When Han entered the council room, Lord Bayar looked up from a conversation with Lord Mander. “I thought perhaps you had reconsidered, Alister,” he said.

“Not unless you managed to change Dean Abelard’s mind in there.”

“No,” Lord Bayar said. “It seems we must proceed with this farce.” He sighed. “Now, as most of you know, the election is by simple majority, voice vote. I vote only in the case of a tie. We will go clockwise around the table. Lord Mander?”

“Micah Bayar,” Mander said promptly.

“Micah?”

“I vote for myself, of course,” Micah said.

“Dean Abelard?”

“I vote for Han Alister,” she said.

“Alister?”

“I vote for myself, of course,” Han said, mimicking Micah, and thinking, At least now the meeting will be over and I can get out of here.

“Lord Gryphon?”

Gryphon smiled crookedly. “When I came to this meeting, I had no idea that we would be presented with such an…interesting choice. I had no idea that we would have any choice at all.” He paused, basking in the heat of everyone’s attention like a cat on a hearth.

“I vote for Han Alister,” he said.

C H A P T E R  E I G H T E E N

PAST
CRIMES AND
MISDEMEANORS

For a long moment, Han thought he’d misheard. He blinked at Adam Gryphon, then looked around the table at the other stunned faces. Which made him realize that he must have heard right.

“Excuse me?” Lord Bayar said. “What did you say?”

“I vote for Hanson Alister for High Wizard, to replace you,” Gryphon said. “I believe that means he wins.”

“Why would you vote for the street thug who murdered your parents?” Mander shrilled. “That doesn’t make any sense!”

That’s Mander’s role on the council, Han thought. He blurts out what everyone else is thinking, but won’t say.

Gryphon turned chilly eyes on Mander. “I haven’t heard any evidence to suggest that Alister was involved in my parents’ deaths. If and when he is charged with that crime, I assume the usual judicial procedures will apply. If convicted, he will, of course, be replaced.”

“You—you—you voted for someone with no bloodlines, with no history, with no connections at court?” Mander wailed. “He hasn’t even been a wizard for that long. Everyone knows that this boy is in league with demons.”

I suppose that’s true, in a way, Han thought. He was amazed, almost giddy, and was having difficulty following the conversation.

“It occurred to me that the introduction of new blood into the office might be…refreshing,” Gryphon said.

“Lord Gryphon,” Lord Bayar said, struggling to be diplomatic. “Is it possible that the recent deaths of your parents may have inspired a rash and rather foolish choice?”