Page 20 of Season's Greetings
Silence.
He could feel her rage cresting behind him.
The Elders glanced at each other. One—Elder Mira—spoke.
“Does the record confirm lunar alignment?”
He nodded once. “December 15th. Ten years ago. Full moon. Blood match. Flame vow.”
Elder Stirling raised a brow. “Witnesses?” she asked.
“None,” he said. “As per Hollow Moon tradition. But the bond registered an ether flare—minor, but traceable.”
Claudia hissed.
Daniel couldn’t help but feel a little spark of satisfaction at her reaction.
“So you expect us to honor a gutter-light memory? You defied tradition, concealed the rite, and manipulated an omega for emotional leverage!”
The question—and the rage behind it—wasn’t unexpected, coming from an Elder representing the Silverspire Collective.
Daniel turned.
Not to the Elders.
But to Matthew.
“Did I manipulate you?” he asked quietly.
Matthew met his eyes—steady, scorched—but still standing.
“No,” he said. “You offered. I chose you.”
His words cut deeper than Claudia’s accusations, stripping Daniel bare—and swaddling him in comfort.
“Thank you. That will be all. The Elders will now retire to their chambers to consider their verdict. We are adjourned until then.”
It was official—the coffee at the courthouse was by far the worst he’d ever tasted.
In fact, sewer water would probably taste better.
Okay, maybe not. But still, if the Council’s goal was to subdue plaintiffs by poisoning, they were on the right track.
Grady, tired of his whining, had gone in search of a proper coffee shop, while Matthew sat quietly reading a tatty magazine left on a bench.
It had been hours.
What was taking so long?
When he’d spoken to Keiran, Daniel had been sure this was an open-and-shut case. But with Elders on the Council clearly aligned with Claudia, he couldn’t be too sure.
Just as he was starting to wonder if they should head home, the court assistant waved them back inside—Grady hot on their heels, coffees in hand.
As before, the Council was seated on their dais. Elder Mira cast a sweeping look around the room before standing.
“Hollow Moon is outmoded. Controversial. But it is the law. Unless evidence of coercion is found…”
Her gaze swept over them. A small, tight smile graced her lips.
