46 Counselling 1 (2/2)

”I've been busy, I called this meeting because there are things I need to explain,” Alistair replied with a grim look.

”Explain? What do you need to explain about?” Craig asked.

Lucy let out a short bark of laughter.

”Do you plan to tell them? Or should I?”

”Tell us what? What's going on?” Maria asked, her wide eyes looking back and forth in confusion. Alistair remained silent, meeting Lucy's angry gaze with a determined look. Seeing that he intended to ignore her provocations, Lucy pressed further.

”Don't ignore me, Alistair! Do you intend to tell them about how you've put us all in danger of being hanged for treason? Or shall I?” Lucy asked, her eyes glittering dangerously.

”Treason?” Craig echoed, his voice shaking slightly. Maria's hands shot up to her mouth at this, while Flen and Tom looked troubled, directing their gazes towards Alistair.

”Yes, treason,” Lucy repeated. ”Not only has this man used my student without his knowledge in his political powerplay, but he's put the rest of us in danger. You'd better have a good explanation for this, Alistair. I accepted my exile from Seacove because I didn't want to play politics, and now you drag me back into it. I am not someone you can just use how you please!”

Alistair sighed, drumming his fingers idly on the table as he met the council members shocked gazes.

”I've been attending to important matters. Matters which I will now lay out in front of you all. I admit, I owe you all an explanation,” Alistair said heavily. ”For the last two days, I have been doing my best to deal with the fallout of the choice I made at the award ceremony.”

”What choice? Why are you two being so cryptic? Alistair, what the hell is goin' on?” Tom asked, his baritone voice thick with worry.

”The choice I made to knight Erick Kystfyr,” Alistair said heavily.

”That's it? You may be playin at bein' a militia commander here in Tonbura, but yer still a goddamned noble. How the hell is that something to worry about?”

”Because he didn't knight my student into the service of Novanalba,” Lucy said with a cold fury. ”No, instead he made him a knight of Crowsea.”

”So?”

This time it was Flen's turn to let out a sigh, as a flash of realization passed over him. Giving Flen an understanding nod, Alistair picked up where Lucy had left off.

”Lucy is correct. When I stood up there on that platform, I made a choice. Too many died that day. What began as a force of nearly four-thousand militia had been reduced to less than half that number. The survivors were bloody, hurt, and broken. And so I made a choice, instead of knighting Erick Kystfyr into the service of Novanalba as is the custom, I instead made him a knight of Crowsea, effectively declaring my intent to build a force of my own.”

Upon hearing this revelation, the council went silent, a myriad of expressions crossing their faces as they struggled to make sense of Alistair's words. Only Lucy's expression was unchanged, a look of cold fury that seemed to pierce straight through the old militia captain.

”So you admit that you knew what you were doing when you used my student as your political pawn? That you knew the effect this would have upon Tonbura and its residents?” Lucy demanded, rising to her feet as she slammed her hands down upon the table, causing Maria to jump slightly in fear.

”Yes.”

”You would doom us all,” Lucy snarled, pointing at Alistair. As she did so, the rings on her fingers began to glow, magical power swirling around her hands as the mana in the room began to congregate around the furious mage.

Rising to his feet, Alistair drew a sword from his waist, a watery aura surrounding the blade as he pointed it towards Lucy.

”Brat, don't think that just because I've aged that I can't take on a fledgling such as yourself,” Alistair growled, his tone turning angry for the first time since the meeting had begun.

”Try me, old man,” Lucy swore.