Chapter 107

“Did you threaten Mage Frederico, John?” Morgana asked mildly after requesting my presence in a meeting room in the command centre with Mages Sofya, Frederico, Simon and Julia.

“Yes, my Mage. I most certainly did and meant it too,” I replied.

“Why would you feel the need to threaten him, John?” she asked, knowing fine well why.

“It would have been somewhat impolite to simply kill him on the spot, my Mage,” I replied, utterly deadpan, seeing Simon and Julia start slightly before hiding grins.

“These are the manners and actions you promote in your journeyman? You should be ashamed.” Mage Sofya snarled out.

“What did Mage Frederico do to warrant such a threat, John?” Morgana asked with a slight quirk to her lips.

“He questioned my team without my knowledge or permission as well as harassing Seer Adsila for a date after questioning her loyalty to the Council, my Mage. He is not in my chain of command, nor does he have any right to interfere in it, particularly in a combat environment with regard to the Council convocation of 1204 AD shortly after the attempted coup by Elymas,” I replied. “Nor did he apologise or indicate that this was simply a one off, but rather that he intended to carry on interfering.”

“Ah yes, the Hermes doctrine,” Julia added. “One he used to prevent the questioning of the Amity Caucus and their alleged involvement or rather their ignoring the evidence before the attempted coup.”

“I have the right to have my aides investigate anything that might be a breach of the Council’s authority,” Mage Sofya stated.

“Indeed you have, though Mage Frederico seems not to have abided by the rules permitting the questioning of Mages and journeymen involved in an area at which they may have been at risk. These rules are there for a purpose,” Simon added.

“It is the only place where they are all assembled!” Sofya stated.

“Which does not give you the right to breach, or get your aides to breach, the rules set out for any investigation of this type,” Julia added. “Your aide was told to back off and then threatened with action against him if he insisted on carrying on regardless, according to the record.”

“You are permitted to summon any free Mages or journeymen to meet you in an investigatory committee, not to question them in the field,” Simon stated.

“They consistently refuse to attend,” Sofya replied. “My aides are here to see if they were being coerced.”

“The only coercion going on appears to be by your aides, according to the reports I’m getting,” Morgana stated.

“They exaggerate, no doubt coached by your journeyman,” Sofya said disparagingly.

“Nor am I happy about the implication that the Intelligence Office is potentially disloyal,” Morgana added. “After all, I’m responsible for their safety and security.”

“We have implied no such thing!” Sofya replied firmly.

“Yet you questioned Seer Adsila’s loyalties,” Morgana stated. “Again, if you suspect one Seer, you must by inference suspect them all.”

“Indeed, Mage Morgana,” Julia confirmed.

“I was merely questioning Seer Adsila as to whether she suspected any split loyalties within the command structures in their prosecution of this idiotic conflict,” Frederico attempted to explain.

“You do realise that any questioning of a Seer with regards to their work needs permission from my Office,” Julia stated flatly.

“I ... I was not under any such understanding, for which I apologise,” Frederico replied, swallowing nervously.

“You’re fortunate Adsila has chosen not to make an official complaint,” Julia added. “In future though, get permission or stay away, otherwise the threat from journeyman Mage John will seem rather mild compared to the response of the Seers and my Office.”

“This does not excuse your journeyman’s boorish threats to my aide!” Sofya stridently argued.

“The only boorish behaviour is by your aides pestering those under my command when they have returned from their duties at the front,” Morgana stated. “I expect it to cease, immediately. My people need to rest and recuperate, not listen to some idiot paranoid questioning of yours.”

“How else can I investigate my suspicions?” Sofya hit back. “One would think you had something to hide! Hence the threats from your journeyman!”

“I threatened your aide because he broke protocol and manners by questioning my team and then refused to cease and desist when told to stop,” I replied. “Next time he does it I will challenge him ... assuming the Seers don’t get to him first. The same applies to all your aides, they either cease promoting your vendetta with regards to my team on Tír na nÓg or I will challenge them.”

