Read Online The Guild Conspiracy by Brooke Johnson - Free Book Online

pace, hearing the council’s muffled voices on the other side. They were arguing now. She inched closer and pressed her ear to the wood. The door shifted at her touch, opening just enough that she could make out voices on the other side.
    Mr. Fowler spoke heatedly. “I do not believe the girl can be trusted, no matter her skill. Lest you all forget, she was convicted of treason and espionage, among other things, only last summer.”
    â€œThose charges were dropped,” said Vice-­Chancellor Lyndon.
    â€œAgainst the majority vote of the Guild council!” said Fowler, slamming his hand on the desk. “It is my vote that we reject this project and the girl’s application, as well as revoke her studentship. She never should have been allowed one in the first place.”
    â€œMiss Wade’s status as a student is not in question here.”
    â€œIt should be,” replied Mr. Fowler.
    There was a murmur of agreement from the other council members.
    Lyndon cleared his throat. “I should remind you, Mr. Fowler, the current vote concerns only the quadruped project, not any previous crime Miss Wade might have been falsely accused of.”
    â€œFalsely?” repeated Mr. Fowler. “That bloody machine broke two of my ribs, and then she had the gall to destroy it! Months of effort wasted. You were there , Lyndon! You—­”
    â€œThat is enough.” Julian’s voice cut through the argument, and Fowler fell silent. “Give your vote on the project at hand and say nothing else of Miss Wade’s previous misconducts. That is not why we are here.”
    There was a pause.
    â€œFine,” said Fowler. “I vote to reject the project.”
    â€œAre you certain?” asked Julian, a hint of warning in his tone.
    â€œShe does not belong here,” he hissed. “Mark my words, Julian. Your obsession with this girl is going to ruin you. A dozen engineers have brought forward suitable enough designs, with the potential for mass production. Why not use one of theirs instead?”
    There was another long pause.
    â€œIt is a fair question,” said one of the other councilors. “You have asked us to be patient, to withhold funding until Miss Wade provided us with a war machine, but six months have passed since you promised us a project from her. We could have built any number of other designs by now. Why must we use hers?”
    â€œBecause not one of our engineers has her skill. Not one of them can think their way around a machine like she does,” he replied. “Regardless of her loyalties or inexperience, her innate talent cannot be ignored. Her design meets our every requirement. How many times have I delivered the Royal Forces’ parameters to applying engineers, only to have them come back with a mediocre design unworthy of the Guild—­or worse, tell me it isn’t possible to create a war machine of that caliber? We are not in the business of ‘suitable enough,’ gentlemen. We are at the front lines of modern science. We should want innovation , not a rehash of decades-­old technology. And we will never have progress if we don’t push ourselves toward higher standards.” He paused, a thick silence descending on the hall. “The Royal Forces has asked us for a war machine to end all wars, greater than anything that has come before. I believe that machine is sitting before you now.”
    A heavy silence followed his words.
    â€œEven so, I stand by my vote,” said Mr. Fowler. “Miss Wade is a traitor, and I will have no hand in her treachery. If you allow her to work on this project, the anti-­imperialists will win.”
    â€œYour opinion has been noted,” said Julian, his voice sharp. “Vice-­Chancellor, I believe Mr. Fowler has had his say. Do continue with the deliberations. I believe it is Dr. Reid’s vote next.”
    â€œVery well. Mr. Fowler’s vote has been