Page 80 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Daemon’s gift their bonded with their long lives, while the bonded gives the daemon access to their unique gifts. Ash Nevra is bonded to Kieran Knightshade in this way. Kieran has been given access to powers he never would have been able to channel on his own, and he will live as long as Ash Nevra does.

“In return, Ash Nevra has access to Kieran’s entire suite of skills. While daemons are powerful beings, most of our magick is destructive, and designed to kill or overpower. Magick folk have a much wider range of skills that would be appealing to many daemons and come in handy if someone were trying to truly rise to power.” He made eye contact with Meredith when he said this, and I could have sworn a look of sadness crossed his face.

“Though this bond is intense and permanent, it is more of a partnership, than a blatant one-sided form of power. In cases where daemons do bond, the bonded retain their own agency. They are able to do as they please and their daemon counterpart cannot order them about or force their hand. This is not the case with a slavery bond.”

Dossidian slid his gaze over to The Siren, who was watching him carefully, her expression cold as always.

“The slavery bond feels as if your aura has been corralled within the confines of an electric fence, that grows increasingly tighter and tighter, the more you fight it. Ash Nevra does not have the power of compulsion, but with the slavery bonds, she is able to force any one of her slaves to do anything she pleases.

“She can force them to kill others, rape each other, injure themselves, or murder their loved ones.” The Siren’s lip twitched, at this last statement.

“I lived under the constriction of this bond for over two hundred years. I was forced to take countless lives. I have killed daemons, magick folk, shifters and humans, at her command. No one is safe. The centuries of work your people have put into ‘maintaining the balance,’ against daemon kind, has really been in response to orders from Ash Nevra herself. Each time magickal blood was spilled by the hands of a daemon, I can almost guarantee that the order came from Ash Nevra in some form or another.

“The people of The Dominion are not your enemies. Ash Nevra and her followers are.”

The crowd was dead silent. I could feel the horror rolling through some of The Board members. I felt myself relax. Trenton Blackwood could personally attack me all he wanted, but it didn’t matter, when I was on the side of freedom.

“Dis is what we risk, if we allow ourselves to align with Ash Nevra, as Honorable Trenton Blackwood proposes. We will nah only be complacent in the face of slavery, but wi will be actively putting our own peoples at risk of enslavement by a daemon dictator. Dis is extremely disturbing and should nah be taken lightly.

“Please, Honorable members of Di Board. I beg yuh, tuh stand with me, and Di Origin’s Daughter in our mission to end dis tyranny. No one, and mi mean no one will be safe, until we can right dis wrong, and bring balance back tuh Di Dominion.”

I bowed again and took my seat next to Dossidian. I was nearly shaking with anticipation for Blackwood’s closing opposition.

“Honorable Trenton Blackwood,” Sofia said, looking at opposing council. “Your closing argument?”

Conrad

Storm clouds gathered outside the large, arched windows of the boardroom. There was a crack of lightning that illuminated the breathtaking backdrop of the Dolomites, followed by an ominous roll of thunder as Trenton walked out to address The Board.

I tried not to hold my breath. He was too calm. I felt a chill spool through me, as rain began to fall, each drop plummeting like gunfire against the glass of the windows around us.

“Slavery.” He began, rubbing the palms of his hands together. “That’s a strong word that the requisitioning council has been using so liberally.” He smirked at me, and the hairs on my arms stood up on end.

“Sorcerer General, permission to address the requisitioning council.”

Here wi go. I thought to myself. I tensed, doing my best to mentally prepare for whatever it was he had planned.

“Granted.” Sofia said, even her tone was wary.

“Honorable Conrad Brown, these so-called ‘slavery bonds’ you seem to be so worried about… have you ever come across someone who is not a daemon, that has been ensnared by one?”

Reflexively, I almost said ‘yes,’ before pausing to think. The longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I hadn’t come across any magick folk who had been enslaved. Even Kieran was only bonded to Ash Nevra in the natural way. My heart sank.

“No.” I was forced to say, and Trenton’s evil smirk deepend.

“No? So you have never encountered one instance, where our own people have been under the influence of this ‘slavery bond’ that you so vehemently claim threatens our very way of life.”

“No.” I said again, more softly this time, “But mi have encountered many daemons who suffer under di restrictions of di bond. If she can enslave beings as powerful as daemons, what is stopping har from doing di same to us? Just because she hasn’t does not mean she above it.”

“It seems to me that asking our people to go to war based on ‘maybe’s’ is a tad reckless, don’t you?”

“No.” I answered honestly. “Mi tink it is smart, and a necessary preventative measure.”

“Preventative against what, exactly? Our inevitable enslavement? Where is the evidence of that?”

“Right there!” I shouted, pointing at The Siren. “Yuh daemon guest, who yuh have brought with you, is a slave. Yuh cannot tell me dat di slavery bonds are not real, or something we should not be concerned about, when yuh have brought evidence of one with yuh here.”

I immediately regretted my words. Lightning struck outside and the evil look on Blackwood’s face flickered ominously as his smile grew wider.