30. Embers of War
Embers of War
Eliza
W hen the darkness dispersed, she found herself, along with all the others, sitting in the main hall. Releasing a gasp of surprise, she reared back and almost fell. Luckily, someone caught her just in time.
“Watch it.” Malcolm pulled her close before he narrowed his eyes on Lanias. “You could have given us a bit more warning.”
Lanias didn’t bother to respond to growling.
Instead, she eyed the people who’d frozen at their sudden appearance. Malcolm's guardsmen had all taken defensive stances the minute they’d felt the Magic, and the other werewolves nearby had shivered when their Veil was parted.
“Lanias, I swear I’m going to tie you down and beat you with a stick,” Oye threatened, where she stood near Castian. “Didn’t we just talk about your bad habit of transporting people without warning!”
Lanias waved her off and took a seat, crossing her arms. “I figured we needed to get somewhere a bit more comfortable to continue this conversation.” She sighed. “Staying in the human world makes me nauseous.”
“Alpha.” Agun broke through the crowd and approached Malcolm, who quickly shot him a warning look that stopped him in his tracks. He looked from Malcolm to the others in the room and felt his hackles rise. He’d never felt negatively towards Eliza for being a witch, but the others in the main hall gave off a dangerously different feeling.
The first person he noticed was a large Asian man standing near a pregnant witch's side. His black hair was long, hanging in his eyes, eyes that were red and held anger. Agun wasn’t sure he could find a bigger male on the compound. His size wasn’t the only thing intimidating about him; there was an intensity that warned others off. When he spoke, Agun couldn’t help but tense up.
“You brought us here because of the demons outside,” Raijin said. He’d noticed the disturbance in the air when he’d first entered but hadn’t been sure of its origin. After Lanias’s sudden spell work, he was sure of his first assumption. “They’ve started to move.”
“You got me, big daddy,” Lanias said, leaning her head back. “They must think this is a good time to deal with the noisy mice scurrying around trying to find out information about them.” She placed a hand on her knee, tapping it. “We are as far from Veil City as we can get, and I’m sure if you try to send any communications out now, it won’t reach.”
“What?” Sabina reached into her back pocket, pulled out her cell, and saw no signal. “Dammit, I can’t check on Kahlia.”
Tiller checked his phone. “It would seem they intend to bury us here.”
Eliza couldn’t believe how calm everyone was acting; she was why they all could get killed.
Before she realized it, she’d lowered her head, “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” Oye snorted. “You’re not the one who wanted to bring back past nightmares.” She pursed her lips, “If anything, if we’d protected everyone better, this wouldn’t have happened. That stupid prophecy still hasn’t been solved either.”
“Prophecy?” Eliza repeated.
“Never mind about that,” Castian cut in. “What’s our plan? They clearly are better prepared than we are.”
“We wait,” Lanias said, avoiding Alek, who’d taken a seat next to her by scooting over. “If they were going to attack, they would have done it and not waited around. They want something from us, more than they want us dead, and they are most likely going to exchange it for our lives.”
Malcolm tightened his hold on Eliza’s shoulder, his stance threatening. “You better not be talking about what I think you are?”
Tilting her head to the side, Lanias offered him a sanguine smile. “I wasn’t saying to hand it over, just that it’s pretty clear what they're up to.”
“Lanias, stop messing with him,” Sabina chastised her before she turned to Coral. “Can you tap into the roots around the property and keep a lookout for anything odd.”
Coral gave a short nod before leaving the main hall, not once looking at the Guardsmen who tried to look intimidating in the large doorway.
Facing her sister once more, Sabina added, “Our best bet is to pool our resources and prepare to fight. No matter what, we must protect Eliza and the people here. No one asked for this to happen to them.”
Eliza wanted to smack herself for playing the pathetic victim. She didn’t need protecting; they did. Everyone here was gearing up to fight an enemy they didn’t understand. She’d only glimpsed him once, and that one time had been enough to terrify even her.
