Page 39 of Bear Protector
The Chancellor was trying to get in Kiera’s head, but with her new abilities, the man got nowhere. She blocked him out completely at first, but with Coco’s help, was able to annex one tiny corner of her mind, where she only revealed the preparation spells he would expect her to be working on. She also let Minassus see the faces of the men who were scheduled to be included in this year’s transformation. That way, he would continue to believe that the ceremony, and their futures, weighed on her.
She and Coco acted surprised when the Chancellor entered the conjuring room where they had been working. Kiera had known he was on his way the very second he had willed himself to get up from this chair in his private study.
“Kiera? May I have a word with you?” the Chancellor asked from the door of the dim room. “Alone?”
“Certainly, your Eminence.” She motioned to Coco, who left quickly. “Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked, already aware of the man’s answer.
“No. There are a few things you and I need to discuss.” He entered and took a seat on the maple-colored wooden bench where the younger students sometimes observed the most experienced witches cast new spells or combine various potions. Probably to keep his distance from the waist-high table where she worked.
Kiera kept her expression neutral as she waited.
“I sense you have concerns about performing the spell.”
Kiera could tell he was lying, but tilted her head in feigned confusion. “Concerns? I supposed it is natural for me to feel apprehensive and somewhat anxious, given the stakes.”
“Don’t play games with me, Kiera.” The flames in the fireplace flared as though kindling was thrown on them. That telekinesis was the Chancellor’s handiwork, not Kiera’s. “You have changed. You are stronger.”
“I am so glad you noticed,” she lied. “I have been practicing a lot, and meditating,” Kiera admitted.
“It’s more than that.”
“How do you mean?”
“Is there something you would like to tell me, Kiera?”
Thank goodness she and Coco had talked this morning. She was ready to defend her mind from his manipulation and intimidation.
“I don’t believe so.”
“Do you remember the Big Storm, child?”
“Of course, I do. It’s what brought me to you.”
“And do you remember the tragedy of that event and the days that followed?”
“I do, sir.”
“I remember all the deaths…so unnecessary, but to the destroyers, they meant nothing. Those families and soldiers were simply food, or human chew toys. There was no hope for our region until I completed the spell to turn those first men into shifter warriors for our cause.”
Kiera nodded. “You did, your Eminence. You helped save us all.”
“Do you know how many of us would survive without the shifters? None. Literally, none. You realize that, too, right?”
“I understand you hold that view, sir.”
“Shifters are a necessary evil. They are the monsters that we witches create to fight the true monsters that Mother Nature unleashed on Azmark.”
“With all due respect, shifters are not monsters.”
“It was a figure of speech, Kiera. Don’t take me so literally.”
“And may I ask why they need to live separately from the rest of the citizens?”
“The simplest answer I can offer is that it’s safer for them, and for the rest of us, if they live with their own kind. Turning this next cohort will secure our way of life.”
Kiera decided to take a risk, and added, “And there are no other methods we can implement to defend the region, other than shifters and the Nauru’s containment spells?”
“Nothing near as effective,” he offered.
