Chapter 26 The New Advisor
It was hard to breathe in the Council chamber. The Council members made each breath feel heavy. Sienna's eyes flickered to Ryder for a moment. He was still tied up with runic chains, and his body was battered but not dead. The chains that restrained him glowed with a strange force and pulsed like they were alive. She looked at Elder Kane, who was now standing with his arms crossed and his piercing eyes narrowing as he looked her over.
It felt like the oppressive quiet in the room would last forever. Sienna's heart raced with fear. "Sienna," he said. "Your acts have set off forces that we can't ignore." His words made her heart race. She knew this talk was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to handle. "I couldn't let them kill him," she said sharply, attempting to keep her voice steady. Kane continued, his voice calm but firm, as if he were talking to a naughty child. "There are repercussions for going against the Council." "You've taken affairs into your own hands and acted without thinking of the greater good." Sienna bit her lip and clenched her jaw.
"You don't get it. We don't consider him our enemy. Not anymore." Elder Kane continued, "You may think that, but the Council has said otherwise." His eyes narrowed even further. "Your... kindness is your weakness. And that weakness will bring us down. Sienna kept her ground and didn't allow her knees give in to the weight of his anger. She responded in a hard voice, "If you think I'll turn my back on the people who need me, you're wrong."
"I don't care what the Council says. Even if it means going against you, I will do what is right. Kane's lips moved, and a very small smile appeared on his face, but it wasn't warm. "Then I think you should get ready, Sienna. You will have to answer to me. You will do what I say. Sienna felt a chill run down her spine, but she kept looking at him, her heart racing. Elder Kane's next remarks were as scary as they were definitive.
"You will be given an advisor," he said, his voice full of power. "An... guidance, if you will." Someone to help you stay on the road that the Council thinks is best. She couldn't breathe. "An advisor?" she said again, not believing it. "I don't need anyone to show me the way." "You need someone to make sure you don't do something stupid again," Kane said, his eyes flashing with anger. "Someone who will help you remember how important your duty is. Someone who will tell you what's at stake here. Sienna opened her lips to complain, but the big wooden doors of the room creaked open before she could say anything. The mood changed again, and a man strolled in. His presence was like a rock dropped into calm water; everything around him changed. Sienna's breath froze in her throat when she saw the tall, imposing man standing in the doorway. His torso was covered in shadow. Cael. Her heart stopped for a second. She had heard a lot about him before she ever saw him.
Cael was a fighter who seemed more like a myth than a man. He was a cold, emotionless mystery who did whatever the Council told him to do. Not only did every fight he fought leave a mark on his adversaries, but it also changed the environment around them. He gave off an air of authority and control. The air seemed thicker around him, and it seemed like even the shadows were afraid of his huge body. When their eyes met, Sienna felt a rush of unease flood over her. His look was so intense that it made her heart race. He had sharp features, such an angular jaw, high cheekbones, and lips that were often cruelly squeezed together. She couldn't quite put her finger on the emotion. Was it fear? Was it something else? Something from another place. Elder Kane glanced at her, and his lips turned into a smile, but it wasn't a nice one.
"Meet Cael," he murmured, his voice full of determination. "Your new counselor. He is here to make sure you stay on track. "I don't need anyone to watch me," she said angrily. "I can choose for myself." But Cael's dark, calculating eyes never changed. He went forward, and with each slow step, the air appeared to get thicker. With the grace of a predator, he moved with purpose and accuracy in every step. Sienna could feel the heat of his presence, just a few steps away from her. "Do you?" he inquired, his voice low but full of meaning. "And I don't need you here." Cael's lips moved into a faint, almost unnoticeable smile. "You don't get to choose that." Sienna's heart was pounding in her ears. The tension in the room grew thicker and thicker.
"Your defiance is observed," he replied, his voice colder now and each word carefully chosen. "But you can't select who looks after you. That choice has already been made by the Council. Sienna's chest felt tight. She looked at Elder Kane, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. This was going on. Cael was going to stay. This was something she couldn't get away from. No matter how hard she tried to fight against the flood, it seemed like things she couldn't control were pushing her deeper into a world she didn't understand. "I don't need protection,"
she said softly, although she wasn't sure if she really believed it. Cael moved more closer, narrowing the gap between them. His stare was steady and unchanging. "That's not right," he replied in a voice that made her shiver. "You need more than just protection, Sienna." You need someone to show you how much loyalty really costs. Elder Kane's voice broke through the rising tension before she could answer. "That's enough. You both need to leave now. Cael, make sure she gets back to her room securely.
You are no longer free, Sienna. "Your choices have effects." Sienna's stomach turned. His words felt like a heavy shroud settling over her. Cael's presence trailed her like a shadow as she turned toward the door, constantly behind her. There was no way out. Sienna's breath caught as the door slammed behind them with a finality. Every step she took through the Council's fortification felt heavier than the one before. She could hear Cael's boots lightly clicking against the stone floor. Her voice was quiet but had a sting to it.
"What do you think you're really protecting me from?" He didn't answer right away. The quiet between them was like a rope that had been pulled tight. Finally, she heard Cael's voice, which was low and threatening. "From everything that's about to happen." Because of the decisions you made. Sienna's heart stopped. She looked back at him and met his dark, unblinking eyes. "And what will you do if I say no?" A smile that may be lethal pulled at the corner of his lips. "Not going to," he responded simply.
The words hung in the air, making it hard to breathe. Sienna paused in her tracks as they got to her room. The door was right in front of her, but something, an instinct, a warning, made her pause. Cael was too close and too much for me to handle. His dark force, his confidence, and his total dominance pushed down on her. He was like a wall that she could never get through. She could feel his steady gaze on her. "Don't forget," he said quietly from behind her, his voice frighteningly calm. "The Council is watching." Then the door to her room opened, and Sienna walked in. The weight of the moment hung in the air like a hurricane about to hit.