“Malcolm, who are these people?” Roberts's voice caused her to look up time to see him enter. As usual, he carried himself like a warrior. Even when he wore regular human clothes. “Maria noticed you’d returned and came to get me. What’s going on?”
Malcolm faced him. “These are the people I work with and their mates.” He motioned to the guys, who gave short nods. “They came to find me after I returned to the human world. It would appear the culprit behind the youth’s disappearances was someone we’d already been looking into.”
“And who is that?” Robert probed. “The other Alphas are also interested in this issue. After you left, I questioned them, and they said they’d been losing teens at a high rate as well. Though only two knew of their previous Alpha’s working to cover it up.”
Malcolm sighed, looking away from Roberts's troubled gaze. “All we know is that he’s called his lordship. When we first met him, he was experimenting with dub witches like Eliza and trying to turn them into Numb witches.”
Tiller cut in, “He’s not once let slip a clue to who he may be. We’ve run into his underlings but nothing more. The closest we have to any information about him is that he’s dangerous and not someone who’ll be easily caught. My theory is he is someone high up in the Council.”
“Really, I wish I felt surprised, but I don’t; the only thing I wonder is why he would take werewolves. I know he was experimenting on shifters, but werewolves? Why?” Lanias added her two cents.
Eliza stiffened; facing this many people, she almost didn’t want to speak. If she told them all she knew, they’d try to stop his Lordship and she’d hate to see the people who’d done so much for her get hurt. She glanced up at Malcolm and bit her bottom lip.
She could do this.
She could defeat the enemy and gain revenge for those who’d suffered at the hands of the monster’s plan.
“Eliza.” Hearing her name, she looked over to Lanias. “Do you have an apartment or room? I suddenly feel sleepy beyond belief.” She released a yawn as she stood. "Transporting so many people really got to me.”
Surprised by Lanias’ sudden request for a bed, she stuttered a bit before answering. “I-I mean, I have my own cabin, so you can sleep there.”
Rising to her feet, Lanias nodded. “Okay, Sabina, Oye, and Lydia let’s leave the men to talk. I’m sure they have some misogynistic battle plan to make up.”
Before Eliza could say another word, Lanias was at her side. Taking her arm, she gently pulled her from Malcolm's side. “I’m sure you’re just as tired as I am,” she glanced at Eliza’s stomach. “Your wound isn’t even fully healed yet.”
As she began to drag Eliza away, the others followed. Oye and Sabina offered a few words to their men before they followed Lanias out. When they passed by, the crowd in the mess hall parted like the Red Sea.
Once they stepped outside, Sabina released a surprised exclamation: “Look at those stars. It’s rare to see a view like this in Veil City.”
“You’re right.” Oye got rid of her scythe by letting it melt into her hand. “It’s really pretty here.”
The two continued talking, catching up on how life had been treating them over the last few months as they walked along. Lydia's eyes were focused on the Game Boy in her hands.
“You know, you shouldn’t do that.”
Startled, Eliza jerked her head up and scrutinized Lanias’ face, but the woman wasn’t looking at her. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for any of this, it’s not your fault.”
Eliza pondered her for a time before she looked away. “If I hadn’t roped him into my life, his people wouldn’t have ever gotten attacked. I should have left as soon as I got here, like I planned to. At least if anyone was going to get hurt it would be…the monster who killed her own kind with her bare hands.”
“You’re not the only one who has the blood of other witches on your hands,” Lanias said softly, her eyes dark as she stared ahead. “No one here hasn’t had to make a choice between their life or another’s.”
Eliza wanted to ask her who she’d had to kill. She wanted to know more about this woman, who’d been so cocky in front of the others only to now wear an expression of deep regret. She couldn’t recognize the current Lanias who walked alongside her.
“Plus, you’re from Veil City, a city built for and by monsters,” Lanias added. She glanced over her shoulder. “You’re not the only baddie on the block.”
Eliza stared at her before she finally asked, “Why did you come to find me?”
Lanias frowned, “Because you’re one of my witches.”
