THE COUNCIL
Abruptly, I gained consciousness. The Regulators had doused me with a bucket of icy water. I shivered, gagging, and coughing from the stench. The smell of fish and decay lingered in my throat.
Before I could fully gain awareness, the same two Regulators ripped me off the floor, dragging me to the center of a circle. Pain shot through my entire body as they roughly dropped me. With my one good eye, I peered through a strand of sopping hair at an assembly of scarlet cloaks seated around a table that was similar to the Senate Chambers.
The two Regulators forced me onto my feet, placing me on a steel plate that lit up like a Christmas tree. A low buzzing hummed beneath my feet. It was astounding how I could stand on my own two feet after that horrific bashing. I thought my ribs
