Amongst the Order (Watchers of the Veil #1)

Chapter 27

Deep down Nathaniel knew his mother would not succeed. A coven of outcasts, many, including himself, lacking training beyond the blood magic required and natural affinities, and an impossible illegal task, was a recipe for disaster, and disaster soon came.

The boy traced lines in the dead wood that made up the desk in his cell. Strygadom had never been his home, and now its bowels had become his prison for weeks already. The island had been warmer than expected (courtesy of the protective magical barrier, no doubt) so the thin blanket offered on the day of his arrival had not been begrudged, and the box-like room matching his few neighbouring criminals' was little different to the tiny flats he had lived in with his mother throughout his eighteen and a half years. Exile was not kind to them, but it was preferable to living among the liars and the corruption of the Court.

He would have endured the discomfort without complaint if he could at least see his mother again. He was all he ever had.

A rattle and a clunk of iron startled Nathaniel but he did not rise to his feet. His blonde brows lowered as Lord Mathius sauntered in.

"Nathaniel," he said. "Mind if I come in?"
"I don't seem to have a choice... but alright."

Nathaniel had never spoken to Mathius directly, but stories from his mother had told him enough. He was like a father to her, she had said. He trained her to unlock her full potential then ostracised her for utilising it. Another betrayal. Not unlike his own father.

The Lord gestured to the bed, asking for a seat, and Nathaniel nodded. Springs shifted, and Mathius pondered Nathaniel before saying, "You're a strong witch for being without a coven your whole life."
"Mum trained me," he answered. "She's a powerful witch. You lost a good one the day you expelled her from your coven."
"I did not want to expel her," he replied with a sigh. "She gave me no other choice."
"You had a choice! You cared for her! She told me."
"I did. I do. But the other leaders, they... they demanded I let her go. My duty to the wider coven came first. It was either that or her execution. I could not bear to let her die then but..." He choked and looked away, tears springing in his old eyes.
Nathaniel frowned. "But... what?"

"I had no say in this, son. The Hunters' Council demanded her death for the pain she caused them and the other Lords agreed without question. I fought to protect her, but her life was not worth losing relations with the hunters, as it seems."

Body like stone, Nathaniel crumbled from the inside then out. "She... she's dead?" He wiped a tear from his cheek, unaware they had even begun to fall. "No, she can't be dead! I'd know if she was gone, I--" Words hitched in a sob and his head fell in his hands.

Mathius grew serious. "However, the Lords are willing to overlook your involvement based on the belief that you were manipulated by your mother. You are free to join a coven, if they choose to accept you."
"Manipulated?" Nathaniel hissed, baring his teeth. "She never manipulated me! She told me what Chimera stood for and I believed her. What could a coven do for me now? I'd be an outcast without a purpose. Just let me leave this place if you pity me so much."

Mathius stilled... then smiled. "You truly believe the cause of the Cult of Chimera?"

Nathaniel should not have said that. His outburst was that of anger entwined with grief. He was only young, still in shock at the recent discovery of his mother's demise, and let his foolishness take over. He had a chance at a life again if the Lords believed him to be manipulated -- he may have just thrown it away. "I..."
Mathius stood and placed his hands on the boys shoulders. "My coven will accept you. And I will train you personally to help you master your abilities."
After what he just said? "Why... Why do you want me to...?"