He walked into the meeting room, registering how one screen remained dark. The other nine screens were lit, the various silhouettes of each Council member cast on them.
“Thank you, Council, for meeting with me on such short notice,” he said.
“We know this is a difficult time for you,” said a Councilwoman, her tone a practiced balance of sympathy and business.
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Ash said. “The situation with the public is contained, and no further threats are expected at this juncture. The city authorities can handle all that for now, so I’m seeking authorization for the resources needed to carry out an immediate rescue mission of the Exorcists and cadet that have been kidnapped.”
“A counterattack when we don’t have solid information on our enemies’ whereabouts?” a Councilman with a reedy voice said. “That would be foolish and dangerous. You of all people, Captain, should know this.”
Another Council member added, “Vengeance is not our priority, Captain Song. Master Song’s incident is a setback we must overcome. The chain of command must not be broken, and a new leader of the Council must be chosen at once.”
Incident?To have his grandfather’s death reduced to this... All these power-hungry Council members cared about was the leadership vacuum.The numbness inside Ash turned to anger.
“Don’t insult me by insinuating that I’m only embarking on a rescue mission because of my grandfather. It isn’t vengeance I’m seeking. There are two separate matters. The Hybrids kidnapped my comrades.OurExorcists.I speak for all the Captains when I say we won’t forsake those who were taken.”
“It’s a clear-cut hostage situation,” the reedy-voiced Councilman said.
Ash had a feeling it had something to do with Zizi’s rogue spellinstead, but the Council didn’t know about that yet and his gut was telling him to keep it hidden. He didn’t trust any of the nine shadows encircling him.
“I expect the Hybrids to come forth with their demands soon,” the Councilman continued. “We do not and will not negotiate with those who choose to strike terror in us. The kidnapped are a lost cause we shouldn’t pursue. Collateral damage is to be expected in a war.”
Ash lost his composure entirely. “So you’re just going to let them die? Exorcists are not expendable, and neither are cadets.We risk their lives every day to protect our society, to protectyouwhile you hide behind your screens like cowards. Isthis the leadership the Council has now? What a bloody joke.”
“The audacity—”
“Mind your words, Captain!”
Several voices admonished him harshly.
Ash knew he’d been imprudent, and it wouldn’t endear him to the Council members or help his case. But he was done playing Mr. Charming.
The first Councilwoman’s voice pierced through the chatter. “I think we should give the Captain some grace.” The room went silent. “It costs us nothing to consider what he’s suggesting. Wedowant to find the Hybrids’ hideouts, and if a viable rescue plan can be carried out with little disturbance to the public, perhaps we should consider that path.”
Ash didn’t deal with the Council much, but he sensed obvious factions and divisions among them. He pulled himself together and took a performative step backward. He needed to play his cards right to get his rescue mission going.
“I apologize for my outburst,” he said, bowing respectfully, letting the pain in his heart rise to his voice. He would milk whatever sympathy he could get. “It is, as you say, a difficult time for me, and I failed to keep my emotions in check. I’ve always held the Council in high esteem, and so did my grandfather. He was... very dear to me.”
“As he was to us. Please, give us a moment.”
The audio cut out completely. The members were having a private conversation.
Minutes later, a different Council member spoke up. His shadow was hulking, his voice smooth like an experienced politician’s. “We understand the trying circumstances you’re in, Captain, but there’s new information you need to know. Early analysis of the security footage confirmed that there were Hybrids near the teahouse. We have good reason to believe that Song Yiran colluded with them and that he is the perpetrator of Master Song’s murder.”
Ash’s blood was ice.Colluded... perpetrator... murder...The guilt he’d seen in his brother’s eyes... Was this why? Things had been awful between Yiran and their grandfather for years. But did his brother really hate their grandfather so much that he would kill him?
“I want to see the footage myself. There’s no way that Yiran would join the Hybrids, and he has no special skills or anything that the Hybrids want—” Ash paused as a thought struck him.
What ifYiranwas the mole? He didn’t have much knowledge of how the Guild worked, but he’d been on a couple of missions before his magic disappeared. There were things he could’ve picked up along the way in Song Mansion whenever Ash and their grandfather spoke, useful information he’d overheard whenever their grandfather took meetings in his study. Like Surin said, the Hybrids were smart. They could very well have made good use of any details they got from Yiran.
But why would Yiran betray his family and friends?
The Councilwoman’s voice rang out. “Feeling doubtful, Captain?”
Ash shook his head, staring coolly back at her screen.
“Master Song claimed for years that the boy did not have magic aside from an anomalous stint a few months back,” she said, “which itself is an odd occurrence. Out of respect, we didn’t pursue the matter at that time, but it appears Master Song was wrong about Song Yiran and hisabilities. I hope your grandfather did not deceive the Council due to personal reasons.”
Ash was aware that there’d been some interest in Yiran from the Council when his magic manifested a few months ago. With the unusual circumstances, he hadn’t been surprised by the curiosity then. But the accusation of any wrongdoing on his grandfather’s part grated.
