Jacob's Trial [Forbidden Legacy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (25 page)

His men tightened up around them. Jude planted himself firmly at Cassie’s back. Cocking a brow at Miller, he cursed internally at the older Wizard’s head shake. This was an unexpected development.

Vanagan and his men swept around them to stride into the center of the chamber. The milling Wizards silenced in a wave and backed up, creating an artificial circle. Cassie’s nails dug into his arm, and he covered her hand with his.

They’d debated and discussed this event, but centered amongst more than one hundred Wizards, all staring at her, he wasn’t surprised at the flash of nervousness. She covered beautifully. It might have been his imagination, but her spine seemed to grow more erect. Her chin lifted, and she peeled off her sunglasses, snapping the arms closed so she could meet every gaze while she surveyed the room.

Jacob didn’t smile as one after another of those Wizards who dared to meet her gaze looked away. No, he kept his attention on the elders who watched the proceedings with everything from mild disinterest to open hostility.

The inquisitor general glared at Cassie, and his icy, colorless eyes frothed with malice. A throat cleared three seats to Gustav’s right, neutralizing the whispering murmur sweeping the men in the room. Elijah rose.

“Wizard Book of Innsbrooke and Innisford.” By no means a large man, Elijah’s slighter build often confounded the more warlike. The man was lean to the point of starved. His shoulder blades protruded sharply against his robe. The hollows of his face were gray with age and fatigue. His eyes were the color of green jade.

“Master Elijah of Bourgogne and Normandy.” A glimmer of hope stirred in his chest. Jacob had been unable to discuss the matter being placed before the council with his
Domovoi
. The man didn’t return phone calls despite the number of phone lines Jacob installed for him over the years or the cell phone he’d given him on his last visit nearly a decade before.

“Inquisitor General, Wizard Book has arrived. Shall we proceed?” Elijah gave the Council head his attention. As one, most of the Wizards standing through the chamber dropped to one knee in obeisance. The few that didn’t included Vanagan and the four Wizards standing behind him.

Jacob considered his options but elected not to bend his knee. His men followed suit. Cassie shifted next to him, observing with a neutral expression. After watching her handle the Danae a week before and the inquisitor general the night previous, he knew she would measure her reactions against the audience.

Jacob didn’t bow.

So neither did she.

The inquisitor general slid onto his throne, a stone monstrosity that dwarfed the slab chairs of his fellow Councilors. Jacob didn’t know much about the other Council members. Most were as reclusive as Elijah, rarely meddling in the world of humans much less trying to blend with the flow of time.

“Wizard Book of Innisford and Innsbrooke.” Gustav spoke Jacob’s title in a measured tone, as though finding something amiss. “You come here as a supplicant and offer insult?”

“I come here to honor the invitation of the Council to hear matters of misconduct on the part of Wizard Wentworth.” And so the game began.

“Prior to his death at your hands and that of the Fae Lord Helcyon”—the corner of Gustav’s mouth twisted into a cruel mockery of a smile as he paused—“Wizard Wentworth offered charges of consortium and treason against you, Wizard Book.”

“It is convenient that his death was facilitated by your orders to lure out an innocent and furthered by his assault of that innocent.” Jacob experienced no remorse for the death of Michael. It was merely a pity they hadn’t killed the bastard sooner.

A hum spread through the room, smothered whispers and speculations. Jacob ignored them, trusting those Wizards most loyal to him to watch. In the cold, dark isolation of the Council chamber, Cassie warmed his side like a torch. The open bond teemed with energy, ebbing and flowing between them.

“Unfortunate that you take such glee at the death of a brother,” Gustav admonished as he leaned forward, his fingers white knuckled where they gripped the great chair.

“A brother does not offer assault and injury. A brother does not slay humans in his quest for revenge. Wizard Wentworth facilitated the slaughter of a family and is directly responsible for the death of a Lompoc prison guard by poisoning him with Calla root.”