“No, before. Why did you come looking for me the first time?” Eliza asked, stopping them both. “I could never understand just why I was so important that you had to come and get me yourself. I heard from the other witches that you sent representatives to bring them to the shade, but with me, you came yourself. Why?”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Oye asked as she and the others had stopped behind them.
Lanias didn’t answer her, appearing oddly insecure before she smirked. “It’s the same answer as before because you're one of us.”
“Then, like now, I can tell you’re lying,” Eliza sharply retorted. “There is something you’re avoiding telling me, even before when I would ask you. You’d change the subject or avoid it. I want to know the truth; why did you come for me, Lanias?”
Lanias's lips quirked up in the corner. “Why do you think?”
“Because maybe, just maybe, you know about the key?” Eliza accused.
“Eliza, come on. You’re not feeling well; you just got out of the hospital,” Oye tried to interrupt, but Eliza wouldn’t have it. “Eliza, let’s talk about this back at the cabin?—”
“That prophecy,” she said, cutting Oye off. “It’s about the key, that thing they were so desperate to make me into isn’t it.”
Lanias changed from humored to exasperated as she placed her hands on her hips. “Key? What Key?”
“Two guys came here, I think…I think they were unseelie,” Eliza explained, her mind racing. “One of them said I was the key, and then the other one said I wasn’t but that my blood smelled the same.”
“Unseelie?” Sabina repeated, taking a step toward them. “You’ve met those brothers?”
Eliza looked at her, “Brothers?”
Sabina nodded. “Yeah, they work for his lordship, but something tells me they also have their own scheme going on.”
Looking back at Lanias, Eliza glared at her. “You know something, don’t you?”
“Let’s say I do,” Lanias said, looking away from Eliza. “I also know just how dangerous that person is. I know that for you and everyone here to be safe, it’s best for you to remain out of it.”
Meeting Eliza’s gaze with a sincere one of her own, she added, “You’re happy here, just like my cousin and sister are. There isn’t any need for you to do anything other than enjoy it. Let the rest of us who have nothing to lose do the heavy lifting.”
“I hate it,” Eliza shouted.
Lanias showed surprise at her sudden outburst. “What?”
“I hate this feeling of weakness,” Eliza said, pressing her hand to her chest. “I always thought I was strong, like I survived well, didn’t I? But when it matters, when it really matters, I’m always the one who’s being protected.” She cursed her own weakness; she’d been beaten, and yet, still, she would have others protect her. “I hate it.”
“Eliza—.” They all stared at her confused.
“You-you.” Eliza couldn’t move from where she stood, staring down at Ashe’s body. Her friend’s eyes were empty of life; she wanted to scream and tear herself apart, but she couldn’t. Her body wasn’t under her control; she tried to look away from the broken body thing at her feet. The crowd of demons cheered. Those who’d betted on her eagerly taking winnings home.
“Eliza.” She turned her head, her body stiff. “Come to me.” She couldn’t even cry unless he let her; she walked away just like that, even as she raged inside her body. She didn’t once look at the others she’d broken, stomped on, and torn apart to prove her strength.
Phen reached out, pressing a hand to her cheek. His eyes glowed with a possession she wanted to scream against; her heart was scared, shredded to pieces. She wanted to slap his hand away; she wanted to wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze till it was crushed in her hands.
Die.
Die!
Diiieeee!
“Eliza?”
She slapped the hand on her shoulder off, lifting her tear-filled eyes to Lanias’ face. Enraged, she glared at her.
“I’ll do it myself. I’ll bury them myself.” She snarled as a wave of power left her, causing the three women to exclaim in surprise when they were pushed back. “I’m going to end this!”
“Shit, Oye!” Lanias yelled.
Oye, with quick thinking, created a large hammer in the blink of an eye and brought it down, only for it to be blocked by a white shield.
“You are ready.” Eliza felt her body shudder as she felt the goddess's presence inside her. “It is time to leave.”
Eliza watched as a spinning light appeared in front of her, spiraling in fragments until it turned into a book that floated before him. “I’m going to end this tonight and no one’s going to get in the way of my revenge,” she muttered as she placed her hand on it.
