Chapter 16 – Cane
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THIS CAN’T BE MY LIFE
CANE
Being diplomatic at these academy meetings is necessary, I offer respectfully, despite being as frustrated as he is.
Talking is necessary, but this is not. Finish this, or I will.
My wolf severs our link with something akin to a door slam. I bounce out of my seat and stride to the large window, which offers an unhindered view of Thales. Although it’s the woods past the boundary wall of the academy that calls to me and soothes my frustration slightly.
My wolf is right. This benign argument happening behind me is nothing more than a waste of time. No amount of discussion on who is the most suitable representative for the academy is going to change what we need to do—present a unified front.
In the reflection, Ballin rocks back in his chair. The movement is an intentional attempt to disrupt my calm. “Is there an issue, Cane?”
I turn to face him, enjoying the spark of apprehension in his eyes.
My wolf is equally amused and unconcerned by Ballin’s antics.
Everyone here is aware of the type of person he is: a coward.
He constantly skirts close to a challenge but never has the balls necessary to cross the invisible line.
Nepotism and bluster got him to where he is today, while his obstinance and bullying are the only things keeping him in his role as Thales Head of Magiks.
He’s a skilled practitioner, but he’ll never be respected or revered like his parents.
I stare him down, waiting until he looks away, then I ignore his question. My gaze jumps to Augustus. The vampire elder gives a slight nod, indicating I have his support.
“The vampires are in agreement,” I say casually, breaking the quiet, though my comment is most definitely directed at Ballin.
“So are the shifters,” Alpha Roberts says as he slams open the door, finally gracing us with his presence.
He stops next to where Ballin sits at the head of the table.
Robert’s eyes glow golden at the obvious disrespect Ballin showed when he chose where to sit.
Robert’s scowl deepens as his gaze shifts from the man to his assigned seat over and over until Ballin stands and moves to where he should be sitting.
Before being asked, Denise, the secretary to the board—a sweet and talented witch—appears and wipes the table in front of where Ballin had been seated. In a way, it’s another reminder of his place because she had mentioned that the Magikster was in the wrong seat when we started.
It’s the little things that are important to an Alpha; like where peers fucking sit and who others naturally defer to.
Ballin looks way too cocky for my liking. It’s not a hard leap to see he’s been setting things up behind the scenes. His ego and stupidity are going to get him killed one day.
“Duke Amon, where are your loyalties?” Ballin’s voice is oily and peppered with presumption, but it’s not a huge surprise when Amon murmurs his support.
The reality is that it will be a cold day in hell when the demons change alliances. Which, all going well, will be very soon. Though very soon in our world often involves decades.
Roberts swings around to face the last person to vote. “Heavenly Appointed Michael?”
The professor of Celestial Studies doesn’t immediately respond with words. The slow speed at which he puts his device to the side is deliberate. No one can miss his obvious displeasure at being dragged into the discussion.
In the time I’ve been coming to these meetings, never once has Michael simply sat and listened.
It’s not that he believes these meetings aren’t important, but he shares my sentiment that we waste a lot of time rehashing the same topics.
He’s also a master of disguise. His focus might have been on the work he was doing, but he wouldn’t have missed a word or even a silent cue.
“We’ve already decided Callista is our elected representative for academy dealings with Council.
She was selected because she’s the only being able to be unbiased and truly empathetic of our collective history while also being cognizant of what our academy and our students need from Council for our subsequent success. We are wasting time.”
His placid mannerisms hide the brutality of his righteousness. Celestials have a vicious temper, one that’s unexpected, given their creator.
Ballin scoffs dramatically.
“Enough,” Michael warns as he goes back to his device. “We should move on to the issues at Nomina House.”
Augustus jumps on the change in direction and clears his throat. “Our early analysis is pointing to an air-borne virus being the cause.”
Vampires have heightened taste sensors in the same way shifters have enhanced olfactory receptors.
Where we differ is that their cold, analytic ability has become second nature, and they’re now the most respected and trusted in investigative research.
Their success in disease and sickness detection is second to none.
