Fuck, the rambling was going to kill him. Gordon cut Finn off with a hand crashing down onto the table. “Safer!” he spat. “You’re a member of the Council, one of the strongest Shadow Weavers in the world, and you couldn’t compete with one sick boy and his two little friends?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Finn insisted. “There were three, or four, and I….” Finn’s voice trailed off when Gordon raised an eyebrow. But then he seemed to rally himself and turned to his colleague. “Brayden, you were there too, you explain!”
Brayden lifted his hands innocently. “You were there first. You were the expert. Andyousaid to wait.”
Gordon held in another sigh. They really were children.
Finn’s voice rose with his increasing tension. “It was sensible to wait. I always said using blood Shadows would have repercussions, and it’s abundantly clear that James has completely succumbed. What would happen if his Shadows expanded out of control, riddled with poison, and we were all in their path? I told you we should take him into custody when his behavior first became erratic, but none of you listened. Now it’s too late. I—”
Gordon cut him off. “Are you questioning my judgment?”
“N-no,” Finn stuttered. “Not at all. I’m saying that there was good reason to be cautious today. I’m explaining that I raised this point before. I couldn’t know that there were Guardians with him. That they would attack us before we could properly assess what was wrong with James and whether it was a danger to the Council.”
“So, you’re saying, given the situation again, you would do everything the same way?” Gordon asked slowly.
Finn nodded uncertainly. “I assessed the situation. James was sick, and his Shadows were a mess. As soon as I realized he’d been poisoned, I took action.”
“Huh. It wasn't even you who realized—” Brayden started, but he shut up when he saw the look on Gordon’s face.
“But by then it was too late?” Gordon asked coldly, not caring one iota who noticed what.
“Diedre finally arrived, but even she couldn’t stop them,” Finn replied sullenly. “His friends took him.”
“Let’s be completely clear.” Gordon enunciated each word slowly. “I gave you a direct order—bring James in and lock him in the glade until I could deal with him—and you decided that didn’t work for you?”
“No. I just needed a few—”
“Your hesitation cost me the blood I needed,” Gordon spat. “Cost us all the blood we needed.” He held on to the rage thrumming through him. Barely. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. Finn hadn’t just failed. He’d ignored a direct command. He’d disrespected his Archdderwydd.
Gordon tapped his fingers slowly on the table, assessing. Finn had questioned him again and again, and he’d had enough of it.Hewas the one who’d suffered and bled.Hehad made the ultimate sacrifice.Hehad planned and worked and stood alone through every battle to reach this point. And yet, he was still being questioned, his orders still undermined.
Now that he thought about it, he didn’t need to wait for the solstice before rising as sole leader of the Order. He didn’t need more power to validate his position… he was already the most powerful person on the planet. At this stage, the ceremony was merely for show. He was the Archdderwydd, and he would be treated with respect.
Something of his rage—and intent—must have shown on his face, because Finn finally seemed to realize exactly how much danger he was in. Color slowly drained from his cheeks as he looked around the room for support.
There was none. For the first time since Gordon had become the true leader of the Council, not one of them had a question or a suggestion or a comment.
“I am the Archdderwydd,” Gordon stated coldly. “I make our laws. And you follow them.”
Murmurs of assent filled the room. And more than one person moved subtly back away from Finn.
Gordon’s lips twitched, and he almost smiled. But it wasn’t enough. They needed to understand that his commands were not to be questioned. They needed to be reminded of exactly where they were in the pecking order. They needed a tangible demonstration. And he would give them one.
Gordon lifted a finger. “Diedre, you’re our Guardian. Take Finn into custody.”
“What?” Finn spluttered. “That’s insane.” He realized what he’d just said and grew even paler. “You can’t.”
“Do it. Now.”
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Finn launched up and back, shoving himself away from the table. His hands curled around his Shadows as he threw up a massive olive-hued shield.
But he was too slow, or perhaps too complacent. Within seconds, Diedre had sent a navy-blue-threaded Shadow snake coiling over him, squeezing and crumpling his shield, burrowing its way through the ravaged olive-green defenses to wrap tightly around the frantic Healer.
Finn growled, launching Shadow after Shadow—useless half-formed weapons created by a man who had never defended himself in his life—as he backed away, desperate to escape. But then Brayden climbed to his feet, adding his own brick-red-streaked Shadows to the scuffle. Together, he and Diedre swamped Finn in a sliding, squirming cage of living ropes. And slowly, they brought the bedraggled Healer to his knees.
Gordon stood, taking the time to neaten his cuffs and check his lapels for lint before stalking over to where Finn shivered, the acrid scent of his fear permeating the air.
Such a fucking waste. If he had time, he would have liked to consider whether there could be any use for Finn’s blood. But it wasn’t worth delaying this lesson. The Healer was too weak, too useless to be of any real value. And he’d cost Gordon the blood he truly needed. Now he only had one vial of blood Shadows left. And it was Finn’s fault.
