The Great Game (Royal Sorceress) by Christopher Nuttall Read Free Book Online Page B

out.
    “You can tell them that we corrected a mistake,” Gwen said, finally. It was true enough; besides, the Royal Sorcerers Corps took the lead in anything involving magic. “And you can leave it at that.”
    She put a little Charm into her voice, just enough to ensure that they would all hear her. “I want you all to understand that things have changed,” she said, as calmly as she could. “We no longer need the farms and I will not tolerate their existence. Nor will the Government.”
    Lord Brockton looked as though he were about to argue, but thought better of it.
    “The other farms will be destroyed in turn,” Gwen continued. Perhaps she wouldn’t do it herself. There were some young Blazers who were doing well in their schooling and deserved a reward. Wanton destruction would probably suit them just fine. “Once they are gone, that part of our history will be buried.”
    She smiled at them, somehow. Master Thomas had kept himself going for hours, but she felt tired and worn now that she no longer needed to maintain the bubble. But she didn’t dare show weakness in front of them, not when too many of them already saw her as a weak and frail female.
    “We will go back to Cavendish Hall, where you can all join me for lunch,” she concluded. She would have preferred to eat alone, but protocol was protocol. Besides, some of them would be better off under her eye for a while. “And then we will hold the next meeting of the Royal Committee.”
    She watched them go, then turned back to stare at the blackened ruins. A final wisp of smoke rose up from the debris, then faded away into nothingness. She was tempted to try to open her mind again, to see if all the impressions had been burned away, but she didn’t quite dare. Doctor Norwell, when he’d been her tutor, had once speculated that all humans were Sensitive, some were just more sensitive than others. Maybe all the stories about ghosts were really nothing more than undiscovered Sensitives walking into an area that had been magically tainted by bad events.
    “I don’t think they were convinced,” Lucy said.
    Gwen nodded, without turning round. Lucy had been Jack’s mistress and Gwen honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She’d kissed Jack... what would have happened if he’d survived the Swing? But then, Lucy had told her that Jack had been partly intent on his own self-destruction, if it meant the destruction of the society that had shaped him. Gwen, remembering his behaviour, could hardly disagree.
    “I know,” she said, quietly.
    They respected her power, but they didn’t take her seriously. How could they?
    Someone – she couldn’t remember who – had once told her that legitimacy consisted of being there long enough so that no one could remember anyone else. Maybe she’d just have to be patient. Sooner or later, most of Master Thomas’s appointees would be gone.
    But it seemed a very long time to have to wait.

 

    Chapter Five
    G wen allowed herself a smile as she stepped into the Royal Committee’s chamber. The designers had placed it right at the top of Cavendish Hall, allowing light to shine through the skylight and illuminate a long wooden table, where the members of the committee sat. A smaller table held two bottles of wine and several glasses, while a bookshelf held copies of the Corps’ accounts. The walls held several portraits; a regal portrait of King George IV, a joint image of the first three Master Magicians and a large painting of Queen Elizabeth, a droll reminder that a woman had once done an extremely good job of ruling the entire country. At the far end of the room, the original Battle of Philadelphia hung on one wall, showing the surrender of George Washington and his army of rebels to the British Redcoats.
    The members of the committee rose to their feet as she entered the chamber. Gwen nodded politely to them, took her seat at the end of the table and motioned for them to sit down. She couldn’t help