“And the origin?” Michael asks as he types, reinforcing his ability to listen and work.
Ballin’s lips purse, and though everyone sees it, they are more interested in hearing from Augustus.
“Prior to our meeting, I would have been confident in suggesting that the virus is similar to influenza, with patients suffering high temperatures, coughs, and body aches.” Augustus takes a moment to connect his device to the projector in the room.
A comprehensive graph fills the screen, and he fiddles with the settings until the data is easy to read.
“You can see for yourself the number of students now sick, the symptoms they display, and the longevity of the virus. Day four, which is today, is when things become interesting. We’re working off data obtained only hours ago, but it’s conclusive. ”
He walks over to the screen, his finger pointing out what he has just detailed. When the next slide comes up, there’s a moment of silence as he lets everyone read the information for themselves before he explains.
“By nature, a virus typically peaks on day three to five, but what we saw was that the virus itself changed. Since we were observing it so closely, we were able to detect the smallest variations as they occurred on a fundamental level. In doing so, our initial analysis that we were working with a human-borne virus changed as well.”
Roberts butts in, his very nature making him impatient. “Something else?”
In truth, he only just beat me from interrupting and asking the same question. Given the way he glances down the table at me and smiles triumphantly, he knows it too.
“Yes. As I mentioned, it is early in our investigation, but at the same time, I am confident that we are not wrong in our findings. This virus has been magikally manifested.”
All eyes fly to Ballin. “That’s ridiculous. What benefit would this be to me?”
I laugh, and Alpha Roberts does too, because Ballin is as obvious as obvious can be. In any situation, his first reaction always defers to himself; there’s never consideration for anyone else. I leave him glowering at being called out, turning the focus back to where it needs to be.
“Is there a risk of the virus spreading across campus?” I ask, wanting to keep us on track.
“Seeing what we have today, I would suggest there is.” Duke Amon sits back in his seat. His fingers temple in front of him, making him look very much like the demon he is. “We’ve isolated Nomina House, surely that’s enough.”
“Not all the students,” Maddern interjects quietly.
As the Master of Nomina House, and the being in charge of Noms at Thales, he should have the best information at hand, but unlike his peers in this room, he does not have an assertive bone in his body.
The man literally shrinks in his seat when his comment draws the focus of everyone in attendance. His eyes stay glued to his screen, and the vein on his neck beats as his pulse skyrockets. “We have eight Noms who have shown no sign of getting sick.”
“How are you isolating them?” I ask.
He startles at my question, and his head drops even further. The poor man really is out of his depth in a room full of predators.
One on one, he’s more than capable, even when two on one, but he goes to water when facing a crowd.
Some of the faculty enjoy the way he can’t look his peers in the eye; it triggers their predatory nature.
In shifters, particularly Alphas, it manifests differently, and our protectiveness surges.
It’s not always appropriate, but it’s as much a part of our genetic makeup as our ability to shift.
Callista leans over and pats his shoulder while Alpha Roberts and I both put some distance between us and him, hoping he can continue.
With everyone now more conscious of their actions and being careful not to stare him down, Maddern holds his confidence and keeps his eyes glued to the information in front of him.
“We closed off the floors where most of the affected students live. Though we had to implement a guard to stand watch, when other Houses were demanding access to their commissioned Noms.”
“We’ll need a list of who breached the isolation zone,” Augustus says, as soon as he can interject without appearing pushy.
“I have that already. We were also concerned about the potential for the virus to spread.” Maddern slides a list of names to the vampire.
“Not as many as I thought,” Augustus adds, passing the note around.
“At this stage, we believe isolation should be for a minimum of thirty-six hours. Each House Master will be responsible for following up with their students and putting in place the necessary protocol. The last thing we need is Thales to be ground zero for some sickness that spreads through Quin-state.”
“We’ll also need to consider travel restrictions,” Maddern offers sensibly.
“Agreed,” Roberts barks back before Ballin can argue against the precaution. “So, why have we got some Noms not yet showing any symptoms?”
Everyone shifts their focus to Augustus, knowing he would already have theories on this phenomenon.