Chapter 21
Gray drove his SUV down to the gate, and Simon seemed surprised to see several other pack members standing there as well. He looked at the growing crowd and, puzzled, turned to Gray. “What are they all doing here?”
Gray grabbed his hand and squeezed. “They’re here for you.”
“Did you tell them to come?”
“No.” And he hadn’t, although Gray admitted to himself he would have if he had thought of it.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Simon got out and went over to the gate. A blond man stepped forward, and Simon bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment.
Gray growled under his breath at the gesture, the wolf in him pissed at seeing Simon submit to anyone else. The man in him wasn’t very happy about it either. He forced himself to calm down when Simon glanced over at him in concern.
“Hello, Master Thomas,” Simon said when he was convinced Gray was okay.
“Simon, I must say I’m disturbed at finding you here.”
Gray stared at Thomas, this supposed master of Simon’s who had tossed him aside when Simon needed guidance the most. He moved closer to Simon’s side, wanting nothing more than to challenge the man where he stood.
Simon didn’t acknowledge the censure in the mage’s voice, and Gray was relieved. “What can I do for you, Master Thomas? We were in the middle of dinner.”
Several of the wolves grumbled their displeasure, and Master Thomas glared around at them before returning his attention to Simon. “The Conclave requires your presence for a special hearing on your circumstances.”
Simon paused for a moment, looked around at the pack and then back at the mages. He reached over, took Gray’s hand, and laced their fingers together. “I’d be happy to set up a time to speak with them.”
Gray nearly howled his pleasure. Simon belonged with them, and it appeared he was willing to make his stand.
“They want you now, Simon.”
Feeling Simon’s hesitation, Gray spoke up. “Like he said, we’re in the middle of dinner. We’d be happy to set up a meeting on neutral grounds to discuss matters.”
Thomas laughed, and the sound chilled Gray.
Simon shivered beside him. “Oh, Alpha, I know you think you’re in charge here, but I hate to tell you that you aren’t.
Simon can certainly choose to remain here, and if he does, he will force the Conclave to come get him.
” His eyes turned to Simon. “Is that really what you want to happen?”
The threat was clear. Gray and the rest of the pack tensed, ready for whatever the mages planned to do next. Simon looked around at them all and shook his head. “No, that’s not what I want.” He slipped his hand from Gray’s and turned to him. “I won’t put the pack at risk.”
“Simon, you don’t have to do this. My earlier option is still on the table.” Gray didn’t want to fight, didn’t want some big battle on his hands, but he couldn’t let Simon just walk away.
“I know. And when I get back, I want to talk to you about that.”
Master Thomas smiled triumphantly. “Come along, Simon.”
Gray growled at him, and his smile fell as he stepped back. “Know this, mage, if you harm one hair on his head, the fury of this pack will be on you. I have your scent now, and I can promise you I won’t forget it.” The rest of the pack growled and snarled their agreement.
SIMON didn’t speak on the ride to his meeting with the Conclave. He thought about Gray and Garon and focused on keeping his magic centered and his anxiety from raging out of control. Master Thomas and the other two mages with him didn’t speak either.
When they arrived, Simon looked around in horror. They were at the house where he’d found the cubs. “What are we doing here?”
“The Conclave wanted to verify your story. I gave them the facts as you gave them to me, and they discovered this place.” Master Thomas looked at him with disgust. “It’s no wonder you’re worried. I would be too, if I were you.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“That is not up to me to decide.” The other mages came around to Simon’s door and held it open.
He stepped out, eyes still on Master Thomas inside the vehicle, and was surprised when his arms were grabbed and held behind his back.
The mages snapped something around his wrists, and Simon’s magic quieted completely.
“What did you do?” He struggled but quickly realized his arms were trapped behind him.
“Until the tribunal is over, your magic has been nulled. For the protection of the Conclave, of course.”
“I am not a threat to them, Thomas. You know that. You know me.”
“I thought I did, but clearly I was mistaken.” He led the way into the house, with the other mages dragging Simon along behind him.
