Magic Rising (#4 Stella Mayweather Paranormal Series)

by Camilla Chafer

  “I didn’t ask you to interfere. A phone call would have been satisfactory.”

  “Contact was forbidden,” he repeated.

  “That’s why you wouldn’t answer the phone? Who would have known?”

  “Believe me, they would have known and the consequences wouldn’t have been pretty.” He didn’t elaborate on for whom the consequences would not have been pretty. Maybe for both of us.

  “Showing up is hardly interference,” I pointed out. “I was on trial for murder, then Étoile got shot, then Matthew Donovan. Someone got poisoned and died!”

  “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t come,” he said slowly and emphatically. “I was under house arrest. It was difficult enough to contact Micah.”

  “But Micah could?”

  “His presence wasn’t an issue. He doesn’t rank as high.”

  “As who? You? What’s going on, Evan? Are you some kind of protocol-bound demon prince? Did you forget to mention that?”

  “We don’t have royalty. Just houses.”

  “I don’t understand. Did you know your father is here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he do this?” I asked, thinking about Hunter’s comments about Evan’s duty, or lack of.

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  I detached myself and sat on the edge of the bed. “I met him. Your dad.”

  “I see it went well.”

  “How so?”

  “You’re still alive.”

  I looked up sharply. “Is that a joke?”

  “Yes.” He smiled.

  “It’s not funny.”

  He joined me on the bed, sitting so close that the lengths of our sides fully touched. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be flippant.”

  “Since when does anyone tell you what to do, Evan? You’re a big scary daemon.”

  “A long time ago a truce was made…”

  “Oh, jeez, a story.” My shoulders sagged.

  “Let me finish. You can be mad at me soon.” He raised an eyebrow and I shrugged, waving a hand. Continue. So much for a wonderful reunion. So much for heartfelt apologies, or desperate bids to check I was all right. So much for being so concerned about my welfare that he would defy whatever law he supposedly couldn’t break. And that, I realized, was quite possibly my biggest problem of all; I’d been waiting for him to rescue me.

  “A long time ago, a truce was made between the races. We would not interfere with each other’s laws and we would not trespass on each other’s turf. The consequences for such actions are grave. Rarely enforced, but the threat is big enough. The good thing is it meant we could begin to forge relationships with each other, and cooperate on certain things, even employing one another if the need arose. But the clauses of the truce also meant that actions by any one party could be disastrous for the whole race. If any one of us acted out of line, sanctions could be handed down. Anything from simple fines, to transference of property. Even death, in the most severe cases. This is why we have delegations, rather than sending any Joe Demon. We can’t risk breaking the ancient truce. Our whole social order would be at risk.”

  “Go on.”

  “I was ordered not to appear at the Summit because any act I took in defending you could be regarded as treasonous.”

  “But Micah’s wouldn’t?”

  “His role was simply to keep you from being harmed, and to always know where you were. He could not take any other action. Even so, his position was… fragile. I gave him the choice to come here, so he didn’t have to if he really didn’t want to.”

  But Micah had apparently come anyway, risking his own welfare to be by my side when Evan couldn’t. That struck me as a true act of friendship towards us both and it warmed me. “When did they approach you again?” I asked.

  “I believe the same day you were charged with murder.”

  “The same day?”

  “Yes.” Evan took my hand.

  “How could the demons have known I would be charged with murder?” The thought of advance knowledge passing between witches and demons, knowledge that pertained to me, chilled me. My stomach churned at the idea of how well orchestrated it was.

  “I hoped that was not the case.”

  “They had advance warning,” I said, incredulously. “Why would the demons care that I was being charged?”

  “I don’t know. All I know is that I was prevented from directly helping you.”

  I thought about it. For the demons to know I was being charged, they would have to be told by someone in the judiciary, or another party privy to that information. That narrowed the pool to the five members of the judiciary, Jared’s mother, Alison Dorling, and Georgia, who urged her to accuse me. Then there were Steven and Étoile, but neither of them knew about the trial until after the charges were brought. One of them must have tipped off the demons and prevented Evan from coming to my aid, probably citing the truce as the reason why. But why go to all the effort unless it was to simply ensure that all my avenues to my freedom were blocked?

  And who wanted that most of all?

  Again, there was one person who had the most to gain from my conviction, from the shootings and the fatal poisoning. Georgia Thomas. Perhaps I was wrong to think she was being set up too. Perhaps this was her plan from the beginning.

  “You’ve thought of something. I’ve thought it through over and over again and I can’t think who the hell has it in for us so bad that they would keep me from helping you.”

  “Georgia is the only one with motive enough to want to get rid of me,” I said. “This wasn’t just about discrediting Étoile by planting the idea that I was a witch killer, this was definitely about getting revenge on me for humiliating her. She made a pact with the demons to get you out of the way, attempted to have me excommunicated, tried to discredit Étoile. It just happens to fit very nicely with her plans to take over the Council.” I turned to him. “What could she have offered the demons in return for keeping you away?” I puzzled over that. Hunter had not given the impression he thought much of Georgia. However, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t collude with her.

  “I don’t know, but if she had any part of this, I’m going to find out.”

