“The shaman,” I said louder. “Sweet Goddess, we're idiots. That man performed magic and we witnessed it. He's a witch. He may call himself a shaman, but it's just semantics; he's a magic user.”
“She's right,” Teagan blinked. “I had just passed it off as psychic talent when I first saw the video but in light of this new information, I believe the man might actually possess some magic.”
“Might?” I lifted my brows. “What we saw on the video wasn't telekinesis or clairvoyance; it was a spell. That human cast a spell and laid a trap for a raven mocker. Only, he didn't catch a raven mocker; he caught another witch.”
“Witches fighting witches,” Tiernan mused. “So not only have we discovered a secret society but also a war among them.”
“Sounds familiar,” Raza smirked.
“Perhaps we should leave them to it,” Murdock shrugged. “Let them handle their own.”
“While some of them kill humans?” Teagan gaped at the other councilman.
“Our job is to monitor the fey,” Murdock said grimly. “Not other humans. People murder people everyday and we do nothing about that. This is not our fight.”
“It involves magic,” I said before Councilman Teagan could reply. “There isn't another police force capable of handling magical criminals. We have a responsibility to the world.”
“Why?” Murdock asked simply.
“Because we have the knowledge,” Teagan took over for me. “Because;When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one.”
“The true Edmund Burke quote,” one of the other councilmen nodded in appreciation.
“Well, you have to admit that the variant of;All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,is pretty catchy,” Teagan grinned. “But it boils down to the same truth; we are good or at least, we try to be. But if we ignore this, I don't believe we'll be able to call ourselves the good guys anymore.”
“This is a lot of debate over a simple question,” Raza said in a bored tone.
“I don't believe this is simple at all, Lord Raza,” Teagan argued.
“Head Councilman,” Raza sat forward, “war is always simple; you kill or be killed. But first, you must decide whose side you are on. Now, I ask you; on which side do you intend to fight? Are you for the witches or the humans?”
“Simple?” I huffed as the humans in the room groaned. “You just made this so much more complicated.”
“I fail to see how,” Raza sipped at the glass of red wine someone had brought him.
“They areallhuman,” I explained. “And we cannot condemn all witches on the act of what might be a small fraction of their kind. So far, we have very little proof but what proof we do have points at only one person, and that person is dead.”
“Then find the rest of these tattooed bird witches,” Raza put his glass down with a thump, sloshing the liquid inside. “Get your proof, clear my son's name, and kill the guilty!”
The room went silent but something snapped in me and I got angry. I was a fairy now but I was still human too and I took exception to Raza intimidating my people.
“Enough!” I sat forward and slammed my hand down on the table, startling everyone, including Cat, who had been asleep at my feet.
“Pardon me?” Raza cocked his head at me.
“Your presence is being tolerated due to the circumstances and your title,LordRaza,” I growled. “But I've had enough of these barbaric displays intended to subdue us into compliance. You are not in charge of this investigation, you are a guest. We welcome your help and your insights but cut out the bad ass behavior or I'll send you packing. Understand?”
Silence. Deep, horrified silence.
“I have never,” Raza leaned forward and set his intense gaze on me, “been so attracted to another being in all of my existence.”
Awkward, tense silence. Then coughing. Someone cleared their throat. Actually, I think that was me.
“Yeah, that's not going to work for me either,” I finally said. “Stop with the sexy,” I waggled my fingers over his provocative expression, “sultry, sensuous, seduction routine you got going on. I'm with Tiernan and I'm a one-man kinda girl.”
“Are you now?” Raza chuckled. “Sexy, sultry, sensuous,” he laughed harder. “That's a lot of S words, PrincessSeren. I think you're enjoying my seduction routine and I think there will come a day when you change your mind about the one man restriction you've imposed upon yourself. But,” he held up his hand when I started to protest. “I can be patient and I'm a beast at heart, so I love a good chase. Go ahead and run, my sweet Seren. I'll catch you in the end.”
“Holy shit that's hot,” a female extinguisher breathed a half second before Tiernan stood and drew his sword.
