Chapter Fifteen

Benedict had asked if he and Dixon could keep the details of the disturbing dream to themselves, an easy thing for Dixon to agree with when he had absolutely no idea what the shit Benedict had gone through the night before had meant. It's not like some ghostly hand had pointed to any real evidence, or even indicated if the Dule family was a pack of assholes, or innocent victims.

Personally, Dixon felt the dream could've just been a coincidence – a result of the magic Benedict had expended the day before. But as the amount of information he knew about magic would fit on a pinhead, he was equally prepared to be wrong. The dream had seriously rattled Benedict, and that was all Dixon needed to concern himself with.

Langley had let them know over breakfast that the Magical Council was still pushing for their meeting, and that in his opinion it might be wise to find out what they wanted specifically, instead of second guessing the council's moves. Dixon wished they were going into the encounter with a little bit more knowledge than a few scraps of facts that didn't amount to more than a cobweb in the corner of a room.

Suggesting the late Lord Dule was a crook was only going to skew Dixon's perception of anything the Council said, and there weren't any concrete facts pointing to that possibility. Even with his mate, Benedict believed the whole mess they were in was to do with the history he had with the Magical Council when they wanted him to raise a zombie army, but privately that didn't make sense to Dixon either. Benedict had lived in the States for close to a decade – the Magical Council could've found someone else to try that ridiculous scheme at any time in those ten years.

It was possible, Dixon thought as a refreshed looking Jarvis drove the car through the London streets, that the business with the changeling was the catalyst for reminding the Magical Council Benedict still existed. Although that way of thinking would suggest that the Magical Council had been lurking in the shadows all that time. That idea didn't sit with Dixon's idea of how the world worked, although nothing's gone the way I thought it would since we got here, he admitted to himself. In other words, anything was possible, and that realization left Dixon determined to support his mate in all things – that was his job, that was who he was, and that would be what he would do.

There was a new resolve in the set of Benedict's shoulders, too. It seemed everyone in the car was conscious of it, including Langley and Jarvis. Benedict's hand was warm and dry in his, but Benedict barely said anything at all. By the time the car was parked outside the Tower, Dixon's bear was bristling with tension.

"This is going to be a professional meeting." Langley shook his shoulders once he'd exited the car, as if by simply saying it, the words would be true. "Complaints have already been filed with… ah," he added as a man called his name from across the courtyard. "A representative of the Shifter Council agreed to accompany us to today's meeting."

"That's good." Benedict seemed equally decisive. "At least we'll know my mate's rights will be respected."

"Not just your mate's, Necromancer Dule. Mates of our shifters come under our jurisdiction as well, regardless of species. Pleased to meet you all. I'm Terrence Ogilvy, your friendly Shifter Council representative." The man stood in front of them, a wide smile crossing very handsome features. Dixon immediately picked him as a tiger shifter.

"I have to tell you, Langley old man," Terrence continued, "that attack business yesterday caused a real stink. Not for anyone in this little group, obviously, but the Magical Council is facing attacks from all sides. Rumors were already flying around about ghost bears and all manner of similar stories even before I got your paperwork. Nobody had a bear storming through a troop of council guards on their bingo card this year, but I can tell you, there were a lot of smirks and giggles about that one. Nice work, Mr. Cottle."

"It would've been nicer if my bear hadn't felt the need to protect my mate at all, Mr. Ogilvy." Dixon moved closer to Benedict, who was watching the front door of the large stone building they'd parked outside of.

"Call me Terrence, please and I totally agree. What happened here yesterday is going to result in some very serious policy changes and quick changes, too. I have to say, Mr. Cottle, it's a huge honor to meet you. I read your paper on the use of light to create space in multi-house dwellings when I was at university, and your stance on maintaining rigorous safety codes in all building types was something my tutor would mention frequently in his lectures."

