fought by his side for centuries.
“However, I’m not talking about witchcraft. I’m talking about science.”
“Science?” Finlay echoed, clearly stunned.
A grim nod marked Geoffrey’s reply. “Pharmaceutical science. Dr. Leila Cruickshank—” He passed a picture around. “—is a talented researcher for Inter Pharma. Over the last few years, she’s dedicated her life to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.”
“Very admirable. But what has that got to do with us?” Wade interrupted, threading his fingers through his dark blond hair. “Besides, many others have tried before her, and nobody has succeeded.”
“Has this Dr. Cruickshank?” Finley asked, waving his hand at the picture that reached Barclay at this moment.
Barclay’s gaze fell on the young woman’s face. The picture had been taken through a window from a fair distance. Despite that fact, the lens had been able to capture her essence: her pleasant, yet determined features and her straight nose and piercing eyes underscored what Geoffrey had said. Wearing a white lab coat, she sat at a computer, gazing into the screen in fascination. Her long dark hair was pulled together in a haphazard looking ponytail, strands of it having escaped, framing her classic features, softening them.
“Our emissarius reports that she is at the edge of a breakthrough. According to lab reports he was able to get access to, early clinical trials suggest that the serum seems to be . . . unlocking the mind.”
“Unlocking?” Barclay echoed. “Explain.”
“With Alzheimer’s, neurons and synapses in the brain are destroyed, shutting off the mind, locking away memories and experiences, making people not even remember their loved ones. If this serum does what we think it does, then it seems to reverse some of these effects.”
“Well, that’s a good thing then,” Deirdre agreed and pushed her long blond hair behind her back. “So I’m assuming you want her protected?”
Geoffrey shook his head and gazed into the round, his expression solemn. “On the contrary. I want her eliminated.”
Finlay shot from his seat. “What?”
“We’ve sworn to protect humans and help further the good in the world,” Deidre added, placing a hand on Finlay’s arm and urging him to sit back down. “And you want to do the opposite?”
“You’d better have a bloody good explanation for that,” Wade bit out.
As Norton, Ian, and Cinead, the three council members who’d so far remained quiet, cleared their throats, Barclay stood and motioned everybody to be silent. Then he turned to Geoffrey.
“I too would like to hear your reasoning behind this. Alzheimer’s has plagued mankind for many years, and to deny humans a cure for this ailment . . . ” He shook his head. “Speak.”
Geoffrey’s cheeks appeared heated as he continued. Clearly, this subject was dear to his heart. “Just as the serum may halt Alzheimer’s and reverse some of its effects by repairing some of the damaged neurons and allowing memories to flow freely again, it will unlock the mind to allow demons easy access. The natural resistance humans possess to withstand the influence of the Demons of Fear will be melted away. There will be no block, no gate. A human mind will be as open as a school gate on graduation day. And if Inter Pharma decides to not only use this drug to treat current Alzheimer’s patients, but to use it as a vaccine . . . ”
Geoffrey didn’t have to finish his sentence. Everybody in the room knew what this meant. From an early age, all humans would be walking invitations for the demons to take over their minds and control them to do their bidding.
“Nobody would be able to resist,” Cinead said in a gravely voice, rising as he did so. He nodded toward Barclay. “May I speak?”
Barclay showed his agreement with a wave of his hand. Cinead, the Scotsman who’d been on the council longer than any of them, yet had never accepted a nomination as Primus, was the wisest among them, always looking at all sides of an issue before making a decision.
“Geoffrey, you say your emissarius has seen lab reports. Are those available for our review?”
“I can procure them, if you don’t believe my words.” He appeared miffed at Cinead’s request.
“I would like to see them and study the data myself. We cannot callously eliminate a human solely based on the report of one emissarius who might not have the relevant knowledge it takes to assess this issue. We’ve never acted on rumors or assumptions. There’s no need to start now.”
Geoffrey huffed. “I’ll get you the bloody report, but I’m telling you, there’s no time to