Betrayed by Morgan Rice

hardened.
    “Caleb of the White Coven,” began the lead judge, in the center of the panel. “We summoned you to give us a report. But first you must answer for your past crimes. You violated the law in leaving us without permission. What do you have to say for yourself?”
    Caleb stared back, insolent.
    “I have returned here tonight to warn you, and to save you. Not to ask for your forgiveness,” he snapped.
    The crowd erupted in an astonished gasp. No one ever spoke to the judges like this.
    “SILENCE!” yelled an administrator, banging the stone floor with his iron staff. Eventually, the room died down.
    “Really?” said one of the judges. “And to save us from what , exactly?”
    “Have you not seen what’s going on outside your gates?” Caleb asked. “Have you not seen the war that is even now spreading across Manhattan?”
    “We have seen it. You are not the only one with powers of observation. And of what concern is it to us?”
    “Concern?” Caleb asked, dumbfounded. Had these people really become that complacent, that indifferent? Had they really hardened their hearts so much towards the human race?
    “If you think this war will be limited to humans, you are gravely mistaken,” Caleb continued. “That war was begun by the Blacktide Coven. After they wipe out the humans, I assure you they will turn their full attention towards us, and towards all of our brother and sister covens throughout Manhattan—if not the country. It is the beginning of a full scale war.”
    “Or they are simply trying to goad us out,” snapped back another judge. “Perhaps our reacting to this crisis is exactly what they want. They want us out of our stronghold. Outside, we will be more vulnerable to attack. Leaving these walls would be the most foolish thing we could do.”
    Caleb shook his head in amazement. He could not believe this vampire’s ignorance. They had been sheltered under here for far too long.
    “You are wrong,” Caleb said.
    Again, the room erupted in an astonished gasp, and the administrator had to bang his staff repeatedly.
    “This is no pretend war,” Caleb continued. “It is no trick. It is no ruse to goad you out. It is very real. When it is over, every human on this island will be dead. And the Blacktide Coven, and all of their brother and sister covens, will be gorged with blood, stronger than ever. I assure you, when they are ready, they will concentrate all of their forces on our coven. By waiting here, by letting them grow stronger, you make yourselves—all of us—a target. And if you wait too long, it will be too late.
    “What’s more, they have a secret weapon at their disposal,” Caleb added, bracing himself for the reaction. “They now have the Sword.”
    The room erupted in a loud, chaotic murmur. No matter how much the administrators screamed for silence and banged their staffs, they simply could not get it to quiet down. It went on for minutes.
    “I have seen it!” Caleb screamed over the crowd, and as he did, it slowly quieted. “I have seen it with my own eyes. It does exist. It is not a fable. You are wrong. It is very real. And it is now in the possession of the Blacktide Coven. It is a weapon beyond which we have ever seen, and it will surely wipe us out. It makes immortality a thing of the past.”
    “You say that you have seen it,” said another judge. “If so, why do you not have it? Why did you not bring it back to us?”
    It was a that question Caleb had been bracing himself for, one which he felt ashamed about.
    “Because I failed,” he said simply. “I was ambushed, and outnumbered, and I let it slip from my grasp. This is an action for which I take full responsibility.
    “And that is why I’ve come here to warn you. They do have the sword. They have started this war. It will spread to us. And we must act now.
    “I propose that we send our legions out now, to attack before they grow strong in numbers. If we concentrate all of our force on them, if we