“If I may, Inquisitor General.” Elijah’s words rolled out on the heels of Jacob’s statement. “Wizard Wentworth is dead and cannot answer for these charges, nor can he provide testimony to the levying of his charges. These simple facts suggest the convening of a conclave is pointless. So why is our time being wasted?”

Jacob did not smile despite the grin itching the corners of his mouth. Elijah was a taskmaster when it came to training young Wizards to use their magic. He didn’t suffer fools. He didn’t suffer waste-of-time questions. And he’d never been a fan of Gustav. He might not be on Jacob’s side, but by sheer virtue of his own cantankerous nature, he could help Jacob’s cause.

“An excellent question, Councilor. An excellent question.” Gustav was calm. Too calm. Jacob’s gaze narrowed on him as the inquisitor general raised his hand. “I turn your attention to this evidence.”

The room darkened, a touch of drama that was hardly needed, despite its effectiveness. The walls illuminated with an image of a lake and a storm spilling across the sky. Flashes of lightning sliced through the darkness, burning the retinas.

The image zoomed, focusing on a couple at the edge of the lake. Jacob stiffened. It was Cassie, and Michael loomed into her, his face a rictus of fury.

“You’re a wizard,” Cassie shouted against the wind lashing them. Michael seized her arms, hauling her forward.

“Damn your eyes!” He glared at her. “In front of me all this time. In my hands. And nearly in my bed.”

The maniac threw his head back and laughed, the force of his hands on Cassie’s arms jerking her closer to him. “God favors fools and small children. And apparently you, Cassandra. But I know your secret now.”

“Let go of me.” Cassie pressed her hands against his chest, shoving. The air around them shimmered, slithering and shuddering. She stomped her tiny feet against his to little effect, but the lightning scoring the sky did little to hide the darkness oozing around her struggling figure.

“Can’t you feel it, Cassie?” Michael laughed, a delighted madness creasing his features.

“Feel what?” Cassie’s struggles paused, and Michael swooped in to kiss her.

Fury punched through Jacob’s icy reserve. He wanted to bring that bastard back to life so he could kill him again. She’d never mentioned the kiss or the way Michael’s hands groped her. Ripping his gaze away from the horror playing out on the screen, he squeezed Cassie’s hand. Her fingers were ice-cold, and the lines around her mouth drew the soft, luscious lips tight. She jerked once, her gaze never leaving the wall.

The darkness surged between the two figures, and Cassie fell away from him. Her body convulsed as she vomited into the grass, and Michael seized her hair, pressing her face against his thigh. Cassie stretched her fingers out to the water and thunder rumbled as lightning struck the surface and it geysered upward.

“No, I don’t think so.” Michael jerked her hair, but Cassie twisted and slammed her fist into the side of his knee. The Wizard went down, and Cassie slammed another fist into his groin.

Roaring, the Wizard released her only to backhand her. The force slammed against her cheek and flung her body away. She hit the rocky sand at the lake edge and scrambled to her feet, but Michael was already there. He swung wide twice, barely missing her. Cassie made it to her feet and swung a chopping blow with her hand. It caught Michael in the side of the neck.

He responded with a fist to her chest, and she lurched backward into the lake water. The dance of black energy tangled around them, looping again and again.

Fire fisted around Michael’s hands and surged toward her but never reached its destination as she flung her own hands out. The fire sizzled in the air, swirling like a radiant sunburst. The whirlwind of flame licked at the air around her but never touched her.

“Go away.” Her voice echoed with hoarse confidence, and the flames guttered and extinguished

The images halted on Cassie’s face, her wild determination, her gold eyes sparking in the darkness, and focused on the flames flickering inside of them. The flames that only seconds before had sought to engulf her.

She’d devoured the magic.

Jacob went cold as the lights came up in the room. Every Wizard eye turned toward Cassie. The Wizards closest to their group took a step back, all save for Vanagan, who grinned into the tense silence.

“Remind me not to piss you off, Lady Cassandra. And next time, don’t just hit him in the groin once. A couple more shots and he wouldn’t have been able to see around the balls in his eyes.”

