Page 211 of A Winding Wave of Magic
I took a breath and stepped forward. Jonathan’s questions slipped through me, but I shook them away. I wasn’t going to let Robbie take the fall.
“It’s true that I’m too young for one of those seats,” I said. “And also that I am uneducated in the arts of fae magic. But there was a reason Penny left my education until the end, and it’s the same reason I believe she thought the Council might make an exception for my age. I didn’t know this until Caitlin Connolly tested me…but apparently, I’m a bit unusual.”
One of the members rolled their eyes and muttered, “Isn’t everyone?”
Are you sure you want to do this?Jonathan asked.
I think we have to.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “As Mage O’Brien’s executor, I can verify that she knew, as did her family from the beginning, that her granddaughter was no average seeress. Her will made that perfectly clear, as the Council will see.”
He released my hand long enough to remove a stack of papers from his briefcase and distribute one to each Council member.
Penny’s will, he informed me once he was back by my side and had retaken my hand.With some of the more sensitive information redacted.
Sybil?
Along with addresses and any other contact information for people they don’t already know or have.
“This is a plain document,” said the other siren, somewhat irritably. “What does it show?”
“That Mage O’Brien ensured Cassandra would receive her position on the Council because she knew her granddaughter would become the most powerful seer in a generation,” Jonathan replied. “She went against our norms to be sure the Council could See what she did.”
“Oh? And why is that?” said the siren, looking bored.
“Because she’s an oracle,” Jonathan said simply. “The first in over five hundred years. And as such, the Council cannot afford to lose her. None of us can.”
Every jaw at the table dropped, and six pairs of eyes lasered straight through me. Their silence was deafening and practically echoed off the stone walls.
Then, chaos erupted.
58
TESTING
See the horrors that result when governments are suffered to desert the known laws…
— JOHN PHILPOT CURRAN, “THE DISARMING OF ULSTER”
“All right,” said the Chancellor Mage. “Let’s quiet down.”
When none of the other Council members appeared to be interested in following his command, he looked up to the stone roof and murmured a spell.
The walls chimed like gongs that had been rung. Everyone’s hands clapped to their ears, including mine and Jonathan’s. Vibrations pummeled through my body, making me feel slightly ill until they faded away at last.
It was a threat as much as a demand for silence.
One of the shifters turned and growled. “Was that necessary?”
“It was,” the chancellor replied, turning to us. “There are six Council members present at a table that requires eight. We arein desperate need of replacements. The Council will review this document and interview both Robert Connolly and Jonathan Lynch regarding Mage O’Brien’s will and intent. However, Ms. Whelan must still be tested, both for her abilities and her claims against Mage Lynch. If she is what she claims to be, I think we can all agree to at least discuss an exception to the manifestation rule—particularly if there is someone she is willing to name as a regent until she comes of age.”
Murmurs flooded the table—clearly, none of the Council members had considered the possibility of a “regent.” No doubt they all had fae in mind for the position.
“First, we must verify.” Chancellor Se’s voice rose only slightly. He glanced between Robbie and Jonathan. “My brothers, you may leave her with us.”
Fear struck through me.
Don’t worry. Jonathan’s grip tightened. “I’m afraid not. Where she goes, I go. As her mate, it’s my right.”
