Cord stiffened at the request, and he looked to Marcus and Lucas. Lucas stepped forward, his hand going to Cord’s shoulder. “The Mark is not complete.”
“It grows?” Council Elder Anika asked with interest as she leaned forward eagerly.
“The Mark is complete,” the Three Sisters said. Cord glanced at them in irritation, and he could have sworn one of them smirked at him.
“Tegan?” Cord asked quietly in resignation. “Can you help me?” He slipped the tunic over his head, revealing a black shirt underneath. Turning so that his back was to the Akrhyn in the room, he pulled his shirt up, and then he felt her hands pull it and hold it higher. The silence was deafening.
“Well?” he asked impatiently. “Are you satisfied?”
“Your back is covered.” Tegan’s voice was quiet in her awe. “It has changed so much since I saw it last.”
“So I have heard,” Cord replied dryly.
“Trickery,” Cornelius scoffed. “Always tricks and showmanship with you.”
“What?” Cord turned and asked his stepfather.
“Your back is bare!” Cornelius shouted. “What game are you playing?”
“The Mark is there. That some cannot see it, is their issue, not yours,” the Three informed those assembled. As one, the Sisters rose and crossed the room. He felt three pairs of hands on him as they lifted the shirt, and then their hands covered his back, fingers tracing the pattern of the Mark.
“Is it necessary for all three of you to touch him?” Tegan grumbled as she moved closer to Cord.
His hand caught hers, and he pulled her even closer to him so that she was pressed against his side. He bent down to speak in her ear. “Easy, little tiger,” Cord warned with a smug smile. Tegan flinched back, but he merely held her closer.
“Who can see it?” Michael asked the room. Half could and half could not. Salem could and was staring at it in silence.
“When did you know?” Rorik asked curiously. He had not been able to see it and was trying to pretend that he could.
“It started seven months ago.” Cord dropped his shirt, and the Sisters reluctantly withdrew their hands. Ignoring Tegan’s baleful look, they went back to their seats.
“Why did you tell no one?” Council Elder Alexander asked. “It should have been celebrated, for one to be so blessed.”
“I didn’t know what it was.” Cord shrugged carelessly. “Then when I realised what it was, and that it was still forming, I waited to see how much of it would show.”
“Show to who?” Michael asked.
“Myself.”
“I cannot believe you have the Mark,” Sloane said with a bemused shake of his head as he walked forward and embraced his brother. “You are favoured and, I fear, cursed,” he added quietly.
Cord returned the hug his brother gave him, relieved at the absolute support he should never have doubted from his little brother. Cord addressed the Sisters. “I renounce my right to Heir,” Cord said with a strong voice. “I name Sloane in my stead.”
There were several murmurs in the room. Giving up the title of Heir put a House in a vulnerable position. “I did not bestow Heir on you for you to toss it aside!” Cornelius protested angrily.
“You sent my brother to the House of Holt to spy for you when he was no more than a child. He formed the alliance with their House on his own, an alliance you seek but cannot maintain because you are weak.” Cord looked at the Great Council as he pulled his tunic back on. “I renounce myself as Heir. I choose Sloane.”
“So be it.” Warren nodded quickly. It was an Heir’s right to choose the next Heir. The position did not change if an Akrhyn chose to abdicate his position.
“Warren—”
“It is done,” Anika said dismissively, ignoring Cornelius’s protest and uncontainable outrage.
“I also ask that his betrothal to Zahra Holt be annulled,” Cord said, ignoring everyone else in the room. “My brother is kind, generous and an excellent Sentinel. He will be a strong Elite and an even better Elder when his time comes. He cannot andshouldnot have to do that with an Akrhyn who shuns us.”
“Agreed,” the Sisters said firmly. “You have another for him in mind, Mark?”
“I think you should let him choose his own,” Cord said with an amused glance over to his brother.