27. Chapter 27
27
W ithout thinking about opening her mind, Kelly used her voice to call Kade. At least she didn’t yell, that would have scared every person in the house. Her tone was off, though. Hopefully no one would notice.
As she opened her mind, Kade’s messages hit her one after the other. He was worried; he’d heard the urgency in her voice.
Kade, calm down, I’m fine. I just have something to show you, something I found.
Gods, ye scared me. It’s strange to hear yer voice now.
A few minutes later, Kade came into the room with a plate of fruit. He set it on the bedside table and went over to the desk to stand behind Kelly, placing his hands on her shoulders.
She thought the letter to him, even though he could probably read it from where he stood.
My dearest son,
I write to you because I know there is no other way to safely get this information into your hands. I cannot take the chance of anyone hearing what I am about to tell you. There is a human girl in Dallas who is a descendant of the Katz family. You must find her and protect her at all costs. A member of the Upper Council will move on her soon, and they will use her against us all. I’ll tell you more the next time we meet. Just find her and protect her, son. She doesn’t know what she is, and it will be up to you to show her. Her name is Kelly Hart, and she is living out of her car with no known address.
Be careful, Keegan, and do not tell anyone you don’t trust with your life. If the Arcane people find out about her, it will take an army to protect her.
The letter wasn’t signed, as though someone interrupted him as he wrote.
Kade ran his hand through his hair and began pacing the room. Clyde joined him and serenaded them both with the songs of his feline people.
Kelly gave him a minute before she opened herself to his thoughts. He seemed to feel her there and asked her to shut her mind again. That threw her off, but she did as he asked and went to the bed to eat some of the fruit he’d brought up.
After watching what had to be at least twenty laps around the room, Kelly couldn’t take it anymore. She spoke so he would know she hadn’t been listening in on his thoughts. “Would you mind sharing what’s going through your head, since you don’t want me to listen in?”
“I dinnae think that’s best, lass. I’m a little torn right now, and what’s in my head isnae all that kind toward ye.”
“I’m a big girl, Kade. I can take it. Hell, I can guess at half of it, but I don’t want others to hear.”
“Don’t say I didnae warn ye.”
Opening her mind, Kelly braced herself for what Kade was feeling. Anger and betrayal hit her hard, along with sadness, loneliness, and a longing for what had once been. Disbelief and curiosity mingled in his emotions, too, but they were buried deeper down.
Just going to take a guess here and say that you can’t help but feel that I’m at least partially responsible for your father’s death, am I right?
Aye, yer right. There is a part of me that wants to kill ye for even remotely being the reason he’s dead.
Being all too familiar with the emotions Kade felt in that moment, she couldn’t blame him at all.
You can’t help what you feel right now, Kade. I can’t help that I’m involved either. You’re allowed to be mad at me, but please save it until after the hearing tomorrow. Your dad just told us someone there knows about me. Someone other than Camille is after me, Kade.
Aye, we kent that was a possibility this entire time. And after tomorrow, every single Council member will ken who ye are, and it won’t stop there.
Right, so can you be mad at me later please?
He nodded.
Thank you. She sent warmth and gratitude at him so he knew she truly appreciated him setting his emotions aside. So what are our next steps? Apparently, we’ll need an army?
Aye, but let’s leave that for the morning. We’ve only got a few hours before the sun is up, just enough time to get some sleep in. We’ll talk to the others tomorrow about how to get more Arcane on our side, on yer side, but we need to keep the letter to ourselves. We also need to prep for the Council’s questions, and complete a final blood exchange a couple hours prior so our power is at its best.
Taking another piece of fruit, Kelly nodded. Right, because it’s going to be so easy to sleep right now.
Ye can sleep anywhere. I give it five minutes before yer out.
Shit, forgot you would hear that. This is still weird.
The early morning seemed to crawl by with the appearance looming over her. Asta and Connor planned to begin rallying support after the appearance.
