“Yet she is not unconscious.” Cartimandua’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve grown stronger.”
“Just had a good breakfast.” I gave a weak smile.
“Uh-huh.” She clearly didn’t buy it for a second.
Grey stepped forward. “Something is clearly amiss with your ceremony. You should have that fixed.”
Ubhan glowered. “That is not the case, and you know it.”
“If the ceremony worked, she would be unconscious, or she would be assigned to a guild.” Grey shrugged. “She is neither. Something has gone amiss. I expected better of the Council.”
A low grumbling sounded from different corners of the room, but Cartimandua stood. “We don’t know what is happening with the ceremony, but we can hardly return her to the prison.”
“That is procedure!” Ubhan shouted.
“She helped save your hide, Ubhan.” Cartimandua glowered at him. “Carrow must join a guild soon. If the ceremony doesn’t work for her, we’ll need to find another way to assign one. But in the meantime, we will vote on what to do with her.”
I bristled. I didn’t like the sound of this. The Council was way too involved in my life. But Cartimandua shot me a wink.
She had to know the vote would go in my favor, right? She’d been on my side all along. And I liked her.
I nodded. What choice did I have?
Cartimandua looked at each member of the Council. “Should Carrow stay free until she is assigned to a guild?” Her voice took on a heavier tone. “And do not forget the role she played in saving us all.”
I waited, breath held, as the Council voted.
The no vote went first.
There were some real sticklers, it seemed, because four unfamiliar hands went up in support of keeping me in a holding cell until I was able to complete the ceremony. Ubhan’s went up as well, making it five.
I felt sick to my stomach.
I could feel Grey at my side. The tension surrounding him was a physical thing. Were members of the Council allowed to abstain from voting? If so, and if there weren’t enough votes in favor of letting me walk free, Grey would act.
And it wouldn’t be pretty.
He hadn’t so much as told me that he liked me—because fond certainly didn’t count—and yet, I could feel that he would have my back.
When Cartimandua called for the vote to release me for the time being, the remaining Council members raised their hands.
Thank God.
Tension drained from my shoulders, but I stood straight. I didn’t want them to know how worried I’d been.
“That
is that.” Cartimandua clapped her hands together once. “You may go. But be warned, we will call you back soon to undergo the ceremony once more. In deference to the service you have done for Guild City, we will let this slide for now. But only for now.”
“Thank you.” I spun on my heel and left, getting the hell out of there as quickly as I could.
I didn’t hear if Grey said anything to them, but his disapproval was apparent.
He joined me in the lobby, and we walked out. Silence fell heavily around us, and I remembered the sight of his terrified face as I woke up after the blast.
He’d been so worried for me.
I shot him a glance. How the hell we were going to go forward from here?