The Wizard Heir

“What could be taking so long?” Jason swiped rainwater from his face. “What if she can't find him?”



“If she can't find him, she'll keep looking.” Seph looked at his watch again. Noon. Where could she be? Maybe they should go after her.



Seph looked back at the winery building. Blinked and looked again. The Weirweb was wavering, fading, dissolving into wisps of mist that broke and swirled against the building. For a moment it lingered like a vapor on the stones. And then it was gone.



Seph and Jason grinned at each other like idiots.



“I knew she could do it,” Jason said happily.



“Let's go.” They pushed to their feet and loped across the grounds, squelching in the wet leaves. They ducked into the entrance that Madison had used.



Madison met them in the kitchen, effervescent with relief. “He's out in the garden.” She pointed with a large knife, slicing the air with it like a scimitar.



Barber lay flat on his back on the crushed stone path, totally drained, soaking wet and furious. He would have been steaming had he been able to muster the power to do so. When he saw Seph and Jason, his eyes widened in amazement and alarm.



“Back from the dead,” Jason said, grinning. “Boo!”



“How long will this last, d'you think?” Seph asked, looking down at Barber dispassionately.



Madison shrugged. “You're the witch. I have no idea.”



“We'd better make sure he stays quiet,” Seph said.



Seph knelt beside Barber, placed his hands on his collarbone, and spilled the immobilization charm into him. Barber twitched once, and was still.



Seph looked up to find Madison staring at him, blue eyes standing out against her paler face. “What did you … ?”



“Don't worry. He's just in for a long sleep.” Seph and Jason dragged Barber's unresisting body into the bushes, where it was less likely to be found at an inopportune moment.



Seph turned to Madison. “Now. Jason and I are going to make ourselves unnoticeable, sneak into the hall, and see what's going on. There's a little corridor that leads from the butler's pantry to the hall. Hide in there until we come get you.”



Madison frowned and fingered her hair, which was beginning to dry into long waves. “I don't like it. I think we should stay together.”



Seph touched her arm reassuringly. “Unfortunately, there's no way to sneak you in there. Please, Madison.”



She finally nodded, still scowling.



Bruce Hays and Kenyon King were stationed at the doors into the great hall. Occasionally one of the other alumni came or went to replenish the refreshments for the attendees or deliver a message to Leicester. At one of those times, unnoticeable Seph and Jason slipped through the doors after them and into the conference room. They drifted the length of the room and stood on the great hearth, from which they could command a good view of the proceedings.



The Weir representatives were ranged around a polished oak table. Members of the Wizard Council were seated in chairs around the periphery. To Seph's surprise, Linda Downey stood at the head of the table, running the meeting. She looked angry, pale, and drawn.



“Which one is your mother?” Jason's voice came eerily out of the air.



“She's the one talking.” It was the first time Seth had seen her since learning she was his mother. He studied her, seeking something of himself in her. He guessed he favored his father, though maybe something about the eyes…



“Hey,” Jason whispered. “She's talking about you.”



“I had a son named Joseph Downey McCauley,” Linda was saying. “Leander Hastings was his father.”



She was using the past tense.



And then Seph finally understood. She thinks I'm dead. That's why she's so angry.



“I hid my son to keep him out of harm's way, to keep him away from wizards who might use him as a weapon against his father. I gave him up to protect him.” She paused. “Last year he ended up at Gregory Leicester's private school. Dr. Leicester tortured him for almost a year.”



“McCauley was a wizard,” Leicester protested. More past tense. “Whatever happened, this is a matter between wizards.”



“An attack on my son is an attack on me,” Linda Downey said. “I was able to rescue him from the Havens, but then last week, Dr. Leicester kidnapped him again.”



“Don't be ridiculous!” Leicester snapped. “The boy was lost in a storm on the lake. I didn't have anything to do with that. It's impossible, in fact.”



Linda ignored him. “Dr. Leicester did it to keep Leander Hastings away from the conference.”



“You have no proof I was behind any of this,” Leicester objected.



Linda handed a jump drive to Jack. “Can you bring these pictures up on the display?” Jack put it into his port. He struck a few keys, and in a few moments, a picture materialized on their screens, replacing the agenda. It was Seph, hands tied behind his back. Seph in the library.



“Dr. Leicester sent these photographs to Hastings. They were taken here in the winery. If you like, I can show you the very spot.”