Fabian sat with her and discussed questions she might face. He implored her not to speak unless he gave her the signal, which was a simple nod. Of all the things they discussed, that would be the most difficult. She believed so strongly that everyone deserved to have a voice, and the fact that she couldn’t speak freely went against everything she stood for. She would try to be cautious, though. If not for herself, then for everyone else.
Fabian also made it abundantly clear that Kelly could not let the Council see even a hint of her connection to Kade. If they found out about it, they’d likely imprison both of them out of fear.
Even after Fabian’s warning, she exchanged blood with Kade while everyone else ate breakfast. Their connection was almost better than having him at her side, and she would be able to pass information on for him to review with the others before responding to questioning. It allowed her to have eleven people at her side instead of one.
The insight and information she got from Kade made the blood exchange a necessity on such an important day. Her body ached to have him inside of her, but it would have to wait. The less the Council could read from her, the better, and it was hard to hide Kade’s scent and her satisfaction after they did the hanky-panky, as Ginna would say.
Fifteen minutes before they were set to leave, there was a knock at the door. The chitchat that had filled the room went utterly silent.
Asmund slowly approached the door, and Fabian appeared at Kelly’s side.
“Who is it?” Asmund asked, in a huskier tone than normal.
Siri’s voice came from outside. “Asmund, come now, I won’t harm a fly in there. Let me in, please.”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief as Kade’s mother entered the apartment.
Siri went straight to Kelly with her arms wide and wrapped her in a hug. “Kelly, my dear, I’m so glad I made it. I’m sorry I’m late, but I wanted to be here in support.”
Kelly hugged Siri with every ounce of strength she had. Siri grunted, and she let go. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry. I, um, we have some catching up to do.”
Siri raised her eyebrows. “Indeed, we do, my dear. You need to go, though. We’ll catch up later. Kade, where is everyone staying while she’s in with the Council? In the hall?”
He shook his head. “Nae, I’ve arranged a soundproof room for us to use that’s close by. I’ll explain on the way.”
“Right, time to go everyone,” Asta announced cheerfully.
They all left the apartment and loaded into only three SUVs this time. Kade and Fabian were positive that no one would attempt anything this close to the meeting because it could be seen as interfering with official business of the Council—an act punishable by death.
Kelly, Fabian, and Asmund entered their own SUV, which was driven by one of the hired guards. The drive to the Council was fairly short, maybe thirty minutes.
As the car drove through the city, Kelly tried to catch sight of all the historical buildings they passed.
After they got off the highway—if that’s what they called it in England—the guard pulled over in front of a huge building. He got out and handed a five-pound bill to another man, who entered the car, ready to take it somewhere. There wasn’t a valet setup, and it seemed weird that someone would be parking their car, but Kelly didn’t ask questions.
As they got out, she gaped at the building in front of them. She’d stared at it when it had come into view on the drive over, but seeing it up close was something entirely different. The entrance was shaped in a sort of M, with triangles protruding from the middle. She couldn’t help but see vampire teeth where the thick white lines of the entrance came together.
When she looked up, the top of the building wasn’t visible, but from a distance it had looked like an egg standing in the middle of normal buildings.
The entrance was elegant but simple. Two tall silver pillars framed a guarded section where visitors had to provide a key card for entry.
Fabian scanned his card as they walked through the security checkpoint and nodded at the guard as they passed.
The walls looked like shiny white metal with lighting that shone from the ceiling, making Kelly feel like she was entering a spaceship that would take her to another world.
Three halls of elevators were before them. Fabian walked straight back and pressed the button on the wall to go up.
While they waited, Kelly couldn’t help but gaze around in awe. The ceilings were so high, and every aspect of the architecture showed pride and beauty.
People came and went as her group waited for the elevator. All of them were perfectly dressed and clearly focused on the day at hand.
