Sophia nodded. “I chose to sponsor Luciana because I feel she has some valid complaints. Teresa’s transition was poorly managed. I understand and accept responsibility for the coven’s actions here tonight.”
Luciana’s gaze met mine through the fire. She grinned and I shuddered. There wasn’t an once of good in that lady. And I was pretty sure she was insane.
“That one,” she pointed to Dastien, without any lead into the speech at all—“took our next leader. You see, Teresa is unbelievably strong. Maybe some of you have noticed how strong?”
She paused, and I wondered if she and Imogene had coordinated their speeches.
“Her powers are only going to grow. As I understand it, Weres develop their powers over decades, but this is not the case with brujas. We don’t have such long lives, so we gain a little power at birth, and then that power blossoms as we reach adulthood.” Luciana spoke and the Weres gathered all hung on the edges of their seats. Even if the witches and Weres had a big history together, it seemed like both sides kept to themselves without sharing information. Getting to understand more about the witches was gold for the pack.
“Teresa was strong at birth,” Luciana continued as she raised her had toward me. “Stronger than any we have ever known. She could see things that no one else could. Her powers have grown ever since, and will continue growing for the next few years. If you think she’s dangerous now, just wait. If you can’t control her now, what do you think will happen then?”
Control me? No one was going to control me. Not ever. No one was going to take away my free will. And I was a goddamned American. I didn’t take too kindly to someone talking about taking away my freedom.
She started around the circle again. “That’s not the worst of it. How would you feel if we took one of your Seven? That’s what he’s done.” She paused to stab her finger at Dastien. “One of our great leaders, gone. And it’s his fault.” She finished another loop around. “Do what you will with him. It matters not to us. But her, she’s ours. You will return her or face war with our kind.”
Luciana paused before turning to Mr. Dawson. “I want you to think about that. About what’s to come should you decide to keep—”
“Your three minutes are up. Yeats, please escort them off our land.”
“I don’t need an escort. We don’t want to stay here a second longer than we have to.” She stormed off, but the Cazadores followed her anyway.
That wasn’t so bad, Dastien said.
Not so bad? She basically said I was too dangerous to be a wolf, and that if the pack doesn’t hand me over, then she—and the rest of the witches of the world—are going to go to war with the packs.
Exactly.
So how is that not so bad?
Because all we have to do is say ‘no’ and she’ll go away.
Was he being dense? How does ‘war’ translate into ‘go away’ in your brain?
She can’t go to war with us. There’s no way she has that much backing. It’s a bluff. It has to be.
It really didn’t sound like a bluff to me. Even if she was using me as an excuse to start a war, I don’t think there was a bluff in what she said. Are you sure?
Pretty sure.
That would change everything. How sure is pretty sure?
I don’t know.
Exactly. Because she wasn’t bluffing. If you think you’re right, then give me a percentage. How likely is this to start a war?
He didn’t shrug but I could feel it. Like a mental shrug. Sixty-two percent? Maybe sixty-eight percent.
That wasn’t very certain. So you’re thirty-eight to thirty-two percent not sure. That’s a whole lot of not sure. Especially when we’re talking war. War, Dastien. War.
I understand—
A cry went up in the surrounding crowd and I knew I’d missed something. Everyone had been so quiet, that it was shocking to hear.
“—not go to war over something this petty. Let them have her.”
Everyone started talking at once and Mr. Dawson growled. His power rolled through the woods, and it was suddenly silent again. “This isn’t how things are run. You’re breaking protocol by—”
“War with the witches isn’t an option. Some of us here are old enough to remember what that means,” Ferdinand shouted.
“Don’t you forget, so am I.” The ice in Donovan’s voice made me shiver. “I might not be votin’ tonight, but I’ll not have this Tribunal interfered with—”