Chapter 17 The Council
The following morning I woke up with a stiff neck.
It had been the longest uninterrupted sleep I’d had since my arrival at Foresyth.
My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, prompting me to reach for the water on my nightstand.
Blinking, my eyes scanned the walls of my bedchamber.
Being outdoors the previous night had emphasized the oppressive nature of the House’s walls.
Were they collapsing, or was my mind deceiving me?
They appeared to have an unsettling slant.
I blinked away my morning haze, looking through the window.
An overcast sky obscured the forest, and a murmur of thunder threatened in the distance.
Beyond the hidden tree line, I knew there was still that barren plot of land.
I buried my head back into my pillow, squeezing out the memory of Nina and her hand dripping blood.
The memory of magick.
In the weeks that I’d been here, I felt like I’d only unearthed more questions about this place than answers. And I still was not anywhere closer to finding out who killed Julian.
You’ve felt like a fraud your whole life. This is your opportunity to discover the truth. About Julian and what you’re capable of, a voice resounded in the back of my head.
The Meister had said something similar to me, the first night we met. Failure, I thought, is what I was capable of. My father would have been disappointed in me.
I untangled my locket from the back of my neck, coaxing myself out of bed. Slipping into a black sweater and trousers, forgoing the dress code, I readied myself for the day ahead.
The Council meeting was this evening. If answers were what I sought, then that’s where I would find them.
*
Circle that night featured Aspen and his doctrine on political effigies.
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes on more than one occasion.
I had too many things on my mind to entertain Aspen’s self-righteous research prompts.
As Circle concluded Nina reached across her chair and tapped me on the back.
“Good luck tonight. I’m sure you’ll be great.” She smiled and I returned the gesture.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aspen stealing a glance at us.
I kept my eye on him as he and Sequoia left the room.
Was he still warning me about Nina or Leone?
Ignoring his gaze, I held back while the other students exited the room.
The person I had to talk to wasn’t any of the students. It was the Meister.
“We need to talk,” I said to the Meister, as soon as the other students had left. “You’re not telling me everything,” I said.
The Meister looked up from his cane, green eyes sparkling in the firelight.
“I do regret that I’ve been traveling and have missed our mentorship meetings. Perhaps we can catch up on our way to the Council tonight. Have you made any progress?”
“You’re not answering my question. You knew about the lion-serpent, about The Book of Skorn. Why didn’t you tell me, when it could be connected to Julian’s case?” I asked pointedly.
“As far as I understand, you’re still a student Ms. Blackburne. I can’t give you special privileges beyond that, or else I’d jeopardize the sanctity of the very institution I’m trying to protect.”
When I was absolutely certain no one could hear us in the room, I closed the door and said, “You hired me. I’m a student here as a cover. Or are you forgetting that?” My tone was raspy, hushed but still coarse with indignation.
“I think you’re doing very well as a student here, as well.
Wouldn’t you say? Your peers respect and admire you.
I was very transparent about wanting to keep you here once all this mess with Julian was resolved.
” I had never heard those words, respect and admire, in that context.
I ignored how they created a sickening lightness in my chest. As much as I respected him upholding the standards of his institution, murder should allow him an exception to giving me full disclosure.
“Who is Sophia?” I said through gritted teeth.
The Meister’s eyes turned black as coal. He struck his cane down on the wooden floor and the sound reverberated through me. I shuddered, stepping backwards. “You are not to speak that name in this House unless you do so with reverence. Do you understand?”
I nodded, but the fire inside me was still raging on. “I need to know everything so I can help you. So I can help Julian,” I said, softer.
“In due time. When you’re ready, you will,” the Meister said, striding over to the door. “Now, you best turn your attention to the Council. We mustn’t keep them waiting.”
“You’re accompanying me?”
“Indeed. I’m presenting you. Follow me,” the Meister replied, leading me down the hallway.
“Does the Council convene here?” I motioned to the House.
The Meister paused briefly before responding. “Occasionally, but not often. They choose different venues for their meetings. Tonight, it’s in town.”
