Chapter 115 The Packet's Contents
SILAS
I emerge from my hiding spot. Documentation in hand. Time to end this properly.
The battlefield is chaos. Fighters scattered. Mages fleeing. Hunters confused. No clear sides anymore. Just violence.
I climb onto a ruined wall. High point. Visible.
"EVERYONE STOP!" I shout. Loud as possible.
Some people hear. Look up. Most keep fighting.
I pull out the documents. Hold them high. "I HAVE EVIDENCE! HERMETIC ORDER'S FULL PLAN! EVERYONE NEEDS TO HEAR THIS!"
More people stop. Curious. Suspicious. Desperate for explanation.
Count Alteroni appears beside me. Amplifies my voice magically. Now everyone can hear.
"These documents," I shout, "were stolen from Hermetic Order archives. They detail everything. The full plan. Mass imprisonment approved by only half Parliament. Illegal under supernatural law. Hybrid experiments detailed. War crimes. Mordaunt's involvement proven. Cormac's payments documented. Everything."
The battlefield goes quiet. Everyone listening now.
I read from the first document. "Parliamentary vote on extermination order. Final tally: eight for, five against. Majority approval granted."
Murmurs. That's public knowledge.
"But here's what's not public." I read from second document. "Hermetic Order contract with Parliamentary majority. Addendum to extermination order. Quote: In exchange for Order's magical support, Parliament grants ownership of all captured supernatural subjects. Living specimens preferred. Mass imprisonment facility prepared. Expected intake: two hundred subjects. End quote."
Louder murmurs. Anger spreading.
"This contract was never voted on. Never approved by full council. Added afterward by six members: Mordaunt, Castellane, Harborough, three others. Signed without unanimous consent. Which makes it illegal under supernatural law established 1624."
I hold up third document. "Hermetic Order's experimental plan. Hybrid breeding programs. Forced reproduction. Genetic manipulation. Creating controllable supernatural soldiers for human use. Quote: Subject autonomy is secondary to scientific advancement. Consent is unnecessary for non-human specimens. End quote."
The wolves growl. Unified. Furious.
Fourth document. "Financial records. Payments to Alpha Cormac Brennan. Fifty thousand pounds over six months. Quote: Payment for delivering approximately seventy packless wolves to designated combat zone. Additional payment upon successful capture. End quote."
Everyone turns to look at Cormac. He's frozen. Exposed. Betrayed by his own greed.
"He was paid to deliver you," I continue. "Paid to lead you into this battle. Paid to ensure you'd be captured. Everything was planned. The extermination order. The battle. The capture. All of it designed to feed human experimental programs."
Fifth document. "Mordaunt's personal correspondence. Quote: The packless wolf problem serves multiple purposes. Eliminating resistance, acquiring specimens, consolidating power, and discrediting Ancient vampires who oppose modernization. This operation achieves all goals simultaneously. End quote."
I look directly at Mordaunt. He's pale. Caught. Exposed completely.
"This wasn't about extermination. Wasn't about law. Wasn't about protecting London." I hold up all the documents. "This was about profit. Power. Human exploitation of supernatural communities. Illegal. Immoral. Criminal."
Count Alteroni steps forward. "As Parliamentary council member, I'm calling emergency vote. Ceasefire. Immediate. This operation is illegal. All fighters stand down. All transport vehicles halt. All prisoners released. Now."
"You don't have authority," Mordaunt protests.
"I have evidence. I have Ancient vampire support. I have documentation of your crimes." Alteroni's voice is steel. "Emergency vote requires two council members. I have Countess Isolde. That's enough. Ceasefire is called. Anyone continuing to fight after this moment is violating Parliamentary direct order. Punishable by execution."
The hunters lower their weapons. They're Parliamentary employees. Can't disobey direct order from council members.
The wolves stay ready. Don't trust this. But stop attacking.
Hermetic mages are already fleeing. Knowing they're exposed. Crimes documented. Futures destroyed.
Professor Fell stands frozen. His work. His plans. His experiments. All revealed. All condemned. All ending.
Mordaunt tries one last time. "This is temporary. I'll call full council vote. Overturn this ceasefire."
"Good luck with that." Alteroni shows another document. "I have evidence of your corruption going back twenty years. Bribery. Murder. Illegal imprisonment. Experimentation. War crimes. You're not calling any votes. You're facing trial."
Mordaunt realizes. It's over. His power. His authority. His control. All collapsing.
He flees. Disappears into the chaos. Coward to the end.
I climb down from the wall. Exhausted. Mission complete.
Countess Isolde approaches. "Well done. Documentation was thorough. Where did you get these?"
"Hermetic Order has terrible cybersecurity. Their archives were easy to access." I hand her the files. "Everything's there. Contracts, payments, experimental plans, correspondence. Enough to destroy Mordaunt and the Order."
"And you waited until now to reveal them?"
"Had to wait for right moment. Public. Witnessed. Undeniable." I gesture at the battlefield. "Everyone heard. Everyone saw. Can't hide it now."
Alteroni takes the documents. "Emergency session convenes tonight. These files as evidence. Mordaunt will be removed from council. Hermetic Order's contracts voided. Mass investigation launched."
"What about the wolves?" I ask. "The packless community. What happens to them?"
"That depends on the vote. But with this evidence, with Ancient vampire support, with public awareness..." Alteroni actually smiles. "They might get legitimacy. Official recognition. Protected status."
"After all this?"
"Because of all this. Corruption exposed demands reform. Illegal operations demand accountability. They fought for survival. Exposed our crimes. That earns respect."
I look around the battlefield. Bodies everywhere. Blood. Destruction. But also survivors. Witnesses. Truth revealed.
Maybe something good comes from this nightmare.
Maybe.
Count Alteroni raises his voice one more time. "Ceasefire is in effect. All fighters withdraw. Medical treatment for wounded. Supernatural law is restored. This darkness ends tonight."
The battlefield empties slowly. Wolves retreating. Vampires leaving. Fae warriors vanishing. Dragons departing.
The war is over. For now.
Truth won. Barely. Bloodily. Expensively.
But it won.