CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Wield magic?” I repeated.
Over my shoulder, I was pretty sure I heard Zander stifle a gasp with a cough.
But if his shock mirrored my own, it must have been a hallucination.
Because clearly, I had suffered some kind of a psychological break.
The real Council, the real Zander, they must have been standing over my catatonic body, trying to figure out what to do with me.
A few short minutes ago, I had been holding back tears. Now I was holding back hysterical laughter. My cheeks strained with the effort.
“I know! Crazy, right?” Addis threw his hands up in the air.
“It’s a truly fascinating phenomenon,” Westley chimed in. His uneasy demeanor was gone. Now he was leaning forward, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
“What does that even mean?” I asked, a few chuckles escaping.
“To put it in simple terms,” Westley began.
His role as Mentor of Medical was an almost tangible aura around him.
“You don’t have magic of your own. But when granted access to magic through a magical object, a location that is particularly ripe in magic, or a being that does have magic of their own, you can harness and use it.
” He tapped his chin. “I suppose you could say that you have the ability to borrow it, temporarily. You make physical contact, siphon their magic, and it’s yours to use for a period of time.
Obviously, we haven’t had many opportunities to study exactly how long it lasts each time, the limitations on how much magic you can hold at a given time, and how the capability is affected by changes in variables.
But what we do know from tests we ran on your mother and Irene is truly remarkable. ”
I tried to let his words sink in.
I could wield magic.
I could wield magic.
I could wield magic.
The Council watched me carefully, their expressions near-perfect mirrors of one another.
“How?” It seemed like the logical thing to ask.
Maybe the question indicated some kind of acceptance because Westley’s toothy smile brightened even more.
“That’s something we’re eager to learn ourselves.
Your mother and Irene both had similar experiences, although separate from one another, where they accidentally siphoned outside the walls.
That’s when they learned of their abilities. ”
Oh, no.
A stomach-twisting dread washed over me. The kind that only comes when you realize something that you very much do not want to be true is, in fact, true.
When we were crossing the wall. Kieran jerked my hands away from his arms. Away from the tattoo that contained the magic of the Springing Spell.
And earlier. In bed. The surge of…strength that I felt. The way he lifted my hands from his shoulders. Breaking the connection.
Bile rose in my throat, and I clamped my hand to my mouth. As if that would stop it.
I turned to Kieran. I could feel by the subtle shifting of The Council members in their seats that it was right on cue, exactly what they wanted. But I didn’t care. “You knew about this?”
Finally, he twisted to face me. His jaw was set. “Yes.”
“You and—you knew that I could wield magic?” I had started to say Nya’s name, but somehow, even in the midst of the storm of chaos that was thundering in my head, I had the presence of mind not to mention her name in front of The Council. Just in case.
“Yes,” he repeated.
“So you didn’t—when you first—I mean, you knew from the beginning?” There was so much that I was afraid to say.
“Yes.”
Somewhere far away, I mused that this was much like the first time that Nya and Kieran had visited me. When all I could say, as Nya spelled out how the interaction was going to play out, was “Yes.”
“How?” I demanded.
“I can’t answer that.” There was an unspoken right now at the end of his sentence.
Fine. He didn’t have to answer now. Or at all. Because even as I asked the question, I was already remembering everything that Cecil had shared with me.
Irene had obviously told him about her abilities. Maybe even demonstrated them.
Not with me, her sister. Her sister who had those same abilities and could have used her guidance. Used her fucking trust and transparency. But with Cecil, some man she had met in the woods.
Cecil knew. Nya and Kieran knew. All of the Strangers knew.
“When were you going to tell me?” I pressed.
“Today.”
I heard a scoff across the table. It sounded like it came from Quinn.
“So all this time, you knew that I was a…a Conductor. And that’s why you sought me out. And you didn’t want me to know at first.” My thoughts were picking up speed. Piling on, one after the other. Piecing it together. Then it snapped into place.
“Everything you all were doing,” I whispered. At the change in my tone, Kieran’s eyes softened. As if he knew the conclusion I had just reached. “You all aren’t just trying to survive out there. Outside. You’re trying to get inside. Inside the walls.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. To deny it.