“Teams Arch, Rinku and Nisha amongst others have stated that they will do exactly the same, assuming it’s not directly from the Council with Simon’s seal attached. None of the other allies will have anything to do with you, Mage Sofya. Indeed the wolves under Leonova had to be sent away on patrol today to avoid an unfortunate incident ... as they put it,” Morgana added. “Your rudeness and the rudeness of your aides has won you no friends here. You’re lucky John decided to only threaten your aide, had it been any other team, he’d most likely be dead.”

“Typical of the people under you to band together and threaten those conducting a legitimate investigation,” Sofya sniffed.

“According to the convocation of 1204, it’s far from legitimate, as you should well have known,” Julia stated.

“Morgana and Julia are correct, Mage Sofya. Your people have overstepped their bounds. If you wish to question them, then you’ll have to do it in their own time, and off Tír na nÓg,” Simon stated. “Journeyman Mage John is cleared of the charge you made against him. Indeed, considering the evidence I’ve gathered here, his response seems rather mild.”

“He threatened my Aide! A fully qualified Mage!” Sofya stormed. “This sets a bad precedent which breaches the accepted behaviour of lower to higher!”

“I agree with Mage Sofya,” Morgana responded. “John, in future hold your tongue and seek me out and I’ll do the threats and killings.”

“Of course, my Mage. I apologise, Mage Frederico. I should have asked Mage Morgana to threaten you with death. I was merely trying to save her the bother of seeking you out,” I replied utterly straight faced.

“You are as ever diligent in trying to anticipate my needs, John,” Morgana acknowledged as Mage Sofya fumed.

“This is disgraceful, he should be punished, not ... not have the matter treated as a joke,” Sofya spluttered.

“Perhaps you’re right, a simple admonishment will not do. John, your team is stood down from active duty for a week. Please tell them to return to their homes and consider their responses to the illegal questioning they were subjected to,” Morgana stated with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Ooh harsh,” Julia semi-sniggered.

“Indeed,” Simon added.

“I’ll inform them at once, my Mage,” I replied as I stood and gave her, Simon and Julia a formal bow before turning to leave the room.

“John, manners,” Morgana admonished me mildly.

“I apologise, my Mage.” I gave Sofya and Frederico a formal bow too, marred only by my wide grin.

I could hear the protests as the door closed. It seemed that Sofya and Frederico were not happy bunnies, still with any luck they’d be removed from interfering with our preparations.

“You’re all stood down for a week,” I told the members of the team as they assembled. “Go home, rest and recuperate. Consider a suitable response to any illegal or intrusive questioning and return in one week.”

“Ooh, this is awful! Whatever shall we do?” Róisín stated with a wide grin.

“Why, the whole war could fall apart from our absence,” Adsila added with a chuckle.

“Just remember that whilst you’re stood down, you may be contacted by Mage Sofya’s aides to assist them with her paranoid delusions. Feel free to respond accordingly,” I said as I dismissed them.

Róisín and I were greeted joyfully by Imelda when we returned to the villa. Abi as part of team Arch had to remain behind and Brianna was busy on Loegria. Still, it was good to be home and relaxing, rather than being shot at or questioned.

“So you threatened a Mage and got away with it, John?” Imelda asked.

“Technically, yes, my Lady,” I chuckled.

“We are being punished, Imelda,” Róisín added as she lay back in her bikini enjoying the sun.

“Yes, I can see,” Imelda laughed.

“Where are Jukar and Dorry?” I asked.

“Day off, they’re out shopping in Auckland with Ketty and Rosheen,” Imelda replied.

“Will she be OK out and about? Jukar I mean,” I asked.

“Wearing a Null amulet, so she’ll be fine,” Imelda replied. “You may have a problem with Dorry though.”

“Oh, why?” I asked.

“Well Jukar told her that you witnessed her emergence and Dorry believes you could set her away to becoming a Mage,” Imelda explained.