Chapter 26
Chapter twenty-six
The Emberlight Council
Caldren silently guided me through the hallways, ignoring my questions about the whereabouts of Darion and my sister. There was little I could do besides follow him.
Soon we entered a room dominated by a large table with nine people sitting behind it, facing toward us with stony expressions.
They were all strangers to me except for Kael, who had greeted us and seemed to know Darion well.
I wasn’t particularly happy to see that he was a member of the council.
In the shadows along the edges of the room, dozens of figures watched.
I scanned their faces, hoping to spot Darion or Elena, but I didn’t really expect to see them, and the dim light made it impossible to see details.
The murmur of voices died down as we approached the middle of the room. Caldren bowed to the nine people in front of us and joined the crowd. This entire thing felt like a tribunal, which made me jittery. My skin itched under yesterday’s clothes.
In the center of the table was a middle-aged woman with long dark hair and olive skin, more handsome than beautiful.
“Members of the Order of Emberlight,” she said in a smooth but commanding voice. “Both Emberborn and Unkindled, I draw this council to order.”
The remaining voices went silent.
The woman cast an assessing gaze toward me. “Welcome, Cassian Nightbrook. My name is Mireth Averin. I am the high steward of the Emberlight Council.” She gestured to the people beside her. “Tell us why you are here.”
“To join your ranks. To bring an end to Tarnasau’s reign of terror,” I said. Now that I was staring at their stoic faces, my words felt inadequate and hollow.
“And you have completed the Trials,” she said as she pulled out the parchment Adela Fenn had given me back in the clock tower.
“I have.”
“With or without Darion Thorne’s help?” Kael said sharply, leaning forward with a predatory look in his eyes.
A few muted gasps came from the crowd. My instincts were right. This man didn’t like me, and his gracious host guise was disappearing fast.
“Kael,” Mireth said in a warning tone, shooting him a disapproving look.
An older man with a gray beard who sat next to Mireth cleared his throat to speak. “Kael’s question is valid. I would like to hear whether Cassian completed the Trials on his own merits.”
Mireth sighed, looked at me, and nodded.
This really did feel like a tribunal. I projected my voice.
“Darion Thorne accompanied me on my trip through the Royal Catacombs. At that point, I was unaware that he was a member of the Order of Emberlight. I cannot undo the past, nor do I know how his presence altered my path for good or ill.” The weight of the council members’ eyes was on me, but I continued.
“If that disqualifies me, then I will withdraw my request with much regret.”
More gasps came from the crowd.
Kael had a slight smirk on his face. “If that’s the case, then I move for a summary judgment and accept his withdrawal.”
Heated voices erupted throughout the room.
Mireth stood and banged her fist on the table. “Quiet!” she yelled with such authority that the room went entirely silent. Her eyes pierced mine. “I ask you again, Cassian Nightbrook. Tell us why you are here.”
I closed my eyes, digging deep, truly considering her question.
Darion’s words from last night danced in my mind: Be sure to answer them truthfully and from your heart.
Why did I want to join the Order of Emberlight?
At first I’d been driven by my desire to avenge my parents’ murder, but that was no longer the only reason.
I thought of the many near misses Elena and I had had and how I could best keep her safe.
I thought of the man we’d seen brutally murdered in the public square.
I reached for my locket and felt its shape in my hand.
Then I opened my eyes and let out a long breath.
“When I was eleven, Tarnasau’s thugs slashed my parents’ throats before my eyes. I held my mother’s hand as she lay dying.”
My throat tightened, and tears threatened to spill out. The image was still vivid, as if it had happened yesterday. I choked down the emotion that nearly overwhelmed me.
“My mother could barely speak, but on that day, she made me promise to protect my sister. Everything I have done since has been in service of that promise. But I want more for my sister than protection. I want her to live free of fear. I want that for all Emberborn. All Velmorrians. And I can’t do that by myself. That is why I am here.”
Mireth nodded with a smile, and the crowd exploded into cheers. Several of the other council members, including the old man sitting next to Mireth, said, “Hear, hear!” Kael’s face was neutral, but his smug look was gone.
Mireth looked at the parchment I’d delivered.
When she spoke, the crowd grew quiet again.
