy beard with his free hand.

  I nod, feeling too exhausted to explain myself as I stare him down.

  Lazarus doesn’t ask. Instead, he offers me a gentle smile, passes his spoon to Crowe, and stands up to shuffle over to his rack of herbs. He pulls out a bundle and tosses it to me. I catch it, staring at the strongly scented herbs in my hand before glancing back at him. The parcel reminds me of the Chew Fern had given me, but it seems stiffer, stronger.

  “Tear off pieces and swallow them. It’s bitter, but it’ll keep the pain away. Just a few leaves at a time outta do you just fine,” he instructs, plopping back down in his seat beside Crowe.

  “Thank you,” I say, dipping my head gratefully as I gaze down at the leaf bundle in my palm, stroking it gently with my thumb.

  “Of course, of course! No need to be shy. My bedroom is right through that door. Feel free to use the bed, and you may use the facilities as well if you’d like.”

  “Thank you so much,” I breathe, flashing a real heart-felt smile as I make my way toward the door.

  Flora offers me a nervous hint of a smile as pass her—this is the closest thing to an interaction we’ve had.

  I pause and set my hand to the doorknob before turning to look back at Crowe. “Are you going to sleep as well?” I call to him.

  “I will in a bit,” he replies, clasping his hands together in his lap before directing his gaze to the fireplace.

  I scrunch my face at the hint of emotion in his voice, but I don’t question it. “Okay.”

  I move inside the door, closing it behind me as my attention turns to Lazarus’ room. It’s even smaller than the front room had been, but my eyes are all for the large bed with green covers that takes up a majority of the space. I hobble to it before I collapse onto the soft bedding. After the long day of exercise and the night spent sleeping on the floor, my body soaks in the comfort. I roll onto my back, holding the leaf bundle up as I tear one of the delicate leaves free and pop it in my mouth.

  Instantly, my face puckers with the urge to spit it out, but I force myself to chew it, feeling the sharp liquid from the leaf like needles on my tongue before I finally manage to swallow it down. My stomach rumbles uncomfortably with the new addition, but a moment later, the pain in my leg completely disappears. I sit up, rubbing at the skin in disbelief at the absence of pain. A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I lie back down in the bedding, for once so comfortable that I’m in the moment rather than in the myriad of thoughts in my mind.

  Before I know it, I drift off into a dreamless sleep so deep I may as well be in a coma. It seems as if only a second later, someone shakes my arm, their cold fingers prodding the skin along my shoulder and face. I groan in my throat at the sensation before I hear a voice muttering incomprehensible words. When I realize I’m not alone, I open my eyes to see Crowe staring at me. I squint through the darkness, feeling oddly disoriented.

  “Crowe? Is it morning?” I groan, propping myself up with my elbow.

  “No, but I need to talk to you,” he says, kneeling down beside the bed so that he’s eye level to me.

  The tone of his voice is enough to clear away the rest of the sleep haze from my mind and I sit up, rubbing my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s something I didn’t tell you back in Aquais,” he admits, reaching up to run his hand through his hair as he stands to his feet.

  I blink at him, staring through the darkness as I wonder if he’s going to tell me what caused him to snap shortly after leaving his mother’s mansion, but can’t think of a thing to say as I wait for him to continue speaking.

  “My friend, Katrina, the one with the drowning powers that I told you about…she...she…well, she was gone.”

  I swallow roughly and wipe a lock of black hair from my face, clutching the blanket tight in my fist. “Gone as in dead or disappeared?”

  “Disappeared.”

  “Uh-oh,” I say. “Do you think she—”

  “Joined the Elementals?” he guesses, his tone thick and strained as he picks at the skin on his hands. “Yes, I do.”

  I lick my lips and stare at him. He’s making an effort to avoid eye contact at this point, and it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking. I wipe my mouth and without conscious thought, I plunge into his mind. Once again, a series of memories comes to me. I see Crowe and Katrina talking, laughing…kissing. Understanding dawns on me as I back out of his mind—he’s in love with her.

  He’s conflicted.

  “Why would she do that?” I ask finally, hoping he doesn’t know I probed the intimate moments in his mind.

  “She was jealous of me, jealous of what I can do. She wanted me to teach her how to shapeshift, like she thought it was something that could be passed like a disease. When I tried to explain to her it wasn’t possible, she was upset with me…called me a liar. I know she wanted to be part of The Council, and when they chose me instead of her—let’s just say, she didn’t handle it well.”

