Veridian Shores

Chapter 31 - When the Dust Settles

Interrogation was the only word that came to Capper's mind as he strode into the inner sanctum of the Elders. They'd given him a short period of time to clean himself up and get changed into a simply black t-shirt and grey jeans, but otherwise had made it clear that they would not be wasting time in rendering their indictment of his actions.

When he entered the room, however, he was surprised to find only a handful of individuals waiting for him. Jocasta's presence filled the air, along with two of the next most senior Elders – Urda and Brugen. More surprising, however, was that Brooke stood off to one side of the dais, now clad in a simple dark-green tunic, black leggings and soft leather boots.

She looked guilty somehow, as though ashamed of going to the Elders with what she'd discovered. But that didn't explain why she'd been invited to this meeting. He knew he needed to say something to her – to apologise for not listening sooner – but right now he couldn't find the words. So he said nothing, instead waiting for whatever judgement was to be delivered.

The only other person in the room was Tithe, the venerable seneschal apparently one of the few who would be privy to Capper's fate. He drew his face into an unreadable mask as Capper entered the room and stood impossibly still in the corner of the room, hands clasped together in front of him over the pommel of his cane.

Jocasta looked up from the raised arc of seating. He looked calm enough, but Capper could sense the underlying simmer in his Aspect. The Elder was teetering on the brink of complete fury. He looked left and right at the others – Urda's expression made her disgust clear to see. Brugen looked more contemplative, brows set into a thoughtful frown and one hand cupping his chin as he gazed down. The guards who had escorted Capper into the room retreated, and the door boomed shut behind them with the finality of a gunshot.

For a moment no-one spoke. Capper didn't know what to do with his hands and they flailed nervously around him before he eventually gathered the wits to clamp them together behind his back. He glanced at Brooke but she kept her eyes averted, so instead he looked up, meeting Jocasta's judging stare.

"Capper ..." the Elder began heavily, shaking his head slowly. "I warned you."

"I know." He kept his voice steady. Whatever else happened, he would bear the consequences of his actions with as much dignity as he could muster.

"She was your responsibility. You brought her here. You tried to make her one of us. Now she has set something in motion which may yet see this city torn apart."

"I know," Capper said again. "It is not something I can undo. All I can do is apologise."

"Apologies are of little use to us," Urda hissed angrily. "You fool! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I thought I was doing what was best for the clan." Even as the words left his mouth Capper felt the futility of them. What was the old saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Had he not been in a room with the Elders it might have made him smile.

"From what I've gathered of this," Brugen interjected, gently tracing shapes on the wood in front of him. "You were half right in what you tried to do. As I understand it, Clan Baelock did have this Keystone. The girl was telling the truth about that. What she has lied about is her own origin. Clearly she was sent here for the sole purpose of getting that weapon."

"If what Brooke has told us is correct, it is not a weapon," Jocasta rumbled.

Capper's brows shot up in surprise. "What do you mean it's not a weapon?"

"Capper," Brooke spoke up quietly, pulling his gaze down to her. "I told you I've tasted her blood, just before she escaped the grounds. I didn't get enough to gain a complete picture of what led her to us, but I got the most important things, those that were highmost in her mind at the time."