Page 36 of Fallen Heirs

My magic calmed,Icalmed, the ferocity of it retreating.

And then I dropped my hands and pulled my power back.

I collapsed to my knees and emotion bled from me, pouring forth uncontrollably, like it had needed to do for too long.

Then I was sobbing, unable to stop the tears from falling.

And not wanting them to.

It was a relief like no other.

One I’d needed for weeks.

I felt arms around me, warmth nuzzling against me, and I looked out to see my men wrapping themselves around me, holding me through it.

I wasn’t alone.

And I loved them so much for making sure I knew that.

10

~Orpheus~

Things moved slowly atExemplar.

Yes, I’d already known that. Already heard about it from secondhand accounts and complaints, yet seeing it and experiencing it up close and actually at work was another story.

I also hadn’t know where the drag had come from before, except to blame bureaucracy itself in a very vague way. But spending the last few days up at the compound shadowing Elliot Sabre had made it clear where it was rooted.

In far too many checks and balances.

In the strong and very loud differing opinions of those sitting at the proverbial—and literal—table.

In conflicting agendas, many of which were hidden behind concern for the supernatural world, some loyal to specific factions too.

It was an inherently complicated setup.

My previous experience with governing bodies of this sort was very different. My father had his High Council in the Dark Fae Realm, but the members were essentially tools that he wielded to do his bidding. He told them how things were going to be and he rarely entertained opinions and certainly didn’t allowpolicy and procedure to get in his way. It was most definitely his way or the highway and the Council knelt to him on all things.

When it came toExemplar, the complicated systems and protocols worked well when it came to managing the wellbeing of the supernatural world and all its intricacies under regular circumstances, when it came to the day-to-day operation of things.

Butit was weak and ill-equipped when a significant issue or threat arose that detracted from the norm. Because it was bogged down with due process and the like,Exemplarcouldn’t respond swiftly or effectively.

And that had cost us all dearly during this war against Constantine.

The madman obviously knew it well and he’d been using that weakness against them to great effect.

I’d discovered that Elliot had been trying to strike more of a balance lately.

For instance, enlisting my father’s help with some of the more dangerous uprisings of late. But he’d faced a great deal of backlash for doing that, especially when he’d done it without putting it to the members and running it through the proper channels to obtain authorization first. There was also the issue of the Dark Fae King intervening in matters outside his territory. They didn’t like that one bit, and saw him and his interference as a rogue element that proved dangerous to their carefully crafted modus operandi.

The bottom line was that the current setup wasn’t conducive to what we were up against with Constantine Vale.

But bringing about change to an organization likeExemplar, the depth of bureaucracy it was infected with… it just wasn’t feasible.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the only way forward.

I put those thoughts to bed as I passed through the ward, then I touched down in the courtyard of the mansion, folding my wings away.

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