“We have to do something about that Terevan child,” Cordell said flatly, once the entire group had settled themselves.
“Shapeshifting,” Garrett spat. “Witches don't shapeshift! That's just not right!”
“There've been rumours of a couple of Lyndells who can do it,” Albert said. “Which says a whole lot right there. The Lyndells and Terevans are each bad enough, but start combining them in any serious way, and we've got real trouble. Total anarchy and chaos.”
“That was one of my most useful servants, too,” Garrett grumbled, heedless. “Of course I had to punish it for failing. How was I to know he was out in public as a girl? That's just sick!”
“The ethics of sex and gender aside,” Dextra said, “it's another indication that we simply cannot have him wandering around unsupervised. He's done nothing destructive to himself or his community yet, but if he keeps pushing boundaries like this, it's only a matter of time. Can you imagine if any non-witch recognized him and had proof he'd actually shapeshifted completely, rather than just crossdressing? In the best interests of southeastern Ontario, and the secrecy of witches as a whole, we're going to have to take more decisive steps.”
“How decisive?” Hayley asked. “He can't be that bad, he adopted a cat.”
“That cat will hardly be safe, if he summons up something with a taste for blood,” Cordell pointed out. Dextra thought that rather petty manipulation, given that there was little that would choose feline blood with human available.
Hayley paled. “Oh gods.”
“As little as I like to say it, we may have to resort to lethal force, for the greater good.”
That was a sobering thought, and the room fell silent to contemplate it. Actually kill someone? Break a mundane and moral law, to prevent the shattering of countless non-mundane ones? Take a human life, even to protect many more?
“He has been offered choices,” Dextra said finally. “He persists in choosing the path of danger. It's not our concern if he chooses to risk his own life, but for the sake of southeastern Ontario, and for the secrecy of witches as a whole, I don't see that we have many choices left.”
“Can we do that?” Hayley asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper.
“Can we not do it?” Albert countered. “As Dextra says, it's only a matter of time.”
“How?” Garrett asked. “We can't let anyone outside this room find out, ever. It has to be something no one can trace back to us.”
More silence.
“Magic that looks like nature,” Cordell said. “Or magic that looks like the consequences of his own actions. Hm. Garrett, can you come up with something nasty you can sic on him? Set it on the house of one of his friends, so he'll be sure to be called in to deal with it. Something that looks harmless until Christian himself is present.”
“I could, but only by running the same risks he's running all the time,” Garrett said. “Calling up something that strong is going to be tricky, and the chance exists of it getting away.”
“What if we help?” Albert asked. “All five of us working together, using every safeguard the Fellowship has ever developed, should be able to minimize the risks.”
“Is there any other way we can do this without it being traceable?” Dextra asked logically.
“And if not, what exactly are we summoning?” Hayley asked.
Dextra sighed to herself. This was not going to be a short meeting.
Prysmcat The meeting's not short, but this chapter is. Make sure you don't miss the second chapter that I'm releasing today!
“We have to do something about that Terevan child,” Cordell said flatly, once the entire group had settled themselves.
“Shapeshifting,” Garrett spat. “Witches don't shapeshift! That's just not right!”
“There've been rumours of a couple of Lyndells who can do it,” Albert said. “Which says a whole lot right there. The Lyndells and Terevans are each bad enough, but start combining them in any serious way, and we've got real trouble. Total anarchy and chaos.”
“That was one of my most useful servants, too,” Garrett grumbled, heedless. “Of course I had to punish it for failing. How was I to know he was out in public as a girl? That's just sick!”
“The ethics of sex and gender aside,” Dextra said, “it's another indication that we simply cannot have him wandering around unsupervised. He's done nothing destructive to himself or his community yet, but if he keeps pushing boundaries like this, it's only a matter of time. Can you imagine if any non-witch recognized him and had proof he'd actually shapeshifted completely, rather than just crossdressing? In the best interests of southeastern Ontario, and the secrecy of witches as a whole, we're going to have to take more decisive steps.”
“How decisive?” Hayley asked. “He can't be that bad, he adopted a cat.”
“That cat will hardly be safe, if he summons up something with a taste for blood,” Cordell pointed out. Dextra thought that rather petty manipulation, given that there was little that would choose feline blood with human available.
Hayley paled. “Oh gods.”
“As little as I like to say it, we may have to resort to lethal force, for the greater good.”
That was a sobering thought, and the room fell silent to contemplate it. Actually kill someone? Break a mundane and moral law, to prevent the shattering of countless non-mundane ones? Take a human life, even to protect many more?
“He has been offered choices,” Dextra said finally. “He persists in choosing the path of danger. It's not our concern if he chooses to risk his own life, but for the sake of southeastern Ontario, and for the secrecy of witches as a whole, I don't see that we have many choices left.”
“Can we do that?” Hayley asked, her voice hardly more than a whisper.
“Can we not do it?” Albert countered. “As Dextra says, it's only a matter of time.”
“How?” Garrett asked. “We can't let anyone outside this room find out, ever. It has to be something no one can trace back to us.”
More silence.
“Magic that looks like nature,” Cordell said. “Or magic that looks like the consequences of his own actions. Hm. Garrett, can you come up with something nasty you can sic on him? Set it on the house of one of his friends, so he'll be sure to be called in to deal with it. Something that looks harmless until Christian himself is present.”
“I could, but only by running the same risks he's running all the time,” Garrett said. “Calling up something that strong is going to be tricky, and the chance exists of it getting away.”
“What if we help?” Albert asked. “All five of us working together, using every safeguard the Fellowship has ever developed, should be able to minimize the risks.”
“Is there any other way we can do this without it being traceable?” Dextra asked logically.
“And if not, what exactly are we summoning?” Hayley asked.
Dextra sighed to herself. This was not going to be a short meeting.
Prysmcat The meeting's not short, but this chapter is. Make sure you don't miss the second chapter that I'm releasing today!
