Elementalist

25

As they leave the room his smile disappears, "Tracey, after you have your breakfast, meet with us in the council room Luke is letting us use." Tracey winces a bit at her words. There was more than a little displeasure in them.

The council room wasn't really a room, but more like a tent that is dedicated to meetings. Luke had held them with her and her two chosen that had stayed with her yesterday. She has everyone set down their food and make themselves comfortable while they eat.

She makes sure that everything stays on a light mood until Tracey joins them and their breakfast is finished.

Once he joins them Stephanie drops her lighthearted mood and pierces both of her bonded, her general and the vampire king, with a sharp look. "Great, now that we are all here," Stephanie takes time to place a barrier of dead air around them all. "Now that no one else can hear what is being said, will you please explain why you found it necessary to bring someone over and watch us as we completed the ceremony last night?" The three male elementalists look at her in astonishment then turn hardened gazes on to first the warlock, then over to the vampire. "You almost killed the poor guy by him watching us."

Tracey unthinkingly says, "Shit."

Stephanie smirks at him. "I thought so, but wasn't sure which vampire it was, but then I realized that none of them would have acted in such a way without your orders, so even if you weren't actually the one to do it, you were ultimately responsible."

When Tracey doesn't respond for some time the four witches just sit there and watch him minutely. "You can't win. She's more stubborn than any thing I've ever come across. Just tell her why you brought someone in to watch us perform the ceremony." Talon finally breaks the silence.

By now, all eyes are one him, including Steven's. He has no idea why Tracey had taken him, but he was glad he had. He wonders now if he will be killed for what they did the night before.

"No, if I had been angry enough for that, I would have killed you rather than bonded you to me." Stephanie speaks to him through the mind link. Startled at her voice talking to him that way he moves his eyes from the vampire to his sworn leader.

Stephanie never leaves off of looking at Tracey. For some time there is silence before he finally breaks. "You needed a general. I made sure that you not only had one, but a potential chosen as well."

His answer shocks all of them.

"What?" The one word spoken holds so much emotion that Tracey winces upon hearing it. He also thinks it to be a good idea to explain his reasoning before Stephanie explodes.

"I know that in order for a chosen to accept more than one the others must be in the room at the time of the ceremony. I brought him in to witness your ceremony to give you that option. A secondary way to bind Steven to you."

Talon snorts, "Yes, they have to witness the ceremony binding, but they will also have to join in within a certain amount of hours or they still won't be able to be a chosen. That means that not only will Stephanie need to accept him, but I, Jet, and Ethan will need to accept him as a chosen. There aren't many hours left before the window of opportunity closes and we," Talon gestures to the four that performed the ceremony the previous night, "haven't accepted him as a chosen. We've barely accepted him as a bonded." Talon is careful to keep his emotions out of his voice as he explains things to the warlock and vampire.

Tracey hadn't known that part and looks down in shame, "Oh. I apologize, I hadn't realized that there is a time limit that the binding must be completed by. My education on that was incomplete it seems. Forgive me for acting so rashly and for bringing company to something so private."