Page 2 of Control's Undoing

Percy—a knight, but more importantly coleader of the Masters Protection Force.The MPF was a joint task force with members of both societies that had been deployed to handle large-scale threats to the societies.

Nikolett Varda—admiral of Hungary.Dangerously smart head of a territory that had been in shambles until she wrestled it back under control.She was not only intelligent but driven and brave.She hadn’t originally been invited to this meeting, but Colum was glad she was here.

Colum’s gaze jumped back to Eric, seated at the table once more.Eric was leaning forward, elbows on the table as he spoke.

Eric and Nikolett were…dating?Colum was absolute shite at figuring out interpersonal interactions and relationships, so given how they acted around one another, Colum would have sworn they hated each other.Except they were actually in love?In lust?He wasn’t sure.What he did know for certain was that they’d had sex.Or maybe it was just that they’d done sex stuff?He wasn’t clear on that part.Eric himself had told Colum some of what happened between them six months ago, but Colum knew there was more to the story.

That completed the Masters’ Admiralty side of the table.Looking to his right, he started cataloguing the Trinity Masters’ members?—

“Colum.”Franco hissed his name as he kicked him under the table.

“What?”

“It’s our turn.”

Colum blinked.“Our turn to…”

Franco made a weird face—what the feck was that supposed to mean?When Colum still didn’t get it, Franco pointed to a display case.What was in that case?If memory served, it was letters written by…

“Ah, go on, it’s our turn,” he muttered, annoyed at himself for woolgathering.

“Have you been paying attention at all?”Eric asked him, faint exasperation in his voice.

Colum cleared his throat.“Ah, sure it’s all grand.”

“Was that yes or no?”Hande asked, clearly confused.“I think my English isn’t good enough.”

“No, I was confused too,” Owen Fraser said.He was the Trinity Masters’ coleader of the MPF.

“I understood,” Franco declared, hand on Colum’s shoulder.“And now, we’re going to tell you about an issue that’s way more fun than the rest of these scary and dangerous ones.”

Colum hid a wince.Had he been woolgathering for the discussion about all the various threats facing the societies?The point of this meeting was to start addressing issues before they happened, and to work together to do it.The first one had been about blackmail in Crimea.Based on the pages of notes spread out in front of Percy, Colum had missed a good chunk of the discussion.

Colum mentally shrugged.If they’d said anything truly interesting, he would have noticed and started paying attention.Probably.

“We found an issue,” Colum said, pointing between himself and Franco.

“A…current issue?”Eric asked gently.

“Yes.Ah, well, not as such.”

“The original issue isn’t current, but there is a current element,” Franco added.

“The archivists have known about it for a while,” Colum added.

Eric pressed his fingers to his eye.Was it twitching again?

“What’s the issue?”Nikolett’s tone was calm and curious, her smile kind as she looked at Colum.That sure as shite wasn’t how she talked to, or looked at, Eric.

Colum cleared his throat.“Oscar Wilde.”

Arthur closed his eyes while Percy winced.They clearly knew their territory’s history.

“He was a member?”Rose Hancock, one of the Americans, asked.“Actually, that makes sense.”

“He was a member,” Colum said, happily slipping into information-giving mode.“Oscar Wilde was placed in a trinity as a young man with Abraham and Florence.They had a falling out when they decided that Bram and Florence would be the ones to legally marry and live as a couple.”

“Bram…” Rose said slowly, one brow raised.

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