Leicester sat back in his chair and placed his hands flat on the table. “I don't understand the purpose of this,” he said. “After all, I didn't kill the boy. Hastings did.” And in saying it, he confirmed everything.



Once again, the room fell silent. Jack was pale, his knuckles white where he gripped the arms of his chair. Ellen scrubbed away tears and glared at Leicester. Blaise and Mercedes stared down at the table.



“What is my purpose?” There were spots of color on Linda's cheeks, and the gold was back in her eyes. "We are going to consider two possible Weir constitutions to replace the one that was set aside at Raven's Ghyll a year ago. One more or less resurrects the old system. The other introduces a new order.



“You've been told the current system does not need fixing. I want to make sure that all of the guild representatives remember our history, and the price we've paid over the years for the dominance of wizards. I also want them to understand just exactly who these people are.”



“I'm liking your mother more and more,” Jason said. Seph just nodded wordlessly.



Linda returned to the agenda. “Now. We'll allow the sponsors of each of the constitutions ten minutes in which to present the merits and rationale of their proposals. Dr. Leicester, Mr. D'Orsay?”



Still looking a little shell-shocked, D'Orsay stood and addressed the representatives. The essence of the argument was that, despite some flaws, the old hierarchy was a good system that met everyone's needs. The role of the various guilds was clear and consistent with their talents. The Rules of Engagement had created a kind of Pax Romana over the centuries, keeping bloodshed and conflict to a minimum. Although there had been some regrettable excesses now and then, on the whole, the wizards had served as benevolent rulers.



In the end, Leicester put forward a motion to accept the new constitution. D'Orsay seconded it. It was brought up for a vote, and was soundly defeated, four to zero, with the wizards abstaining since they were split on the vote, two to two.



Jeremy Ravenstock introduced the second constitution, as he was the only one present who had supported it on the Wizard Council. He was a blunt, straightforward speaker, and no poet. Nick said a few words in support of it as well, and then Linda took over.



She looked around the table, making eye contact with each of the participants. "I know this has been difficult. You all took a risk in agreeing to serve. The fact that you are here proves that you know what the stakes are. I realize you are not used to saying no to wizards.



“But I want you to think about how your lives have been under the old hierarchy. I want you to think about everything you heard here this morning. This is our opportunity to make sure that it will be different for our … children.” Her voice broke a little. “Shame on us if we squander it.”



Seph stared at his mother. She was a small woman, and not a wizard, yet she held the entire joint conference in thrall, wizards as well as Anawizard Weir. Somehow, she made freedom seem possible to the Anawizard Weir, who had been oppressed for years.



The Hastings/Downey constitution was passed by the Interguild Council, again by a vote of four to zero.



Leicester gestured, and Bruce Hays left the hall.



Seph looked up at the gallery windows, trying to judge the time. It was only mid afternoon, but it seemed much later. No light was coming through the windows, and the fitful rain had somehow turned into a gale.



Still, Linda wasn't finished. She looked over the heads of those at the table and spoke to the Wizard Council representatives ranged against the wall.



“Dr. Leicester claims that the murder of my son is a wizard issue. Fair enough. The Rules of Engagement have long forbidden warfare among wizards. If Dr. Leicester witnessed the murder of my son at Hastings's hands, then what has he done about it? Where is Hastings? Hastings is your colleague, a member of the Wizard Council. Perhaps he should be allowed to speak on his own behalf.”



The wizards in the gallery stirred. Whispers rolled through them like wind through marsh grass. “Where is Hastings?” Longbranch demanded. “I'm surprised he'd miss this event, since he was one of the architects.”



“I'm surprised you would allow yourself to be directed and interrogated by an enchanter,” Leicester said acidly. “This is wizard business, as I said.”



“But Hastings is a member of the Wizard Council,” Ravenstock pointed out. “And deserves as much protection under the rules as any of the rest of us.”



“Leander Hastings is a murderer, a schemer, and a traitor to his kind,” Adam Sedgwick said.



“Like any other wizard,” Jason muttered.



Seph recalled that Sedgwick was an ally of Leicester's, who had supported him at the Legends meeting. He was a tall, aristocratic-looking man, probably the youngest wizard on the council.



“He's encouraged this rebellion of the servant guilds by serving as their spokesperson and instigator,” Sedgwick went on. “Do you think they would have succeeded to this degree on their own, without the support of wizards?”