This could turn deadly in a mere moment. I had my protection, inbuilt in my training, my tattoo, and in Tavlor’s reflexes that would surely save me now that he was here.
But there were other’s here that were not so powerful, and for them, it could be a blood bath.
But no-one moved.
Thank God.
I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, my shoulders sagging forward. The last thing I wanted was blood and my hands—and there would be, if anyone had gotten hurt.
Two Council members coughed and cleared their throats.
“Shall we get on with the signing of the new High Warlock?” a man asked.
He didn’t even bother to hide his impatience.
I nodded and stepped forward as Tavlor magicked up a large desk.
“Ava. You first,” Tavlor said, pointing to the place he wanted me to stand.
I put my contract on the table and picked up a pen that laid next to it. I was, quite literally, signing my life away. But I would be helping so many other people. It would be worth it.
I put the pen to paper and signed my name, feeling the heat of the promise move through my veins.
When it was done, the contract rolled up on its own accord, and a lock cracked into place.
Tavlor picked up the scroll and handed it to a nearby Councilor.
It’s done.
The man nodded and took the contract away. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. It was really over, completed, finished. I was—or, would be, once my father was finished—High Warlock.
I stepped back, my heart beating un-naturally quick as I watched the other men sign their rights, and their lives away to give me a chance to make a difference.
It was an awe-inspiring, incredible moment. To know they trusted me and were willing to forgo a fight for a seat at the table, so they could get me into a position where I might help them.
The contracts were signed, and my father stepped forward as bodyguard. He still didn’t seem to trust the Council, and after everything I had seen, I couldn’t blame him.
“Tavlor. Stay with Ava, if you will. I will escort our friends back to their prospective realms,” my father said. His eyes were still on the Council.
Tavlor nodded and stepped close to me, his chest rumbling with a protective growl.
Our guests bowed to us, then, escorted by my father, they walked out of the trial room with their heads held high.
Most of the Councilors left also, a defeated attitude in the cloud around them. All except for the man who would have been the next High Warlock. Cedric.
He and his family moved closer to us, their faces wide eyed, shocked, and angry.
“But why go to all this trouble just to avoid a marriage that would have been advantageous to us all?” Cedric demanded. “You stupid, silly fool. You don’t understand what you just gave up, signing that abysmal contract.”
I shuddered. Oh, God. To be married to him and have to hear that voice every day of my life... no, thank you.
He had grey eyes, ashen skin, and a pug nose. Not to mention the fact that his voice was as high pitched as Courtney’s on a bad day. I might have used my magic to change everything about him if I had to deal with that.
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Advantageous to us all? You’ve got to be kidding me. The only person who lost today, was you.”
Cedric frowned and his lips dipped. “But your family has been part of a line of arranged marriages for generations. How could this be a surprise to you?”
Didn’t he know anything about me?