Page 17 of Iridian

“All of it exists—it isn’t just tales,” said the Redfire. “David has really been stealing from us from right under our noses. All our noses.” The way she looked at each and every one of her colleagues made me flinch, and her eyes stopped on Madeline. “You vouched for him, Madeline.”

“And you agreed with me,” said my grandmother without batting a lash. “All of you tested him, and you agreed.”

Most of them looked down at their laps for a moment, but not the Redfire. “All of us trustedyourjudgment, too. Throughout your whole career.”

“It has served you, that trust, hasn’t it?” Again, Madeline couldn’t have cared less about the accusations.

“Flora, we don’t have the time to dwell on the past now. The future isn’t looking very bright for us at the moment,” the Greenfire said. “That is what we shall focus on.”

“And who putyouin charge, Natasha?” snapped the Bluefire—George.

“Oh, don’t start with me,” the old woman said.

“You are all ridiculous—a circus, a circus!” the Blackfire said, throwing back his whiskey before he reached for one of the bottles on the table to refill it.

For a moment, most of the Council members spoke at the same time. It was so surreal to sit there and watch them, like they wereordinarypeople, not the ones who held the fate of the world in their hands.

Meanwhile Madeline played with her glass and looked at me, her face perfectly passive, and for a moment there, just a splitsecond, I could have sworn she lookedboredwhile the members went at it, accusing one another, bickering about useless things.

“Enough,” the Mud councilman finally said. “That’s enough. We don’t have time for this. Put yourselves under control.”

I thought for sure they’d burst out again and ask him who puthimin charge, but nobody did. The rest of them closed their eyes and took in deep breaths and drank more alcohol, but none said anything for a good moment.

“Enough time has already been wasted,” the Redfire continued. “I’m afraid we’ll have no choice but to believe Rosabel’s tale and to take action before it’s too late.”

“He wants to raise a dead army? Fine,” the Greenfire muttered. “Our ancestors have stopped a mad man once. We’ll stop another again.”

“Of course, we will,” said George. “As soon as we find him, we kill him. I’ve always wanted to see the light die in his eyes, to be frank.”

Through all of this, Helen had remained silent, sitting near Madeline in the second armchair, sipping her drink slowly, thinking.

“So…arrogant, indeed,” said Ferid with a frown on his face as he no doubt thought back to whenever he had met Hill.

“Thinks he’s entitled to everything,” George muttered next, shaking his head at his almost empty glass.

“Behaves like he has the world in his pocket,” Natasha the Greenfire whispered to herself.

“We will do this away from the public eye,” Helen finally said, and when she spoke, the rest of them fell silent. “We will find him, and we will take care of himin private.Is that understood?”

They all nodded at the same time.

“There’s a lot wrong with this system that we’ve inherited, and it’s time we did something about it. It’s time we madechanges to ensure that the power doesn’t slip from us again the way it has been doing for a decade now, apparently.” Her eyes locked on Madeline’s. “We will restore the order once more, Maddie, and you will help us.”

“I will,” Madeline said without a moment’s hesitation.

Words were in my mind, coming up my throat, ready to slip out my lips in a rush. I wanted to tell them exactly howwrongeverything was right now, inside the IDD and outside, too, in the Tomb, a penitentiary that was controlled by a criminal, an inmate, and the fact that Selem even existed; about how awful the Iris Roe was and how absolutely absurd draining people was, or labeling themMud,treating them as the scum of society for no reason at all. I wanted to talk to them about every single thing in detail anddemandthat they fixed it, fixed everything, made it better. That was their fucking job!

Except now was not the time, was it?

And let’s be honest—they wouldneverlisten to me, would never even let me finish speaking.

I tried anyway. “There’s a lot going on at the IDD that isn’t right. And out there, too, in the world. The Mud are treated like?—”

“The bracelet,” Flora cut me off. “Where is the anchor?”

I swallowed hard and my magic raged. “I don’t know.”

Helen turned to Madeline. “Where is the anchor?”

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