Hemlock And The Dead God's Legacy (Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

exclamation to provoke a reaction, but Hemlock did not feel inclined to argue with the wizard.
    I’ll just let him vent, and then I’ll tell him how it is.
    “Take, for instance, the decision on the cessation of Oberon production,” continued Jalis more softly.  “What a momentous decision for us—for our way of life and work.  Yet this girl, under the direction of that meddler Samberlin, has decided this for us!  It would be pathetic to say that our entire way of life is being changed at the whim of a teenage girl, but it’s worse than that.  Samberlin whispers constantly in her ear.  He has designed this!  He’s engineered the destruction of the guild.  And we sit back, powerless, and watch it happen!  The Seventh Circle is gone.  They were dictators, but at least they were wizards.”
    Jalis, now red-faced, turned to Hemlock.  Hemlock glared at him, and her mind turned to her sabres, which rested in her closet in her room, many floors above.
    I wouldn’t need my sabres to dispatch the likes of him.
    “Hemlock, you could kill any one of us—any group of us, even.  But you couldn’t kill all of us.  If we rose against you, even you could be driven off.  You need to respect our power.”
    Hemlock stood and walked toward Jalis.  “And what if I killed you now?  It would be easy.  I wouldn’t even need a weapon.”
    Jalis recoil ed in fear, but then steadied himself. “You’d never dare to try and slay a council member!”
    “I never try anything.  I just do it.”
    Gwineval exclaimed, “Hemlock!”
    As she walked closer , she pointed at Jalis, who paled visibly at her proximity. “He started this!  He’s spoiled your nice customs and made me spell out how things are, again!  Here it is, straight: I’ve made these decisions and I’ll continue to make them until I tire of it.  You say you could resist me?  Then I dare you to try it!”
    Hemlock turned to the other seated wizards.  “Any of you who wish to try your luck against me—go ahead!  I’m tired of your little political games.  There are no politics here anymore.  I am the law now.  That’s what you signed up for when you stopped caring about the people outside of this Tower!”
    Jalis did not respond.  Hemlock had already measured the wizard as a coward , when push came to shove.
    “ And one more thing.  I want those dragon eggs delivered into my possession!  Now!  Grubbins!  Enter!”
    Grubbins uncertainly entered the meeting chamber from the side door.  Hemlock knew that he would be there listening.  The meddling wizard was surely aware that by entering he was implicating himself in eavesdropping, yet he did not dare to disobey Hemlock in her agitated state.
    “ Bring me those dragon eggs from Jalis’ chambers.  Search the whole floor if you have to.  I want them here before anyone leaves this room.”
    Hemlock returned to her seat, where , due to all of the seats facing outward, she was free from the sight of any of the other wizards.  She knew that looks were being exchanged between various wizards beside her, but no words were spoken until Grubbins returned with two young wizards in tow, each carrying a dragon egg with some difficulty.  The eggs were as large as a man’s head and were brightly colored.  One was purple and one was orange.  They were covered in tough scales, and their weight and rough texture had torn one of the young wizard’s robes.
    “Good.  Bring them to the A trium.  Miara, please watch them for me until I get there.  We will call Penelope.  A griffin might know the best way to handle these, since they live in the mountains where the dragons used to.  This meeting is over,” said Hemlock.
    She glanced at Jalis as he left, flanked by his three sympathizers.  His face had reddened again, and though he dared not look at her, she knew that his every thought lashed out at her angrily.
    Gwineval and Miara approached her with disapproving looks on their faces.
    “Not now!”