Some people in the crowd gasp as he says this. A woman near the staircase shouts, “Blasphemy!”
Porter Allbright raises his hands and everyone turns to him. “I had hoped to develop more time to explain things more fully to all of you, but Professor Gilvray refuses to give us that grace. So I will just tell you, that I, along with my esteemed colleagues, have already developed plans to create a new Vessel of Truth.”
Applause breaks out among the crowd, though Angus and Marco and I stare in stunned silence.
I can't believe what I'm hearing. This is like the stuff of nightmares. This is why people lose faith in those in power. Because they just want to keep on making the same mistakes over and over again. As long as they stay on top, it doesn’t matter what else happens.
Don't they understand what the Vessel was doing? Don't they understand that it wasn't real? Don't they care about what was really going on? We can’t let them bring back the Vessel in any form. My head is spinning. I can’t stay here. I’m going to be sick.
Professor Gilvray and Porter Allbright continue to shout over each other, one of them arguing for equalizing the balance of power, and the other fighting to re-establish the old ways.
“Why?” I hear the word echo through the room. Everyone turns to me, and I realize after a moment that it was my voice that said it.
“Joely,” Angus whispers as he squeezes my hand.
I glance up the staircase and try to find Van, but he's not there any longer.
Allbright smiles at me. “Miss Everstar, is it?” he asks as if he doesn’t know me, as if he doesn’t know he is my biological father, as if he isn’t the man who attacked me in the woods and tried to kill me. “Did you have something to say?”
“Why would you bring back the Vessel?” I feel as though I am having an out-of-body experience. I’m not myself. I am floating above my body and watching myself say what I am about to say, and I can’t stop it from happening.
Allbright nods as if to thank me for teeing up the question. “Well, I am glad you asked. And I am happy to give you an answ—”
I clear my throat and shout over him, my voice oddly stronger and amplified so it carries throughout the large room. “Why would you bring that horrible Vessel back? The Vessel of Truth is based on a lie. It uses Ancient Magic. It drains Ancient Magic from its victims, just like the vampire who created it. The Vessel is what has been killing the students you’ve all been told are missing.”
The crowd explodes into chaos. People scream at me, demanding an explanation. The people with Allbright on the stairs gape at each other, clearly not aware and wondering what the hell I'm talking about. Porter Allbright shouts into the crowd, trying to regain control of the situation. And Professor Gilvray is doing the same, only now he's looking at me.
A crack of lightning pops overhead, stunning everyone.
“Silence!” Professor Gilvray’s voice is amplified by magic. “Everyone, please calm down.” He turns his attention on me. “Miss Everstar, would you please explain yourself? These are terrible accusations.”
I press my hands onto my chest, feeling my medallion under my sweater, letting the ripple of magic course through me and give me courage. I don't know why I spoke up, but now that I have, I feel like I have to keep going. There are so many secrets… so many dead…
Porter Allbright’s face is red and he’s sweating. “Wolves! Wolves are to blame for the missing students! Don’t listen to the words of an ignorant student spewing conspiracies! She’s simply trying to stir up trouble. The Vessel has never hurt anyone! It’s a beacon of purity. It’s the reason the Society exists—to keep our magic lines pure!”
“Here here!” a man by the door says, and he’s joined by several people who cheer in agreement.
Porter Allbright continues. “Wolves are to blame! As some of you know, I was attacked recently myself. The tracks we found are definitive. We have wolf shifters in our midst.”
One of the faculty standing with Gilvray shouts, “I think it’s high time we did away with the Society. This kind of bigotry has been a scourge on our people. Haven’t we risen beyond this kind of segregation? Haven’t we proven there is nothing to be gained by keeping your precious magic lines pure and pristine? It’s time we moved past this as a people and created a new way.”
A hand grabs my arm and pulls me gently backward. Van whispers into my ear. “We’re leaving. Now.” Angus and Marco turn at the same time, no doubt getting their orders from Van through their hive mind.
Gilvray raises his hand. “I vote that we pause a moment and look into these allegations made by this young woman.”
Van leads the four of us around a column and out the side of the room. I look over my shoulder as we disappear into the hallway. As the crowd turns to look at me, I’m no longer there.
Chapter Nine
JOELY
Van is incandescent with rage. He brings us into a small office off the hall by the kitchen and once he places a concealment spell over the door, he lets go of my arm. “What the fuck was that, Joely?”
I feel oddly calm. “I don’t know. It just came out. They’re going to make a new Vessel. We can’t let them do that.”
Van paces the length of the room, shaking his head and running his hands through his hair. “And you just decided to tell them they shouldn’t? You figured now was the time to tell them about their children being killed? Are you insane?”
Angus reaches for his brother. “Hey man, chill out. It’s okay.”
Van pulls his arm away. “The hell it’s okay! How can you think that? She just
