Celine led us to a large courtyard of bright green grass in what I guessed to be the center of the school. Stone walls soared hundreds of feet above us to what had to be the top of the mountain in a veritable tube, no doubt hidden from plain eyes and any other intruders’ by many spells protecting the place.
It was a pleasant spot, with a large fountain in the middle from which water poured from jugs held by statues representing the four fae creatures. Benches were set around it along with beds of flowers and carved topiaries. A proper English garden.
But a jail cell, nonetheless.
There was no way out.
I gasped, like the air was gone, though we were outside under genuine sunshine.
Breathe. Jonathan’s comfort and strength funneled through our clasped hands.I’m here.You’ll be all right.“Celine, wait.”
The sorceress turned from where she had been about to disappear into the building with her arms crossed. “I hope you don’t think you’re about to sweet talk me, Jon. That trick won’t work anymore. Not with a mate right next to you.”
He walked closer, tugging me along. “No tricks, I promise. But Celine, this isn’t you. You know what they’re doing is wrong. Unconstitutional, even. You must threaten to bring it before the Assembly.”
Celine smirked. “You’ve been spending too much time in plain courts, Jon. Our laws were determined by magic, not the mere mortals. No one in the Assembly will vote against the Council, especially when there is a quorum.”
“The divine right to power was a plain invention. You’ve spoken for dismantling the Council for years, and now you’re defending it?”
“I believe in themagicright to power,” she retorted. “And the magic chose the eight families. They are beholden to the rest of us, but they have wisdom in their veins. You know this.”
“The magic chose the original eight,” Jonathan argued back. “No one ever said it meant for power to remain in their families forever. And it certainly didn’t say a word about secrecy.”
Celine chewed on her lip and glanced between us, clearly uncertain about what to say in front of me.
She looked at the door behind her, then closed the gap between us.
“And you thinkthis”—she jerked her head at me—“is going to solve that problem?”
“An oracle means a revolution.”
Revolution? I asked.
Later. He was focused on Celine for a reason he hadn’t yet revealed to me.
“Look.” The emphatic, no-nonsense expression was evident in her tone as well. “If you want to spend your time babysitting a half-bred mind bender who’s already failed a major test and committed an unforgivable crime, you’re welcome. But it’s a waste of your time and talents, and you know it.Don’tbring the Order into this. We’ve got much more important things to deal with.”
“The Order knows about her.”
My interest piqued. Yet another mention of the Order. Just how many places had they infiltrated?
Celine blinked between us, and then her lilac eyes brightened somewhat with her Sight before quieting back to a dark purple. “You’re bluffing.”
“Would I bluff about that?”
“You would bluff about the color of the sky, Ioannes. Lying is what you do best. Procuring others’ secrets”—she glanced again at me, this time with a bit of knowing—“and keeping your own.”
“This time it’s different,” he protested.
“Oh, really? And how is that?”
“Because this time it’s not about secrets! It’s about the truth.” He squeezed my hand, shaking it between us. “And Cassandraistruth, Celine. Sheisthe Secret in more ways than one, no matter what Penny said.”
Celine’s jaw quivered slightly—with rage, maybe. Or nerves. “You’re wrong,” she said after a few moments. “It’s always been about secrets. More specifically, onesecret that we have been protecting for fifty years. Which you and I both know the Councilwilldiscover in one way or another if you do not do what you must, here and now.”
“What’s that?” I managed to ask.
Fear shot through Jonathan’s touch. Along with something that could only be compared to a snarl. “That’s impossible now. You know it is.”