“Wren,” Vye said. “We’re so glad you’re alive. We’ve been worried.”
Her kind voice took Wren completely by surprise. He’d expected an immediate confrontation.
“Where is your mother?” North asked.
Wren paused before answering. Swoop had always encouraged him to take a breath before he answered a question. “I don’t know,” Wren answered.
“You can tell us, Wren,” Hondo said. “It’d be best for everyone.”
“I don’t know,” Wren repeated. “I left her at the gate. With Swoop.”
“And the rest of your guard?” Vye asked.
“We came back without them. Because of the order,” he answered. Then, before they could ask another question, Wren pushed back. “Where are Aron and Rae?”
“They no longer serve on the Council,” North said.
“By whose direction?”
“Aron by choice, Rae by vote,” Vye said.
“And so you decided to steal my rightful authority?”
Hondo exhaled through his nose, a dismissive sound. It annoyed Wren. Hondo seemed small.
“You abandoned your post,” Vye said. She said it with a hint of sadness, like she was explaining to a child why he was about to be punished.
“At this Council’s direction,” Wren answered.
“At one member’s suggestion,” Hondo said. “You have to understand our side, Wren. Connor was dead, Aron hurt. You ran away. You left the city in chaos. So while you thought only of yourself, we had to take measures to ensure the security of everyone.”
Wren felt anger rising at the accusation, the twisting of facts to suit their purpose. But he knew there was no use in arguing. Truth would change nothing here. “Then why exile? Why didn’t you just call for us to come back?”
“To prevent further chaos,” North said. “Trust has all but disappeared within Morningside. If we took control and then handed it back to you whenever you returned again, the citizens would never know what to expect. They’d never know who was in charge or why. It was a difficult decision, but it’s for the best of the whole city.”
There were so many things that seemed wrong with what had happened. Unjust. But Wren had to remember why he had come back. It wasn’t to reclaim his seat, or even to understand what had occurred.
“I never gave up my authority as governor,” he said. “But I didn’t come back to claim it, either. I came back to try and save the city.”
Hondo let out a laugh. “From what, little boy?”
“My brother.”
“Your brother is dead,” said North.
Wren shook his head. “I don’t know how to explain it, but Asher is alive. I have to try to stop him. I need to use the machine.”
Vye and North exchanged looks, but Hondo sat forward on his throne. “Certainly not,” he said. “We know what your father could do with that machine. You will not touch it again.”
“Hondo, Asher’s gathering an army of Weir. I’ve seen it myself. And I believe he’s going to bring them to Morningside.”
“There is no such army,” Hondo said sharply. “Unless you bring it. There are serious charges against you that must be answered. You can’t escape them by trying to frighten us with children’s stories.”
“Is this supposed to be a trial?” Wren asked.
“It’s not a trial, Wren,” Vye said. “But we do have a decision to make.”
“Connor and Aron attacked me. They attacked my mom.”
“What happened with Connor and Aron was unfortunate. It was a mistake, to be sure,” Hondo said. “But was it a mistake worth their lives?”
Wren was at a loss. He hadn’t really expected the Council to welcome him back, but he had thought that maybe when he’d explained the situation they’d at least have treated it with seriousness, rather than dismissing it outright.
“It’s a difficult time, Wren,” Vye said. “We think it’d be best for everyone if you stay here in the compound.”
“You’re imprisoning me?” Wren asked.
“It’s not prison, no,” North said. “It’s for your good and for the good of Morningside.”
“It will be confusing to the people if you’re out with them,” Hondo added. “And it may not be safe for you. You are to remain within the compound until such time as we deem appropriate to release you.”
Wren stood in stunned silence as two guards came forward. They ushered him towards the doors where Joris was waiting. Joris opened the door, and they joined the two other guards who were still waiting outside. And the five of them escorted Wren away to his prison.