‘That would be correct.’
‘I would like it noted for the record that I consider her a security risk,’ Maradok said. There was no heat in his voice; he could have been talking about the weather.
‘Your reservations are noted,’ Bahamus said. ‘Is there anything else?’
Maradok nodded. ‘The decision is of course yours.’
Does this guy have something specific against me? Anne asked.
I think if he really had a problem with you, he’d be making more noise. This sounds more like him covering himself in case things go wrong.
‘To business then,’ Bahamus said. ‘Have you been following the progress of the case against Morden?’
The change of subject caught me slightly by surprise, but only slightly. I’d had a feeling this would come up. ‘I’m familiar with it.’
‘You’re aware of the current state of proceedings?’
‘To the best of my knowledge, there hasn’t been very much proceeding,’ I said. ‘The indictment was issued last year, and Morden pleaded not guilty. He made his first appearance in court at the end of the winter.’ That had been a big deal, publicity-wise – having a member of the Light Council in court had drawn quite a crowd. ‘But since then, as far as I’m aware, very little has happened. The prosecution asked for more time for their inquiry, which was granted, and that’s been about it. There’s some talk about choice of representatives, but everything seems to have stalled.’
‘Have you spoken with Morden about this?’ Talisid asked.
‘No.’
‘Why not?’ Bahamus asked.
‘Because I don’t have any particular interest in helping him,’ I said. ‘As I’m sure you’re aware, I didn’t become Morden’s aide voluntarily. Anne and I were coerced into our positions, and once Morden was arrested, we were able to distance ourselves. I don’t see any particular reason to reopen our relationship.’
I could feel the eyes of all three men upon me, and I schooled my face to stillness. I was fairly sure that they’d been listening very closely to my choice of words there, trying to decide whether they could trust me. Oddly enough, while I’ve had to conceal things from the Council before, this was one time where I was being completely honest. Why are they asking about Morden all of a sudden? Anne asked silently.
Test of loyalties, I suspect. I wondered whether the men in the room with me actually believed that I’d been an unwilling servant to Morden, or whether they just saw me as a rat jumping off a sinking ship. Talisid probably believed the former; Maradok the latter. I wasn’t sure about Bahamus.
‘And has Morden contacted you?’ Bahamus asked.
‘No,’ I said. ‘Forgive me, Councillor, but I believe these are all statements I’ve made already. Is there something you’re working towards?’
‘As you say, the case against Morden has not proceeded quickly,’ Bahamus said. ‘While there are procedural issues to work through, the greater reason for the delay is a question of strategy. To put it simply, the Council has to decide what to do.’
‘I was under the impression that there was no strategy to decide upon,’ I said, keeping my voice carefully neutral. ‘Every time it’s come up in the Council, official policy has been unanimous.’
‘When I say the Council has yet to decide,’ Bahamus said, ‘I mean the Senior Council. The circle of people brought in on it has been very small.’
I didn’t ask why, if it was so secret, Talisid and Maradok knew about it when I didn’t. I already knew the answer: I might be on the Junior Council, but I was still an outsider. ‘Then if the Senior Council has been discussing this in closed session, what decision have they reached?’
‘That has been a matter of some debate,’ Bahamus said. ‘At present, we are considering two possible courses of action. The first possibility is simply to proceed with the trial and press for the strictest possible penalty. Morden has committed treason and is an accessory to murder. He will be tried, found guilty and sentenced to death.’
I nodded. It was what I – and pretty much everyone else – had been expecting.
‘This course of action, however, comes with drawbacks,’ Bahamus said. ‘For one thing, killing Morden, no matter how personally satisfying it might be, will do very little to improve our strategic position. Right now, the core of the effective opposition to the Light Council among the Dark mages of Britain is Mage Drakh and his cabal. While Morden may have functioned as a front for Drakh, he has done very little to contribute to those actions of Drakh which concern us most seriously. If Morden is removed, Drakh’s organisation will survive, and if anything may actually be strengthened in the process. Morden has been clear that he intends to plead his innocence at the trial. Regardless of what evidence we bring before the judge, many Dark and independent mages will discount it. As a result, we risk making Morden a martyr, and in doing so, eliminate any hope of a negotiated settlement. The militants among the Dark mages will use Morden’s rise and fall as proof that attempting to work with the Council, and work within the system, is hopeless.’
I raised my eyebrows. That was something that hadn’t occurred to me – and something I wouldn’t have thought a Senior Councillor would have thought of either. Usually they’re so committed to the Light-mage point of view that they’re quite unable to see how their actions come across to anyone else. I guess you don’t get onto the Senior Council by being stupid. ‘That does seem like a valid concern,’ I said. ‘Of course, you could argue that given the general attitude and beliefs of Dark mages, hoping for a negotiated settlement via peaceful means is naïve.’
‘Possibly,’ Bahamus said. ‘But we have to take the long view. Ultimately, this period of tension will settle down into some kind of arrangement, whether explicit or implicit, and at present, Morden is effectively the figurehead of all Dark mages in Britain. It will be much harder to negotiate any kind of agreement if he is dead.’
I remembered my conversation with Lucian this morning, and how I’d been thinking about the problems of having no lines of communication. Apparently I wasn’t the only one aware of the issue. ‘Am I right in thinking that the Council might also be reluctant to set the precedent of executing one of its own members at all?’
‘There is some truth to that, yes.’
I nodded. Rulers don’t like turning on their own if they can avoid it. It gives the common folk ideas. ‘I’m assuming you wouldn’t be telling me this unless you were considering an alternative.’
‘Which brings us to the second possible course of action,’ Bahamus said. ‘It is clear that the primary motivating force behind the attack on the Vault was Mage Drakh. Under this plan, we would instead focus on him.’
‘What would you do, raid his mansion?’ I asked. ‘I was under the impression that the Keepers had looked into that already.’
‘Indeed,’ Bahamus said. ‘Their conclusion was that to have any realistic chance of capturing Drakh, the attempt would require an inside man.’
Alarm bells went off in my head, and I lifted both my hands. ‘Oh no,’ I said. ‘Not this again. I have done that particular trick far too many times by now. Everyone on Richard’s side of the fence has had more than enough time to figure out that I was working for you guys during the attack on the Vault, and I’m pretty sure that if I even got near them, they’d—’
Bahamus raised one hand. ‘Calm down, Verus. As you say, your allegiance is known. You were never considered as a possibility.’
‘Okay.’ I let out a breath in relief. ‘Then if it’s not me you’re considering … ?’