Page 6 of The Lawgiver's Firebrand
ChapterThree
Whileon break, Daire stared out the floor-to-ceiling window to the lawn below. It was autumn. Red and yellow leaves fluttered from the trees to the ground, whispering across the grass in a chilly breeze. Beyond the edge of the cliff in Covenkirk, the mage region and seat of government for Scath, was the Contented Sea. A beautiful sight, except…
Trampling the new-fallen leaves, protesters bobbled signs. Most of them readRecall DaireorBan Interbreed Mating. The complainers wanted a return to ancient ways when mixed mating was illegal, violators executed by the realm.Right. Very modern thinking.
Some demonstrators chanted, though he couldn’t hear them through the thick glass. Others shot fists into the air, anger written in their expressions. He also recognized a few who had burst into the Blood Shed the other night. One took possession of a microphone to speak to the crowd. Occasionally, the protesters appeared to cheer.
When mages broke off from the group to bombard the building with explosive spells, Firebrands stormed onto the scene to break up the demonstrators and send them on their way. Daire wondered if Ari was among the warriors.
Nerina, the nymph lawgiver who had left the bar just before the protester ruckus last night, drew alongside him. Together, they gazed at the belligerent, scattering crowd. “No one is railing against my bill to aid orphans,” she said. “You are controversial, friend. I understand the group no longer calls themselves Isolationists. They are now Arisen Dawn. Also, they have a new leader. Cerberus.”
Frowning, Daire searched for a memory. He latched onto it. “Cerberus of the Prophecy of Karma?”
“Yes. The very same being, the hound of Hades, who will lead a ‘thirsty army,’ take over the world, and feed on humankind.”
“Don’t you believe in prophecies?” Daire studied the retreating sign-holders.
“No. You?”
Daire shook his head. “I think some enterprising male grabbed the name and the rebel group, hoping to stir up trouble.”
A gavel banged in the chamber. As the representatives returned to their designated spots, Nerina said, “You’re right. Cerberus has been doing just that.”
The lawgivers sat at built-in desks arranged in a circle. Each was raised on a dais about five feet off the ground with access steps up the back. More like thrones, the chairs were as ancient as the realm. Along with the desks, they were constructed from the wood of sacred oulder trees, but bodies and time had worn the seats. Polished to a deep shine, the dark furniture lent the chamber an air of ageless authority.
The prestige was deserved. Here, the lawgivers enacted legislation, giving order to the realm of often ungovernable Aeternals. The breeds—Amazons, demons, vampires, nymphs and satyrs, mages, succubi and incubi, berserkers, djinn, ylves, and shifters—were to be feared because their gifts made them treacherous.
Hours passed with Nerina sitting on one side of Daire and Victor, the vampire lawgiver who had also left the Shed before the protesters, to his right. They listened to arguments, pro and con, regarding various pieces of legislation, including Nerina’s bill.
Daire’s proposal was saved for last. When it came to the floor for consideration, comments from lawgivers grew heated, negative responses dominating the exchange.
Leading the charge against the proposed legislation was Rike, the berserker representative. On his feet, he gestured for emphasis. “Pay heed to those outside, Daire. Because of your radical ideas, you are their target.”
Daire imagined Ari and the other females he had romanced. Too tame of a word. Fucked.Better. Or, in the witch’s case, pleasured. He saw nothing wrong with interbreed relationships or mating. After all, he had enjoyed the taste of many breeds. Why shouldn’t everyone?
If pressed, though, he admitted to himself that Ari was more delicious than most. And here he was again, thinking about the common Firebrand warrior. What was it about her? Why couldn’t he wipe her from his mind?
His attention snapped to Rike when the berserker mentioned his name again, saying, “In days long past, our laws forbade interbreed mating. Then, misguided lawgivers loosened the bans. Daire would have us lift all the remaining restrictions. What I propose is stronger legislation rather than weaker. While all breeds are to be respected, everyone knows the offspring of mixed mates are weak, their powers limited by inferior genes.”
Daire shoved to his feet, his fingers splayed, pressing hard enough against the desk to whiten his knuckles. “Your opinions encourage hatred when we need unity. And how do you account for the Firebrand Rein, a vampire-warlock-incubus mix, rumored to be one of the most powerful Aeternals in our realm?”
The berserker flew into a rage, so angry spittle shot from his mouth. “He is an anomaly, an abomination,” he shouted.
“Perhaps you could share your views with him.” Though Daire resumed sitting, he met Rike’s outrage with a calm, almost weary response. Folding his hands on the desk, he laced his fingers together. His gaze eased off, the berserker’s comments deserving little attention.
Pandemonium erupted in the chamber.
More than half the lawgivers rose, pointing, shouting at Daire. Apparently, his view did not sit well with the majority. He retained his bored expression while he waited for quiet reasoning. None came.
Hornets’ nest. Over what?
Though laws had eased a bit over the years, mixed-breed couples still looked over their shoulders for the boudoir police. Daire was tired of lawgivers trying to regulate what happened between consenting post-Awakened Aeternals.
Or what happened against the wall in a shadowy corner of the Blood Shed. When Ari slipped into his mind unbidden again, he was frustrated, but his lips slid into a slight grin while he pictured her face alight with an orgasmic expression.
Once the chamber settled to a low roar, Rike said, “Does the incubus lawgiver find something humorous?”
Daire waved a dismissive hand. “I find much humorous, Rike. You, however, are not numbered among what makes me smile. In fact, I find you bigoted, unimaginative, boorish, and provincial.”
