“Yeah, well,” Luna said. “Morden wasn’t the one trying to kill you tonight.”
“No, that was a Council aide,” I said, and sighed. “And that’s another thing. If the Crusaders decide to go public and accuse me of being party to Jarnaff’s death, then I’m dead, and probably Anne is too. Our only chance is that they might have too much to lose. I’ve seen too much of their own dirty laundry now for them to be comfortable bringing it to a Council trial, not to mention that it’d mean publicly admitting that their elite black-ops team just got slaughtered by one Dark mage and one diviner. The loss of face might actually scare them more than a trial would.”
“Is there anything we can do either way?”
“Wait and see.”
Silence fell again, and this time, neither of us broke it.
| | | | | | | | |
It was late into the night when Variam finally arrived, and when he did, the first words out of his mouth were, “Have you heard?”
Luna and I shook our heads.
“The Council passed an emergency resolution ordering Morden’s arrest,” Variam said. He was still wearing his battle gear, but from the looks of things, he’d had an easier night than we had. “They sent a whole freaking battle group over to his mansion to get him. Keepers, constructs, the works.”
“Faster than usual,” Luna said.
“Because they all agreed for once,” I said. “Go on, Vari. What happened?”
“You might want to be sitting down for this,” Variam said. “Morden surrendered. I wasn’t there, but from the sound of it he just walked out into the middle of the Keepers and demanded to see their warrant. When they showed him, he went along quietly. Wasn’t a shot fired.”
Luna’s eyebrows climbed. “Seriously?”
“He’s demanding a full trial,” Variam said. “Lawyers and prosecution and everything. Says the evidence will prove his innocence.”
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
“Landis saw the whole thing.”
“Can they even put a Council member on trial?” Luna asked. “I mean, who’d he be tried by?”
“Christ knows,” Variam said. “They were running around looking up the laws when I left. I don’t think they’ve even figured out what to charge him with yet.”
“They won’t, not anytime soon,” I said. I remembered how long the Council had dragged their feet on Cerulean’s trial, and he’d only been a Keeper. A Council member being charged would be the legal event of the century. This was going to take months.
“You think Morden is actually nuts enough to believe the Council’s going to find him innocent?” Luna asked.
“Of course they won’t,” Variam said. “Everyone knows he did it.”
“And even if he didn’t, they’d find him guilty anyway,” I said. I shook my head. “This is crazy. First Morden loots all those items from the Vault, then he just gives himself up? All the imbued items in the world won’t do him any good inside a Keeper cell.”
“Then that’s it, isn’t it?” Luna said. “Morden’s off the Council. It’s over.”
“Not quite,” Variam said.
We both looked at him.
“So like I said, they were still looking up the laws when I left,” Variam said. “Turns out there hasn’t been a Council member arrested like this in living memory. But they did find one thing.”
“What?”
“So, Morden’s under arrest, right?” Variam said. “But until he actually dies, or until he’s sentenced and stripped of his position, then he’s still a Council member. They can’t assign his seat to anyone else.”
Luna shrugged. “Who cares?”
“Oh?” Variam was looking at me and grinning, and I held quite still. I had a sudden horrible suspicion where this was going. “Think you’re about to start caring soon. Turns out, when this happens, until the trial’s over, Morden’s place on the Junior Council goes to his second. Which means his aide.”
Luna stared at Variam, then slowly turned to look at me.
“You’re now Acting Junior Council member and official representative of the Dark mages of Britain,” Variam said to me, still grinning. “Congratulations. Oh, and when you have a free moment, the other members of the Council would like to have a chat. As in, all of them.”
I just stared.
“I think you just broke Alex,” Luna told Variam. She turned back to me, her expression curious. “What are you going to do now?”
I sat down heavily. I did not have the faintest idea.
About author
Benedict Jacka is half-Australian, half-Armenian, and grew up in London. He’s worked as a teacher, bouncer, and civil servant, and spends his spare time skating and playing tabletop games. He’s the author of the Alex Verus series, including Burned, Veiled, Hidden, and Chosen. Visit his website at benedictjacka.co.uk.