Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“Kerrigan,” Helly said gently. “Go ahead.”
Kerrigan walked forward numbly. She couldn’t even feel her feet as they carried her across the arena, up the stairs, and onto the stage.
“Sorry for the confusion. I wanted to verify so that no one could contest it later,” Zoh said jovially. “You won it fair and square. The results were close though.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“You’ll do well with this,” he told her. “Now, for the oath. Do you solemnly swear to uphold the best interest of the Society and the council in all you do?”
“I do.”
“Will you seal your acceptance of these orders through your magic?”
“I will,” Kerrigan said.
Zoh held up the rod he had used with Alura. Up close, it looked ancient. Thousands of years old with ancient Fae practically illegible on the surface.
“What is that?”
Zoh’s voice lowered, so it wasn’t booming to everyone as he explained, “It’s a magical artifact from the old days. Anyone who swears an oath on it cannot break it.”
Kerrigan swallowed. She had seen council members do despicable things. Things she hardly thought upheld the best interest of the Society. But perhaps it was whether or not you had the conviction to believe you were doing what was right. Everyone believed that.
“Kerrigan?”
“Yes,” she said and then sent a whirl of magic into the rod as she touched it. The thing seemed to zap against her hand, and she had to stifle a yelp.
He smiled warmly at her and then added the pin to her robes.
She took her position beside Alura, who held out her hand. “Congratulations.”
“You too. So well deserved.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“I am,” Kerrigan told her. “You’ll do better than Durban.”
Alura snickered. “I suppose that is at least factual.”
“I can’t believe people even voted for me. I’m a hot mess.”
Alura arched an eyebrow. “That is also factual. At least you own it though. That’s what people want. Confidence and assurance that you’re going to do the right thing, no matter the cost. You give them that.”
Kerrigan swallowed thickly. “Thank you, Alura. It will be an honor to serve with you.”
Kerrigan looked out across the arena to the thousands of people in attendance. All the Society members who had believed in her enough to pick her for this honor. It almost felt like too much. Fordham was seated close to the stage, and she felt the pull on their bond, as if he were right beside her. The love and attention he showered upon her made her heart ache with need. He was proud and imperious in the crowd, but his eyes—those thunderstorm eyes—were alight with love.
He’d snuck Wynter in beside him in a black robe. Surely, someone had questioned her appearance, but there were so many Society members from all over the country that this was one of the few places they could get away with it. She had been placed strategically to look for the Father in the council members’ auras.
Kerrigan found her friends in the crowd next. Audria and Roake were in black robes near the stage. Audria waved enthusiastically. Roake looked stoic and as if he wanted to be elsewhere, but what else was new? Clover, Hadrian, and Darby stood together as a unit. They smiled and cheered for her and made her laugh in turn.
And farther down the line was her father. He looked as if he had never been prouder in his life. She was fulfilling the rules of the House of Cruse and following in his mother’s footsteps. This was really happening. She was really here in this moment.
Master Zoh returned to the stage. “And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. You get to find out who is my esteemed replacement.”
The crowd laughed slightly as he bowed at the waist.
“The person who is next to be the presiding officer over the entire Society council has my utmost respect. It is not an easy job by any means. You have to be separate from the rest of the Society to create a clear vision and hold to it. I believe that either of the candidates who have come forward for the position would be perfect replacements. But only one can be chosen.”
He pulled out the envelope. “And the next leader of the Society council is …” He ripped it open and removed the page. “Master Bastian Danfort!”
The crowd roared their acceptance. Bastian smiled and raised a hand. He first went to Helly and shook her hand. They spoke a few words that made Helly laugh before he proceeded to the stage.
Zoh beamed at him. “Congratulations, Bastian. I know you’ll do right by the Society.”
Bastian smiled, and it was one that Kerrigan had never seen on his lips before. It was almost … dangerous. “Oh, I intend to.”
He and Zoh shook hands before Zoh asked him the oath to be the leader of the Society council. Bastian said and did all the right things. His magic lit up as he agreed to uphold the tenets against the oath rod. Then, he replaced Zoh at the podium and took his place above all other Society members.