Chapter Six #2
My footsteps echoed as I let out a small hum, barely noticeable to the average ear but with the number of shifters in here, their senses were 5x more sensitive than the average human.
I watched men at the table suddenly leaned in with a lazy smile.
A woman reached out to touch my arm. I stood in front of the man who stood up from the stool and glared at me.
“I run an entire ecosystem of my people, so I know the difference between a leader, a talker, a thinker, and doer.”
“So which one am I?” He pressed.
“You’re not.”
His face tightened as I let out an easy laugh before turning to see every eye was drawn to me.
“My name is Solomon King. Most of you know me as the Head of State of the Wetlands community. I witnessed firsthand what happened the day of the funeral and he’s right…the granddaughter of the First Family is indeed the most powerful one we’ve seen…so far. Everything you’ve said is correct.”
“So then why call me distrustful?” He asked with a laugh, hoping to get everyone else involved, but people just waited to see which of the two alpha men would walk away with the last word.
It’s always going to be me, every time. I may not be the loudest, but I’m not new to this.
“Witches are known to be distrustful, I never said you were…”
“What happened at the church?” Someone asked. “We’ve been left in the dark about everything…what happened? Why is it blocked off to the rest of us?”
“What are they hiding?” Another asked.
“It doesn’t matter what happened,” Xavier said, trying to gain control of the crowd. “We need solutions, like you said, yes?”
“Dr. Holmes underestimated the power and vengeance his sister had against humanity and those not like her,” I said.
“She had a plan to expand the First Family. She deemed Dr. Holmes weak because he was only consumed with the school. The moment she stepped in his place, that is when everything became disturbed. The natural order and balance because let’s face it…
they are and will always be the top predator in this society.
They cannot be easily killed, time does not affect them as they can live as long as they want, and their sole source of food is us…
Do you understand what you’re up against?
” I asked, turning to Xavier. “You cannot pretend they don’t exist even if they aren’t in a position of power. ”
“He’s right,” another said, coming to the realization. “There isn’t much we can do. We’ll always be at their mercy.”
“Which is why I suggest The Southern Five come together to create a new council. A new order,” Xavier said as I smirked.
“You need someone who is used to being in a position of power,” I said.
“You have no experience. You come from a family that dates back to bad magic and bad luck for hundreds of years. Mismanaged spells and too many coincidences that have been caused by the Southern Five, and we all know that name no longer holds the weight it used to with this generation.”
“So a triton who can only see as far as the water is going to tell me how to run my community on land?” Xavier laughed. I smiled before looking around.
“I don’t see any water around here…”
The commotion and whispers began to start as Xavier, and I stared each other down.
“What about the granddaughter?” Someone asked. “She is still walking around looking for her next blood bag to feed on.”
“The fact that they even let her at the university–––”
“Her family founded the school, of course they’re gonna let her attend!”
“Are the rumors about her being Gaia true? Are the rumors of her being the moon, real?”
I smiled because this is exactly where I wanted the conversation to be.
Dr. Holmes and the First Family maintained this illusion that they were otherworldly beings that came from a moon God.
It’s how they survived and kept power. It was time repeating itself.
I will admit though, I’m not sure what I witnessed Maggie Grey do that day during the white church incident.
It was something that no one could explain.
“It is,” I said with a frowning nod. “She is the reason we almost got exposed above ground because she broke the veil and cracked time…She is not First Family…she does not need blood or anything from a human to maintain. She is a walking God on earth…I was there that day in the white church. I’ve seen it for myself.
By far more powerful than the First Family.
Unless you have intentions on including her in this new council or the ones closest to her that can control what she is, there is absolutely no hope that the Underground will last for much longer. ”
Everyone gasped as Xavier’s eyes squinted with suspicion. Technically, I was telling the truth. It wasn’t as dramatic as I was making it. Most of the time Maggie was her usual self from what Namir tells me.
“She is the most powerful mythic in the world… The reason the largest wolf pack had to start all over…the reason Wilhelmina is dead. Now tell me.” I turned to Xavier. “As a witch from the Southern Five, what are your plans to maintain such power?”
When his mouth fell open, no words escaped.
I turned and began to walk off with a low hum of my throat, letting out a soft low melodic hymn to weaken their senses.
It was just enough for nobody to notice, but enough to take effect.
The men and women slumped into the seats, following with their eyes and bodies in my direction when I heard a loud commotion.
I turned around to see one of the men desperately trying to get up after falling out of his chair.
There was a slight dribble of drool glossing and hanging from his lower lip when he got himself together.
Easy work.
“Maggie is going to kill me if she finds out I had anything to do with this shit,” Namir whispered with a hand dragging down his face with worry. “Can’t believe y'all even talked me into this.”
“What better way to protect her than to make her become untouchable,” Seth shrugged. “They were going to come after her next. They need to know she is a not a threat to the Underground, but she can be if fucked with.”
“This is how we’re going to do it for now,” I said with a brush of my knuckles against the table, watching Xavier attempt to steer the conversation. “We take control from the back seat until it's time to drive.”
“I say let them fear my sister,” Bellamy said as he began rocking back and forth on the chair like a child. “They won’t ever see the real threat coming from behind her.”