W ill the meeting of the High Council come to
order"? Cecil Taylor stood at the front of
thirty-five council members. He was on a raised dais
made from a solid piece of rose quartz. He waited for
the murmur of voices to quiet and all attention was
focused on him.
"It has come to my attention that Zane, black
wizard of lower Vancouver, has broken his convenient
with our council and allowed his son to be trained in
the dark arts." Cecil paused for effect.
"We are meeting here to come to a decision about
a suitable method to deal with this event. Brad
Chambers, the son of Zane will soon graduate and be
released into the world. We don't want a repeat of
what happened with Zane five years ago."
"The fact is Zane Chambers parents were killed
by the previous council." Someone stood up, shouting
this fact into the air. "It stands to reason that Zane
Chambers is within his right to demand retribution."
Magical Moonlight
96 "But to defy the council, that cannot be allowed."
Cecil began.
"The council had made decisions based on wrong
information." Someone else shouted. "And the result
was the death of two of our talented witches. It is time
that this council takes the blame for what its
predecessors did."
"I disagree, as the Grand Wizard of the High
Council, I feel that Zane Chambers and his son should
be stripped of their powers." Cecil began.
"Since you are unable to control your own son,
allowing him to seek pleasures with one Aiden Mac
Ruaidhri, son of Jack and Margaret Mac Ruaidhri of
the clan Mac Ruaidhri…" the words resonated
through the room bringing everyone to silence as they
realized that Cecil Taylor had no idea what they were
talking about.
"EXPLAIN YOURSELF." Cecil roared his
displeasure, shaking the walls and bringing an icy
chill to the air.
"Liam Taylor, the child you have raised as your
own, is no longer a virgin in any way or manner. He
no longer can assume the role as Grand Wizard should
he qualify in when the time comes." The words were
spoken in the silence that had followed Cecil's
outburst.
"He is the lover of one Aiden Mac Ruaidhri, the
son of Jack and Margaret. He came to the attention of
the council ten years earlier when he refused to
assume his position, disclaiming all things magic."
ER Bryant
97
"Aiden Mac Ruaidhri has had many lovers, he
never keeps them long." Someone laughed. "If Mac
Ruaidhri has taken young Taylor to his bed and kept
him there, then Taylor is one interesting young man."
Everyone laughed.
"Young Taylor has said that he will challenge the
requirements for Grand Wizard when he is ready for
the position."
"You are either virgin or you're not." Someone
said.
"That's the point. Who cares? Virginity does not
increase one's powers."
"That remains to be seen doesn't it?" The
question hung in the air.
The meeting continued, Cecil Taylor's temper
was at the boiling point but he remained outwardly
calm. He found it hard to believe that Morgan was not
aware of what her son was up to. That meant not only
was Liam deceiving him, but so was his wife. Their
marriage might be in name only, but it was still a
marriage by the laws of Wahjee. Perhaps he should
have looked more closely at who had fathered the
spawn he'd been forced to raise. "ENOUGH," Cecil
Taylor roared, silencing for a moment his audience
that consisted of the Grand Council as well as senior
warlocks, for Wahjee were a long lived race, almost
twice that of humans. "The boy known as Liam Taylor
will do as he is told." The words spoken quietly, yet
heard through out the vast meeting hall.
Magical Moonlight
98 "He's no longer virgin." A voice spoken from the
back pointed out. "He cannot assume his rightful place
at council."
"And I'm to think that you buffoons are all
celibate." Spoken with a definite snicker in tone, the
room silenced as all eyes turned to Aiden Mac
Ruaidhri who stood tall, impressive in his formal
black silk robe, an aura of power haloing his entire
body.
"Mac Ruaidhri, you aren't welcome here. You
made it clean a long time ago that you wanted nothing
to do with Wahjee politics." Cecil didn't hide the
sneer he felt at the sight of the man who had
desecrated his ward and son.
"I go where I wish Taylor, no one can keep me
from attending a Wahjee council meeting should I
wish to do so. I'm here to warn all of you to keep
away from Liam Taylor. He is under my protection,
the protection of the Mac Ruaidhri's, the rightful
Kings of all Irish folk, be they magic or human or
even Wahjee. Know this well, my father may have
fucked up his heritage, but like all fuck ups, it came
back to bite him in the ass three fold. Gentlemen,
you're looking at the result. I WILL PROTECT
WHAT IS MINE UNDER THE LAWS OF WAHJEE
AND WHITE LIGHT." The words reverberated in
and around the hall as Aiden faded from view. He
didn't need a puff of smoke or other theatrics; his
power was felt by all of them. A power that until now
had been kept away from their knowledge. Of course
the very oldest and wisest of the Wahjee knew, it had
ER Bryant
99
not only been foretold centuries before, but something
they had been waiting to see before they allowed
themselves to return to the dust of the earth.
