Afterlife (Purgatory Series Part Three)

Chapter Three: Altair and the problem with magical law enforcement

Chapter Three: Altair and the problem with magical law enforcement

Surprisingly the council meeting room wasn't creepy or as intimidating as I had imagined. It was simply an average-sized room with a long table at the front where five council members sat and a few rows of wooden chairs for a small audience. Someone had courteously closed the windows in the back of the room to keep the sunlight out. I was grateful.

The council robes weren't black and sinister as I had expected either. Instead they were a deep scarlet and had flames stitched onto edges of the sleeves with gold thread. They were really rather beautiful.

Helena ushered me to a seat at the very front of the audience and I could feel everyone watching me. Despite her assertion that most people never showed up to these meetings, the room was quite full. I spotted Adrienne, Delilah, and Roran near the back and was surprised to realize they seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. Before I could make out what they were saying, however, a gavel was tapped on the table drawing everyone's attention.

"This meeting will come to order," announced the distorted voice of the council member farthest to the left. "Let the record show it is 8:00 in the morning on November 21st. Are there any announcements before we begin?"

Apparently they used some kind of voice manipulator because the next council member who spoke up sounded exactly the same.

"Raúl of the Spanish lycan council is waiting to speak with us and the elders after the meeting is concluded. He asks that our new guest attend as well. Is this agreeable with you, Ms. Roberts?"

Did this Raúl know about my misdeeds in purgatory? Did he know I had killed his kind on orders from Jelani? And the bigger question was, if he didn't' know, should I tell him? Panic and shame caused a lump to rise in my throat but I managed a nod and some sort of strangled affirmation that sounded a bit like 'y-okay'.

Helena could tell I was upset and shot me a quizzical look. I shook my head at her, not wanting her to know the truth for fear she would think less of me. It was selfish and wrong. Perhaps I wasn't as good as Gabriel thought.

"Moving on to the next order of business," another council member spoke up. "Ms. Roberts if you will stand, please?"

My knees were trembling, but I did as requested. All eyes were on me and the room was quiet. Just as the tension began to become too much, I felt Helena take my hand. It was a very kind and maternal gesture and I appreciated it more than she would know.

"Welcome to The Aerie, Ms. Roberts," a council member greeted me. "We hope you enjoy your time here and hope your training prepares you for the task you have been assigned."

I forced a smile. "Thank you."

After a moment he or she continued. "While you are here we will expect you to obey the same laws and regulations as any citizen. I have been instructed by the elders to remind you that if you do intentional harm to anyone here you will face the same consequences that a citizen would. Also, if you must drink blood we will require you to be supervised and the blood must come from bags - not people. Do you agree to our terms?"

Nodding, I let out a breath of relief and said, "Yes, I agree with your terms. They're very reasonable. Can I choose the person who 'supervises' me if I need blood?"

The council members whispered among themselves for a moment before replying.

"We will agree to this as long as you choose your trainer, Helena, or Roran for the task."

"Thanks," I replied, not missing the fact that my trainer and Roran were listed separately. Apparently he wouldn't be in charge of my training. "That's what I was hoping for, yes."