“Your failure to get to Voss first is inexcusable,” Cypress muttered. “You make great promises but then you do not deliver. If your mother were here she would be disgraced by your very presence.”
Orion closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ve interrogated Voss thoroughly, father. His mental stability is completely gone. He can hardly form complete sentences, let alone make any sort of intelligent plans against us.”
“Voss’s current state of insanity certainly works in our favor, but this came to us by sheer luck, not by any competent action on your part.” Cypress held up a shaky hand in frustration. “How could you not know that the girl could locate people with her mind? I told you she was hiding something. All that time you were studying her, and you learned almost nothing. Meanwhile, the Aurora grows stronger by the minute.”
“We’ve learned she has weaknesses too,” Orion insisted. “Her powers have limitations. She can only sustain them for a short period of time before her body gives out. And we’ve learned that she does not heal instantly when brought through the Threshold border to Banya.”
“These weaknesses pale in comparison to her strengths,” Cypress argued. “And now, the Believers know she is here. If they get hold of the girl, who knows what path they will lead her to follow.”
Orion folded his arms. “I’m hearing a lot of complaints, but I’ve yet to hear any solutions. If you have any constructive ideas on how to stop Sadie from leading our world to utter destruction, I’m all ears.”
Before Cypress could respond, the bedroom door flew open, and Birch Parker stormed through the opening.
“The members of the CAED are livid,” Birch snarled. “How could you let this happen? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Orion held up one hand. “I understand you’re upset—”
“Upset?” Birch cut in. “You better believe I’m upset! You assured us that Hamlin’s daughter was hours away with her parents. I had no idea who I was speaking to up there on that stage. First it took you seventeen years to even discover that Hamlin Fairbanks had a daughter, when you’ve been working with him side by side for decades, and now she’s giving speeches in front of all Ambrosia as an advocate for the Keepers? The Believers are going to have a field day with this one.”
“We tried to warn you that she was a greater threat,” Orion accused. “You were the ones who chose not to take our warnings seriously.”
Birch shook his head with frustration. “What was she even doing there at the rally in the first place? Do you understand what kind of predicament you put me in? Maybe if you had actually stayed for the entire event instead of taking off right after your speech, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“Well, if you had actually listened to us in the first place and taken the time to learn who the girl was, you would have been able to figure it out up there on your own. You should have been prepared to stop her long before she had a chance to reveal her identity.”
“It never should have happened in the first place,” Birch argued. “I was put on the spot in front of a massive audience. You know I have a cover to maintain. She shouldn’t have even been allowed on site at the event. You were supposed to send her away until she started classes at the Academy.”
Orion cleared his throat. “The matter was out of my hands. The Council decided against sending her to her parents long-term. I have just as much of a cover to maintain as you do.”
“Your sway with the Ambassadors Council has become weak,” Birch accused.
“Well, if I recall,” Orion said coldly, “it was two members of the CAED that were supposed to be watching Sadie at the time. It was they who allowed her to attend the event, not me. They directly disobeyed orders.”
Birch grumbled. “That’s beside the point. You continue to fail to live up to your promises at every turn. I’m beginning to wonder if you hold any value to the CAED at all.”
Orion’s eyes narrowed. “I’m only weeks away from winning this election. You know what I can do once I become Ambassador.”
“If you even win,” Birch complained. “After the stunt that girl pulled tonight, you’ll be lucky to get even a third of the votes.”
“I’ve got the situation under control,” Orion insisted. “The people want to see changes made. And the Council has already agreed to restrict Sadie to campus from here forward. They want her out of the spotlight just as much as we do.”
Orion’s father finally interjected, his voice raspy. “We should take this opportunity to slander the girl’s name. Her father is known to be in prison for his scandalous behavior. She’s the daughter of a traitor.”
“My people are already on it,” Birch replied. “But it won’t be enough. The CAED members are discussing more extreme actions. If this girl, Hamlin’s daughter, gains any real support among the people, she could devastate all that we’ve been working to accomplish. We have to do everything in our power to stop her, no matter what it takes.”
***End of Book 4***
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