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  All the Thorns & Serpents

  Ben McKenzie

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  Copyright © 2021 by Bradthorn Creative Ltd

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-1-8382279-3-7 (e-book)

  ISBN: 978-1-8382279-4-4 (paperback)

  All character in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Book Cover Design - Nik @ BookBeaver

  Editor - Susan Keillor

  Published by Bradhtorn Creative Ltd

  This was one was difficult, but the journey is only just getting started.

  Chapter One

  There was nothing wrong with feeling uneasy about another Council meeting.

  A room filled with people who were nothing but rude and openly against me, and even worse, a sister who gloated through the whole thing. I had started to think that I should be used to these things by now. There had been several since the Dolls had made their attack.

  As I made my way through the winding corridors of the Countess’s house, flanked by Grayson and Aston, I hadn’t even noticed the rain pounding against the glass outside. Sometimes I would find myself wondering if the weather was my fault, as if the very atmosphere could sense my mood and would change accordingly.

  I hoped not as that would be another thing to blame me for, and I definitely didn’t need another reason for people to direct their ill will toward me.

  ‘We can’t go much further you know; you’ll be on your own from here,’ Grayson said with a half-smile. We were almost at the anterior of the house where the corridors merged into one and the chamber lie.

  ‘Hopefully I will survive this one. What do you think the Russian Ambassador will be like?’

  This was the first formal Council hearing where a member from another court had been summoned in as long as anyone could remember. After the revelation that Gregor may have been assisted by other Witches, and ones with Russian accents, Claudia had summoned the Russian Ambassador to come before the Council to answer questions.

  ‘I’ve seen her before. She’s a looker, let’s put it that way,’ Aston said with a wink and dug his elbow into my side, but we had come to a stop in the corridor.

  ‘Well, good luck then. What would you do without us?’ Grayson said with a big smile.

  I just laughed and started to walk toward the chamber. It was true what Grayson had said. Since they’d rescued me from the Dolls, I had finally managed to make some friends here even though the two of them were older than me.

  It had come as a shock that they were both so willing to befriend me, after they had fared quite badly against the Dolls when they rescued me, and then Grayson’s Aunt Emmaline was killed in the attack at the theatre. They filled the loneliness that had plagued my time here, and I had nothing but thanks for them as a result.

  The double doors were huge and made of oak with brass handles. I didn’t need to open them as a Menial was there waiting for me to appear. As I stepped inside, my hopes of being the first one here soon faded as Olivia was already sitting down with Claudia. I was never sure where to sit at these meetings, so I went to take the seat next to my sister, but she put her hand out in front of it.

  ‘You should probably sit over there,’ she snapped glaring at me.

  Trying to ignore her, I just walked around to the opposite side of the long black table, keeping as much distance as possible from her.

  ‘Now isn’t the time for this. The two of you need to be prepared for today,’ Claudia growled from her corner. She was wearing a neon blue jump suit that was sleeveless, and then elbow-length matching blue gloves. Her hair was up high today, clipped together with gold fittings that looked like claws.

  ‘What do we need to prepare for exactly?’

  ‘The rest of the Synod leaders will be arriving shortly; I will be debriefing them on further intelligence that was gathered. This is your opportunity to learn and listen, Do not speak out of turn with the ambassador present.’ It was still a growl as if she were preparing for another onslaught.

  The last few meetings had been painful to be a part of, with lots of shouting, no order and no resolution to anything.

  ‘Why do we need to be careful in front of the ambassador? Who is she anyway?’ Olivia quipped refusing to look at me.

  ‘Lady Olga Kuznetsova has been the ambassador to the United Kingdom for the past eight years. We must be wary of the Russian’s especially given our current suspicions.’

  ‘Lady? Does that mean she is a leading member from Russia?’ We refer to the other leaders as Lady, so I was surprised that one would just come at Claudia’s request.

  ‘No. The Russian Court is different from here. They have a Tsarina, four Grand Duchesses and then another layer of noble class, and another. It’s all quite complex and I don’t have the time to explain now. We must be careful what we say to her, though. For all we know she could be a spy… actually she should be treated as such until further notice.’

  ‘That all sounds very grand,’ Olivia said her eyes glinting, always wanting the next best thing.

  Before Claudia could say anything else the others had arrived, and Claudia instructed the Menial at the door to let them in. One by one they all entered the room and took their seats. Thankfully, Maud chose to sit next to me.

  I hadn’t noticed at first, but the table seating arrangement tended to be split by those in favour with Claudia closest to her, and this also included those who reviled me the most, then the others and Maud’s allies on my end. Although Olivia sat on one side of Claudia, Carys Glynn sat on the other, followed by Beatrice Baines, Gabrielle Byron and Toni Montrose. Zenaida Castro always sat in the middle, though she was far from neutral from what I had seen.

