Free Haeven by S. M. Bowles Page B

hated
giving in but it was useless trying to fight them both. I stepped
across the threshold then quickly scanned the crowded room.
    It was oval shaped and paneled in a dark,
grainy wood that was shining beneath a heavy polish. There were
seats circling and spiraling inwards towards a table set-up in the
middle of the room. At the table, which was also oval in shape,
were seated about 15 or so different people.
    One side seemed to be Herrik's kind and the
other Penny's. He was seated at the head and there was an empty
seat to his right and directly after that sat Artur. All the other
chairs were taken and as I made my way towards the table I glanced
at a number of the faces seated around it. On Penny's side I
recognized Jesse and one or two other's from his band. Across from
them sat Carah and someone I remembered seeing in the hallway the
day Herrik had brought me to my apartment.
    Avery pulled the chair beside Herrik and had
me sit down. Then much to my unease he stood directly behind me
with his hands clasped in front just below his waist. I could feel
everyone's eyes on me as I took my seat and the muffled
conversations from around the table slowly died down.
    Once I was settled Herrik stood up. He raised
his hands and gestured everyone else to take their seats. 
Those who were standing quieted and took the outer chairs before
turning their eyes toward the table.
    "Thank you all for coming. We have an
unfortunate occurrence to judge and the fate of two of our
residents to decide. As you all know our society is one of truth
and discretion. We live apart from the world beyond these walls not
only to protect ourselves from it but to protect it from us. It is
a life lived in a delicate balance and it must be regarded as such
for if any incident, however minute, were to expose what we have
created here it would mean the doom of us all."
    There were nods of understanding and assent
all around.
    "Richard," a gentleman on Penny's side of the
table stood up. "One of your people has violated our trust and
risked our exposure by taking an unpledged, under-aged guest of
ours to an unguarded, highly public event. Emily," Herrik turned to
me, "is in a very precarious situation. One of our kind," here he
sighed and bowed his head, "one of our people nearly took her life
then in a reckless act of contrition used his blood to coerce her
from death. Neither Artur nor I yet know the full extent or
consequences of his actions but she may very well be altered beyond
our ability to help."
    "What?!" my mind cried out. I fretfully
looked up at him wondering what he meant by his statement but
Herrik was scanning the crowd. It didn't seem to make any sense for
what I thought was taking place.
    "I am deeply against...was deeply against
having someone so young among us but as you all recall this is not
the first time we have felt this type of obligation to protect and
nurture a blameless bystander to our...our predispositions,"
Herrik's gaze fell on Penny. "Though it fills me with regret I have
decided that for her protection and ours Emily must stay with us.
Emily must stay until we can fully guarantee her safety."
    As soon as I understood what he was saying I
tried to stand up and protest but there was Avery's strange
presence again holding me in place and controlling my actions.
    Looking around I saw that even though there
were several who shook their heads in disagreement most were
nodding and accepting Herrik's missive. It seemed apparent that I
would have no voice in the matter.
    "With her fate decided we must turn to
Jesse's."
    My eyes shot across the table to where he sat
near Penny and my heart and head filled with dread. Jesse stood up.
Herrik took my hand as well as the person's on his left. Like a
signal everyone reached to their lefts and rights and grasped the
hands of the people beside them. Artur nudged me and offered me his
hand which I fearfully took.
    My stomach leapt when I felt the conjoined
thoughts of everyone around the