The Council

by BooksGoSocial Fantasy

  “No pyro powers at all?” she asks, jaw hanging open slightly. “But you’re from Ignis, right?”

  “Right. Like I said, something went wrong during my time on the altar.”

  I think back to the incident a few nights ago—when I had heard the whispering in my mind—but quickly push it away. I don’t know what it was, but if it was the start of a new power—another one from Mentis, I note bitterly—I don’t want to acknowledge it. I don’t want to add mind-reading to the list of freakish abilities I have but aren’t supposed to.

  “The Ceremony is never wrong,” she informs me.

  I glance at her from the corner of my eye and set my lips into a tight line. “Not even once?”

  “As far as I know,” Rayna replies.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  This time, she shrugs. “Faith?”

  Blind faith, is more like it.

  For the first time since leaving Headquarters, there’s a moment of silence, and I’m thankful for it. I look up to see we’re close to the border between the Grove and the Ceremony Grounds. Despite it all, I’m slightly grateful to Rayna. The trip seems faster with her interminable chatter—I barely even had the time to notice any pain in my leg.

  Her gaze shifts away to the path ahead as we part the foliage between the last line of trees. “That’s Crowe up there.”

  I glance through the crowd to see a slim male a few years older than myself. He has shaggy red hair, some of it hanging into his narrowed green eyes. There’s a long scar running down his left cheek, ending in his cleft chin. He stands by the Aquais Equipped, taking no notice of our approach.

  Being back in familiar territory, I can’t help but glance around. I search for Ignis—for Clio in particular—but when I notice him in the crowd, his gaze is focused in the opposite direction, most likely toward Helena, and I decide against reaching out. It won’t benefit either of us if I do.

  I sigh, drooping my shoulders as Rayna and I come to a halt beside Crowe. He glances at Rayna before studying me with a questioning eyebrow raised. “Hello, Rayna. Explanation?”

  “Crowe, this is Lilith. Lady Myrna has recruited her to our oh-so-lovely Council.”

  “I’m not surprised,” he replies, giving me a gentle smile. “You have quite the reputation attached to your name.”

  “Fantastic,” I mutter, shuffling uncomfortably as his words float through my mind.

  “Ready for your piercing?” he asks.

  I shift my gaze to Rayna, scrunching my face. “Nobody said anything about getting a piercing. T-the Sage just said I was coming to meet Crowe.”

  Rayna tilts her head to the side, tapping her forefinger against her lips and returns my stare. “Those weren’t my orders.”

  I take a small step backward, feeling suddenly sick to my stomach as I stare at her through cold eyes. Somehow, I would’ve felt better if they had just slapped me across the face. “You’re forcing me to join The Council? I thought it was my choice!”

  “None of us got a choice,” Crowe says with an unapologetic shrug as his lip curls into a slight sneer.

  He takes a step toward me, his fingers grasping into my arm. I frown at him, shuffling my cloak to pull myself free. Despite the risk of a burning execution by not following their orders, I can’t bite my tongue anymore. “This isn’t right. Don’t I get time to say goodbye to everyone before I’m permanently bound to a new Coven against my will?”

  Rayna shakes her head, frowning back at me. “No, it has to be done today. Besides, it’s better this way.”

  “For who? You? The Sage? It sure as Hell isn’t better for me!”

  “It’ll only make things harder for you, and for them, if you get the chance to say goodbye. We can’t have you showing weaknesses either. You’re to be an authority figure now—it’s best you’re seen as such as soon as possible. Okay?” she asks, a small smile on her face as she clasps her hands together in front of her.

  I stare at her with the strongest disbelief I’ve ever felt in my life. “No! It’s not okay.”

  I have the urge to run again, and I wish with everything in me that I was physically capable of complying. Instead, I stand frozen in place, eyes darting between Rayna and Crowe in the hopes they’re pulling a prank on me. It’d be a cruel one, but I prefer it to the alternative. Rayna looks at me with a pout on her face while Crowe tips his head to the side.

  My heart sinks in my chest—they’re not joking.

