Page 127 of Magic Claimed
Ethan grinned, his ears turning a little pink at the enthusiastic greeting, and I reflected that while the world may have changed a great deal, Ethan had changed even more.
His hair was pulled into a knot at the back of his head, and his eyes were bright. He actually smiled now. Even joked with Logan and played with Ari. And just two days ago…
“Then…” I turned an anxious gaze on the other newcomer. “Did it work? Is he…”
Vinrath Elduvar, heir to the fae throne, looked utterly exhausted and haggard, but he smiled and nodded. “Yes. Thanks to Ethan, my father will make a full recovery.”
Once we’d revealed the truth of Heather’s deal with Callum’s would-be assassin, the Fae Court had turned on Lysarian Galavor, the most vocal opponent of Rath’s claim to the throne. His execution had been swift and decisive, and in the midst of the upheaval that followed, Rath had held the courttogether with a steady hand, proving himself a fit successor to his father. And now, thanks to Ethan’s miraculous healing ability, Dathair would have many more years in which to uncover the traitors responsible for poisoning him.
There were only a few questions yet remaining, and we could only get the answers by facing the Shapeshifter Council.
“I guess we have to face this,” I muttered. “If only so we can get to the after-party.”
“And you’d better hurry up,” Faris threatened me with a half-hearted scowl. “The grand re-opening is in only a few hours, and I have something to show you first.”
Thanks both to Ethan’s magic and the efforts of the entire Idrian community, The Portal had been rebuilt in only a few weeks. I knew Faris had made a few changes, but he’d been hiding them behind boards and scaffolding, saying we’d get to see them when he was ready.
I took a deep breath and turned to Callum.
“Shall we?”
Hand in hand, we approached the doors, and Angelica opened them without a word, standing aside to allow us to pass before closing them again behind us.
We’d spent three days ensuring that the space was ready for this moment, equipping it with tables and chairs, providing refreshments, and determining the correct seating arrangement for the occasion. So you can imagine my consternation when we stepped into the room and found it empty of people, but for a single man, seated at the head of the council table.
Landon Harrison—the younger of the two men who’d come to inquire after Callum’s well-being.
He watched our approach without comment, and for some reason I had the distinct impression he was biting back a smile.
“Where is the rest of the council?” Callum demanded, and I could hear the dragon-sized annoyance building beneath his words.
“Remember what you promised,” I reminded him through clenched teeth, while also jabbing him in the ribs with a surreptitious elbow. “No roaring. No biting. No setting things on fire. This is your building, and you’d just have to pay to fix it.”
“As it happens,” Landon said calmly, “the council has already met. We have reviewed the evidence against Raine Kendrick, and arrived at a judgement.”
I didn’t need our bond to know that Callum was clinging to his temper by a thread.
“And before you snap, ro-Deverin, recall that this is well within the bounds of precedent. And as you yourself have stated the need for more equitable governance and a stronger council, we hope you are willing to abide by our decision.”
“We are,” I answered, before Callum could growl at him. My heart sank at the implications of Landon’s statement, but I reminded myself that it didn’t matter. Callum would never abandon me, and I refused to give him up. We would simply have to find a way.
“Then let it be known,” Landon announced, “that the council has determined Raine Kendrick is indeed dangerous. Her magic is troubling in nature—not least because of its origin—and the influence she holds over our king remains sufficient groundsfor caution.”
It was everything I’d feared. My hope sputtered and died, my stomach lurched, and I thought I just might throw up.
“However…” He paused, and I began to wonder if he was keeping us in suspense on purpose. But after a long, searching look at both of us, he sighed and continued. “While we remain concerned by the potential for misuse of Miss Kendrick’s powers, we have also seen undeniable evidence of her remarkable loyalty and tenacity.”
I almost stopped breathing.
“Indeed, it is thanks to her that our king still lives, and given her actions during the battle for Oklahoma City, the council has decreed that all shapeshifters are permanently and deeply in her debt.”
Wait, what? He wascomplimentingme?
Not that I actually deserved the credit for any of that, but I wasn’t about to contradict him. Ethan had decided against making his abilities public, so thanks to a very careful and deliberate obfuscation of the facts, most Idrians believed I was responsible for Callum’s miraculous recovery from being poisoned.
“So…”
“So you have been officially acknowledged as a part of the Shapeshifter Court,” Landon said, as his face finally relaxed into a genuine smile. “We have also called for a review of the laws created during the Symposium, and will be pushing for an amendment that limits their application to the possession and use of magic artifacts.”
