“Where’s Zohar?”
“Why are you sitting in his place?”
“How do we know you’re telling us the truth?”
“Why are we prisoners?”
Holding up his hand for silence, Remy paused before replying. “You are not prisoners…”
“Bullshit! I tried to leave after I didn’t see Zohar but can’t…that makes me a prisoner.”
Standing up, Carson growled, “If you don’t give the Ruler of the Mystic Realm the respect he deserves, then I will be forced to make sure you do.”
“Oooh, I’m so scared of the big, bad wolf,” the magic user smirked.
“A wolf? The Mystic Guardian is a wolf?”
As the buzzing in the room grew louder, Dylon hurried to Remy’s side. Nudging Carson’s arm, he whispered, “That guy is a trouble maker. I heard him trash talking about Remy to other council members, trying to get them riled up.”
Giving an imperceptible nod, Carson left the dais, heading over to the magic user. Stopping in front of him, he remained silent, his eyes daring the magic user to continue. When nothing further was forthcoming, Carson extended his claws and seized the man by the throat, lifting him off the floor. “You owe my mate and your Ruler an apology.” Carson said quietly, “or you’ll soon learn what this big bad wolf can do.” He watched as fear replaced arrogance in the man’s face, but with no apology forthcoming, his hand tightened, causing drops of blood to drip from the punctures his claws had made in the magic user’s skin.
“I’m sorry,” the magic user finally said, his voice no more than a raspy whisper.
Growling, Carson shook the man before releasing him. Letting his wolf appear in his eyes, he looked at the rest of the council members. “This is your first and last warning…if any of you are disrespectful to my mate, you will discover that what just happened is only a small sample of what I will do to you.” Then, turning on his heels, Carson headed for his mate as council members scattered to clear a path for him. Dylon didn’t have to tell him the danger he, Remy, and the rest of his group were in, but he reminded himself that they all possessed extraordinary powers.
Remy gave a quick glance at Carson as he resumed his position by his side. Inwardly smiling at his mate’s wolf lurking in Carson’s eyes, he turned his attention back to the group of magic users. “Does anyone else have something to say?” When no one spoke, Remy continued. “I have discovered a plot involving certain members of the Witches’ Governing Council that, had it succeeded, would have had catastrophic results for our world. Fortunately, I, along with the Mystic Guardian, were able to intervene, saving many lives in the process.”
Pointing at the four light spheres, Remy resumed. “Inside are the main perpetrators of this plot…and they will face punishment in a moment. But before that happens, I want to address the conduct of the members of this council first.”
“I had nothing to do with any plot!” a nervous voice called out.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Remy replied, “but that may not be the case regarding certain laws which, according to my advisor, Mr. Brady Whitmore, were passed unanimously by the council. I’m referring to the ones governing low-level magic users.”
A magic user stepped forward. “I never approved any of those laws.”
“You’re right,” Brady replied, “but you didn’t vote against them either. The use of ‘present’ instead of ‘no’ merely reduced the number of votes needed to pass the law which made it easier instead of harder.”
“Mr. Whitmore has made a good point,” Remy said, looking at the magic user who protested. “Remaining neutral doesn’t buy you a pass on any responsibility for what was happening to the low-level magic users.” Seeing the man’s confusion, he added, “Maybe this will help…a man goes out for an evening stroll and sees a mother and her child, both dressed in rags, huddled against the cold in the doorway of a building. The mother holds out her hand, asking for help so she can feed her child and herself. Now the man has several choices: he could report them to the police since it is against the law to beg; or he could ignore them and continue on his journey; or he could give her some money so she and her child could have a decent meal. What would you do?”
“I’d give her the money.”
“Exactly,” Remy replied. “But in the matter of your vote regarding laws against low level magic users, you didn’t do that. Instead you walked on by, ignoring what was happening to them.”
“But…but if I voted no, it would have made no difference since it was only one vote. The law still would have passed.”
“How do you know that?” Remy asked. “Maybe your objection to a bill you knew was immoral would have given courage to other council members to follow suit.” Then, shifting his gaze, Remy’s eyes narrowed as they searched the rest of the council members. “Imagine my disgust when Mr. Whitmore informed me that not one council member stood up and voted no when you all knew the hardship these laws would create for low-level magic users and their families.
“For too long, the members of this council have used their position of power to satisfy their greed at the expense of low-level magic users—that each youtook an oath to protect!” Remy thundered. “Instead of cherishing them as the Fates intended, this council stripped them of all their rights, and forced them into slavery so you could enrich yourselves.”
Remy paused, fighting to control his anger, knowing if he didn’t, the consequences could be dire. Suddenly, he felt Carson’s hand on his lower back, giving him words of love and support through their mind link. Taking a deep breath, he slowly exhaled, bringing his temper under control before resuming.
“By not upholding their oaths, this council has failed to act with honor, which is unacceptable, and has caused great harm to our world. Even now as I speak, the use of black magic is increasing, demons are being summoned with impunity, our justice system is broken, and evil is taking root in every nook and cranny. In short, our world is under attack by forces that are often impossible to see but lethal nonetheless. It is for that reason I am compelled to issue the following orders.
“Starting with the low-level magic users…I have issued an order requiring each magic user who has acquired a low-level magic user to notify Mr. Whitmore, within seven days, of the name of each one in their custody along with length of service and type of work performed by them.
“After that is completed, I will issue another order regarding the restitution their employer must make to each low-level magic user in their custody. In the meantime, as of today, all low-level magic users will be exempt from any work or duties but shall still receive food, shelter, and clothing as they did before the issuance of this order.”
“That’s illegal!”
