Thomas put out a hand as though asking my father to shake it. “We agree with the terms,” he said with a nod. “Your daughter has three days to decide, then we will go ahead with our plans, whether she wants to partake in them or not.”
I shuddered. Our plans. That sounded ominous.
I wished I could read their minds and see what those plans actually were, but I didn’t want to cross any lines and I definitely didn’t want anyone doing it on my behalf. Any reason to reject me and they would, especially if that meant throwing me in jail.
My father shook Thomas’s hand, then walked back to us.
“Make sure you have the contracts, Ava, then let’s go back to my office,” my father instructed without looking at me.
I clung to the two contracts I had. The one that set me free, and the other that had every intention of locking me into a gilded cage. Which one I would sign, I still wasn’t sure.
Tavlor led the way, and we went through the portal doors, until we were back in my father’s offices. My shoulders sagged in relief. Carrying the contracts, though they were two innocuous pieces of parchment, was like carrying a heavy burden I had to shoulder alone.
I collapsed onto the couch and put the contracts on the coffee table between the two couches. I eyed them warily, looking at both of them like handcuffs painted different colors. It was my job to select the lesser of two evils, but what was that, exactly?
Tavlor didn’t sit down. Instead, he stood by the door, looking very much like the guard he was hired to be. His mouth set in a grim line. His shoulders were rigid. Despite the fact that he clearly understood why I might want to choose to inherit the role of High Warlock, he wasn’t happy about what I had to do, which was marry someone else. I was just glad to see some emotion on his face since he was usually so reserved, I couldn’t even tell what he was thinking most of the time.
“Oh, my God.” I threw my arms up in frustration. “I can’t believe they want me to choose between loving Tavlor and being your heir. That’s just... so selfish of them.”
My father sat on the couch next to me, looking relaxed and smiling. “We had a win, getting the extra time,” he said, bypassing over my marriage concerns. “Now we can formulate a plan.”
A smile lifted my lips. “You have a plan?” I didn’t want to get too hopeful, but I couldn’t exactly help it. If there was a way I didn’t have to marry someone and still inherit...
He sat up straighter and tugged on his robes. “No. But between us, I’m sure we can come up with something.”
I stared at him for a while, trying to work out what he was really saying. “What sort of... compromise are you planning on?”
The hope that had been building up vanished just as instantly.
He chuckled. “I’m not planning on anything, but I can tell you, I don’t want you compromising at all. I want you to have everything.”
“As in...”
“Tavlor... and to be my heir.”
I sat up. He was going against the Council? “You expect us to be able to win on all fronts?”
My father’s eyebrows dropped as he narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t you want to?”
His question had me shuffling in my seat. I didn’t know what I truly wanted, and that was scary. And confronting. What should have been an easy question was much harder to understand than I initially believed. I knew without a doubt I wanted Tavlor, but did I want everything else?
“I... don’t know anything about your role. And everything I’ve been told... doesn’t make me want to fight for it,” I admitted.
He coughed strangely, clearing his throat. “Then what are we fighting for?”
“Ah...” God, I was an idiot. How did I explain it? “All I ever wanted was to find you. Be your daughter... I didn’t know that would come with all this responsibility. I’m not sure that I’m built for it, to be honest.”
My father smiled suddenly and leaned back against the couch. “Not built for it? You’re the strongest Witch the Council has seen in too many generations to count. You’re my daughter. You’re your mother’s daughter...” He began to laugh. “If anything, you’re too strong. Too powerful. They would never have let me have a child with a woman as strong, and independent and powerful as your mother. You would never be able to be controlled. You’re their worst nightmare.”
He continued to chuckle, crossing his arms and running a hand over his mouth as though to stifle the noise, but not being able to. I bit my lip to keep from joining in.
I turned towards Tavlor. “What do you think?”
He cocked his head, seeming to be surprised I would ask him at all. “About what?”
I swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to the question, but it had to be asked. “Do you think I can do it?”
Tavlor toddled forward, his gaze on my face as though assessing me.