“You’re trying to infiltrate Cyllene. And you were using me to help you do it.”
Even though we had the eyes of The Council and all the Enforcers on us, including Zander, it suddenly felt like we were the only two people in the room.
“You said you needed me for…unrelated things. For an unrelated purpose. But you knew I had this ability. And you thought…what? That you could get me on your side, convince me of how evil Cyllene was? And then I would use my abilities to help you destroy The Council? Destroy the whole city and everyone in it?”
“None of what I told you was a lie,” he cut in.
He put an ever so slight emphasis on “I,” as if pointing out in a way that only I could understand that he was speaking for Nya and the others as well.
“Everything that I asked for your help with was legitimate. You knew that I was trailing you for a while. And yeah, I made sure the things you were helping me with were things you would know about. But I still used your advice. I followed through on your suggestions. None of that was a lie.”
The marsh wolves. I was researching the marsh wolves, and then—it wasn’t a coincidence. But he was right, they did still track the marsh wolves afterward. I saw the pelts myself. And yet…this was too much. This was all so, so much for one person to bear.
“Maila,” Kieran said, and it was physically painful to hear him say my name.
“You know I don’t want to destroy this city or its people.
You know the truth about Cyllene, about The Council”—he shot a look at the four people across the table—“and how they’re hurting people both inside and outside Cyllene.
Don’t let them get in your head and make you forget the things you know. ”
The Council had been observing quietly, but Quinn spoke up now.
“That’s big talk coming from someone who’s attacked Cyllene many times before.
” She tilted her head, in a way that was almost predatory.
“If we hadn’t prevented those attacks from making it past the walls, how exactly would the people of Cyllene have fared, do you think? ”
Kieran grinned. “No better than they do on any other day. Having their every move monitored, controlled. Decided for them. Provided with the basic necessities for survival so long as they fall in line. And if not, well…we all know how that goes, right?”
“Ah, Kieran.” Addis clucked his tongue. “It’s a shame you’re so misguided. I get it, though. We’ve built something wonderful here in Cyllene. A safe haven for our people. And I understand why you and the Strangers envy it.”
He cast a sidelong glance at Quinn and Westley, who both nodded. It was as if they had practiced that routine—a knowing look from Addis is met with a nod. Addis tried to repeat the routine with Cato, but Cato refused to make eye contact.
Addis continued on, “Unfortunately, regardless of the empathy we have for the men and women outside the walls, we must protect what we’ve built here. And that means protecting our citizens—protecting people like Maila—from people like you.”
“And who’s going to protect her from people like you?”
Addis’s brow twitched, but his pleasant smile remained. He turned to Westley.
It must have been yet another of their rehearsed signals because Westley leaned forward again, clasping his hands.
“Maila, I know you must have a bunch more questions about what it means to be a Conductor. This probably isn’t the time or the place, but later, I’d be happy to sit down and have a conversation about what we know.
And discuss how we can partner on learning even more.
We’ve been waiting for the right time to sit down with you and talk about this, and”—here he mirrored Addis, looking around at the rest of The Council members and urging them to join in on his beaming smile—“now that the time has come, we can’t wait to find out all there is to know about your special gifts. ”
Kieran leaned forward, too, making Westley flinch. “Will you also explain how she’s going to be your magic-wielding slave? That’s how it works, right? Agree to do The Council’s bidding or meet an untimely demise?”
Addis shot a meaningful look over his head. The gloved hand of an Enforcer appeared in my periphery, jerking Kieran back against his chair.
Addis sat back in his own chair and exhaled in a way that signaled that the conversation was coming to a close.
“As Cato said, you have a lot to process, Maila. I think a pause in this discussion would do everyone some good. Before we break—Maila, do you have anything else you’d like to say to Kieran? Or to ask him?”
Something in his words set off warning bells. But I didn’t know what else to do, except to ask the question that had been sitting on the tip of my tongue as everyone else was speaking.
“What about the other things?” I asked softly, searching Kieran’s face.
His eyes were roaming my face in turn, trying to understand my meaning.
“Everything else,” I prompted. “Was everything else real?”