Once enclosed in the entrance chamber, things accelerated rapidly. The bodyguards quickly reintroduced Total Sense Deprivation, locked both doors, and were walking at a rapid speed back down the hallway within minutes. Akavi glanced back at her guards.
"Take off your shoes," she commanded in a sharp whisper. They complied immediately, pulling off their shiny black shoes and transferring them to one hand, all without missing a step. They continued in silence for a moment, turning the corner, until they heard the footsteps of the approaching persons. Without a word, all three dodged through the nearest doorway and closed it softly behind them. They waited.
"—court appointment date is three weeks away. He shouldn't be kept this isolated. He might have a fit if he's near so many people all at once." The voice was that of a female. A young one. The man who responded was much older, and his voice had a distinctly dark tone in it.
"Have you ever seen him have a fit, woman? You've thrown everything you've got at him, and he hasn't so much as blinked. When his court date comes, I either want him so full of Thorazin that he can't breathe, or dead, whichever comes first. He's not getting out—" Silvyn's voice faded into silence as they continued their trek. Akavi threw the door open and started back towards Michael's cell, where Silvyn had been heading. Luckily, her companions anticipated this, caught her before she could start running, and hauled her towards the exit.
While they were on their way out, Akavi decided to start cursing at Silvyn. She delved deep into her vocabulary to produce many colorful insults. This highly amused her bodyguards, or, as they should more accurately be called, her only-slightly-less-skilled partners-in-crime. They all but carried her out to the car, locking the doors to ensure that she didn't try to escape to go bludgeon Silvyn to death.
"Let's pay a visit to the Council, Cain. The Arkinazi weren't supposed to know where Myers was being kept," she growled once they were on the road. The one named Cain, who happened to be driving, smirked wryly.
"Myers can take care of himself," he replied. Akavi narrowed her eyes.
"That's not the point. This is supposed to be relatively controlled slaughter. We can't have the Jerai being wiped out."
"They won't be," argued the second, a man who, though we haven't been told so (and are being informed of solely for the purpose of my writing convenience) was named Feran.
"You don't know that," Akavi muttered darkly.
"Myers didn't seem too worried," he retorted.
"Well, you weren't the one talking with him, were you?"
"He wasn't talking!" Cain accused. She laughed.
"Yes, he was. You just weren't listening." Cain frowned, but he didn't answer.
"I didn't hear anything," Feran interjected innocently. Akavi heaved a heavy sigh.
"He's telepathic," she muttered, "and he was worried – or, at least, as worried as he can be. He doesn't have a very large capacity for emotion. Most of his thoughts are blindingly neutral, so he doesn't see things as wrong or right or caring or murderous, he just makes note of them. He didn't ask why he was told to kill, he simply observed the fact that it was he who had been chosen for it."
"Quite the opposite in your case, though, right?" Cain raised an eyebrow at her in the rearview mirror. Akavi smirked. She knew he already knew the answer, but she decided to say it anyway.
"Oh, I knew it was wrong to kill. I simply enjoyed it too much to stop."
The Council was comprised of five very old, very powerful men and women. All of them were Druid High Priests. They sensed Akavi's approach long before she gave any sign of her presence. The only ones who were surprised to see her were the other priests, the followers, who milled through the temple for their entire lives, in hopes of achieving High Priest stance. They recognized her status, for the most part, and left her alone. Some of the younger ones confronted her. They retreated as quickly as they approached.
"You informed the Arkinaz of Michael's location," Akavi accused the moment she entered the Council's meeting chamber. Her bluntness came as no shock to the weathered leaders. They, and when I say they, I mean all of them, as if they were one unity, sighed.
"We permitted his location to be made public," said an ancient old man sitting in the center of the table. Akavi narrowed her eyes sourly.
"Are you trying to get Silvyn killed?" She demanded sharply. A small grin crawled over her lips.
"You seem confident in Thorn's power," the old leader observed neutrally.
"You underestimate it," Akavi murmured. Another of the leaders stood, a woman this time, with braided white hair that seemed to glow in the dim light. She had an air of bluntness about her that Akavi knew all too well, but the look she gave the child of Thorn was one of kindness and warmth.
"Leave, Akavi. You know we are not permitted to give you the answers you desire." Akavi frowned. For a brief moment, she looked like she might argue with the leader. She certainly wanted to. But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. They could silence her with a wave of their hands. By asking her to leave – telling her, really – they were actually being considerate.
Akavi left the temple with a tempest brewing over her head. She jumped into the car and slammed the door behind her. Feran glanced back uneasily as Cain pulled out onto the road.
"They always manage to avoid giving direct answers. They're always so damn cryptic."
"Yes?" Cain replied as if to say "you didn't already know this?" Akavi rewarded him with a dark glare.
"They dismissed you," said Feran. It wasn't a question.
"They always do. They know how to get under my skin. I hate being waved to the side." That said, she crossed her arms and sighed.
"Where to, boss?" Cain glanced casually over his shoulder, flashing Akavi a grin.
"I'm not in the mood for errands. The Jerai will get wind of this, and they'll take care of it, however timidly. They're walking on thin wires anyway, but if I step in personally, it'd just be another insult to their authority. Or what little of it they have left."
"Michael's return will change that. The Jerai were once the most powerful clan in the world."
"And because of that, they're too damn arrogant for their own good. And choosing a vessel of Thurisaz when they knew how violent and fierce he'd become was an act of downright idiocy."
"Maybe they just wanted to get the job done faster," suggested Feran.
"Or maybe they're too inbred for their own good," suggested Cain.
"Either way," continued Akavi, as if she'd heard nothing from the boys, "they'll get answers from the Council sooner or later, so we're not going to bother with it."
"Alright, so… Where to?" Asked Cain.
"Haddonfield."