  Maud sat next to me, with Lois Howard on the other side and then Vivienne Latimer and Milena Spencer. Milena was the youngest member of the Synod leaders as she wasn’t even thirty yet, but she had been nothing but nice to me, which was a reprieve from the sneers of the others.

  Maud gave me a little pat on the leg under the table and a quick smile. Without her in these meetings I don’t think I would have gotten through them. Ever since we’d met, she had been a staunch defender of me, and I instantly felt calm when I was around her. Even though it was Claudia who had taken me in and looked after me, I never got that same feeling from her.

  ‘Thank you all for joining me at such short notice.’ Claudia nodded to everyone.

  ‘I hope this means we have found something meaningful to go on now rather than hearsay, and whispers from a bag of bones,’ Maud snapped across the table but everyone else just remained silent.

  ‘I have brought you here to discuss the intelligence that has been gathered, what our chief concerns are, and how we intend to resolve them,’ Claudia said ignoring Maud. ‘The ambassador will be with us shortly and I wanted to ensure that we were all up to speed and on the same page prior to her arrival.’

  Maud just bristled and shook her head, but Claudia continued and motioned to a large screen that flicked on at the opposite end of the room, and Kat appeared at the helm of the table. I hadn’t even noticed her slip in, but her eyes were dark underneath and that sharpness she used to have had seemed to dull.

  ‘During the transfer of Gregor McVarr to the Spiral, our convoy was attacked.’ Scenes flitted across the screen showing a line of armoured vans travelling down a country lane, when an explosion took one of them out and they all veered off the road. ‘At first we thought this was the work of mortals and it was some sort of rocket launcher, however, on closer inspection we believe this was the work of Gifted individuals.’

  Chatter brushed across the table, but Claudia raised her hand to silence everyone. This had been discussed previously at the other meetings, and I could see that Maud was clicking her fingers at the side of me, clearly annoyed.

  ‘We know all of this. Do we have anything more precise? Where is this evidence of the Russian involvement? We need to be certain if we choose to act on this.’ This time it was Zenaida, known for her large elaborate hats with a keen interest in feathers. Her outfits were always a talking point.

  ‘Yes… so moving on to that point. We were able to gain some memories from one of the Menials that was killed at the site.’ Kat finished and pointed back to the screen.

  It started off black as if the screen had switched off but then it slowly began to roll onto something different. It was hazy as if there was a gauze placed over a camera. The screen bobbed back and forth over the wreckage of a car. There was gun fire, the sound of metal clanging against metal, shouts and wails from Enforcement soldiers who were being killed. A person all in black moved toward the Menial, raising their hand. It dropped to the floor with deafening thud.

  After a few moments of blackness, the video came back on and though very hazy, in the distance the black figure removed their mask to reveal blonde hair and spoke in a very distinct accent.

  ‘Mission complete.’

  Then everyt
hing went black again.

  It wasn’t difficult to come to the conclusion that the person in the video reel definitely had a specific accent, but I could understand everyone else’s concern. We couldn’t prove it was a Russian. If anything, they could have been from any part of eastern Europe. It was a hard sell, but Claudia had been adamant on the course of action.

  ‘So, we are again at a point where a vague voice is meant to have us begin tensions with the Russian court?’ Maud directed again and Claudia screwed her face up, not even hiding her frustration.

  ‘This is proof that they are working against us, or even if they aren’t and this was unsanctioned, they have a criminal in their midst that needs dealing with.’

  She banged her hands against the table, and I couldn’t help but sit up a bit straighter in my chair.

  ‘You can’t disagree with her based on that, it is beyond a doubt now,’ Carys Glynn said from Claudia’s side. I had noticed from the previous meetings she operated more like a cheerleader for Claudia. Not once had I heard her disagree with anything that Claudia ever said.

  ‘You will do well to remember the times we were last at odds with the Russian Court. From what I can recall your great aunt didn’t fare very well did she?’ Lois peaked this time glaring at Carys from across the table. Carys just waved her arm in the air as if dismissing she had said anything in the first place.

  ‘Enough.’ Claudia banged on the table again and the room went silent. ‘If you cannot back my approach then I urge you to remain silent when the ambassador arrives. I will take the lead on what we say to her and any questions. Is that clear?’ It was a low rumble again that seemed to vibrate across the room.

  ‘On your head be it then.’ Maud rolled her eyes, but the silence remained.

  A light tap came from the door. Claudia told them to enter, and the ambassador appeared in the room. She was tall with golden hair that was slightly curled, clipped together with a large diamond clasp. She wore a red satin dress, and a huge fur coat. I wasn’t sure how well that would fare in the rain outside, but she was perfectly put together.

  ‘Welcome Ambassador, please take a seat.’ Claudia motioned to a chair in the centre of the table that had remained empty. Keeping her coat on, she took the seat and then slowly looked each and every one of us at the table dead in the eyes. There was something about the way she glared that made me feel slightly intimidated, as if she were unafraid to be surrounded by us all.