  “Don’t try to run, it’ll just embarrass us,” Crowe mutters, keeping his head tilted. “Not to mention yourself.”

  “But—” I try to protest.

  “This way,” Crowe says, reaching for me.

  “No!” I cry out, using a gush of my powers to send him flying backward a few feet. His heels dig into the ground keeping himself up despite the grass torn out during his struggle.

  I try to push out another attack when I feel the energy blocked, and I turn to Rayna, guessing she’s the source, before my powers falter and disappear, leaving me winded. I gasp for air, staring at Crowe as he strolls toward me, once again grasping my arm as he pulls me closer to him. I’m so rigid with shock that he finds no resistance from me. As if it’s not bad enough they’ve practically kidnapped me, I can’t run and I can’t fight, leaving me no choice but to submit to them.

  I’m starting to believe Iris more and more.

  I look between both of them again for a long moment. “I didn’t ask for this,” I say, words shaky with the flares of emotion running through me. “And if I go through with it, I don’t even get a few more minutes with my loved ones? Why would The Sage do this? What do I earn from this?”

  “We all had to do it,” Crowe informs me, running his thumb along the skin of my arm as his grip slackens a bit. “It seems unfair now, but you’ll come to appreciate it. Now, tilt your head for me, darling.”

  I swallow heavily, noticing the piercing gun in his other hand, and shake my head vigorously, scattering my black locks as I pull free from his grip once again. The anger in my mind revitalizes some of the strength that had been zapped away by my disbelief.

  “Please?” he tries, raising his eyebrows and flashes me a toothy smile.

  Don’t you think you’re just fucking adorable? I growl inside my mind.

  That doesn’t convince me to move either so he approaches me with the gun still in his hand. I try to take a step away when I realize Rayna has taken over holding me. She stands behind me, arms wrapped under my armpits as she pins my back to her. I struggle in her grip, but her weight alone ensures I can’t get away, not to mention the unfortunate hold she managed to get on me. Her pudgy arms crush mine as she pulls her arms tightly together, and I cry out in pain as I kick at Crowe, desperate to keep him away from me at all costs.

  Stop it, Rayna’s voice fills my mind, halting my frantic blows a moment before I’m able to get Crowe in his happy place.

  Crowe grasps my jaw with one hand and tilts my head to the side, brushing my hair away from my ear before he lifts the gun to it. I close my eyes but am powerless to fight as he slips the earring into place with a sting like a snakebite. Rayna finally lets go of me, and I lift my fingers to the shining gem, backing away to stare accusingly between Crowe and Rayna as I search for some way to pull it from my skin. My nails dig into the flesh, drawing blood in my desperation.

  “You can’t force me into a Dedication,” I state in a voice so pathetic that I wish I never would’ve uttered it at all.

  Neither of them speak although Rayna appears sympathetic—more sympathetic than Crowe at least. I scoff and take a step backward to turn away with tears bubbling in my eyes.

  Don’t cry…don’t show them a weakness. I squeeze my eyes shut to try and control my emotions before they get out of hand. I need to get away…to put space between myself and the disaster that my life has become in the span of a couple hours.

  “Li…what is—” Clio’s voice begins.

  I open my eyes to see him focused on the rainbow ge
m in my ear. He moves to take a step closer when Crowe dashes forward to put a hand in his path. I stare at him again, trying to tap my powers to shove him out of the way, but I find the phantom hold that stopped me earlier is still there, locking my powers inside of me.

  “I’m gonna have to ask you to back away,” Crowe orders Clio, lifting his chin as he splays his legs apart a bit. It’s easy to see the threat in every inch of his posture.

  Clio, easily towering a foot over Crowe, smirks at him. “I think it’s okay that I speak to my friend.”

  “She’s too busy today to be your friend,” Crowe spits back.

  Clio frowns, drawing his eyes together as he peers over Crowe to see me. “Li! What’s going on?”

  I try to look him in the eyes, to give him some kind of answer, but Rayna grabs the tops of my arms, dragging me along through the crowds. The nearby witches turn to watch the struggle, parting to make room as soon as they realize that The Council is among the skirmish. I dig my heels into the dirt, trying desperately to break her hold and get to him.