  “No offense or anything, but that’s wrong of her. It’s so—”

  “Petty?” he answers with a short, dry chuckle.

  “Yeah. What are you going to do? Are you going to tell The Sage?”

  “I don’t have a choice, do I?” he asks, sinking to the edge of the bed beside me. “I mean, what would you do if it was your friend?”

  I watch him for a long moment, hearing the hurt in his voice. For the first time since I met him, he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve and I’m honestly unsure of how to move forward.

  I pause for a moment to imagine what it would be like to be in his position. If Helena or Clio decided to join the Elementals, I wouldn’t tell for the simple fact that my loyalty doesn’t lie with The Council—it’s with Ignis, with all the people they made me leave behind. The Council hasn’t treated me as one of them, and I doubt they ever will. Hyacinth is the one who’s regarded me the best since my arrival, and I still have the nagging suspicion it’s because she wants to make sure my mind stays open for her to pass along my thoughts to The Sage. I reach up to stroke the rainbow earring in my ear as memories crash through me all at once.

  I want to tell him life’s not fair but that won’t solve anything.

  At the same time, I know better than to admit any of my true feelings to Crowe, but it’s hard to abandon him when he’s vulnerable. Despite his confession, it’s clear which side he’s on.

  What the hell do I say? I toss the blanket off me as I try to think of the best way to proceed.

  “It depends on where your loyalty lies—business or pleasure?” I say, using Rena’s choice of phrase to direct my question.

  Crowe sighs and ruffles his hair again. “Do you want my honest fucking opinion?”

  I nod. “Of course.”

  “I could be executed just for saying this, but I want to let it go. I want to let her do her thing because I know her. She’s smart—she wouldn’t let herself be tricked into following some manic cult just for the hell of it. There’s some reason she did this, and maybe I don’t have all the necessary pieces of the puzzle. I-it just doesn’t seem right to pass a judgement without talking to her first.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “It’s hard to think that I may have been the one to drive her to do this.”

  “You didn’t make her do anything. She’s a big girl. She made the decision all on her own.”

  “What if she gets sent on one of their missions like Iris or the girl that poisoned Callista? What if I have to face her in combat? I can’t hurt her, Lilith,” he says, turning to look at me through wide tear-filled eyes, “but if I let her go, I’ll literally die.”

  “Don’t be so sure. The Sage is reasonable,” I state. “She didn’t kill me after the inci
dent with that girl or with Iris even though they had plenty of reason to do so. I think she would be understanding if that situation arose as well.”

  Crowe looks down at the floor again. “I’ve never been conflicted like this before. I-is this how you felt when you were recruited…or rather how you still feel?”

  “Honestly, I’ll never feel comfortable with The Council for everything they’ve put me through. You told me something death-worthy, I’ll do the same—I refuse to blindly obey The Council’s every order and you should do the same. Don’t let them shape you into a cold-blooded killing machine. Don’t let them turn you against the people you love. You don’t have to tell anyone what you know if you think it’s best,” I say, setting my hand to his arm reassuringly. “You didn’t even have to tell me.”

  “You would’ve read it eventually, I’m sure.”

  I tilt my head to the side, thinking of the smoke that had clouded his mind in Aens. “You’re better at hiding your thoughts than you think. If you honestly want my advice, just know I wouldn’t tell a soul if I saw any of my friends on the other side of this war.”

  He dips his head, seeming thoughtful. “I know it shouldn’t, I should be mad at you just for saying that, but th-that actually makes me feel better.”

  “Good,” I reply, taking my hand off him. “I’m glad I could help.”

  He stares at me without speaking for a long moment, and I notice his eyes are on my earring. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about everything.”

  I press my lips into a tight line, not wanting to open that conversation back up. “It’s fine.”

  “Did you sleep well?” he asks, standing off the bed to pace over to the window as if he senses my discomfort.

  I nod. “Have you been to sleep yet? Want the bed?”

  He shakes his head. “I want to get moving as soon as possible. I want to reach Mentis by dawn.”

  “Now? You want to leave in the middle of the night? Won’t you be dead tired by the time we actually get there?”

  “If that’s all right with you, and I’ll work through it. I always do.”