startled flock of birds. Seraphim was instantly at her side. He said nothing, but gripped her arm tightly, conveying an urgency no one else heard. Elizabeth could feel the aftershock of panic still hanging in the air.
"They won't let this end quietly," Seraphim murmured as they hurried toward her private wing. "Varlen is moving."
"I know," Elizabeth replied shortly. The thrill that had accompanied her show of power had faded; only the cold clarity of strategy remained. "What I did wasn't to win them over — it was to hand a spark to our enemies."
When they reached the small private library, the safest place she had, Elizabeth removed her staff and set it down on the oak table with a solid thud.
"He'll attack by lawful means," Seraphim analyzed quickly, his eyes sweeping the ancient map spread across the table. "He'll use the old statutes you tore down today as his tool. He'll call an inquiry board, and of course the Ryan family will be first to join in for revenge."
The name Ryan made Elizabeth frown with disgust; they were Varlen's most powerful allies.
"Let him," Elizabeth said, planting her foot on the table, her gaze hard. "We can't avoid a fight in the open, but we can control the battlefield."
Seraphim waited in silence, knowing Elizabeth always had a plan.
"Varlen is gathering old powers to come after me," Elizabeth continued, her voice tight with resolve. "We'll disappoint him. We'll find an unexpected ally. We need people who don't care for the Council's rules but care about real power."
She reached out and pointed to a spot on the map — the location of a long-forgotten underground city, home to a group long branded heretics.
"Seraphim," Elizabeth ordered, "send word to the Forbidden Borders. We'll ask for aid from the mixed-blood vampires."
Seraphim's eyes widened. Even he, who had been loyal through everything, was taken aback. Seeking help from a hunted faction was a risk that could cost lives.
"That's a colossal risk," he warned. "If the Council—"
"If the Council finds out, they'll have the perfect evidence to execute me," Elizabeth acknowledged calmly. "But if they don't… we will gain a force Varlen never expected. Varlen plays by the rules — we will play with madness."
In the small private library, the silence was heavy with the weight of Elizabeth's life-threatening plans. Seraphim was inspecting the equipment and weapons for his mission in the Forbidden Zone, the map Elizabeth pointed to.
"I'll be there as soon as it gets dark," Seraphim said, checking the sharpness of the dagger tucked under his cloak. "They'll be happy to listen—the vampires don't like Varlen any more than we do."
"They won't just listen; they'll demand payment," Elise said.