Dixon was surprised, but he nodded appreciatively. He was a fan of anyone who bothered to do their research and Terrence had been thorough. Those papers were decades old. "Thank you, and you can call me Dixon. I'd be more than happy to chat with you further about that, when I'm not standing here wondering if we're going to be arrested?"

"That won't happen." Langley did his little shoulder shake again. "Benedict, if you're ready…"

"I just want them to leave us alone," Benedict said firmly. "I don't care about the past. As Dixon said last night, nothing I do will bring my family back, and if the Council can't be bothered to find out who caused their deaths, then I don't want anything to do with them either. That's our goal today. To get them to leave us alone going forward. Agreed?"

Dixon had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to be that easy, but he squeezed Benedict's hand in support. He did agree, in principle. Benedict had done nothing wrong, and was being hounded purely and simply because of the powers he was born with – in Dixon's opinion. Somehow, in some way, ten years before his mate, or a member of the Dule family, had upset someone in the Council so badly that the grudge had deepened rather than faded away, and it was the reason behind that grudge that Dixon wanted to know. Hopefully someone in the Council will actually talk this time instead of lobbing fireballs at our heads the moment we walk in. It took all his effort not to duck as they made their way into the same chamber as the day before.

The set up was very different this time. Oh, the walls were still stone, and the floor still had the same weird markings on the tiles. But where before the walls had been blank, now they were covered in long velvet hangings, each one a different color and showcasing what looked like various family crests.

On the far wall of the room, a long stage had been set up, much like one would see in an old fashioned courtroom, and five figures sat behind an equally long bench table. There were four guards spaced like bookends on either side of the stage, and to the left of the stage was another smaller table with a person sitting in front of what looked like a crystal ball.

It was the second row of tables Terrence led them toward. "Have a seat gentlemen," he said before facing the Magical Council. "Councilors, have all of the conditions demanded by the Shifter and Paranormal Councils been met for this meeting?"

None of the Councilors said anything and after a pause, the clerk at the side table jumped up, his face red. "Yes, sir, Tiger Ogilvy sir. The esteemed Magical Councilors have agreed that no magic will be used within five feet of Lord Dule's Consort, that all the minutes of this meeting will be recorded in both the Hall of Truth records and in paper form in triplicate. They will be submitted to both Councils with an interest in this matter within twenty-four hours of the meeting's end, and that… that…"

"Say it, Bobby," Terrence said with a wink that made the clerk blush harder. "You can do it."

Bobby looked like he'd rather have his throat slit, but he straightened and directed his gaze to the wall opposite him. "The Magical Council wishes to offer their most sincere apologies for the random attack made within the vicinity of the bear shifter known as Dixon Cottle. The event itself resulted from a misunderstanding, and the perpetrators of the attack have been severely reprimanded. In accordance with the Shifter Council laws on reparation, Mr. Cottle will receive a sizable check from the Magical Council within seventy-two hours after the resolution of the matter concerning Necromancer Dule."

"I'd be happy knowing why the attack happened in the first place," Dixon said, taking his seat and resting his arm over Benedict's chair. "However, yes, let's clear up the matter concerning Necromancer Dule."

"Necromancer Dule." It was Jefferson who spoke. He was sitting at the left end of the table, a pile of papers in front of him. Glancing over to where Langley was sitting, Dixon saw that Langley had a similar file folder in front of him. "The Council wishes to discuss your attempts at raising the dead in San Francisco recently. More specifically, what impact the rising had on the departed and how long they remained animated during the incident. Please explain your process and the reasons behind the uprising."

"For the last time, I didn't raise the dead in San Francisco or anywhere else for that matter." Benedict jumped to his feet. "I would never do that, and you know it."

Oh shit. Dixon wasn't sure if he should stand with his mate, or stay seated. Terrence rested a finger lightly on Dixon's arm, the head shake minuscule before he removed his finger. Dixon got the message and stayed in his seat for now. But if anyone upset Benedict more than he already was, Terrence would need a damn sight more than a finger to stop Dixon's bear from tearing shreds from the callous men sitting in front of them.