  “Clio! Help!” I cry out finally, fighting against Rayna with everything in me.

  She wraps her chunky arms around me to pick me off the ground in her desperate effort to herd me in the direction of the Grove. I scream out, shaking my head as I kick backward to aim blows at any part of her I can get into contact with.

  “What are you doing with her?” Clio demands, trying to push Crowe aside.

  Crowe stands in place, quickly swatting his hand away. “That doesn’t concern you. This is Council business. Stay back.”

  “Let me see her!” Clio demands but the redhead doesn’t falter as Rayna drags me farther away from him and any hope I cling to that I’ll be able to return to my old life.

  I plant my elbow to her gut, surprising her enough to loosen her grip, and I take the opportunity to slip away. I fall to the ground on my hands and knees, coughing at the dirt that floods my nose as I try to stand up, to get to Clio. Suddenly, I feel a warm tickling sensation wash over me, and I have the sickening thought that Rayna finally decided to use her powers to control me—not just lock up my abilities. The resistance leaves my body, and I pick myself up calmly, wiping away the dirt and grass stains from the blue dress before I walk toward her. Inside my head, I scream for help, scream for my body to turn the other way while I still have the chance, but it betrays me. She guides me to the Grove—away from Clio, away from my home, and toward Headquarters as naturally as if I were in control of myself.

  Clio’s confused and angered calls continue in the distance, but Rayna’s mind control prevents me from saying a word in response…I can’t even turn my head to see him. Every time he calls my name, I feel my heart break just a little more. Finally, we’re so deep in the forest that I no longer hear him.

  “Well, that was a disaster,” she mutters and releases me from her spell.

  I round on her. “You think so? Kidnapping is illegal for a reason! You had no right to do that. Clio is my friend…why are you isolating me from him—from my entire Coven?”

  Rayna holds her palms out, looking at me with an absence of emotions on her face. Despite her iron-grip, I realize my struggle has drained quite a bit of her energy as well.

  “Okay, I realize tensions are a little high right now,” she states.

  “You think so?” I spit, running my hand through my hair as I glare at her.

  “Look, he’ll hold you back. It’s hard to hear, but it’s the truth. All of our families weren’t capable of keeping up with the things that we are. That’s why we were chosen a-and they weren’t. Being a member of The Council requires a lot of sacrifices if you hope to make it work.”

  “I don’t want to be a member of The Council for the hundredth time,” I retort, crossing my arms tightly over my chest as I once again contemplate possible escape routes.

  “If you always depend on others then you’ll never succeed. It’s best to learn that lesson now.”

  Based on today, another lesson would be not to trust my governing Coven, I think with the strong urge to say it out loud when I think better of it. “I want to explain to Clio what’s happening or else I’ll join the UnEquipped,” I threaten, stalking toward her the best I can with the ache in my leg from the scuffle at the Ceremony.

  Rayna folds her arms over her chest. “You really think you can blackmail me to get what you want?”

  “Yes, why not? From what I understand, you’re allowed to break the law because you are the law, right?”

  She doesn’t say a word in response, only stares at me. There’s no amusement in her face, made clear by her frown. I scoff and reach my fingers to my ear, searching for the stud to remove the earring. If she won’t make the first move, I’m more than happy to do so. My fingers prod at it desperately before my eyes widen with a sinking realization—there’s no clasp, no backing, no way to get it off.

  “I can’t remove it?” I ask, continuing to tug at my ear in disbelief.

  Rayna shakes her head. “For any of the five regular Covens, yes, but The Council is special. Once you’re brought in, you can’t leave unless it’s been okayed by The Sage. She wants you here, Lilith, which means that earring ain’t comin’ out.”

  I let out a dry chuckle and tilt my head back to stare at the bright blue sky above, biting my lip to keep the angry tears from bubbling in my eyes. I can’t believe how quickly my life has gone downhill…and how powerless I am to stop it.

