Abaddon's Mark

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Deliberations were short. Nendan expected to have hours and hours of them, but after each interview the deliberations immediately took place and a decision rendered. Sitting the council was meant for his father, but a new lord so soon before it convening while the previous lord still lived could create confusion and split the power. So, Nendan sat the council despite it being the place of his father. He had been given a list of problems before everything started. If he encountered any of those, he was to choose to hand the vote off to his father.

Any lord could do the same with their advisors, though to do it more than once would normally be seen as an act of weakness. With this crowd, Nendan wasn't concerned about it. If any of the lords made a fuss about it, he'd dig graves for each of their family members on their front lawn.

Lugh rarely needed to act upon such threats. The uttering of it was usually enough to paint a picture that brought about the reaction Lugh hoped for.

Graydon's assumption that spying spells kept others out had been correct, but he lacked the understanding of just how powerful the council was. Most of what went on, most of what they were told during interviews, the lords already knew about. Much was news to Nendan, for he hadn't had the time to go over all the papers and reports. The council hadn't been meant to convene for several more years, and his father was to have his spot in the first convening.

The lords were surprised at the news of Graydon and Naena's being together, but money exchanged hands.

They had bet on the pair.

The betting pools among the Seven were the best-kept secret. Encouraging betting on outcomes allowed the Seven to pool their resources and the minds of the lesser members. It allowed the families to work with the out-of-the-ordinary predictions, research them, determine how possible those outcomes were, and plan an attack or defence based on what they knew.

But when it came to just how close Naena and Graydon were?

The lords didn't know.

Which meant Graydon hadn't told them. No one else had been privy to the information except Nendan, who told no one but his father.

Who, clearly, in turn, told no one.

Though, Nendan hadn't mentioned sex to his father, just his intentions, and what he knew of their relationship had been guessing and extrapolation. It was the absence of reactions from both of them.

Naena's private audience was spelled so that no one present could talk about it outside of council meetings again. The effects were immediate but had nothing to do with the rest of the deliberations. Her answers certainly wouldn't have saved or condemned anyone who wasn't already saved or condemned. If anything, the private audience likely confused her more than anything. Their questions regarded her school work, how she got along with various people, her workload and various questions Nendan had posed to the council to try to determine if they were about to burn the poor woman out before she even began.

When they deliberated over Bo after Naena's interview, he heard the disappointment in Lord Pan's voice at the lack of resolution.

A lord might test his heir. It was a sort of time-honoured tradition, one Nendan understood was happening with Graydon. Lord Pan was disappointed that his son hadn't done more. Hadn't stepped up. Hadn't killed people or broken skulls or used the mage at his disposal to achieve the goal she herself aimed for.

Lord Pan was disappointed.

Nendan added his information to the pot

That Naena and Graydon had been placing various cleansing spells on or around Nillon. The pair were picking petty fights, certainly, but the undermining of Nillon's ego had already shown up in his magic. They were, unquestionably, changing his life for the worst. He reminded Lord Pan that any activity taken against Nillon beyond bullying was illegal by his own command.