“Yes, sir,” Steros said.
Then Remy said, “Lieutenant, after you relay that information to the members of the council, give them this order. I want a complete list of names of all low-level magic users who became ‘servants’, the names of their current owners, how long they’ve been classified as such and the type of work they were forced to do. I also want to know what it would have cost each owner if they’d had to pay for the work done. In addition, I hereby order the immediate release of every low-level magic user who has not yet been assigned to servitude and forbid the passing and enactment of any new laws from this moment on by the members of the Governing Council.”
“Yes, Keeper, I shall carry out your orders,” Steros said. “How soon do you desire the information?”
“As soon as possible, but no later than the end of next week,” answered Remy.
“Yes, sir!” said the lieutenant.
“Once the information is ready, you are to bring it to me,” Remy said. “Any questions?”
“No, sir!” he said again, relief in his voice.
“Very well.” Glancing at Mystia, he said, “Go ahead and release the other one, please. Let’s hope he’s learned his lesson.”
Once the guards vanished, Carson said, “What the hell was that all about?”
Reclaiming his seat, Remy said, “Someone didn’t want to wait until we made an appearance.”
“Assholes…they took a big risk by sending those guards,” Carson said.
“No, they didn’t,” replied Mystia. “By using the guards, they found out a lot of information about the next Ruler of the Mystic Realm…which was their objective.”
“But they didn’t know what Remy would do, or for that matter, what I would do,” Carson said.
“No, they didn’t Carsy,” agreed Remy, “But whatever we did would have been done to the guards, who the Council obviously viewed as expendable.”
“Whoever’s behind this is a coward,” Carson growled. “They didn’t sign the order; instead they hid behind the Witches’ Governing Council. I wonder how long that’s been going on?”
“That’s something else I should probably look into,” murmured Remy, pensively.
Sitting down next to his mate, Carson pulled him into his arms, “It can wait, babe. The most important thing is returning all the indentured magic users to their families.”
“I agree, Carsy. There must be thousands of them, and I don’t want them to be captives a moment longer than necessary. Getting them compensation will have to be secondary; I have no idea if the laws even allow for that. If they don’t, new ones will have to be proposed,” Remy said, sighing, suddenly overwhelmed with his new role.
“Don’t worry, babe…one step at a time. Every low-level magic user’s family will be so thankful just to get their children back,” said Carson, rubbing his mate’s back soothingly.
“You’re right,” Remy agreed. “One step at a time will be my new motto, in the meantime, Mystia, do you think I should expect any more visitors?”
Chapter 36
“I’m not sure,” Mystia said, “obviously the spell I used on you and your brothers is gone, even with your magic enhancing it. Oracle’s announcement has surprised the Governing Council’s members…especially since they didn’t know of your existence.”
“Now they do,” Carson said, “and they know I’m the Mystic Guardian…so that should make them behave, right? Also why didn’t the guards sense Remy’s magic? I’m just shooting in the dark here because I don’t know very much about the mystic realm but shouldn’t those guards have sensed Remy’s powers if he’s the strongest magic user on earth?”
“Normally, I’d agree with you, but…” mused Mystia, pausing before continuing, “about thirty years ago, the last Keeper and Mystic Guardian came to see me. I was flattered, of course, but puzzled as to why they sought me out, since for the first hour or so, our conversation was centered around my mating with Jimmy. I was worried the Governing Council didn’t want a witch mated to a wolf and while I was trying to think of what to do if that were the case, suddenly, the Mystic Guardian handed me a box. The Keeper bade me to open it. Inside were three very old books.
“I immediately protested they were far too valuable for me to accept but the Keeper insisted I was the right person to keep the books from falling into the wrong hands and when the time was right, I was to give them to their rightful owners.” Smiling at Remy, Mystia added, “Of course, I could never say no, so I vowed to protect them with all my magic. After some more small talk, the Keeper and Mystic Guardian left and I never saw them again.”
“Are these the books Oracle mentioned?” asked Carson. “She said you had a book for Remy and one for me.”
Smiling, Mystia replied, “Yes they are. When the Fates were given the task of selecting the Keeper, they also commissioned two books, one for the Keeper and the other for the Mystic Guardian. Since no one now has the powers that you two have, they decided it was important for the Keeper and Mystic Guardian to know exactly what those powers were.”
“Have you read them?” asked Carson. “Do you know how I use my gift?”
“No, only the Keeper and the Mystic Guardian can open their books,” Mystia said.
“What was the third book?” asked Remy.