“Adela Fenn spoke highly of you, although your time in the tower was short. She was impressed with your abilities. But there’s a curious note here.
She said her father, Edric, the master of ledgers, was unable to locate your lineage.
This is a rare occurrence; the Emberborn kept meticulous records as Tarnasau’s grip tightened. ”
“Edric said he would continue to search,” I replied.
“Indeed. We await his results with great interest. And Adela made another curious note as well. I understand you have Veilsense?”
“That’s right.”
A few people in the shadows leaned forward, whispering urgently.
“That is a much sought-after Ember by the Crown. If Tarnasau is aware of this, it could explain why you are on the Royal Guard’s watch list and seem to have garnered so much attention.
That puts this council in a tricky position.
Your Ember would be valuable to us, but it would also put us at greater risk. ”
“A revolution is a risky endeavor,” I said. “I will do what I can to make the risk worth it.”
Mireth nodded with a crooked smile. “Well said. And Darion Thorne has spoken highly of your skills as a thief. That, too, would be an asset. If you join the Order of Emberlight, we’ll ask for your pledge of loyalty.
You must never reveal the names of any of the members or anything you learn in our service.
You will do everything in your power to help us topple the Tarnasau Dynasty.
We will vote as a council, and if we vote in your favor, you must pledge your loyalty to the Order. Is that acceptable to you?”
When I had considered joining the Order of Emberlight before, I’d never worried that my pledge to the council might interfere with the promise I’d made to protect Elena.
“I have a question before I give you my answer,” I said.
“Of course.”
“What is to become of my sister?” I asked.
“She may stay here for a short while until the city has quieted down—your escape has stirred up quite a ruckus topside. After that, we will ensure that she is safely transported to the Northlands to go into hiding.”
“I request to be part of the contingent that sees her to her destination,” I said.
Mireth paused for the slightest moment, then nodded. “We can accommodate that.”
Analon had become so dangerous that it might be safest for Elena to leave, despite the twisting in my gut at the prospect of being so far away from her. I knew in my heart that my sister would always come first, no matter what promise the council asked of me.
Be sure to answer them truthfully and from your heart.
I cleared my throat. “I must be honest—no pledge I make here will ever supersede the promise I made to my mother. My sister will always be my top priority.”
Mireth smiled with a keen look in her eye. “If you had said anything else, it would have disqualified you immediately. A person who would break an oath to a dying parent has no honor and cannot be trusted.”
“So that was a test?”
“It was. And you passed. If you are ready to proceed, we shall vote.”
Until that moment, I hadn’t been sure I could do the pledge. But the fact that the Order not only honored prior pledges but expected people to uphold them tipped the scales in their favor.
“I am ready,” I said.
“Council, do you have any further questions?” Mireth asked.
The council members shook their heads and remained quiet. Kael’s face was expressionless.
“You have your ballots in front of you. The vote must be unanimous.”
The council members all marked the parchments in front of them, folded them in half, and passed them toward the middle of the table. Mireth opened them one by one.
“The council has spoken,” Mireth said.
My heart dropped. Kael was still expressionless.
“Cassian Nightbrook, if the council votes in your favor, do you pledge your loyalty to the Order of Emberlight?”
I knew this would mean new responsibilities and new dangers. Gone were my little acts of vengeance in the form of nightly robberies. I was about to enter a different world, and I was ready for it. This was the only way to keep Elena truly safe.
“Yes. I pledge my loyalty,” I said, and the weight of those words reverberated to my very core.
“The vote is nine votes yea, zero votes nay. Cassian Nightbrook, you are now a member of the Order of Emberlight.”
The room exploded with cheers. The people in the shadows emerged, surrounding me, all smiles, patting my back and congratulating me. But they were all strangers. Darion and Elena were still nowhere to be seen.
I walked toward the council table to talk to Mireth, but on the way, Kael intercepted me. “Congratulations,” he said, putting out a hand.
I considered him for a moment, not sure what to make of this gesture. He’d raised concerns, but ultimately he’d voted for me. He’d had the power to stop me, but he hadn’t. I clasped his arm.
“Thank you,” I said, but there was plenty of hesitancy in my voice. “And thank you for believing in me.”