Looking down, Kelly checked over her leggings and her hoodie. They weren’t stained or dirty, but they didn’t fit in here. At least she’d worn nice tennis shoes, thanks to Kade’s kindness. She might not fit in, but she came as herself, and that was the best she could offer anyone.
Fabian did fit in with his black dress pants and dark-purple button-up shirt. His leather trench coat completed the look, somehow commanding the attention and respect of anyone who cared to look at him.
The elevator dinged, and they all stepped inside. Fabian hit the number 32, and the elevator promptly shot upward, leaving Kelly’s stomach on the ground.
When the doors opened at floor 32, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Instead of the fancy lobby, the walls up here were plain and white.
Fabian led them out of the elevator to a small reception desk and advised the beautiful young lady sitting behind it that they were reporting for their 10:00 a.m. meeting. She nodded and looked back down at her computer screen.
Fabian muttered something under his breath, too quiet for Kelly to hear, and led them around the hall. The office space was bright and open, not what Kelly had expected at all. For some reason, she’d pictured a dungeon inside an old castle, but this was beautiful and inviting.
Giant black double doors stood at the end of a short hall. Two chairs sat outside them on either side of the hall. Fabian gestured for her to take one, then stood beside her after she sat. Asmund took the seat opposite her, seeming perfectly content to sit and wait.
Minutes ticked by, and she opened her channel to Kade, crossing her fingers that it worked at this distance.
Please, tell me you’re there.
She felt relief on the other end. Aye, I’m here, lass. Everyone else is here too. She saw them through his mind; their entire family watched him intently. Their family.
In that moment, she knew they’d make it through this together. No matter what the Council threw her way, they’d come out the other side together.
A loud click sounded as the doors unlocked.
“Kelly Hart,” a thin man in a tux called her name and beckoned her in.
Fabian nodded at him without a word.
The man swept his arm toward the room, welcoming them in. Kelly stood and followed Fabian. Her heart raced, and she felt her palms become clammy with sweat.
Calm down, lass, they can feel yer anxiety. Breathe.
She did as Kade directed, centering herself as she followed Fabian to the center of the room.
The room had the most unique shape. Half of it backed up to a wall of windows while the other half consisted of a curved wall filled with seats. The curve of the wall and that of the windows met at points on each end of the room, forming a pointed oval.
Fabian stood in the center of the room in front of the window and faced the Council. There weren’t any chairs or anything to lean on, not even a marker on the floor that showed where a person should stand. Just a wide-open floor in front of the highest Arcane government.
Sixteen people sat in front of them on three levels of rostrums. Three were on the top level, six on the middle, and seven on the lower. All of them had on what appeared to be robes, but Kelly wasn’t certain because she could only see from their torsos up.
A woman spoke sharply, making Kelly jump. “Miss Hart, you’ve been called here today to face an allegation of the unsafe use of power.”
Kelly found the woman as she spoke. She sat on the top level in between two men. The wooden rostrum in front of her seemed to give her strength and confidence, as if it would protect her from anyone that stood before her.
She stared at Kelly with dark eyes and a pointed face, the kind a mother gives when she’s giving a solid lecture.
“Since you seem so unfamiliar with Arcane ways, I’ll introduce myself. I am Grand Master Jones. You may address me as Grand Master, and only after you’ve been addressed yourself. Before we begin, Samuel will read your power. Please step forward.”
Fabian nodded when Kelly turned to him for guidance, and Kade sent assurance through their channel.
What if they picked up on the bond between her and Kade? What if they found out?
They willnae feel it, lass. This is just like what Ginna did when she met ye. You’ve done this before.
A short, stocky man with gray hair and small eyes walked up to her, his robe flowing behind him. He held out his hands, and she placed hers in them. Kelly felt him pull at her power and watched as blue, green, and purple wisps swirled around their hands.
The room was entirely silent as Samuel did his thing. Just as quickly as he’d started things, she felt him let go of her power, and it seeped back into her fingers.
