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Should have had him sign a pre-coup, I thought. Seth seemed the sort of guy who would take every dollar for the cause and give no thought to leaving Gwendolyn without a cent.
That was her problem. She made her bed.
I looked around the audience room and sighed softly out my nose. It seemed like no time at all passed since I first stepped foot in here. My heart raced faster at the memory.
I was so nervous, but so determined. Either Dex accepted my request for asylum, or I used the knife on myself. It seemed so extreme now, but those were my choices as I saw them. I wasn't going to be a slave to anyone. Someday, I might look back on those memories and laugh, but not yet. It was too recent, too raw. And today's events were superimposed over the top of them. The audience room was fast becoming my least favourite place to pass the time.
Seth's people had arranged the chairs in a semi-circle of rows, like an auditorium. His chair and a couple of others faced the rest. Gwendolyn sat beside him. The audience consisted of a couple of handfuls of people. Most hemitheos, unless I guessed wrong. I counted almost a hundred at a quick glance. Enough power to devastate the Vault if they wanted to. Assuming they were as powerful as I was.
That, I realised, was a big assumption. Neither Helene nor Luther were as strong as me. They were just better trained. When we met, they could walk all over me. By the time Helene died and Luther was locked in the sarcophagus, I was more than a match for them.
I chewed my lip and watched Seth's mouth move. Was there a way to tell how strong others were? If there was, Seth would know it.
I hesitated for a moment, then drew a trickle of power from a woman who sat near me. I sent it back into her, probing the way I probed for the shifter's animal.
She was a small animal, maybe a ferret. That was a surprise. Until now, all the shifters I knew changed into magnificent animals. Ferrets were humble at best. Hers was a useful ability, without doubt. Small animals could go unnoticed in ways and places bears and wolves wouldn't.
I probed a little deeper, but found nothing to suggest she could use power at all. Maybe she couldn't.
I moved on to the man beside her and found the same thing. He was a larger animal, a leopard perhaps. Still no sign of power.
I let mine go and hid a grimace of frustration behind my hand. A yawn was more appropriate right now, and I wasn't the only one. Several others moved around in their seats and glanced at the door until Seth dismissed them.
"Viva, please stay," he said before I could stand and hurry toward the door.
I cursed inwardly, but turned around and smiled. With any luck, it might even look genuine.
"I apologise. These audiences aren't always enthralling, but they are necessary." He gestured toward the seat beside him. "I want everyone to see and understand every aspect of our new government. The more transparent we are, the less chance there is of them questioning us later."
"Especially when we don't want them to question, or look too closely," Gwendolyn drawled.
Seth turned his smile on her.
"Exactly. Be seen walking the corridors, listen to the people. Save sneaking around in the back passages for when trust is established." He looked right at me, his expression intense, maybe even a little wary. "Wouldn't you agree?" he asked.
I wanted to disagree, but I've done my share of sneaking around in back passages of the Witches' Council. I needed access to the library, without being under the watchful eyes of suspicious witches.
"As long as you're careful," I said finally. "Secrets can come back and bite you on the ass."
Seth burst out laughing. "That, my dear, is why I need you close by. I don't need another yes man or yes woman. I need someone who will give it to me straight."
Past his shoulder, Gwendolyn's face turned pink. I'm almost certain if she had a knife, it would find its way to my heart. I was equally certain Seth would slide it back out and shove it into hers. He had his reasons for keeping us both around, but he wasn't going to let her question him. Or his choices. Or mine, for that matter.
I wasn't sure Gwendolyn hadn't fucked up by choosing his side over Devlin's. The hemitheos might be her people, but Devlin was— Better the Devlin you know. Same with Dex.
If the desire for revenge wasn't so strong, I would tell Seth to fuck off and walk away right now. If he'd let me, that is.
Like his sister, I doubted it would be that easy. Helene had her agenda and to be damned with everyone else. Granted, her agenda was a lot more fucked up than Seth's. Raising a god was next level crazy, and she was next level dead because of it. Was her ghost still following Comus around, doing his bidding, or begging to move on to whatever came next? Try as I might, I couldn't manage more than a twinge of sympathy for her. If that.
"That's me," I said. "I'm all about straight talk. Ask anyone."
"You mean the people in the cells?" Gwendolyn asked. She looked smug, like she'd scored a point off me.
I shrugged. "Sure, why not? I know them pretty well by now. Not as well as you do, of course, but well enough."
She gave me a withering look. I responded with a sickly sweet smile. I didn't know what her game was, but I didn't want to play it. I was too old and too tired of bullshit from the witches to take it from someone like her. Especially since she didn't seem to be scoring any points with Seth.
"Now, now." Seth placed a hand on my knee. "Let's not argue amongst ourselves."
