And maybe, just maybe, that's enough.
For now.
23
SKYE
TheemergencyCouncilsessionhappens two days after Ambrose wakes, and I can already tell it's going to be a nightmare.
My projection appears in the Council chamber while I stay safely at Phoenix Sanctuary, my mates surrounding me in my office. Stellan's hand rests on my shoulder, his fire warm and grounding. Jade is pressed against my other side, his essence sipping at my anxiety before it can spiral. Harlow, Rumi, and Ambrose form a protective circle around me, ready to intervene if this goes badly.
Ambrose still looks older than he should. The cost of his contracts is written in the new lines on his face, the slight tremor in his hands, the way he moves like his body aches inplaces it didn't before. But he insisted on being here, insisted on supporting me even though he should still be in bed recovering.
I love him for it. And I hate that I need him here.
The Council chamber is chaos before anyone even speaks. Members are shouting over each other, some demanding investigations into the attacks, others insisting the reforms created instability that justifies rolling everything back. Fear and anger permeate the chamber like smoke after a fire, bitterness working through my essence. They're scared. All of them. Even the ones who support us are wondering if we've pushed too hard, too fast.
Eugene looks exhausted when he finally calls for order. His air essence amplifies his voice until it's almost painful. "Silence! We will conduct this session with order and decorum!"
The shouting dies down to angry muttering. I take a steadying breath, my mates' support anchoring me.
"Praestes Bardot," Eugene addresses me formally, which is never a good sign. "The Council demands answers. Dmitri's followers launched coordinated attacks on thirteen reformed academies. Eight students dead. Twelve faculty members murdered. Dozens more injured. This violence followed directly from the reforms you championed. How do you respond?"
The accusation is clear. This is my fault. The deaths are on me because I dared to change the system.
My power rises instinctively, pink essence making my projection glow brighter. "I respond that Dmitri's followers murdered those people, not the reforms. We didn't create violence by freeing students to be themselves. Dmitri created violence by building a system so oppressive that his loyalists would rather kill children than see it change."
Councilwoman Petra stands abruptly. She's one of Dmitri's staunchest supporters, an earth elemental who's benefited enormously from the current system. Her power and positionare entirely dependent on maintaining the status quo. "Those students would still be alive if you hadn't incited rebellion! If you hadn't declared yourself Praestes and undermined Council authority! This blood is on your hands!"
Heat blazes off Stellan, rage burning on my behalf. Jade snarls with protective fury. But I keep my voice steady, channeling Mother Nature's authority.
"Those students died because Dmitri's followers chose murder over adaptation. Because they valued their power more than children's lives. Don't you dare put that on me."
"And Phoenix Sanctuary?" Another Council member, one I don't recognize, leans forward with suspicion in his eyes. "Somehow your academy was untouched while others burned. How convenient that the Praestes's own institution suffered no casualties."
The implication hits like a punch to the gut. They think I protected Phoenix Sanctuary at the expense of the others. That I let students die elsewhere while keeping my own people safe.
"Phoenix Sanctuary was attacked," I correct him, forcing my voice to stay calm. "Thirty-two of Dmitri's loyalists breached our perimeter. We successfully defended ourselves without casualties on either side because we were prepared, because our students have been training, because we didn't suppress their essences into uselessness."
"And because your mate nearly killed himself writing contracts to protect you," Petra sneers. "We've heard about the Crossroads Keeper's prices. How convenient that he was willing to sacrifice his own life for your academy but not for anyone else's."
Ambrose flinches beside me. The guilt he's been carrying since he woke up surges fresh and painful. Before I can respond, his voice cuts through the chamber.
"I was unconscious." Ambrose steps into view beside my projection, his Crossroads Keeper power making his words carry weight. "The contracts I wrote for Phoenix Sanctuary's defense drained me so completely that I didn't wake for three days. By the time I regained consciousness, the attacks on the other academies had already happened. If I could have protected them, I would have. But I'm not omnipotent. I can't be everywhere at once, and my power has limits even I don't fully understand."
The chamber goes quiet. Ambrose's honesty, the raw admission of his own limitations, seems to take some of the anger out of the room.
Then Councilman Aldric stands. The ancient spirit elemental commands respect even from Dmitri's supporters, and the remaining muttering dies when he speaks.
"The Praestes is correct. The violence came from those who refused to accept that Mother Nature's gift is more diverse than we've allowed. Blaming the reforms is like blaming freedom for making slaves want to escape." His gaze sweeps the chamber. "We can either accept that change is inevitable and work to make it peaceful, or we can resist and watch more people die. Those are our only options."
Several Council members who'd been wavering visibly shift in their seats. Aldric's support carries weight.
But Petra isn't done. "And what about the attacks on Council members? Three of us have received death threats since voting to remove Dmitri. Our families are in danger because we followed your lead!"
That hits differently. Fear spikes through the chamber, sharp enough that I taste it. They're not just worried about students anymore. They're worried about themselves.
"I'll assign protection," I say immediately. "Phoenix Sanctuary has skilled defenders who can guard Council members and their families until the threat is neutralized."