Samuel gave her a slight nod and returned to his seat at the lowest level.
The Grand Master spoke again. “It appears you hold great power, Ms. Hart. Abilities such as yours have not been present in our society for centuries. Why were your abilities not reported to the Council?”
Fabian didn’t give her the okay to speak. Instead, he took a single step forward and spoke on her behalf. “Your honor, Ms. Hart’s abilities were not reported because she expected years of training in order to become a bonded mage. She was not raised by Arcane and has much to learn before she is ready to come before you all for her bonding.”
The Grand Master raised an eyebrow. “Yet here she is, facing the charge of unsafe use of power. Obviously, she has been using her abilities despite her lack of knowledge.”
Fabian didn’t miss a beat. “May I ask the specifics of that charge, Grand Master?”
“You may, but there are not any details. The allegation was filed anonymously without any detail.” She paused, seeming to gauge their reaction. When Fabian and Kelly remained silent, she continued. “As you are aware, it is a crime to present false accusations to the Council. Surely, you do not plan to contest.”
Everything in Kelly told her to speak up, but Fabian didn’t give her the go-ahead, and Kade yelled in her mind so loudly it made her flinch a little.
“No, Grand Master, we do not contest.”
Kelly’s jaw almost dropped, but she caught herself.
“Very well, then. Ms. Hart, you are forbidden from practicing any of your powers outside the safety of your own home. This shall be deemed as a single property, reported to us for the record. If your powers strike anyone beyond the walls of that dwelling, you will be summoned here again for sentencing. It will go on record that you are a timekeeper with an affinity to earth and water. Do you possess any other abilities?”
She didn’t dare look at Fabian for support.
No, Grand Master. Kade said in her head.
“No, Grand Master.”
“Right. Do you have a mentor?”
“She does, Grand Master. Virginia Jobe has been selected as her formal mentor. This is a new arrangement within the past thirty days, therefore within the allowed time frame for report.”
Grand Master Jones gave Fabian a look that said he was pushing his limits.
“Let the record show Virginia Jobe as the acting mentor for Kelly Hart.”
Typing sounded as a woman to the far right of the lowest level took notes.
“Ms. Hart, you are dismissed. I suggest you learn fast. The Council offers you no protection as an unbonded mage.”
Fabian bowed slightly and Kelly did the same before following him out.
The handle on the door echoed loudly as it clicked to release. It slammed just as loudly when it closed behind them.
Not a word until yer back at the apartment, lass. People are listening.
Asmund fell into step behind them as they approached the elevators. A ding sounded, and the doors to their left opened. A man stood in the far corner of the elevator car. Long black hair hung in front of his face as he stared down at his shoes. His hands were clasped in front of him, and he had one foot crossed over the other with the toe of his boot balanced on the ground. He was trying too hard to appear casual.
Fabian stiffened. “We’ll wait for the next one.” He told the man.
A smile shone from behind the man’s hair. “As you wish.”
We’re on our way. Kade thought, with enough urgency that his thought put her on guard.
The elevators dinged again. This time the doors to their right opened.
Another man stood in the back corner, this one looked much more put-together. Short hair and a clean shave accented a well-tailored navy suit.
Fabian didn’t acknowledge the man. He turned to Kelly and gestured back toward the reception desk. “I think it best we wait here for a few minutes.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “What’s going on, Fabian? Who are they?”
Fabian just looked at her, his eyes reflecting the fear she felt.
The word is out, lass. They didnae even wait for ye to leave the building. We’re three minutes out.
The second man exited the elevator and followed her and Fabian to the reception desk.
He waited patiently for the receptionist to hang up the phone.
“May I help you?” she asked in a cheerful voice.
“Yes, where are your restrooms? It appears I have a few extra minutes before I’m occupied.”
She gestured to the hall on their left “Down the way to the right, sir.”
He nodded to her. “Thank you.”
As he passed Kelly, he nodded again. “Timekeeper.”