Chapter 40 #2
At times like these, Lucius longed to return to his life as a human.
At least there he knew the rules, unlike his perplexing existence as a paranormal.
But now, once again, the rug had been pulled from under him; the world he now found himself in was vastly different from Valerian’s.
It brought back all the insecurities that plagued him when he first became a vampire.
Having to learn a whole new set of rules—rules Valerian refused to clarify—had forced Lucius to spend most of his time trying to make heads or tails of them, living in fear of what his master would do to him if he messed up.
While listening to Dylon discuss the information Mystia had uncovered, Brady reached over, placing his other hand on top of his mate’s moving fingers.
It was a lot to ask his mate to trust him and, that Lucius did so without complaint, infused him with a warmth he never expected.
But the whole episode showed him how ill-prepared his mate was for his life as a vampire.
Without knowledge of the paranormal world, Lucius would end up living a wretched life, always on edge as to what was coming next.
That was unacceptable to him, but a solution would have to wait until the Ruler of All Magic was safe.
Turning his attention back to Dylon, Brady asked, “What exactly are you proposing we do about the low-level magic users?”
“We need to get them out of there before Zohar can succeed with his plan,” Dylon replied.
“How many are we talking about?” asked Brady.
“Unknown…but Zane discovered Kadin Fadington reserved four semi-trailers for the day after tomorrow.”
Doing a quick calculation in his head, Brady said, “Given that, there are about 2000 low-level magic users at the Council’s headquarters.”
Letting out a low whistle at the number, Carson muttered, “That’s a lot of bodies to move.”
“Sure is…and it’s gonna take time to get them loaded,” Dylon said. “And don’t forget the number of people that will be needed to do it. It would be easier and faster if Zohar used magic.”
“He won’t though,” Brady said. “He’s too smart for that.”
“How so?” asked Dylon.
“Translocating that many people requires a number of magic users…even if everyone’s magic is as powerful as Zohar’s,” Brady replied.
“Moving them by truck will take a lot of time,” Dylon said. “It seems it would be faster by magic.”
“You’re right, but there’s another problem with using magic,” Brady said.
“Doing so would leave magical signatures, identifying the magic users who defied an order of the new Ruler of the Mystic Realm, leaving them open to the possibility of losing their magic. And regardless of how strongly a magic user supports Zohar, there are limits to it.”
“Hmm…okay, so moving them by truck is the only option open to Zohar,” Dylon mused, as he pondered the problem.
“What are you thinking?” asked Carson.
“As I see it, there are only two options for us…one, hijack the trucks once the low-level magic users are inside…”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Remy said.
“I agree,” Carson said. “I think it’ll put them at risk of being killed by Zohar once he discovers what we did.”
“And even if that doesn’t happen,” Brady said, “Where are you going to put 2000 plus magic users? They will need round the clock protection, food, shelter…at least until the Ruler can enact new laws allowing them to return to their families.”
“All good points,” growled Dylon, “and that’s why I think option two is the way to go.”
“Which is?” asked Brady.
“Remy disbands the council.” Holding his hand up to forestall any objections, Dylon continued. “Hear me out. Zohar has kept the information of a new Ruler secret…which only helps him. So it’s important Remy appears before the Council…with Carson, announcing who he is.”
“But how does that help the low-level magic users?” asked Brady. “They’re scheduled to be moved a day before the Ruler’s meeting with the Council.”
Nodding, Dylon smirked. “Brady, tell me…what restrictions exist regarding the right of the Ruler of the Mystic Realm to appear before the Witches’ Council without a formal invitation?”
Shrugging, Brady replied, “None…the Witches’ Council serves at the pleasure of the Ruler.”
“So Remy can show up at any time…regardless of whether the council invites him or not?”
“That’s correct. However, in the past, the Ruler usually only attended when he was invited,” Brady clarified.
“Perfect,” Dylon replied. “First, we know the safest place for the low-level magic users is exactly where they are right now, but to keep them safe there, Zohar and his band of thieves must be removed from the premises. And the only way for that to happen is for Remy to exert his power as Ruler of the Mystic Realm. Zohar will not be expecting Remy to break with tradition, so showing up in front of the Council tomorrow will throw Zohar’s plan into disarray, giving us the advantage.
” Pausing a moment, he gave everyone a devilish smile before continuing.
“Gentlemen, it’s time to shake things up in the magic world. ”