spellbound | book #1 | completed

X V I I I

[edited: 05/08/2017]

Remy shuffled uncomfortably in her chair, wanting to look at Maksim for at least some source of comfort but willing herself not to. He had not spoken a word to her since his brother's appearance, not even to apologise for the mess he had gotten her into, so she had decided to match this with a hostility of her own. Now, she was sat before the Warlock Council with Maksim beside her, appearing equally as nervous. From the corner of her eye, she saw that his trembling fingers were fidgeting with a button on his coat. This only caused Remy's own nerves to heighten, for she knew from the few days she had spent with him that Maksim was not one to show his emotions often.

The Principle Warlock cleared his throat and stood behind a long marble desk that seated the entire Council, his large chair—which Remy thought looked more like a throne, with deep red cushioning and golden carvings—squeaking against the tiled floor. "We shall begin the trial," he began with the same sense of superiority that Remy had witnessed yesterday, "by questioning Mr. Opal, son of fellow Council member, Hilda Opal."

Hilda, who was sat among the other members, lowered her eyes as though she was ashamed as the Principle Warlock slowly made his way towards Remy and Maksim. The table had not seemed an obstacle for him; one moment he was behind it, the next in front of it, and all without any sense of acknowledgement for its existence.

"Maksim, you have stated many times that the mortal girl's presence in Astracia is your doing. Would you care to elaborate? What do you mean by this?" The warlock crossed his arms behind his back as he waited for his answer, his robe, this one a grey colour that was only a little darker than his hair, swishing each time he moved.

"I mean that pushed her through it without her consent," Maksim responded without hesitation, and he looked at Remy for the first time that day with something, an emotion that Remy could not decipher, glinting in his light eyes. "The Dark Ones were after me in the Mortal World, and I did not want to risk them hurting the girl because they had seen the two of us together. When I saw that Bliviar had found me just after encountering the mortal, I pushed her through to make sure that would not be the case. Obviously, I did not know that the portals would close soon after."

The Principle looked at Remy then, his thick eyebrow raised. "Is this the truth as you remember it?"

Remy simply nodded. She thought that if she tried to talk, her voice might have cracked; she had not had a drink of water since yesterday, and she was growing very aware of this fact now. Her throat was so dry that no amount of swallowing could help.

The warlock turned back to Maksim. "An awful lot of effort for a mortal girl, was it not? You could have left her and hoped that your brother's associates would not harm her. I am sure that they had no business with the girl, anyway."

"I did not have much time to decide whether they would or would not harm her, sir. I did not have much time to think about much at all, save for an innocent's life was at risk and I was to blame for it. I did what I thought was best at the time, and I cannot—will not—regret it."

The strength behind Maksim's words caused a low rumble of whispers to erupt from the Council, and among them Hilda was blushing furiously. Remy frowned and glanced at Maksim, wondering why he would say something so clearly controversial when he seemed not to care for her at all, but his gaze was still directed at the Principle in front of him. The specks of silver in his eyes glittered like stars against the natural light coming from the large window to the right of them both. The room was bathed in a pink haze where the sky bled through the glass, and it was large, so large that Remy wondered how it could possibly fit in the building along with the hall and the other corridors and rooms it held. Her eyes wandered to the walls, where paintings of stars and people with bright hair and eyes appeared over and over again. She found it all rather interesting, and only looked away when Maksim continued without permission.