Then there were Bianca Montavani and Marty Martinez. Sophia didn’t know if they were inherently out for selfish gains or motivated by fear. Bianca had no doubt been a pawn in the Sinclairs’ vie for power. Maybe she wasn’t totally evil, but those on the Council were supposed to be individual thinkers who voted based on their knowledge and expertise. If anyone voted based on pressure, then Lunis was right, and the institution was corrupt.
It appeared that Sophia had more to figure out than how the dragonriders needed to change to create balance. It sounded like the other very powerful organization of the House of Fourteen had to change.
“I don’t see why you can’t assign the case to me!” Stefan’s voice flared, pulling Sophia from her thoughts on how to fix the broken world and all its broken parts. She shoved it all to the side for the moment, deciding it wouldn’t be an easy fix or one that she could discover right then when about to meet with the Council.
Lorenzo Rosario leaned forward, looking down his crooked nose at the Warrior in all black. Stefan wore a long traveling cloak that matched his jet black hair and the mud that splattered his boots could also be found under his fingertips when he wasn’t gripping his fists.
“I don’t believe your opinion on how the Council assigns cases is relevant,” Lorenzo stated, authority in his tone. “You have your cases hunting demons. Ms. Beaufont has hers.”
“Mrs. Beaufont,” Stefan corrected through clenched teeth.
“I prefer to go by Mrs. Warrior Beaufont-Ludwig because it’s a real mouthful,” Liv joked, obviously trying to break up the tension building between the Councilor and her husband.
“She returned from a mission this morning,” Stefan argued. “Neither Trudy nor I have had a case in days.”
“That’s the nature of how the cases came in,” Haro stated matter-of-factly. “We’ve had some demon cases come to our attention.”
“Fine, I’ll take that one,” Stefan said at once, determination in his voice. “Give the squabble between the giants and the gnomes to Trudy.”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes at Stefan. “Liv is better at negotiating with the giants, and we all know that. Whereas Ms. DeVries has her strengths, they aren’t in the area of dispute resolution.”
“The only way to resolve this ongoing quarrel will be with bloodshed, and we all know that!” Stefan exclaimed as his face flushed red.
Sophia had never seen him like this. Based on the annoyed expression on Liv’s face, she had and wasn’t in the mood to put up with it.
“It’s fine, Stef,” Liv encouraged, her tone full of irritation. Sophia couldn’t decide if she was annoyed at her husband or the case she was being assigned. Something told her it was a little bit of everything. Liv didn’t seem like her usually chipper self, but if she had returned from a case that morning, she could be exhausted on many levels.
“It’s not fine, Liv,” Stefan said urgently, not taking his eyes off Lorenzo. “She only returned this morning from dealing with those goblins that had taken over that mall in Alabama.”
“It wasn’t as much a mall as it was a series of stores that looked like they’d been thrown up on by an Abercrombie and Fitch and Cinnabon,” Liv joked.
“She nearly lost a finger from a goblin trying to bite her,” Clark stated to Lorenzo, obviously in favor that Liv deserved a break.
Liv held up her middle finger and flexed it at Lorenzo, essentially flipping him off. “But I didn’t. Still works. See?”
Lorenzo rolled his eyes.
The Councilors beside him scoffed.
“Oh, really, do you have no dignity?” Bianca asked rhetorically. “A Warrior should never show such disrespect to the Council.”
Liv directed her middle finger at Bianca. “I’m simply showing you all that the little goblin didn’t get the best of me. Don’t you care, B?”
She scowled at Liv, her expression hot with anger.
“As I was saying,” Stefan cut in, “you don’t have a case for Trudy, but you’re already sending Liv out again.”
“That is not your concern,” Lorenzo stated. “Ms. Beaufont showed up for this meeting. She shouldn’t have done that unless she was prepared to be assigned a case.”
“In truth,” Hester DeVries began. “It was so she could give her report on the goblin incident.”
“Clark and I carpool, and today was his turn to buy donuts,” Liv added playfully. “I didn’t want to miss that. He made us go to this organic donut shop that serves only vegan fare. We spent his hard-earned money on an eight dollar donut. I’m going to tell you, watching him shell out the money for a donut I nibbled on and refused to eat was worth coming in today to see all your chipper faces. Especially when I could have used the morning to sleep in after having to peel a goblin from the ceiling of a Macy’s department store.”
“Oh, really, the Council doesn’t need you derailing this with breakfast stories,” Bianca complained and shook her head, her hair tightly pulled back into a bun that slanted her eyes.
Sophia realized she probably should have taken this opportunity to exert authority and interrupt, demanding the Council give her audience, but the things going on were too interesting to her, and it seemed many others in the Chamber of the Tree. Hester and Raina appeared entertained by Liv’s breakfast story. Clark was irritated, as usual. The rest of the council seemed ambivalent, everyone but Lorenzo.
“The point remains that we need a Warrior to intervene in the giant and gnome situation,” Lorenzo stated. “Liv is the best option. The Council has made its decision.”
Based on the sour expressions on Hester’s, Raina’s, and Clark’s faces, Sophia guessed they hadn’t voted for Liv to take the case.
“Ms. DeVries will remain on call for the next available case that comes up,” Haro added, sorting through his files.
“This is ridiculous,” Stefan nearly shouted again. “We all know that the giants and gnomes are on the verge of war.”
“Not if a Warrior for the House of Fourteen does something about it,” Marty Martinez said in a shrewish voice.
Lorenzo nodded. “That’s right. These clans can find peace if offered a solution.”
“They will battle first,” Stefan argued.
“Stef,” Liv said from the corner of her mouth. “I’ve got this. Don’t worry.”
“Fat chance of that,” he fired back, still not taking his eyes off the Council.
“You two have been assigned cases,” Bianca stated smugly from the bench. “You are dismissed.”
Neither Warrior moved as Lorenzo directed his attention to Sophia. “Now it’s time that we discuss the dragonriders and the global crisis that they’ve single-handedly created.”
Chapter Ten
“I’m not sure that expression works there,” Liv interjected. “You see, dragonriders would have two hands. Then I think their dragons have, like, four. So, I don’t see how the plural of dragonriders can singlehandedly do something. Maybe solely is a better word.”
“Ms. Beaufont!” Lorenzo yelled, his eyes bulging slightly. “You’ve been dismissed. The Council has had enough of your interruptions.”