Page 87 of With This Witch
“What is this?” Councilor Amare shouts over the confused voices.
Petra looks to Grog, who is doing his level best to avoid making eye contact with her or any of the strangers in her protective dome. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. Before Grog can speak, trying to play off his guilt as confusion, Lachlan stands. “Sorry for the interruption, but we needed to bring along a little surprise. The beings in front of you are, shall we say, close personal friends of Councilor Grog and have been working for him for many years. Most recently, some of them have been employed to intimidate and threaten harm upon Mrs. Grace-Rose while making it appear that it was Sloan Wilks’s work. Grog has been using these beings to strike fear and uncertainty in Mrs. Grace-Rose, hoping she would relinquish her right to the Premier Witch title so that he could put someone in place that he could control.”
“That’s preposterous!” Grog shouts. “They are clearly trying to undermine all of the work I have done over the years, and want to use their new combined power to sway council decisions!” He comes out from behind his seat and into the main space in the room. “I knew allowing your marriage to continue would be trouble. I warned you all. But you wouldn’t listen. Now they are coming after me.”
He’s scared, Petra realizes. He didn’t anticipate them exposing him. Now he’s trying to turn it around on them.
Lachlan ignores the scene Grog is creating, and looks along the bench, pausing at each council member, before continuing, “Additionally, he has illegal ties to some of the others here and has been in business with them collecting and selling illegal wares, and has used them to gain information to bribe various council members to sway votes.” As he says this, various council members look down, attempting to avoid being noticed. “And finally, he is the one responsible for the incurable illness and ultimate death of Gladys Rose. We have evidence and accounts from those in his employ of the mixtures used to weaken Gladys over time, leading to her unfortunate passing.” The room erupts into chaos. Council members yell at each other regarding the allegations and their potential involvement; Grog threatens the deposited guests, and the guests scream back at him.
“As a council member, I motion for an immediate vote to remove Councilor Grog as a member and to move forward with banishment to prevent harm against other community members. All in favor of the said motion, say ‘Aye,’” Lachlan orders.
“Again, these are all lies,” Grog proclaims.
“The troll doth protest too much, I think,” Petra calmly counters, letting an amused smile emerge while she stares directly into his cold eyes. The mention of her beloved Gammy sparks a pain in her chest, but seeing Grog finally have his comeuppance and get what he deserves is satisfying.
Spit flies from his mouth as he points at her, spitting out, “You! You are behind this. Getting Premier Witch from your bitch of a grandmother wasn’t enough, huh?” An audible intake of breath is heard around the room as those present get to see the true side of Grog.
“I think you are confused. My grandmother, may the goddess care for her departed soul, was a witch. W-I-T-C-H.”
Lachlan moves to step between them as Grog closes what little distance exists between him and Petra. She makes eye contact with him and shakes her head slightly, telling him not to intervene.
“Oh, ho, ho. You think you’re funny, huh? Think you managed to pull one over on the big bad troll? You have nothing. No one here will speak against me. They know better,” he says. Petra’s eyes widen at that little bit he let slip, but she doesn’t say anything. No. She will let him bury himself. “You have no proof of these allegations. I am the smartest troll in existence. I would never leave any kind of trail to be discovered,” he declares. “You know, your grandmother tried to shut me up when she was new to the council. And then she continued to try and prevent me from doing what needed to be done throughout her tenure. But guess what? It didn’t work out so well for her now, did it? What makes you think you could do what she couldn't?”
Petra doesn’t respond. Instead, she looks around the room at the other council members. They are all staring at him, mouths slightly agape, with looks of shock that could be etched of stone. The creatures deposited by Selene have moved to the room’s edges, trying to keep their distance from the wild troll with sweat on his brow who is now pacing back and forth.
Grog continues as if he needs to fill the silence or risk the room turning on him. “Despite being able to fulfill the conditions to be Premier Witch, you will never be worthy. You’ve never cared about the supernatural community, and you will never amount to anything.”
Petra’s power surges, seeking an outlet. Her skin tingles as Lachlan steps in behind her and places his hand on her back in an attempt to ground her, clearly sensing the electric current she barely holds on to.
Grog turns to the other council members, saying, “I request that we remove both Petra and Lachlan Grace-Rose from the chambers, and effective immediately they are to be banned from the council.” He sounds so sure of himself that it would be laughable if it weren’t so pathetic. “They have falsely accused an upstanding member of council with heinous claims, only demonstrating their inability to be effective council members. All in favor, say ‘aye’” He turns briefly glancing at Petra, a cocky smirk plastered on his disgusting face. Only when he turns back to face the council does he realize no one has said a word in support of him. He steps toward Petra, poking her shoulder as he punctuates each word. “You should have been taken out with your grandmother.”
