time.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. We had six months to take care of the Pole.
“As first son of the house of Kireeth, I would like to make the first nomination.” The tone of the room had gone back to making libraries seem loud. “I nominate Cheney and Selene,” Sebastian said.
I TOOK A STEP forward to decline the nomination, but Selene held tight to my hand. I glanced over at her and she shook her head ever so slightly. Her face stilled me. She had doubts. Leaving was the natural choice, but making that speech tore a chunk from me. One person somewhere near the back began to clap, and slowly more and more joined in. Soon the whole room thundered with applause. Not everyone was clapping, but enough that the silent ones seemed fewer than they were. Sebastian came and stood on the other side of me. We exited in a line with Selene in the lead. Once we had cleared the crowd, Selene spun around and started talking before I could say anything.
“Don’t be mad. Sebastian’s right. If the people elect you, then we know they want us here and your reasons for leaving become a lot less convincing. I’ll be fine. I don’t mind a few threats or even some protesters. We have to at least try.”
“Don’t let them chase you away. Your legacy should be better than that,” Sebastian added.
I ran my fingers through my hair. “No one is chasing me away.”
“That’s not what it seemed like,” Sebastian said. “With the nomination you gain strength. Our enemies will be identified and can be dealt with. I cannot believe that everything you have fought for is so worthless to you that you can just walk away from it. You made me your child’s guardian. I will not allow her to live in a world that believes she is less worthy because of her heritage. She doesn’t deserve it and neither does Selene.”
“Then you should have nominated yourself.” Walking away hadn’t been easy, and it pissed me off that Sebastian undid everything I had just done. I wanted to live my own life without the entire fae race dependent on me.
Selene’s hand curled around my arm. “Cheney,” she said, her eyes soft and supplicating. “Is this really about us, or is it about your father?”
“Shouldn’t you find Frost?” I snapped, and she raised an eyebrow.
“Fine,” she said, but she wasn’t fine. She turned to Sebastian. “Thank you. No matter what he says, you kept him from making a mistake today.” She turned and walked out of the office, shutting the door harder than normal.
Great. I was honing in on my irritation at Sebastian rather than on the guilt for taking it out on Selene when there was a quick knock on the door. It burst open shortly after and Sy came through, brushing off the guard outside.
“It’s happening,” he said.
I didn’t have to ask what was happening. I knew from the expression on his face. There was a tear. Keeping all of this a secret wasn’t going to be possible. I waved the guard away.
When the door clicked shut Sebastian asked, “Where?”
“Cedar Ridge. I don’t know what it is, but I already lost two bounty hunters there when I sent them to check out a settlement of missing sylphs.”
“How do you know they just didn’t move?” Sebastian asked.
Sy’s lip curled. “Pieces. There were pieces left. I sent two hunters and they haven’t come back, either.”
“How did you hear of the missing sylphs before me?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow, reminding me of Selene, and I shook my head. “It’s doesn’t matter, let’s go.”
“You need to get Selene,” Sy said. “If there’s a tear, someone has to close it and none of us can do it but her.”
“She’s teaching Frost about magic.”
“Great. Bring her, too.”
“I’ll get them. We’ll meet you downstairs.” Sebastian took off at a run without waiting for a reply.
Sy and I headed outside. “Do you think we’ll need the coven, too?”
“I sent Tobias, a berserker, and Ghurim, a half-giant. They aren’t bright,
I breathed a sigh of relief. We had six months to take care of the Pole.
“As first son of the house of Kireeth, I would like to make the first nomination.” The tone of the room had gone back to making libraries seem loud. “I nominate Cheney and Selene,” Sebastian said.
I TOOK A STEP forward to decline the nomination, but Selene held tight to my hand. I glanced over at her and she shook her head ever so slightly. Her face stilled me. She had doubts. Leaving was the natural choice, but making that speech tore a chunk from me. One person somewhere near the back began to clap, and slowly more and more joined in. Soon the whole room thundered with applause. Not everyone was clapping, but enough that the silent ones seemed fewer than they were. Sebastian came and stood on the other side of me. We exited in a line with Selene in the lead. Once we had cleared the crowd, Selene spun around and started talking before I could say anything.
“Don’t be mad. Sebastian’s right. If the people elect you, then we know they want us here and your reasons for leaving become a lot less convincing. I’ll be fine. I don’t mind a few threats or even some protesters. We have to at least try.”
“Don’t let them chase you away. Your legacy should be better than that,” Sebastian added.
I ran my fingers through my hair. “No one is chasing me away.”
“That’s not what it seemed like,” Sebastian said. “With the nomination you gain strength. Our enemies will be identified and can be dealt with. I cannot believe that everything you have fought for is so worthless to you that you can just walk away from it. You made me your child’s guardian. I will not allow her to live in a world that believes she is less worthy because of her heritage. She doesn’t deserve it and neither does Selene.”
“Then you should have nominated yourself.” Walking away hadn’t been easy, and it pissed me off that Sebastian undid everything I had just done. I wanted to live my own life without the entire fae race dependent on me.
Selene’s hand curled around my arm. “Cheney,” she said, her eyes soft and supplicating. “Is this really about us, or is it about your father?”
“Shouldn’t you find Frost?” I snapped, and she raised an eyebrow.
“Fine,” she said, but she wasn’t fine. She turned to Sebastian. “Thank you. No matter what he says, you kept him from making a mistake today.” She turned and walked out of the office, shutting the door harder than normal.
Great. I was honing in on my irritation at Sebastian rather than on the guilt for taking it out on Selene when there was a quick knock on the door. It burst open shortly after and Sy came through, brushing off the guard outside.
“It’s happening,” he said.
I didn’t have to ask what was happening. I knew from the expression on his face. There was a tear. Keeping all of this a secret wasn’t going to be possible. I waved the guard away.
When the door clicked shut Sebastian asked, “Where?”
“Cedar Ridge. I don’t know what it is, but I already lost two bounty hunters there when I sent them to check out a settlement of missing sylphs.”
“How do you know they just didn’t move?” Sebastian asked.
Sy’s lip curled. “Pieces. There were pieces left. I sent two hunters and they haven’t come back, either.”
“How did you hear of the missing sylphs before me?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow, reminding me of Selene, and I shook my head. “It’s doesn’t matter, let’s go.”
“You need to get Selene,” Sy said. “If there’s a tear, someone has to close it and none of us can do it but her.”
“She’s teaching Frost about magic.”
“Great. Bring her, too.”
“I’ll get them. We’ll meet you downstairs.” Sebastian took off at a run without waiting for a reply.
Sy and I headed outside. “Do you think we’ll need the coven, too?”
“I sent Tobias, a berserker, and Ghurim, a half-giant. They aren’t bright,
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