  “I think we should tell Étoile.”

  “Do you really want to bring charges against Georgia?”

  “No. But a little bird might whisper in an ear that she’s involved in treason. If she acted against me, that’s treason in our courts, right?”

  “I assumed this was a demon thing, but now I have other leads to follow. Let me see what I can find out.” He started to reach for his boots.

  “Evan, how come you’re here now? You said you were prevented from coming during the Summit, but it’s still on.”

  “I got a call from Micah twenty minutes ago, just after I was released. As far as I’m aware, the votes have already been collected. Nothing I say or do will make any difference now. The Summit is as good as over. I came straight away and figured I’d wait here for you.”

  “There’s still an assassin on the loose. I need to tell Étoile about this.”

  “There’s nothing she can do. The Council won’t care that your daemon boyfriend couldn’t be here for you. Nor will they care if the demons are issuing edicts to keep their own line in order. If anything, your Council will probably commend them for their foresight.”

  “They’ll still want to know if Georgia has cut some kind of deal with the demons,” I pointed out. “She could be sworn in as Leader today. I have to stop that.”

  Evan spelled out our problem and my heart sunk. “We have no proof. If you blaze out there with a bunch of unproven accusations, she’ll just use it against you. We can’t do anything until we find out if she made a deal.” He took my hands in his and folded them in his lap. What he said was right, of course. Georgia would turn anything I said against me. She would point out, quite rightly, that I was angry following the trial, and as Étoile’s friend, I wanted her to win, rather than Georgia. And if I made a fuss about my boyfriend b
eing prevented from helping me in my time of need, I would look like an idiot. I couldn’t be in weaker position than I was now. Evan continued, “We have to find out what she promised them, if it was her at all. This might be nothing to do with her.”

  “So what can we do?” I asked him. “Can you stay? Or do you need to go again?”

  “I have to pay a visit to my father. I suspect he’s partially engineered this anyway. Maybe he will tell me who he’s been working with on your side, but I doubt it.”

  “What does Hunter want from you?”

  “He wants a son. He’s always told me that the family name should continue with me and we should work together, but politics aren’t for me. That’s something I’ve always made clear. However, he’s always made clear that duty comes first.”

  “Will you have a choice?”

  Evan sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Will I see you again today?”

  “Yes, I’ll stay here with you, if that’s okay? I know I’ve let you down. I know we need to talk, but there isn’t enough time now.”

  “I need to know what’s going on. Evan, you can’t just protect me, and not tell me what’s going on. Micah could have told me you were in trouble. Maybe I could have done something to help.”

  “Micah doesn’t know the full story, and believe me, he’s been working very hard to help me.”

  “By looking after me?”

  “And other things. I made the right decision to send him to look after you. If anything happened to you…” He trailed off and allowed the silence to fill the void. “I need to find my father and you need to find Étoile. We’ll meet here again later.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “Okay.”

  “Stella.” Evan caught my hand as I rose.

  “Yes?”

  “Ever since I got into this room, I’ve felt something really strange. Some kind of magic.” Evan looked puzzled.

  “Can I explain later?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” It was my turn to place my hands on his cheeks. I felt the light brush of stubble under my palms. When I kissed him, my emotions clouded with relief, joy, and happiness that Evan was safe and unharmed. I still worried that all things were not well with him though. What I wanted to do was stay with him, to lie in his arms and know that in a couple of days, we would both be home and everything would be okay again. Except that was my fantasy and this was real, and far more dangerous than I imagined. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  “Send Micah to find me when you’re done?” I could feel my demon friend’s presence outside the room. Clearly, he’d lingered outside to give us our privacy. I suspected Evan had summoned him in some way. I detached myself from his arms, the only place I truly wanted to be. One small mission to go, one talisman to deal with — I figured it was safe enough, with Evan coming and going from my room — and a few hours of extra worry about Evan confronting his father. Only one heart-stopping moment before the new Leader would be revealed and this nightmare was over. It couldn’t be a moment too soon.

  EIGHTEEN

  I couldn’t speak to Étoile immediately. Instead, we waited for the votes to be counted, and all the time I wondered where Evan was — though I knew he was in the hotel, of course. It didn’t stop me worrying about how he fared in his discussion with his father. My heart hammered a little too fast in my rib cage and I was sure I fidgeted far more than necessary.

  When the steward began to clear the room, ushering us into the lobby, I knew the time was close. One glance through the doors before they closed showed they were setting out the chairs, turning the room from voting hall to sober auditorium. A few minutes later, the doors were reopened, and I followed Seren to the seats that were reserved for us in the front rows.

  Étoile remained tight-lipped while the room filled, everyone searching for their seats and whispering about the candidates, while I burned to tell her what I’d discovered.

  Lisette Randolph, Steven and the other Council members took the stage, with one noticeable exception. “Before we begin,” Lisette said, motioning for the noise to abate, “Mary Richardson has withdrawn her candidacy. Votes in her favour are invalid. Will the remaining candidates please join me on the stage?”

  In front of us all, Étoile stood up with Georgia and Matthew. They seemed to mirror each other’s posture. Étoile was relaxed, hands neatly by her side. Georgia looked bored. Matthew smiled and nodded to various audience members, apparently completely at ease. Nobody asked what happened to Mary though I heard murmurs throughout the crowd.