Raising her head, she met Lanias's frustrated stare through the arms she’d raised to block the growing wind coming from her. “I’ve decided I don’t want to be protected; I don’t need it.”
“Dammit, don’t do this, Eliza.” Lanias quickly sent one of her shadow tendrils to lash around her ankle.
“Too late,” Eliza taunted, just as her body was wrapped in bright light and she disappeared.
“Sabina,” Lanias shouted, tossing a coin towards her. “Carry that it will keep track of me and—" Her words were abruptly cut off when she disappeared.
“Lanias? Eliza?” Sabina staggered forward once the powerful wind that had spun up around Eliza had dropped; blankly, she stared at where they’d just been. “What just happened?”
“I want to know the same thing,” Oye complained, cursing as she pressed a hand against her forehead where a rock had cut it. “Dammit, one minute she was fine, and the next she snapped.”
Lydia winced from where she’d been thrown when the magic of Elizas had shoved her down; coming to her feet, she grumbled. “I think we should go back; we need to tell the others what happened.”
“Let’s hurry,” Oye said, glancing at Sabina’s hand where she held a coin, “We don’t know how long the Magic will last on that.”
Together, the three quickly went back to the Main Hall.
“Why did you come with me?” Eliza demanded the minute she stepped out of the light.
Lanias staggered forward beside her, placing her hands on her knees. She tried to catch her breath. “You thought you were just going to make that announcement and disappear.” She straightened and shot Eliza an annoyed look. “You’re not a teenager, don’t be so reckless.”
Eliza glared at her. “I’m not being reckless. I’m going to end this." She raised her hand, a shiny ball of light radiating at the center of it. “I’m more than capable.”
“Oh, is that right?”
Both of them whipped around to see a stranger standing before a large window. Behind him, they could see a thick forest, but what caught their attention was the large structure that rose high above it. Large rings crossed above a large pillar in the center. The pillars themselves were shell pink.
Eliza started in a stunned voice. “Is that?—”
“Magic Stone,” Lanias finished.
“That’s probably what they needed the werewolves for,” Lanias mused out loud. “They’re the only beings that can mine magic stones or be around it for long periods of time without them being cleansed first.”
“Of course, the fourth demon of Veil City figure it out with only a small glimpse.” The cloaked stranger cackled. “Well, since you know what it is, why not tell me what its function is?” they queried as they raised up a book.
Eliza immediately fixed her gaze on it.
“If you tell me, I’ll give you this book. This is what you came for, right,” they added.
Eliza stepped forward. “You’re the one behind all this,” she accused, simultaneously firing off a spell.
“Eliza, no,” Lanias shouted.
Before Eliza could dodge, a black spell slammed into her stomach, and she flew back. Lanias ripped the shadows from the walls, quickly maneuvering them to catch her midair. With her safely wrapped in their grip, she slowly lowered her down.
“Hot-headed and stupid, as most of you diluted bastards are.” His Lordship yanked his hood back. He grinned; his eyes completely void of emotion aside from a trace of sick narcissism and pleasure. “To think, you believe your realm to be superior.”
Eliza and Lanias froze at the sight of his face, both of them recognizing him from posters all over the city. Golden locs framed a handsome yet weathered face. Many had admired his never-fading handsome looks, so much so that he’d earned the title “Golden Councilman.”
“Legolas?” Lanias whispered in shock.
Releasing a high-pitched screeching laughter, he lifted the book and lit it on fire. Those golden eyes bled black, reflecting the flickering flame, and his rosy pale skin changed to a deathly white color as the golden blonde locs slowly stained with black. “My plan is near fruition, so which one of you will be my key? I have plotted for many years to get home, and those Unseelie tell me both of you have traits perfect to be my sacrifice.”
Lanias braced herself, along with Eliza, who’d finally regained her strength. “Looks like we don’t have a choice now,” she groused.
Eliza nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Lanias offered her a smile. “Buy me a drink in apology.”
“Now.” Legolas’s figure flickered and reappeared with a hand’s width distance from Eliza. Grabbing her by the throat, hoisted her up. “Let’s test your powers.”