Inside, three other mages waited for them. Their faces were hidden beneath the hoods of long black cloaks. Simon was forced to his knees in front of them. One of them turned to Thomas and spoke, his voice cold. “We’ve been waiting.”
“My apologies. I found Simon with the wolves and had to retrieve him. I’m afraid his deception is worse than I originally reported.”
“What?” Simon looked back and forth between them. “I told you what happened, Master Thomas.”
“You lied, Simon, and the members of the Conclave have their proof.”
The Conclave members approached Simon and laid their hands on his head. He jerked when he felt their magic inside him and tried to pull away. Crying out in pain, he struggled, but they continued their hold.
After a few moments, they jerked their hands away as well. “He has body magic inside him, as well as lingering soul magic.” The members of the Conclave all nodded in agreement, sensing the same thing.
“I can explain,” Simon began.
“There is no explanation,” one of them replied.
Another added his thoughts to the mix. “You admit that you have this Other magic inside you?”
“Yes, but—”
“But nothing, Apprentice. Did you, or did you not, freely accept the magic of Others into you?”
Simon grimaced. Technically, he had allowed the pack to give him some of their body magic. “Well—”
“Enough. Simon Osbourne, you are guilty of betrayal of the Order of Mages, taking magic of Others into yourself for evil uses. You have risked us all with your foolish endeavor.”
“No, that’s not what happened. Please, hear me out.”
They ignored his pleas. “As such, you are branded Sorcerer, user of black magic, and must be stripped of your power.”
Simon started shaking and tried to beg them again to listen. “You don’t understand. I’m not a Sorcerer. I have used no black magic. I just saved some cubs who were being attacked.”
“Lies,” Master Thomas said. “I found him with the wolves, and he is bound in some way to their alpha.”
Simon turned to glare at Thomas. “You leave them out of this. You know nothing about what went on. You wouldn’t even listen to me, wouldn’t help me.”
Thomas ignored him and looked beseechingly toward the Conclave members. “I feel as if I have failed in my duties. If you permit, I would see to the punishment myself. It is the least I can do to atone for my mistakes with my apprentice.”
They nodded in unison. “You may perform the ritual. It is wise that you accept some responsibility for this and know that you will be sanctioned by the Conclave once this is resolved. However, we recognize that darkness cannot always be detected or avoided. You have handled yourself as well as can be expected for someone of your limited experience.”
Thomas bowed before them, and the Conclave members trailed away, leaving the two of them alone. Watching from the window, Thomas made sure they were gone before turning back to Simon. “Well, that went better than I expected.”
“What? Thomas, why didn’t you help me?”
He laughed and grabbed Simon by the chin, forcing his head back. “Because I was helping myself.” He shoved Simon, who toppled over backward onto his bound arms.
Crying out in pain, Simon struggled to roll onto his side.
“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?” Simon’s mind finally caught up with everything going on, and his eyes widened in horror. “Wait—you were helping yourself? It was you?”
Thomas smirked as Simon attempted to process the new information.
Before he could wrap his brain around all the implications, Thomas raised his hands, and Simon saw a burst of red energy coming his way.
He tried to roll over to avoid it, but Thomas was too close, and the spell hit him, his entire body going into spasms as it took hold.
He screamed, feeling his arms and legs go numb.
“Your naivety is your greatest weakness.”
Simon had no idea what that meant, but he realized he also had an equally great strength within him.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the link he shared with Gray.
The metal around his wrists might be binding his mage abilities, but he still had an alpha wolf and an entire pack at his back.
He sent a call for help, forcing as much power as he could into the plea.
He could only hope Gray could still hear him.
Thomas pulled Simon to his knees, then lifted him in a fireman’s carry. Unable to move, there was nothing Simon could do to stop him. After carrying Simon outside, Thomas dropped him onto the ground. His arm snapped, unable to take the weight of his entire body landing on it.
Simon screamed again, and Master Thomas kicked him in the side. His body flopped over, his broken arm trapped beneath him. The pain was too much to bear, and Simon blacked out.