  Lisette stepped forward and her voice was loud and clear. “The votes have been collected, and today, we will inaugurate our new Leader. It is no easy undertaking. Our new Leader will be responsible for the safety and well-being of our brothers and sisters from all outside threats, and will strive to preserve our community.”

  A polite round of applause sounded at her words and she waited until it died down before continuing. “We remain under constant threat and this will be no casual tenure. Our Leader must be strong, loyal, and capable of making decisions without hesitation. Similarly, as members of this community, we must be prepared to serve under that witch’s leadership without reserve.” Lisette produced an envelope and held it aloft. “The time has come.”

  A pin could have dropped and we would have heard it. The rip of the envelope opening was a sharp sound that made me hold my breath. “We have a winner. A very clear winner.” She paused to look at the candidates, with no trace of emotion on her face. Georgia raised an eyebrow and her cheeks lifted as her mouth curled into an unpleasant smile. Matthew simply beamed, his face taking on its youthful charm. He licked his lips and his foot edged forwards. Étoile didn’t move at all.

  “Étoile Winterstorm,” Lisette announced, “will lead us from this day forward.”

  “No!” Georgia shrieked, her eyes blazing open as she turned to Lisette. “This cannot be!”

  “I assure you, Ms. Winterstorm is the winning candidate.”

  “I demand a recount!”

  “The vote has been counted three times.”

  “Then I demand a new vote. She has deceived you all.” Georgia jabbed her finger at Étoile, who still did not move. Georgia made a half turn towards the audience, sneering at them. “She orchestrated this ridiculous shooting to gain your sympathy, you fools!”

  Seren leaped to her feet. She shook off David’s hand as he reached for her arm. “No, she didn’t. That was you!”

  “Your family would do anything to get the Council back into your grasp.”

  “We are not responsible for the shootings or the poisoning,” Étoile responded, her voice a calm riposte to Georgia’s scathing shrieks. “You embarrass yourself, Georgia. Despite all fingers pointing at you, we have been lenient. We have not accused you.”

  “Not outright!”

  As Georgia continued to squabble with both Étoile and the Council, I noticed Matthew slide his hands into his pockets and rock back on his heels. He still had the supercilious smile on his face and looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. It was almost like he couldn’t believe his luck. Almost at the same time I thought that, Georgia cut off her tirade in mid-sentence as she turned to him.

  “You smug bastard,” she said.

  “Hey, that’s my husband you just insulted!” A small woman jumped up at the end of our row and glared indignantly at the stage. Paige Donovan.

  “This could go on for days,” David muttered. “This is no way to start a strong leadership.”

  “It sure isn’t,” I agreed. Why I rose to my feet, I wouldn’t remember later, but now it seemed like a good idea to stand up. “Excuse me,” I said, very loudly, attracting the attention of the judiciary.

  Lisette threw her arms up in the air at the latest interruption and sighed. “What is it?” she asked bluntly.

  “I think most of us agree this is no way to begin our elected Leader’s reign,” I began, ideas swirling in my head. �
�Everyone still wants to know if one of the candidates was responsible for the shootings of Étoile and Matthew, and for Esme’s death. It seems to me the best way to get on with this, is to get that out of the way first.”

  “I already said it wasn’t me!” Georgia turned her glare on me.

  Lisette stopped her with a wave of her hand. “Are you suggesting something, Ms. Mayweather?”

  “Yes. I suggest you look into their minds the same way you looked into mine. If any one of them is guilty, find out now so we can move on.” I used the lull in fighting on the stage to glance behind me. Some eyes remained fixed on the stage, waiting to see what the candidates would do next, but many of them were watching me. Some nodded thoughtfully. “If one of the candidates is guilty, we need to know, so they can be charged,” I continued, hurrying before I lost my chance to speak. Any moment now, the Council could swoop in and take over, or Georgia would demand a new vote. Anything could derail the proceedings at this precarious time. “Our new Leader needs to begin ruling without any rumours or gossip suggesting there is any fault to be found with her. And if any candidate was responsible for these attacks, we should know.”

  “That is an interesting proposition,” Lisette said, her cold gaze moving from me to the candidates. “Are any of you candidates opposed to this?”

  David gave my arm a tug and I sat down, breathing hard. I said my say. I was done. And, frankly, I was a little surprised and shocked at myself and that I’d had the audacity to stand up and say something.

  “Of course not,” said Étoile. “I have nothing to hide.”

  Georgia crossed her arms. “Me neither.”

  “I’m happy to proceed,” said Matthew.

  If Lisette was as surprised as I was about their willingness, she didn’t show it. Instead, she waved for a steward to bring chairs to the stage and waited for the three candidates to be seated. To my personal satisfaction, she began with Georgia. Standing behind her, she placed her hands on Georgia’s temples and closed her eyes, but instead of projecting Georgia’s memories for all to see, she released her head a moment later. “Nothing,” she said. “I see no evidence of Georgia causing any problems at the Summit.” Gasps of disbelief rippled through the audience.