  ‘Shall we get past the pleasantries and get down to why you have summoned me here, Countess? We both know this is not a normal procedure, or a kind gesture.’ It was cold, and I felt it like an iceberg across the table.

  Glancing toward Claudia her face still couldn’t disguise the way she was feeling. The once serene and impervious Countess could no longer hide her intentions.

  ‘Tell me Ambassador, what do you and your court know of an organisation who refers to themselves as the Dolls of the New Dawn.’

  ‘Why would we care for a group of radicals? From what I can tell it would appear you have yet to get a strong grip of them, Countess.’ It was laced with goading, ‘You must understand that news travels fast, even across the continent.’

  Claudia dug her hands into the table not disguising her displeasure, I couldn’t believe that the ambassador was talking to her this way. Before coming to the Council meetings, I thought no one would ever dare to question a Countess, but I was wrong about that, so maybe I had underestimated her as well.

  ‘Tell me what you know of a man called Gregor McVarr?’

  ‘Shall we stop this, Countess? Why don’t you just ask me what you really want to ask? These questions are pointless.’ I couldn’t believe how dismissive she was being.

  ‘Olga, let me remind you, you are in my territory and if I so choose, I can send you back to Russia. Gregor McVarr was assisted in escaping our custody on the way to the Spiral. We have evidence that there was a Russian presence. Now tell me what you know before this has to get even messier than it already is.’ Claudia was adamant, but she had played her card too soon. Maud let out a quiet gasp which Olga had noted.

  Olga smirked and sat up straighter in her chair as if to make her presence known. She remained as calm as she had the moment, she entered the room.

  ‘That is a very strong accusation, Countess,’ Olga said. ‘My Tsarina will not be happy to hear that our British friends think so poorly of us.’

  ‘Ambassador, no one is making accusations, of course. We very much value the relations we have developed with your court over the years. We are simply trying to get to the bottom of the problem we are currently facing,’ Vivienne Latimer interjected this time, her voice soothing and calm if not a little on the squeaky side.

  ‘Of course, it is understandable given the issues you are currently facing that there may be some paranoia happening, but I can assure you that my court has not assisted any terrorist group,’ Olga said with a pert smile. ‘What I would like to know is why this boy is at the table?’

  It took me a moment to realise she was talking about me and I couldn’t help but gulp. She was staring right at me, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Claudia had made it clear that we shouldn’t say anything other than observe.

  ‘He is of no concern to you,’ Claudia shot at her before anyone else had the chance to say anything.

  ‘I must say it is very odd that you have a boy here. The British have always been the most… abiding of the old ways,’ Olga said with a smirk again. ‘You must be Olivia Stanley; it is a pleasure to meet you.’ She looked toward my sister with a smile, and for a moment Olivia didn’t know what to do other than smile and nod.

  ‘Roman, is it?’ Olga directed at me.

  ‘Hello.’ It was the most ridiculous response, which I realised as soon as I said it, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  ‘I hear you are a Siren, Olivia?’ Olga said and Olivia nodded like an obedient child. ‘It’s the most wonderful Gift. We are the same you and I.’

  So that meant that Olga had the same Gift as my sister. Given the way she commanded the room it was surprising she even needed to use her Gift at all.

  ‘There is a lot of talk about your Gift,’ she shot toward me and I suddenly felt uncomfortable.

  ‘Shall we get back to the questions at hand?’ Maud bustled in just in time to turn the conversation around.

  ‘I have already given you my answers on this matter. I suggest you all focus your efforts on finding your escaped terrorist than trying to shift the blame.’ Olga stood up and everyone wasn’t sure what to do. As I looked around the table the others were in shock.

  ‘My Tsarina will hear of this, Countess. She does not like unfounded accusations. I suggest you await her response. If you need me, you know where I am.’ With that she stood up and went to head out of the room.

  For a second it was as if Claudia was about to move, but Carys slowly put her hand on her arm, and she seemed to calm just long enough for Olga to leave the room.

  ‘Well, that went about as well as we had anticipated,’ Lois said standing from her seat.

  ‘How dare the ambassador threaten us in such a way? This only goes to show that they are guilty. Why can you not see it?’ Claudia roared at the end of the table.

  ‘As we said to you, Countess, we needed to edge with caution with the Russian Court, yet now we know you have offended the Tsarina. We need to focus on mending this and quickly or the problems with the terrorists will seem a drop in the ocean to what can go wrong with this,’ Maud said standing as well.

  ‘Do I need to remind some of you that I am Countess? I will not be told how to run this Synod, especially not by you Maud Clifford,’ Claudia roared again, and she stood as well.

  For a moment I felt protective, like I should do something to defend her, but my better judgement reminded me that Maud could defend herself better than I ever could.

  ‘Through the Synod’s favour and grace, you are elected Countess. I would remember the term elected well, Claudia.’

  Maud left the room and everyone else quickly followed, I didn’t want to stay behind and witness the rage that would have erupted from the Countess.