Chapter 159: Necessary Breach
"Apprentice Collins, did you use your magic at all in the presence of any of the n?" Victor Langford asks. His face is serious, his eyes sharp, his voice quiet and tight.
The blood drains instantly from Maeve’s face.
She jumps from her seat, drops to her knees, and bows her head to the floor.
"I am very sorry! I had no choice! Even though my fire was not strong enough to kill any of the haelions, it could still cause injuries. The situation was bad. There were many haelions. And honestly, I did not think about our secrecy policy. I was only thinking about how to survive!"
She bows even deeper, her forehead almost touching the floor.
"Again, I am very sorry! I beg forgiveness from this Council!"
Jonathan is visibly stunned by Maeve’s reaction. He can do nothing but blink.
The other Custodians share similar expressions.
Victor Langford himself is taken aback, unsure how to respond. This has never happened before. Maeve is the first mber of the Custodians to have entered a dungeon and lived to tell the tale. And she is not a full Custodian yet. She is only an Apprentice.
Richard Halvorsen, another mber of the Arcanus faction, looks more troubled than the rest.
He leans forward. "So who knows that you can do magic? The entire team? And how did they react?"
Maeve remains bowed on the floor, silent in her posture.
She hears soone sigh loudly.
"Apprentice Collins, you may lift your head and answer Archivist Halvorsen’s question," Victor says, sounding tired.
Maeve obeys slowly, as if sudden movent might provoke the Council. When she straightens her back, she remains kneeling on the floor.
"The team consisted only of Arthur Montrose, Liam Monfort, and Julian Montrose. Plus . There were only four of us."
"The three n know. At first, they were surprised. Very surprised. But they did not question . When I said I could not explain further, they did not pursue it. They simply accepted that I can do magic."
Murmurs ripple through the room. Maeve can hear the disbelief in many of their voices.
This is another story the five of them had prepared for her. Arthur had said the story needed to contain mostly truth, while lying about the most important part. That way, it would not be difficult for Maeve to maintain. The risk of slipping would be smaller.
"Liam Monfort was the first to accept that I can do magic," Maeve continues. "He said that so Sentinels possess special abilities that are not considered normal."
It had been Liam who suggested that if Maeve ever beca unsure of what to say, she should use his na. "Flaunt my surna as much as possible. Everything should be fine," he had said.
Martyn Voss looks excited rather than troubled.
"Maeve," he says. The voices die down as the others listen.
"If, and this is a very big if. If they contact you again and ask you to enter a dungeon with them to help clear it, would you do it?"
Maeve is genuinely stunned by the question.
Apparently, so are the mbers of the Arcanus faction.
"What do you an, Voss?"
"What are you trying to say, Martyn?"
"Are you trying to get her killed?"
"Even if she is not one of our apprentices, she is still an Apprentice."
"Ladies and gentlen, please. Please calm down," Victor says, attempting to restore order.
When the room finally quiets, Jonathan speaks.
"My Apprentice would never deliberately harm us. I believe that," he says firmly. "She is not that type of person. I would know. I raised her."
He turns to his colleagues in the Vitari Garnet faction. "And I agree with Martyn. I know what he is trying to say."
Jonathan rises from his seat and faces the Council.
"If magic can be useful in clearing dungeons, if we, the Custodians, can take part in dungeon clearing, then imagine the benefits for us."
His expression is openly excited.
Silence falls.
Victor looks lost in deep thought.
"This is sothing we never truly considered," he says slowly. "None of us has ever entered a dungeon, let alone survived one."
He turns his gaze to Jonathan. "You are right. We need to start thinking about securing our share of heartstones. We do not have enough resources to properly study magic. The Library receives funding, but the Custodians do not."
He looks around the room, eting each pair of eyes in turn. "If we intend to move forward, then we need resources. Real ones."
No one argues.
So lower their eyes. Others stare into nothing, already calculating consequences.
Victor nods, seemingly satisfied, then turns his attention back to Maeve.
"Apprentice Collins, the Council appreciates your hard work, your ti, and most importantly, your honesty during today’s session. Your situation with Arthur Montrose and the others is not ideal, but it is water under the bridge."
"We will now take ti to discuss our next steps, including how to handle Arthur Montrose and his team."
He glances around once more. "Ladies and gentlen, is there anything else anyone would like to add?"
No one speaks. Most of them remain deep in thought.
Victor inclines his head and shifts his attention back to Maeve. "Apprentice Collins, you are dismissed."
His holographic image fades.
One by one, the others follow.
Jonathan steps forward and helps Maeve to her feet.
"I cannot say whether revealing magic to those three was a good decision," he says quietly. "But I do believe it was the right one. Life matters more."
Maeve straightens and looks at him. "Thank you, Teacher. I have been dreading punishnt. I know I should not have done it, but I truly had no choice."
Jonathan smiles and nods. "I believe you, Maeve. I believe you."
He exhales softly. "And I was serious about entering the dungeon. Tell
everything. Exactly how dangerous it was. There will likely be another round of etings, and this ti, they will want details."
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