The dry humor ignited a round of guffaws and winces, but the wary caution remained. Jacob cut his gaze above to look at Gustav and the satisfied smirk on his face.

The son of a bitch is planning to feed her to the wolves to cover all this up.
He’d known it. He’d known it from the moment he was ordered to bring her here there was an ulterior motive. But not for love or money would he have imagined that the man could be such an unimaginable prick to his own child.

“As you can see, Master Elijah. The Fae female before you is hardly an innocent human.” Gustav steepled his fingers. “Wizard Wentworth acted in accordance to the Council principals,
thou shalt not suffer the poisoner of wells to flourish.
”

Another burst of conversation rose up from the gathered but silenced as Elijah raised his hand. “Fae women do not handle raw iron or live in steel structures. I visited her beach home, and the iron built into its walls would smother Fae.”

“She performed magic, Councilor Elijah. Should we replay the darkness she cocooned the Wizard in or the fire she extinguished? Fae women possess the ability to glamour, to blind the hearts of men, as she has your student. See how he holds to her, nor does he take a step without her hand upon him. Even here in our most revered sanctum…”

“What a pile of horseshit.” The voice cut through the inquisitor general’s tirade.

Gustav glared at Miller, who circled around Jacob to take a stance in the center of the room. His arms folded, the Wizard met the inquisitor general’s glare without flinching.

“This is not a political matter upon which to pontificate, Inquisitor General. Nor is the rabble-rousing of fear. Many of these Wizards herein are too young to remember the days before this Council first convened, but make no attempt to sell this to those of us who were there. This woman is not a Fae. Is she related to them? Yes, she is. As is every man in this room.”

Miller’s words were harsh, filled with cold determination and spoken in a clear, even tone that forced silence to hear him.

“But she is more than that.” A photo flew up from Miller’s hand, flung like a bird taking flight. Above him it split, and copies fluttered outward, first to the Council members before showering down on the crowd below.

“She is the daughter of a Wizard.”

Elijah met Jacob’s gaze for the first time as the masses surged to grab the image. He winked once, and the tension riveted to his spine began to relax.

Scattered comments filtered through the din.

“It’s the inquisitor general…”

“…she did magic…”

“…female Wizards do not exist…”

“…she must be Fae…”

“…what is she?”

“Wizard Miller, are you levying an accusation?” Ice frosted over the inquisitor general’s voice.

“No, sir. I am stating a fact. Just as I am reminding everyone that Wizard Wentworth’s ‘sterling’ reputation was anything but. His relationship to his Fae father was a point of contention with this Council less than one hundred years ago.”

“What the hell is going on?” Cassie murmured the words, her lips barely moving.

“I have no idea,” Jacob admitted, honestly. Miller’s announcement was the first he’d heard of that.

“Wizard Miller has issued a valid point, Inquisitor General. It was you who brought Wentworth under heel when he refused to sever relations with the rogue Fae. And if I recall correctly, you were the one who notified the Danae when Wentworth wouldn’t surrender him.” Elijah leaned back in his chair, his wizened face congenial.

Jude jerked against Cassie’s back, the press of the crowd drawing Jacob’s Wizards in closer formation.

DuPois murmured, “Never bet against Miller in cards. He is a master at hiding aces up his sleeves.”

Chaos reigned as questions hurtled back and forth. Above them, the inquisitor general’s colorless eyes went black as magic surged into him.

“Silence!” The word roared out of him, echoing against the walls like a gavel. The inquisitor general rose to his feet. A motion to his left drew Jacob’s eyes. He lifted a brow as Vanagan left his lounge near the wall to take a position up directly between Cassie and the council.

What the hell was the Wizard up to now?

Cassie couldn’t seem to take a full breath. The room teemed with people—Wizards—and stank of sweat, anger, and magic. She pressed closer to Jacob’s side, aware of Jude and Dalton closing the gap around them.