He retrieved his coat from the rack, and I followed suit, adjusting my black coat. I dabbed at a mud stain on the sleeve.
“Wishing you both a pleasant evening,” Richard bid us farewell, holding the door open as we exited.
It would be far from pleasant if I had anything to say about it, I thought.
Stepping outside, I drew in a deep breath of the night air, feeling the tension in my shoulders dissipate. We walked down the path to the awaiting motorcar at the gate. Climbing in, I took care not to soil my freshly-polished pair of Oxfords.
Though I felt a wave of relief as the House receded behind me, a new knot had begun to form in my stomach.
I was confident in my grasp of The Book of Skorn—its symbology, its historical context—but how could I possibly demonstrate a genuine dedication to magick?
Until yesterday, nothing had come close to convincing me it was real.
And now that it had . . . I wasn’t sure which was more unsettling—the doubt, or the belief.
“Are you all right, Ms. Blackburne?” the Meister inquired, closing the car door.
“Quite,” I replied. “Is there anything I should be aware of before meeting the Council? Anything you’re willing to share?” I couldn’t hold back the sourness from my voice. If the Meister wouldn’t give me answers, then I’d force the Council to.
The Meister offered a gentle smile. “You’re well-prepared to meet the Council. I trust Leone assisted you in your preparations?”
“He did,” I confirmed slowly. “He mentioned proving my devotion to the Council. You know I’m not .
. .” I hesitated. Worry creaked into my throat.
I needed to convince them of my magickal devotion.
How was I going to get answers from the Council if they didn’t deem me worthy of being a student at Foresyth?
“Don’t concern yourself with that. They have methods of assessing your potential. It’s beyond your control. This is a test, Dahlia, but not the one you think it is,” he said.
I furrowed my brows. What kind of test was I walking into, exactly?
We traveled the remainder of the journey in silence, watching the scenery pass by outside the window—first the dense foliage rushing by, then the twinkling lights of the town.
When we reached the town center, the driver stopped the car and opened the door.
We stepped out and I braced myself from the wind with my coat.
“It’s this way,” the Meister said.
I followed him through the narrow alleyway, hemmed in by imposing stone structures on either side.
It was clear we were using the rear entrance of the building we were about to enter.
Keeping pace, I trailed after him, the rhythmic tapping of his cane guiding me along the uneven cobblestones.
He halted abruptly, facing a weathered wooden door with an iron grate.
With a practiced melody of taps, he unlocked it without touching the handle.
“How did you do that?” I whispered.
“Magick,” he replied with a smirk. “Let’s not dawdle; we’re already behind schedule.”
Descending the spiral staircase, I gripped the railing tightly as we bore deeper into the earth.
The air grew heavy and musty, indicating our subterranean location.
Finally reaching the bottom, we traversed a dimly-lit tunnel until we reached a grey tiled door.
The Meister rapped out a different sequence of knocks, and the door swung open.
Entering the dimly illuminated chamber, a chill traced down my spine, a mix of anticipation and unease. The scent of damp stone and freshly disturbed earth filled the air, wrapping around me like a cloak of foreboding.
In the center of the room stood a circular stone table, adorned with Nordic symbols that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. Eight shadowy figures encircled it, their features obscured by deep hoods, exuding an aura of ceremonial sacredness.
Seated among them was a woman of commanding presence. Her scarlet cape spilled around her like a river of blood, a stark contrast to her dark complexion. Her gaze was unrelenting—piercing through me, peeling back my defenses as if to unearth every secret I’d ever tried to bury.
I shuddered. She was certainly the woman that Leone had mentioned.
Approaching the table, my heart pounded with trepidation, yet I refused to yield to fear.
I had come too far now. I stared back at her with an equally intense gaze.
The chamber was cloaked in perpetual twilight, the darkness pressing in from all sides.
A solitary raven perched on the table before the woman in red, its ebony feathers ruffling as it cocked its head. Its eyes traced my every movement.
The Meister followed behind, motioning for me to take a seat at the stone table. With a resolve born of necessity, I took my place, meeting the woman’s stare with determination. I was going to get that deck from them, and I was going to get answers.