House of Shadows (Royal Houses 2)

“I can speak for myself,” she snapped back.

Helly stood and gestured to Kerrigan. “I believe that we should listen to what she has to say.”

“Of course you do,” Lorian sneered.

“No infighting,” Malwin said with a wave of his hand. “Let’s keep this civilized.”

“I second Mistress Hellina,” Lockney spoke up. He gestured to his notebook. “For the record.”

Zoh nodded. “Tell us what happened last night, Kerrigan.”

Kerrigan gulped. “I have been under an immense amount of stress due to Society training. Since I was grounded for a month, I had spent ten days in Bryonica during the holiday training to improve. Mistress Alura passed me for all of my tests, but I was pushing myself to the point of blackout. I spoke with Mistress Helly about these instances,” she said, leaning heavily on the truth, if not giving them everything that had happened. “She recommended a stress reliever, but it wasn’t working. I wanted a second opinion.” There was hurt in Helly’s eyes. Kerrigan hated it, but she had to push through. “I wanted answers to help me complete my tests.”

“Answers in the Wastes?” Lorian scoffed. “What are you, a loch addict now? There’s nothing there but prostitutes, drug addicts, and gamblers. How dare you besmirch Mistress Helly’s name in conjunction to some hack you claim exists in the Wastes.”

Master Malwin banged a gavel on his desk. “Enough, Lorian. That’s enough. I would like to hear more about this. Helly, is any of this true?”

Helly cringed. “Yes. I was treating Kerrigan for her blackouts. I was unaware she was getting a second opinion about the matter.”

“And what was causing these blackouts?” Malwin asked.

Kerrigan’s eyes pleaded with Helly not to tell them. Magic sickness was serious. She couldn’t let the council know. Gods. But she also couldn’t expect Helly to lie either.

“Early signs of magic sickness,” she said calmly.

The council erupted in shouts. Many of the members were calling it impossible. The rest were looking at her in horror. Bastian tilted his head and kept his eyes level with hers. He’d remained silent through the whole thing, but he had to be on her side. She needed him to speak the sense he so often did. She begged with her eyes, but he made no move to help her. He leaned back in his seat and watched and waited as it all went down.

“Magic sickness,” Master Kress said in shock. “Surely not.”

“I’m quite certain,” Helly said.

“How can that be?” Anahi asked with fear in her voice.

“She’s unstable,” Lorian bellowed. “Magic sickness in a seventeen-year-old is unheard of. It’s impossible even. It must be a reaction to the circumstances of how she joined the Society. The bond pushing back against her. No one in the Society has ever had magic sickness.”

“It’s not been documented, but that doesn’t mean…” Helly tried to say.

But it was too late. Lorian’s mania had infected the rest of the council. People were jumping out of their seats to argue now.

“She’s cursed!” Boze shouted in alarm.

“The bond is killing her,” Lockney said. He began to scribble furiously.

“She’s unstable, and she must be stopped,” Kress said evenly. “Magic sickness is too severe!”

“We could never have someone like that in our ranks,” another member shouted, who Kerrigan didn’t even know.

It was all happening too fast. Everyone speaking up at once. Their own fears blinding them.

Master Malwin banged his gavel all he wanted, but no one was listening. Lorian had wrapped them all up in a frenzy. Even Helly couldn’t get through to anyone.

“Please,” Kerrigan managed. “I’m not trying to hurt anyone. The bond isn’t killing me.” But no one was listening. “Wait!” she shrieked. “Lorian is setting you up! He wants all half-Fae eliminated. He’s responsible for Basem Nix’s death. And he’s been illegally smuggling magical artifacts. He wants you to kick me out. He doesn’t want anyone else to oppose him. If you don’t listen, then you’ll be next.”

Helly covered her face, as if Kerrigan had said the exact wrong thing.

“I have proof,” Kerrigan tried. “Check his rooms and his Row house. It’s there. I swear it is.”

Malwin finally stood. “Enough! We will not hear any more of these accusations against one of our most esteemed. You are trying to save your skin with some veiled threat. That is not proof. It is hearsay.” He held his hands up to quiet everyone. “To the matter of Kerrigan Argon, who here votes in favor of removing her from her position in the Society?”

Kerrigan gasped as hands went up all over the room. Helly kept her hand down. Bastian made no move to raise his. A handful of others didn’t vote for her removal—Alsia and Anahi were two of them. Kress, Boze, and Lockney all voted for it. Lorian, of course. Kerrigan counted the hands furiously. A majority voted her out.

Malwin brought the gavel down. “Done. Kerrigan Argon, you are henceforth removed from your duties as a member of the Society. You will go to your room and clear out your belongings. A debriefing will take place in one hour. Dismissed.”