Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Imanaged to avoid Sebastian for another day simply by staying in bed. But the following morning—bright and early, I should add—we gathered in a dining room half the size of the continent, and I had no choice but to face him head on.
Selecting an end seat around the rectangular table ensured that he could not sit next to me, though Sebastian made a point of choosing the closest available seat.
At the other end sat Archer, and in the chairs surrounding the perimeter of the table were my friends along with Delani and a few new faces.
“Thank you all for coming.” Archer's voice echoed loudly throughout the space, bouncing off the walls and practically slapping me in the face.
Coffee. I needed coffee.
“There’s a lot to discuss now that everyone is able to participate.” Archer’s eyes linked to my identical ones. “To begin, Maeve, can you tell us about what happened between you and Cyprian Beaumont?”
My head stayed steady as my eyes flew around the room. No introductions?
One of the faces I did not recognize belonged to a striking, dark-skinned man. His irises were the color of pure gold, illuminating his already beautifully sculpted facial features. The other was a middle-aged woman—maybe pushing fifty—with perfectly flat, silver hair.
Disregarding my manners, I pointed at the two unfamiliar attendees. “Who are they?”
“This is Kade,” my father gestured to the inscrutable man on his right, “and this is Venay.” The pasty woman granted me a thin-lipped smile.
“And who are they?” I repeated myself, slower this time. “A name isn’t a good enough answer if I am expected to give them the information you request of me.”
Sawyer snorted, swiftly tossing his hand over his mouth.
“They are members of the royal council. They attend all the meetings we hold here in Lumosia,” Archer answered.
My eyebrows lowered upon Kade, who matched my visual skepticism.
Delani scooted her chair next to me simply so she could nudge me with her elbow. “You can trust them,” she whispered. “Kade is basically Dad’s right hand man. He’s the one who brought me here. And Venay is the one who healed you.”
I noticed the amethyst sparkling in the woman’s hand.
Despite my anger, I allowed my gaze to find Sebastian, who granted me a soft nod, indicating his approval of the two unknown bodies around the table.
“Fine.” Correcting my posture, I pushed my back flush against the chair.
“After the transition with Blythe, I destroyed the Draemornians who were in the courtyard with starlight. How? I don’t exactly know.
It kind of came as second nature—like I had been born with the power all along.
From there, I prepared to take down Beaumont, but then the castle began to fall.
I’m not sure if it was from the extent of my power or if the Draemornians were responsible for it.
Regardless, I quickly lost sight of Beaumont.
I have no idea if he is buried in the rubble or if he got away.
” I turned my attention towards Archer. Not knowing if I truly wanted the answer, I still asked, “What did you see when you found me?”
He cleared his throat, his head marginally dipping towards the tabletop. “Not much besides dust and your…body.”
A phantom pain cursed my shoulder.
Being crushed by stone and wood had never been on my bucket list, but I suppose surviving a near death experience would be worth adding simply to check off.
My father grinned apologetically when he noted the sudden look of queasiness on my face.
“If Beaumont did escape, then this battle is far from over.
Especially if he finds out that Maeve is still alive.
And now that Lumosia is no longer hidden behind any wards, there's nothing stopping outsiders from entering,” he addressed the rest of the room.
“You said it was unlikely for anyone to discover this land anytime soon,” Kohen countered from across the table.
“It’s not likely, but it’s also not impossible,” Archer replied. “I’m sure it will take a while before any travelers stumble across this land—this part of the continent is not widely explored, but it will happen as time goes on.”
“We need to find out if Beaumont is still alive. If he isn’t, then boom. Threat eliminated.” Sawyer demonstrated a fake explosion with his hands.
“Threat not eliminated,” Sebastian countered, clasping his palms on top of the table. “There's plenty of others who would kill to have Maeve under their control. And if word gets out of what she can do now, there will be even more who want her.”
“How would the word get out? She killed the Draemornians who were there with us in the courtyard,” Pia joined the conversation.
Archer pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating for a few seconds.
“We should assume that at least one survived. Hopefully not, but erring on the side of caution is always good in a situation like this. And if Beaumont is alive, I have no doubts that he will be more than willing to share his knowledge of Maeve’s new gift.
