“A wizard never gives up the hobbies of his youth,” Jadren agreed with a slow smile.“A bit of amateur collaboration is to be expected.”
“Excellent, because I’m going to need Han and Iliana.”He looked to Alise.“We’re going to summon them back—and we must anticipate that the hunters will be on their heels.”
“I love me a good trap,” Jadren declared happily.“Those things are an abomination, so it will be a pleasure to dissolve them.”
Alise was less enthused.“Iliana and Han will no doubt be willing to donate their magic, but even you cannot take on Convocation Center, Lord Phel.”
“Watch me,” he replied grimly.
“Regardless, Lord Phel,” Asa put in wearily, “you are doing nothing today.I can continue to treat you, but as you can imagine, my abilities are limited without Laryn’s assistance.You must rest—and remain calm—or you’ll undo all of my work.And be of no help to Lady Phel,” he added, correctly reading the rebellious glint in Gabriel’s eyes.
“Laryn is in custody, you say?”Gabriel asked carefully, trying to appear calm, though the murderous rage brewed in him.He couldn’t kill Sergio Sammael—not yet—but he could take care of the trash in his own household.
“Locked in one of the guest rooms,” Jadren answered.“Wizard Sage reinforced the windows so they cannot be broken, and I put a lock on the door myself.”
What would they have done with her if he hadn’t awakened?He looked to Asa, miserably averting his gaze.“What would you have me do with her?”
“Lord Phel…” Asa didn’t meet his eyes.“There are essentially two options available.You’d be within your rights to kill her outright.”
“Which is what I would do,” Jadren put in, thoughtfully stroking his beard.Alise said nothing, staring stonily into the distance.
“I thought familiars are too valuable to the Convocation to kill,” Gabriel said, taken aback by that news.Nursing thoughts of murderous revenge was different from entertaining the idea of killing Laryn in cold blood.
“The heads of the houses have considerable latitude,” Jadren said, so drily that it was clear he covered some deeper emotion.His magic, usually so contained, left a bitter tinge in the air.“The Refoel familiar’s actions could have resulted in your death, might still result in the loss of your lady and familiar.No one would blame you for killing a traitor of that magnitude.”
Gabriel refused to consider the bleak future Jadren painted for Nic.If he did, he’d lose his mind.When Lyndella was abducted by Sylus’s nemesis,Nic’s voice whispered in his memory,she’d gone mad, locked in a cell while Sylus searched frantically for her.When he finally found her, she was too far gone.Lyndella died in his arms, insane and broken beyond repair.Then Sylus used all his magic wreaking revenge on his enemy, killing himself, but taking his nemesis with him.Gabriel vividly and viscerally sympathized with Sylus in that moment.“Laryn is carrying your child, Asa,” he pointed out, as no one else had mentioned it.
“Yes.”Asa said nothing more than the simple, terse affirmative.
“What is the second option?”Gabriel asked, though he suspected he knew.
“Let the Convocation deal with her,” Jadren supplied when Asa seemed too overcome to answer.“If your need for vengeance, which we all respect, would be satisfied, it’s the course I’d recommend.”
“I thought you said you’ll kill her,” Alise broke in.
Jadren slid her a cynical look.“What I do and what I advise are two different things.”He returned his attention to Gabriel.“It’s the civilized option.They’d keep the familiar healthy until the babe is born, which would be returned to Wizard Asa.Asa might have to stand trial to prove that his familiar acted without his knowledge and manipulation.It’s an unlikely scenario, as familiars rarely act independently of their wizard, but it has been known to happen, and we can all bear witness that Asa was unaware of his familiar’s betrayal.Else we’d have confined him as well, I hope you know, Lord Phel.”
Alise nodded staunchly.“I broke the news to Wizard Asa and can confirm that he was astonished and devastated.”
Gabriel could easily observe how Laryn’s actions had affected Asa.Though he was soldiering on, something in the man had broken.
“I accept full responsibility for what Laryn did,” he inserted, looking at a point on the wall over Gabriel’s shoulder.“I didn’t monitor Laryn’s activities closely.I knew that she resented Lady Phel, but I thought she’d get over it in time.I never imagined she would…” He couldn’t seem to finish.
“Asa,” Gabriel said, holding out a hand.Asa met his gaze then and clasped Gabriel’s hand, wary surprise in his wizard-black eyes.“That’s the trouble with treating other people like human beings.Laryn isn’t a dog to be kept on a leash.She’s a woman with free will.It’s not on you what she chose to do.”
Asa smiled briefly, grief replacing it.“Thank you, Lord Phel.”
Gabriel released the man’s hand, thinking, which unfortunately made his head ache.What would Nic want him to do?“I assume turning Laryn over to the Convocation means they’ll punish and retrain her using vile methods.”
Jadren shrugged as if it were of little interest, though Alise shook her head.“They might not bother.Once separated from Asa, Laryn’s mind would deteriorate from the attenuation of the bond.”She tipped her head at Asa.“They would likely make her docile through psychic sedation and use her as a breeder.She doesn’t need sanity to produce magical babies for the Convocation.”
Gabriel couldn’t even contemplate what that life would look like.He felt certain that Nic, no matter her need for justice, wouldn’t wish it on Laryn either.He’d just have to ask Nic, and they’d decide together.Any other scenario didn’t bear contemplating.
“The downside for Asa, of course,” Jadren continued, “is that he won’t be able to bond a new familiar until the current one dies.”Everyone, even Asa, stared at Jadren, aghast.He shrugged it off.“Even with that bond attenuated, that’s how it works.It needs to be said.”Jadren spoke to Gabriel directly now.“Wizard Asa will be hampered as a healer without a familiar.You’d have to replace or demote him as House Phel healer.Killing the traitor would be doing Asa a favor.The Convocation would likely offer him a new familiar.He wouldn’t get another crack at the Betrothal Trials, naturally, and they’d almost certainly simply assign him a familiar, but it would still be a more favorable outcome.”
“It’s true,” Asa said wearily.“Not that killing Laryn would be a favor to me.I don’t wish for her death, despite everything, but I won’t be an effective healer without her assistance.I’ll resign, so you can replace me.”
“Can’t you use magic from unbonded familiars?”Gabriel asked.“We have Iliana, Han, and Narlis.Even Selly might be helpful, in time.I know you borrowed from them already.”