“I’m in,” he said with a soft smile. I shook my head and started to argue that he should at least hear the details, but he held up his hand. “Listen to me, Synthia. I’m not the young man I used to be and I’m not immortal. I’ve given the Guild the best years of my life and what I’ve done under the guise of it is something I can’t forgive myself for. The Guild would retire me—even if you managed to somehow make them see that I’m not guilty of the charges, they would retire me. Think of it for a moment; just for allowing the Demon free reign in the Guild they would have retired me. Oh, he was wandering around inside the Guild long before I was aware of it. All the Guild Elders will see is that I knew he was there, even if it was to protect me. I helped him and didn’t report it. So as a proud man, I need to walk away from them with as much dignity that I can. So yes, if you have a plan for a safe haven, and a way to protect the innocents that isn’t linked to the Guild, I’m in.”
I smiled. “You’re not immortal, Alden, not yet.” I left him with that thought as I turned and left him gawking on the comfy bed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to follow me.
“You realize you just told him that you plan to make him immortal, and then left?” Ryder asked as we walked into main hallway.
“It’s not his choice,” I said and then heard my own words. “He can make it, but only if he makes the right one.” I smirked.
“He won’t choose immortality.”
“He will, and here’s why, Ryder. He’s not done living, and he needs to atone for his sins. That’s how he thinks. He thinks he slaughtered—well, sent thousands of Witches and Warlocks to the slaughter and now he wants to atone for it. He’s not a young man, but he isn’t that old either. He’s not done living. He’s the only link I have to that world, and we need him.”
“You just threatened to wipe out the Guilds,” he said as he turned to look at me as he handed Cade off to Darynda.
“And I meant it. If they kill him for the Spokane Guild, I’ll show them what true evil looks like. He’s the only reason I’m willing to fix the bond between the Fae and the other Guilds. I don’t think Fae should be in the Human world, so I would see no reason not to recall them back to Faery. We fix this world and recall the Fae, which would end the war, period. They’d have no one to fight and the reason for their existence would cease to be. But, Ryder, if they hurt someone I love, they will in fact cease to exist. You and I both know that the Gods are aware of what is happening, and that Danu created the Mages—inadvertently—but they are Changelings, which means they are Fae.”
“You’ve thought this through,” he said, wisely not arguing the fact.
“I have. Not because I wish them harm, but because I’m tired of being on the losing end. Alden doesn’t deserve their accusations. Not after everything he’s done for them; everything he’s lost because of them. Marie said a long time ago that each of the Witches and Warlocks were special, and that each held the Guild up. Alden singlehandedly held the Spokane Guild together and he’s lost a lot because of it. He deserves their respect, not their accusations.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
We sifted in before the masses arrived. The ice that had frozen the Tree had been slowly spreading down the base and now covered the roots and the ground immediately surrounding the Tree. The rich scent of sandalwood was in the air, and I let it filter through me. My handmaidens walked behind me as I moved closer, and then we all stopped. There were a lot of other trees surrounding the largest one, and I knew for a fact they hadn’t been here last night.