I agree that the first thing to do is figure out if Beaumont breathes. If he is, we need to change that.”
My father casually suggesting murder was something I never thought I’d experience, but I didn't totally hate it, either.
The front angles of my hair skimmed my cheeks as I shook my head. “I disagree. I think the first thing we should do is find any survivors in Caelestis and bring them here. Enough people have already been hurt. The least we can do is try to save anyone who survived.”
“And risk blowing our cover and your safety?” Sebastian raised his brows as if my suggestion was completely out of line. “No fucking way.”
I avoided his direct gaze, but still rolled my eyes in his general direction. “It’s not fair that innocent people lost their lives because of me. And it's not fair that the ones who survived have to suffer, either.”
“I don’t care about anyone else except for the people in this room,” Sebastian snapped, his tone crisp and lethal.
I shot him a brief glance that swallowed him whole. “I don't think you even care about the people in this room, anyway.”
A voice broke through the cloud of anger in my brain. “Come on, guys. Is this how it's going to be from now on?”
“Stay out of this, Kohen,” Sebastian threatened, his eyes darting to his friend for all of a second before they settled back on me in a steady, unwavering glare.
Archer interrupted, shutting Sebastian and me right up.
“In all honesty, I don’t think many survived, Maeve.
After the castle fell, I am confident that the Draemornians started working their way around the rest of the villages and cities.
Their army is quite large, and I would imagine that if they haven’t yet, they will soon have worked through every square inch of Caelestis, convincing civilians to accept Beaumont as their ruler and killing all those who deny.
We can discuss searching what remains of the land later, but right now, we need a solid plan to handle Beaumont should he breathe. ”
“Caelestis is just as large as Draemor—our army, too. Just because the castle fell doesn’t mean this is over. It doesn’t mean they won,” I argued, my voice rising in pitch. There was no way Beaumont's army managed to destroy an entire kingdom in the matter of days. No way.
“Actually, Maeve,” Pia began, softening her voice. “In Cicily's journal she hinted at this happening. Remember?”
It felt like a hand squeezed the life from my heart. When the castle no longer remains, the rest will fade.
My voice fell to a nearly inaudible level. “Yes. I remember.”
Sawyer cleared his throat. “If Beaumont is alive, he obviously returned to Draemor. Right?”
“More than likely,” Archer agreed.
“So why don’t we go there? See if we can catch a glimpse of him,” Sawyer suggested.
“That’s too risky,” Pia countered, tucking a chunk of her strawberry-blonde hair behind a pierced ear.
Sawyer scrunched his nose, shaking his head. “No, it's not. We’ll stay hidden. Talk to a few Draemornians and see if they know anything. If he is alive, then we can come back here and craft a solid plan on how to kill the fucker. Make it fun, too—he is not getting a quick and easy death out of me.”
“But that still only solves the problem for as long as people think Maeve is dead,” Kohen pointed out.
“So we let them think I’m dead.” I shrugged. “What does it matter?”
“Because once word gets out of your new power and that you're alive, the whole continent will be searching for you,” Pia stated, a sense of fear in her tone as she stared blankly at me.
“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get there,” I retorted.
“Well with Beaumont dead, at least that's one less person searching. And who knows, maybe that won't be the case. Maybe Beaumont is the only egotistical prick who thinks he has the right to control her,” Sebastian supplied.
“Him and your father,” I sneered under my breath.
And you, it seems.
Archer pushed up from the table, his voice booming through the room.
“I personally feel as though this is the best place to start and agree that if needed, Cyprian should be removed from the equation. Once that is settled, we will go from there. Obviously learning more about what occurred during Maeve’s transition with Blythe is important, but none of that will matter if Beaumont gets his hands on her.
” He looked to Venay and Kade for approval. “Thoughts?”
Kade’s voice filled the room with a low gravel. “I can gather a few others and leave for Draemor in the morning by horseback.”
“Nope,” Sebastian objected, jumping to his feet. “If we’re doing this, then I decide who's going.”
At that preposterous claim, I shot up next, splaying my palms on the tabletop and leaning forward. “Why should you get to decide?”