  “Where’s Crowe?” I inquire, dropping my gaze to her.

  “Around,” Rayna replies. “He had to calm down some people at the Ceremony. Apparently your petulance gave them the impression another witch was attacking The Council.”

  I smile in response to that, feeling oddly accomplished.

  A raven suddenly drifts into the clearing and lands on the ground beside Rayna. In the blink of an eye, it shifts to Crowe. I stare at the scene before me, watching as the feathers melt away, and he stands in the clearing, naked from head to toe. Rayna reaches into her robes to pull out a set of clothing that she passes to him. He pulls it on and dips his head in greeting.

  “Hello, ladies,” he calls in greeting. “Things going well on this end?”

  “If you consider kidnapping to be going well, I’d say it’s perfecto!” I hiss at him, throwing my hands into the air.

  “Your new apprentice is a handful,” Rayna says to him, blowing out an exaggerated breath of air as she lifts one of her arms to show a handful of dotted bruises in her pale skin. I count each one, giving myself a pat on the back for them as she turns to walk away.

  “Giving ol’ Rayna a hard time already, huh?” Crowe asks with a wicked smile on his face. “Good for you.”

  “Don’t cheer for me. I’m not on your side, and I’m not on her side. This is wrong, and you know it…or at least you outta,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going back to talk to Clio and sort things out. Maybe he can help me make sense of the scraps of my life you people have left me with.”

  I move to storm past him, using a bit of my powers to keep myself from showing the pain in my leg. Secretly, I’m relieved Rayna released her lock on them.

  “You think you can do that?” Crowe snorts, amusement in his voice. “They really haven’t told you much, huh?”

  His voice freezes me, and I whisk on my heels to face him. I remember my earring. Is it possible it’s enchanted with magic of its own? The sinking feeling in my chest answers me, prompting my next question—what else can The Council prevent me from doing?

  “Now that you’re one of us, there’s a big rule you need to learn to live by.”

  “What’s that?’ I ask, dread creeping through me as if my intuition can guess the weight of his answer before he says it.

  “You may not leave the Grove unless it’s been approved by The Sage.”

  “I thought we were in charge,” I say mockingly. “Yet we need a babysitter to watch over us and t-to give us permission to leave our own
land?”

  “It’s to keep us safe,” he replies, pushing his lips together.

  “Like Hell it is,” I mumble, cursing him in my mind.

  “We may be the most powerful witches these Covens have to offer, but there are a lot more of them than us. If we go out there alone, there’s a better chance they can hurt us. Look what happened to Tarj,” Crowe says, taking a hesitant step toward me.

  In reflex, I glance at his hands to make sure he doesn’t have any more malicious plans for me, but they’re empty. “I don’t believe this,” I moan, feeling the weight of the situation knock the air from my lungs. My grip on my powers gives out, and I collapse to the ground, too absorbed in my thoughts to do a thing about it.

  Crowe frowns as he watches me. “I think I handled this thing about the same as you.”

  “Hmph.” I bring my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them as I stare straight ahead into the trees.

  “You’re different than I thought you would be when I heard about the incident,” he admits.

  I raise my eyebrows, not surprised. This isn’t the first time someone’s told me that. “What did you expect?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure, but you’ve got a fire in you.”

  “Is that your idea of a joke?” I snap with a glare at him before dragging it to my damaged leg that I stretch out in the grass, exposing the wrinkled patch of pink skin on my calf.

  Crowe shrugs. “You can take it as that if you want.”

  I sigh and blow a lock of hair from my eyes. “Why of all the people at the Arcane Ceremony would The Sage choose me? I mean, look at me! I’m crippled, and I can’t control my powers worth a shit.”

  “You showed potential when you stepped in and saved Tarj’s life without being asked. You risked your life for us,” he says. “That’s something not many witches would’ve done.”

  “Yeah, and this is how you repay me,” I snort, folding my arms across my chest to stare at the ground like a petulant child.

  “When Iris attacked, we all sort of froze up…but you didn’t hesitate to do what’s right, and believe it or not, we’re grateful.”