Call of the Siren(97)
“You lie,” Codan yelled, pointing a furious finger at Sevin.
“I only acted in our best interests,” Sevin continued, his voice taking on a pleading tone. “You must believe me.”
His gaze locked on Codan, Belpheg slowly lowered his hands. Energy continued to wind around his circle and into his body, but at a distinctly less frenetic pace. His distress took on a palpable aura that tinged the air. “You would betray your own kind? Your own people?”
Codan drew back, his face growing disgusted. “Your clan was nothing like mine. You were deviants, and your leader was the worst of them. He thought because he had such great power that he was untouchable, but he was wrong, wasn’t he?”
Whoa. Talk about family drama.
Dagan watched the fae Councilman with growing fascination. Could he really have orchestrated the decimation of an entire clan, people of his very own race, simply because he was jealous? Because that was exactly what it sounded like from here.
“They would have destroyed you, I tell you.” Unholy rage flashed in Codan’s eyes as he turned to address his fellow Council members. “I knew their leader personally, so trust me when I say they would have eventually risen up against us. The Council’s hands were tied, so the three of us did what needed to be done to protect us all.”
“No, Codan.” The Councilwoman shook her head, and her snakes hissed ominously as they slithered here and there. “That is not the way. We cannot sanction such an act.”
Codan didn’t respond, though his eyes bespoke his fury.
The Councilwoman turned back to Belpheg. “I’m very sorry for what happened to your clan. Surely you can now see that it was the action of a few misguided souls, not the entirety of the Council. They acted without permission and will be punished accordingly, but that doesn’t mean you should turn your wrath on the Council itself.”
To Dagan’s amazement, Belpheg’s slashing dark brows furrowed, as if he actually considered her words, and the heavy pulse of power surrounding him eased just a fraction. For one mind-numbing moment, Dagan thought that, just maybe, they had a chance of walking away from this.
But then Belpheg shook his head, his eyes going hard. “No.”
When the Councilwoman made to speak again, he interrupted her. “I’ve come too far to turn back now. Sacrificed too much.”
“But surely you won’t—”
“Silence!” Belpheg’s voice boomed throughout the field, sparking an unnatural quiet as even the wind appeared to stop blowing. “The risks I’ve taken, the lives that have been lost…they won’t be in vain. Whether the Council acted in concert or not, it’s clear that it is no longer fit to govern the people. It has grown too corrupt, and I bear the responsibility to stop it.”
The Councilwoman’s snakes hissed, and the remaining members shifted uneasily in their spots.
“If you choose to continue your strike against us,” the Councilwoman spat,” we will be forced to act.”
But hell, even Dagan recognized that for the obvious bluff it was.
“In a matter of moments, your bodies will solidify here on the field,” Belpheg replied. “Then we’ll see who the victor is. In the meantime, it’s past time to tend to my audience.”
Audience?
Oh shit, he meant them.
Belpheg cast one glance toward where Dagan and the rest of his group stood before lifting his hands. The zombies he’d so easily dropped minutes before began to rise up, reshaping themselves into gory, grotesque figures.
With a flick of his hand, Belpheg propelled the corpses into motion…straight toward them.
“Kill them all,” he ordered in a dispassionate tone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As Lina watched in horrified fascination, a horde of zombies rose up. Limbs and heads attached to torsos, and the reanimated corpses headed straight for her and the others.
Too many of them.
No way they’d be able to take them all on.
Holding her daggers at the ready, she yelled at Keegan, “Can Brynn take back control of these guys?”
“Don’t know,” he called back. “I doubt she even knows what’s happened.”
Oh boy, this was not good.
How freaking powerful was this fae, that he could reassemble and command any army of zombies with no more than a single flick of his wrist?
Too powerful, that’s how.
They were so screwed.
“Um…time to do something, Keeg,” Dagan muttered beside her.
For some reason, Lina’s gaze landed on Rage. He scraped his toe toward the circle, and it took her a minute to realize he was trying to get at the scrolls that had fallen to the ground.