25. Linden #2
Jackson nodded in return. “The fact is that this council does not protect trees. There are hundreds, if not thousands of trees in this world that contain some sort of spirit, whether it be a dryad, fae, fairy, or otherwise. Those trees get cut down every day and not a single Elder Council has ever been called to protect one of them.” He glanced our way before turning back to the chamber.
“Nor does this council protect rocks, which could be the long petrified body of a troll. Or you could start protecting sea foam, because some of it might be from a siren—”
“You have made your point, Mr. Rose,” Elder Thaddeus interrupted.
“I’m just saying,” Jackson continued, unperturbed.
“The Elder Council is already stretched thin managing the paranormal world. If you set the precedent that you’re going to protect every tree, rock, and bush that someone claims is sacred, you will find your entire organization overrun with petty complaints.
The fact remains that Rose Development bought the land according to human law, which the Elder Council has decreed is binding for decades now.
There is no foul play, no malicious intent, and I have already been gracious enough to forgive the extensive property damage illegally done to my equipment. ”
“Do you have anything else to add, Elder Briar Hall?” Thaddeus asked, turning his attention away from Jackson.
“Just that Mr. Rose’s examples are crude and not well thought out,” he nodded. “A petrified troll cannot breathe. Seafoam has no heartbeat. But the heartwood of Linden’s grove has both, magically and scientifically.”
“Very well,” Elder Thaddeus nodded, standing from his throne. “The Elder Council will deliberate without Elder Briar Hall. A majority vote among the twelve will decide the fate of the grove.”
“What if there’s a tie?” I heard myself ask, my voice ringing out before I could stop it.
Elder Thaddeus stopped, staring at me for a long moment. I couldn’t tell if he was impressed or annoyed that I’d spoken out. But it was too late to take it back.
“In the event of a tie,” Elder Thaddeus said slowly, his golden dragon eyes fixed on me, “the matter would be brought before the full Council again, at a later date, for further deliberation. But that is unlikely to occur. We will reconvene in one hour with our decision.”
The Council members rose from their seats and began to file out through various doorways I hadn’t noticed before. Jackson Rose shot me a look that was equal parts satisfaction and warning before he too disappeared through a side entrance, his assistant trailing behind him.
“Well,” Elder Briar Hall said, turning to face us once the chamber had emptied. “That went about as well as I could have hoped.”
“Did it?” I asked, my voice coming out sharper than I intended. “Because it sounds like Rose just gave them a whole list of reasons to side with him.”
“He did,” Elias acknowledged, his brown eyes thoughtful. “But he also revealed his hand. He showed them that he doesn’t care about the spiritual significance of what he’s destroying. That will resonate with some of the older Council members.”
“How can you be sure?” Cass asked, squeezing my hand tighter.
“I can’t,” Elder Briar Hall admitted, and I appreciated his honesty at least. “I might be new to the Elder Council, but I’ve known most of them since I was a child.
Jackson Rose made his argument from a purely legal standpoint, which means he’s confident the law is on his side.
But the Elder Council doesn’t operate purely on law.
They operate on tradition, spirituality, and the balance of power within our world.
And destroying an entire dryad lineage? That disrupts the balance. ”
We were escorted to a small waiting room while the Council deliberated.
It was sparse with just a few chairs, a table with water and some fruit, and absolutely nothing to do but wait.
I couldn’t eat. My stomach was too twisted up with anxiety.
Cass tried to distract me by talking about school, about the greenhouse repairs, about anything that wasn’t the hearing. But I could barely focus on his words.
An hour had never felt so long.
When the guards finally came to escort us back to the chamber, my legs felt like they were made of lead.
I could feel my magic roiling beneath my skin again, the anxiety acrid on my tongue.
Cass kept hold of my hand the entire way, and I was grateful for it.
I wasn’t sure I could have walked into that chamber without him.
The Council members were already seated when we arrived. Jackson Rose was standing in his previous position, his expression unreadable. Elder Thaddeus remained in his dragon form, which I took as a sign that this was serious business.
“We have reached a decision,” Elder Thaddeus announced, his deep voice echoing through the chamber. “On the matter of Rose Development’s ownership of the grove and Linden’s claim to the land.”
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs.
“We have decided that ownership of the land will be granted to—”
But before the words could leave his lips, every single door in the council chamber blew off its hinges with a deafening bang. Black smoke and flames rushed into the space along with several masked figures dressed head to toe in black.
The Elder Council was under attack.