Chapter Five
Holy shit,” I said, after the unusually quiet and grim-faced bunch had filed out.
They had pledged loyalty to Sebastian, on one knee in the old way, before leaving.And it had been a hell of a sight, like something out of time, the powerful clan leaders in their finery, swearing their own and their people’s blood to an equally regalia-clad man.And all while knowing that blood was indeed what it would take before this was over.
Of course, I knew they hoped for an advantage once their enemies were beaten—position, their enemies’ wealth, influence, and renown.But that required winning first, and this… Was going to be bad.
What the hell had just happened?
“It’s been a long time coming,” Sebastian said wearily, going to get himself a drink.
“Yeah, but…” I tried to gather my thoughts, but they were scattered tonight.“This isn’t just war on the Black Circle.It’s on Rand and whoever follows them—”
“And it wasn’t already?”Ulmer growled.
“—which meanscivil warwithin the Were community.Are we really doing this?”I looked around at the small group of unsmiling people who were left.
“There’s not much choice, Lia,” Cyrus said quietly.“After tonight, it’s war whether we want it or not.To fail to acknowledge that is only going to give the other side the upper hand.”
“Like we’ve been doing!”Ulmer put in.“This should have happened a month ago, if not before!Rand got off Scot-free after Whirlwind’s challenge, with Sebastian letting his blood pay for all, and you see how well that worked!I told you then,” he said, looking at hisbardric.“They take leniency as a sign of weakness.You want to deal with Rand?Do it the way Lia did tonight, and let your anger be written inblood!”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said dryly.“I think that point has been made.”
“And damned time, too!Else there’ll be more of the same, and I can’t guarantee my people can detect the damned mages they’re working with, not through the spells they’ve developed to deceive our noses.Or to send us off on wild goose chases all over the hotel while you wereright there!”
That point seemed to have wounded his pride.
“Butcivil war?”I said, still caught between shock and horror.
The last month had been about trying to avoid exactly this.The council session had started with the duel between Cyrus, standing in for his wounded brother, and Whirlwind over who would lead.And had been followed by an attempt to heal the fractures in the Were community, to make compromises with the more traditional side, to understand what they were thinking and why they had backed that bastard.
Only to discover on the last day that what they were thinking was murder.
Or kidnapping, which might have been worse.
“They tried to kill thebardric!In council session!”Ulmer roared.“There’s no other possible answer—”
“They didn’t try to kill him,” I pointed out.“They tried totakehim—”
“And would have, but you didn’t give ‘em time,” he said, looking at me with something approaching approval for once.
It was a rarity.Ulmer didn’t like me, as he was more old-school, and I… was not.He especially didn’t like me being a member of the Corps, not seeing it as suitable for any Were, much less the daughter of Laurentia of Lobizon.He seemed to be softening up since Cyrus and I got close, but I was pretty sure that was less because I was dating a guy who wasn’t exactly conventional himself, than because I’d finally Changed and taken on the role of Lupa of a clan, however pathetic of one.
It was a paw in the right direction, from his perspective.
“My point is that the leader of the mages was strong enough to have killed Sebastian from across the room, if he’d wanted,” I said.“But it sounded like he wanted something else, something important enough to draw out a council member, and thought that taking Sebastian might force us to give it to him.Or might force the Circle…”
I tried to remember the exact words he’d used.I was trained to recall stuff like that, and maybe I would once I’d rested.But right now, I was brain-dead.
“And you think itwasa dark council member?”Sebastian said, crouching in front of me and handing me a glass of something that turned out to be straight whiskey.
I hadn’t realized how bad I’d needed it until it was burning a path down my throat.And itdidburn, underneath all that mellow peatiness.He’d paid for the good stuff.
“It’s not their reputation,” I said, gasping a little.“To risk themselves in open combat.But he was strong enough.Without help…” I paused because it was a bitter admission, but it was the truth.“Without help, he’d have taken me.”
“Find out which vamp that was,” Sebastian told an aide.“I want to reward him.”
He looked back at me, and his blue eyes were kind but resolved.“I need everything you have on this mage, Lia.”
