I had to finish this now. “So... I’d like to present this evidence, as well as the ancient book we brought, and perhaps give you all some time to think about what the next step is?”
My confidence fell a little flat at the end, but there was nothing I could do to help that.
A lot of the fight had gone out of me now. There was an exhaustion in my arms, my very bones, that had crept over me. I just wanted this all over and done with. I wanted to crawl back into my room and sleep for as long as I could. I wanted to know deep in my heart that I was safe, that my sisters were safe, and that we didn’t need to hide anymore. I just wanted to be done with it all.
I glanced at Tavlor. “Can you get the other book back?”
He nodded and held out his hand to me. The ancient text that Charity had stolen flew into his grasp.
“You can’t use that!” Charity yelled and I grimaced.
God, she had a terrible voice. I didn’t know how my father had put up with it for so long.
I took a moment to connect my gaze with hers. “We won’t, as long as you listen to reason,” I said. “Now... excuse us for a moment.”
I gestured to my father and Tavlor to pull back with me, so we could have a sort of group huddle. I hoped no one would be able to use magic to overhear our conversation.
“Do you think we can let them go?” I asked, glancing over at Tavlor. I trusted his take on the situation more than I trusted myself right now. “I mean, is it safe for us to go back to your rooms... or what do you think?”
I glanced from Matlock to Tavlor, and back again.
Tavlor inhaled sharply. “Matlock? Are your chambers safe enough?” he asked, keeping his voice so low I had to strain to hear him, even though he was right next to me. “I can re-inforce them even more than I already have if you’d like.”
My father nodded. “Yes. I think that is a good plan. But first...”
; He stood and turned around, addressing the people he’d tied to chairs.
What was he going to do now?
Send them all to the dungeons?
To be honest, I kind of wanted to see that. Suddenly, I wasn’t so tired.
Chapter 5.
MATLOCK SUDDENLY PULLED his wand out and held it in the air like a conductor. His gaze was fierce as he looked at the Council members who had defied him.
Even I found myself taking a step back from him and giving him some much needed space, afraid he was going to turn that wrath onto me.
“You have all proven untrustworthy,” he began, his voice thunderous. “Treasonous, arrogant, and cruel. We have shown you that neither Ava, nor myself, ever committed treason against the Council. At the very most, I... had a love affair as a young man that would have been frowned upon, but permitted. As many of the men, and women in this room know.”
He looked from one person to the other, and although he didn’t say anything specific to any of them, I knew that each witch or warlock understood what he was saying.
They’d all had relationships before they’d gotten married and that was not illegal. None of this was.
“The fact that you were willing to destroy my daughter out of a misplaced sense of honor to the Council is villainous, and once this is cleared up, we must decide on a way forward,” he continued. He began to pace the length of the line of his audience, one hand holding out his wand, the other in a fist at his side. “This simply will not stand any longer.”
He flicked his wand and the magical bindings that had been wrapped around each of the Council members fell away.
My eyes widened. Was this truly a good idea, to free them from their confines?
Charity jumped to her feet.
“How dare you do this to us?” she hissed, but she didn’t attempt any magical retaliation. “How dare you do this to me! After everything we’ve been through together! You know I tried everything to give you an heir, Matlock. Everything.”
Her cry tugged at my heart strings, and yet my father seemed unmoved.