Chapter 41 #2
“Yep, everything is fine,” I tell him getting sick of everyone worrying.
I feel normal, more normal than I have in ages.
It’s a good thing, so I don’t understand why everyone are so worried.
Walking back into the kitchen, I sit at the bench and continue eating my toast and drinking my coffee.
Josiah and Theo are over in the corner sending me nervous glances and I know they are talking about me.
Tobias comes over and places his hands on my shoulders, making me look up at him.
“What are they talking about?” I ask, and he leans down and kisses the side of my mouth.
“Nothing you need to worry about right now.” I let it go, figuring they will tell me when they are ready.
Once everyone is dressed, we head to the car.
The drive to the abandoned block takes forever and I drift off to sleep.
I wake with my head in Theo’s lap when he shakes my shoulder.
Sitting up, I yawn and stretch, my back aching from the seat belt clicker digging into my back.
Walking through the broken gate, I am sucked into my new surroundings. It isn’t as scary this time since I know what to expect. Percy, a huge grin splitting onto his face, greets us, and Theo tosses him a paper bag which he happily catches before pulling out a stick of red licorice.
“Do you just carry random paper baggies around with candy?” I ask him. He smiles and shakes his head.
“No, but Percy never leaves the council grounds, so I always make sure I have them when I come here.” On the way to the council chambers, we are stopped multiple times by different people.
I can tell just by how many people come over to us that Josiah has a pretty enormous influence on the people who live here, and they respect him, when an elderly lady stops us just outside.
I have a strange feeling rushing over me.
The old woman shakes Josiah’s hand before looking at me.
She has the palest gray eyes I’ve ever seen, her white hair pulled back in a long ponytail that reached past her bum.
I can’t help but observe her, and can't seem to pull my gaze from hers. She, too, watches me like she is shocked at what she is seeing. When she doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, Josiah calls her attention away, to introduce us.
“Imogen, this Astral,” he tells me, and she puts her hand out for me to shake.
I place my hand in hers and her eyes turn completely white.
She doesn’t scare me, though; in fact, I feel really relaxed in her presence, like day dreamy.
She grabs my hand tightly with both of hers, and I see Tobias and Theo step closer, worried.
But I brush them off and they remain where they stand.
I can’t explain it, but I feel a connection to her in some way, like we are sort of the same.
I just didn’t understand why I feel that way.
When her eyes refocus, she smiles. “Been awhile since I found another spirit user. That bracelet won’t hold your magic for long, dear. Don’t fear it. Embrace it. Your mates will keep its darkness away,” she says like it is a normal conversation and she asked how I like my tea.
“Spirit?” Theo asks, stepping forward.
“Yes, Theo, she is the same as me. For now, she has trapped her magic , but it can’t stay that way. The longer she leaves it in that bracelet, the worse it will get and the closer she will get to death.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, frightened.
“The magic , dear, spirit can drive someone mad. It’s the strongest elemental of magic there is.”
I shake my head, not understanding.
“But she is a vampire?” asks Theo, confused as I am. I can see Josiah thinking, his hand rubbing his chin like he is deep in thought.
“Of course, she is, but the magic will taint her, turn her dark. Spirit isn’t an element, more of a life force of every living thing.
Imogen technically died, the DNA and her magic brought her back.
Because she is unnatural, it taints her magic .
To use spirit, it pulls at your life essence; because she is part vampire it pulls on the energy she draws around herself.
Whatever emotion she feels her magic draws on it, amplifying it to create enough energy.
Everything has a balance. Spirit is living while you are dead there isn’t meant to be an in between, you can’t be both.
You need to choose, choose which parts of yourself to give to it or whether to give it up completely. ”
“I still don’t understand?” I told her.
“You will, dear, but the longer you leave your magic , the closer you get to becoming human, and the fact that you're still partly a vampire, I’m assuming you already died. Humans don’t come back to life once they are dead.
When you sent your magic into the bracelet, you sent your vampirism with it,” she tells me.
“So, I am human?” I ask, becoming more confused. The woman shakes her head.
“Not yet, but the longer you leave it, it will take its toll on you, and it will revert you to who you once were.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I’m an Oracle. I saw it when I grabbed your hand. I knew as soon as I saw you that you were a spirit user. Your aura is white, but I can see the darkness that surrounds you, the darkness you trapped in your bracelet.”
Turina trots down the steps toward us, “Time to go, I am sure I will see you again, Imogen, but for now you must stand up for what is right, for now you have a bigger purpose, and it isn’t talking to me,” she says walking away.
Josiah waves his hand to Turina to let her know we are coming.
I tried to think of what she meant about me coming closer to death.
The thought is horrifying but how do I fix that?
I get little time to ponder before we are escorted into what reminds me of a courtroom, except instead of one judge, there were nine seats lined up along the bench.
Only one is empty. Two women and six men sit along the bench as we approach. Taking our seats, they glance at us before resuming their conversation. I can tell they must be elders as they all hold a certain air of authority.
He wears black robes and has a cruel smile on his face.
When his eyes land on Josiah, he smirks, and Josiah growls lowly.
I know then he is Christopher. The two women sitting on either side of him looked bored, like they couldn’t really care less about what is going on and wants to be anywhere other than where they sit.
The elderly white-haired man on the end looks like he is about to take a nap as he keeps leaning back in his chair.
The four men all sit staring us down while listening to the man speaking. Theo places his hand on my shoulder and the door at the side opens and Bianca struts out, taking a seat at the bench next to the man with red hair and freckles.
“As everyone is aware, after we lost Alaric a seat at the council opened. And since no one stands up for the position, I have appointed Bianca to take her rightful position at the table. One of the women scoffs at his words, and I can tell she didn’t agree about Bianca’s right to the position as she sent her a glare.
Bianca rolled her eyes at the dark-haired woman and makes me wonder what Bianca did that made an elder all but laugh at Bianca’s title?
“Josiah, I know you are here to appeal my decision, so say your piece. So we can get this over with and Bianca can take her rightful place on the council.” I can tell by what he says he will not be changing his mind about giving the spot to her.
Josiah stands explaining why she shouldn’t be elected and that she should be held accountable for her crimes not rewarded.
But nothing he says seemed to get through to any of the men, yet both women were nodding and agreeing with Josiah.
When he was finished, they called a vote and no surprise all the men on the council voted in favor of Bianca. Everything Josiah explains I can tell is a waste of time and in no way does anyone care for her crimes. When Christopher says his decision remains.
The dark-haired woman stands and glares at him. She is very intimidating when angry, and she looks on the verge of jumping across the bench and attacking the other council members.
Josiah is standing now too, also angry as he shakes his head before saying it is unjust and they should strip her of her new title.
The man next to the woman stands. His red hair and smattering of freckles make him look younger and around Tobias’s age, but age doesn’t really matter in this world; chances are he is probably centuries old. He has an Irish accent.
“Nothing can be done, Mara, she has every right to the position. Alaric only holds the position because she handed it to him. It is her birthright to take back up the position now that Alaric is dead,” he tries to tell her.
“She has broken our laws; laws you helped write and you’re going to let her take a seat back on the council just because of who her father is?” she screamed in anger.