Page 61 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy
And in the seat to my left is my fated mate. Kai and I discreetly hold hands under the table, a quiet assurance that we’re here for each other. For the past three days I’ve been recovering well enough. Anika’s plant magic must be working, but having Kai dote on me helps. Him sleeping near me, like the big kitty he is, and rubbing on his giant, fluffy mane also makes the recovery process better. If I’m not well enough to have sex, it’s the next best thing.
When Kai smiles at me, his curved eyes shining in the daylight, I know that our love is strong. We have all the time in the world.
“I call this meeting to order.” The booming voice of the man in the center of the High Council causes a quiet to descend on us.We all turn to the three of them, a triumvirate that commands respect.
“We would like to outline the events that occurred five days ago. We’d like to put the rumors to rest.”
The man to his left nods at the wizards I don’t know. He says, “That is why we called all of you, representatives of your respective covens, trusted members of our Union of Mages, to attend today. We want you to know about what occurred and what this means about our future.”
The woman on the right, the final member, lifts her hand. “To start, just know that the source of geo arcanum is safe. Part of it was destroyed, but there is still enough for us for generations. And that is in thanks to the individuals you see before you.”
The wizards all turn to us. I squirm in my seat, but when Kai squeezes my hand, I relax.
“We have done a thorough investigation, and here is what transpired,” the councilman in the center announces. “A witch used dark blood magic, a forbidden hex, to control and weaponize one of our own.”
The wizards murmur and look around. I squeeze Kai’s hand even tighter. The man continues by saying, “By our own, I mean, the Jade Lion. He is here.”
Kai waves sheepishly, and the wizards buzz in shock and awe.
“Silence, please.” The councilman only has to say it once for the wizards to shut up. “As you all know, that offense is unforgivable. She had the intent to destroy the geo arcanum, steal the power, and harm our community. She injured a few of our officers, but thanks to these heroic individuals, there were no casualties. Fortunately for us, she rendered herself powerless when she used too much geo arcanum. We have worked carefully to forge documents to put her in an asylum in themortal community. Right now, she is barely talking, and we will be monitoring her closely. Currently, she is no threat.”
The councilwoman clears her throat. “And that was all in discussion with her coven leader. I would like to introduce the witches before you. Yes, they are witches.” She points to us, and I give a feeble wave.
I wish I could say the wizards were comfortable with this bombshell, but their raised eyebrows say otherwise. The only one politely smiling is Luther.
“The Boysen House coven is the reason we still have geo arcanum,” the third council member says. “They saved our precious resource and our lives. As such, we owe them a debt.”
The man in the center nods at the people on his right and left. “Therefore, starting immediately, the Union of Mages will lift its ban on witches. We will allow membership, starting with this coven, the ones who saved us.”
If they were perplexed before, the wizards are outraged at this announcement. They all talk over each other in shock and controversy, and point at the High Council. Luther looks just as disturbed as the others.
“Silence, silence please,” the three council members say in unison. When they lift up their hands, everyone shuts up. While I’m glad to have them on our side, it still feels like the five of us are in the hot seat.
“We have been discussing this for years,” the man in the center says. “We do not take this lightly.”
“It is not simply because of the violent events that transpired, but that is a huge part of it. These witches saved the geo arcanumandour lives,” the man on the left says.
“The initial purpose of the Union of Mages was to protect sorcery and strengthen the magical community,” the woman on the right says. “That is why the original name was never Union of Wizards. We want to accept all who can contribute to themagical community and keep us safe from the threats of the Other Side. As well as those of warlocks and dark magic users.”
“The witches will have to go through the morality and competency tests,” the man in the center says. He points to us and adds, “Which every member must go through. So when we give them access to geo arcanum, we will know how they use it. But that standard is held to all mages, whether they draw their power from the Sun or the Moon.”
I exchange a surprised smile with Lisbeth, then turn back to the High Council.
“The world has changed,” the man on the left says. “The discrimination of the past is based on harmful stereotypes and won’t be accepted any longer. That intolerance is why we lost the Jade Lion, the most powerful mage of all, for years.” I squeeze Kai’s hand, and he gives me an almost resigned smile. The wizard continues, “If we had been more tolerant, then last week’s atrocity would not have occurred. We do not want to sow the seeds of resentment in witches any longer.”
“And witches can help us with divination, a practice that has long been lost by wizards,” the woman on the right adds. “The stars know my son needs help with his psychic abilities.” The others laugh, but I don’t get it. I guess I’ll be meeting them all soon?
“Diversity in the magical community makes us stronger,” the man in the center says. “We’re here to support, train, and invest in the future generations of spellcasters. Our duty is to protect and cultivate sorcery around the world. We will gradually begin outreach and integration of witches next week.”
The three council members stand up. “And if anyone has a problem with that, you can resign from the Union,” the man in the center says definitively. “Meeting dismissed.”
While the wizards file out, I walk up to Lisbeth and pat her on the shoulder. The nasty looks some of the wizards give me aren’t lost upon me, but how can I care? We’re accepted now!
“That was amazing!” I whisper.
“Haunted hearts, we’re actually going to be part of the Union!” Taina says.
“We are joining, right?” Anika whispers.