Lachlan steps forward, shadows flooding the room. Petra splays a hand at her side, placing a barrier between Lachlan and Grog. Her other hand twists as her hand extends out before her. Dark pink tendrils of magic, surging with her anger, burst forth and wrap around Grog, pulling him away from her. They bind his legs and tie his slimy arms behind his back before suspending him six feet in the air. She closes her fist, tightening her hold as he squirms in her binds. In doing so, she also draws out his magic into her own, weakening him.
“What! What’s going on? Put me down!” he barks. Realization dawns on his face as Petra leeches his power from him and he is unable to fight back.
Her voice comes out low as she says, “You have been warned not to touch me without my consent. While I could let my husband handle you, I want you to be sure that you know who you have pissed off. I am no wallflower. I am Gladys Rose’s granddaughter, and if she taught me anything, it was not to let anyone make me feel anything less than a Rose.” Grog spins in the air as she speaks. If it’s possible, his face looks greener than normal. She hopes he doesn’t puke. Bringing him back down, she releases her hold on him just before he touches the ground, causing him to thump like a wet cloth on to the floor.
A handful of the beings Selene rounded up step forward, and one of them, a goblin, says, “I know we don’t have a vote, but we would like to side with the Grace-Roses. We have spent years under the toe of Councilor Grog and are prepared to share all details related to his misdeeds, regardless of any consequences we may face.”
“Ha, see!” Grog says, standing up and clearly having misunderstood. The room is silent, waiting for him to realize what just occurred. It takes him a few seconds before he understands that the goblin was speaking against him, not for him. “Wait! I misunderstood!”
“Clearly,” Councilor Amare responds dryly.
Panic crosses Grog’s face, and he charges for the door. In his attempt to make it to the council chamber doors, he is abruptly stopped when a thick pink tendril wraps around his feet keeping him in place. The vine-like structure winds up his body, wrapping around him like the snake he is. He twists and turns, struggling against the hold she has on him. Tilting her head, she narrows her eyes as she watches him attempt to fight against her magic. It’s no use, really. Even with what magic he possesses, it will always be a lesser power to what she can control.
“Hegnir,” Petra says softly. Saying his name causes him to stop. His eyes snap to hers, full of surprise and something that resembles…sadness? She wonders when he last heard his name in a more friendly way. Stepping toward him, leaving him bound just in case, Petra says, “Hegnir, from what I know from my Gammy—may the goddess bless her soul—you have spent years trying to undermine the council and have worked hard trying to pit community members against each other. She spent years trying to help you build a stronger community, and you returned the favor by slowly poisoning her with troll magic, making her unable to be healed. You turned against one of your own. And for what?” She wipes a stray tear as it starts to roll down her cheek. “You even tried to trap me in a situation with ridiculous conditions with the hope that I would never be able to meet them. And despite all this effort, you’ve never been successful. Don’t you think it’s time to give it up? You are clearly intelligent; no one denies that. But I have to wonder if those abilities could be better used. Don’t you want to support our community, to help it grow and prosper?”
His features shift from something resembling understanding into pure malice. His nostrils flare wide with each heavy breath he takes while his eyes narrow and his chest puffs out, pushing against the bind Petra maintains around him. “Everything I have ever done has been to protect our community,” he bellows. “Your bitch of a grandmother did everything she could to stop me, so I did what I could to stop her from passing down the power. Only I didn’t count on you, the weak, avoidant witch that you are, to actually rise to the challenge. My mistake. But I won’t make that misstep again. No. The Wilkses have your number and will continue to do my work,” he sneers. “They were always the better family.”
Petra, tired of his tirade, opens a portal behind him. “If you continue to speak ill of the Rose family, I will banish you myself.” Tendrils of magic fill the room, pulsing in response to her anger.
Grog’s face drops. Apparently, he is still underestimating her.
“Alright, enough. You have both said your piece, and frankly, Grog, you are not helping yourself in the slightest. Aside from what I know from our interactions, the fact that you are trying to run proves your guilt to me. These reported actions are disreputable, and you disgrace this council. In response to Councilor Grace’s request, I say aye,” Councilor Amare says.
Four more votes of agreement follow her response. Petra’s magic calls her to action as she takes hold of him, placing him inside a shielded dome.
“I do not wish to add any additional charges. I leave it to the council to decide the terms of his punishment, setting the conditions he must meet and consequences should he fail,” Petra finishes, stepping back to stand with Lachlan, interlacing her fingers with his. Lachlan snaps his fingers, and folders of evidence of Grog’s business deals, threats, and bribery material land before each council member.
