CONFRONTATION
38
- KAILU -
H ope surges through my veins, but it will all be for naught if we don’t find a way to break the prophecy without Alanis dying.
“Can we fulfill this prophecy without the sacrifice it mentions?” I ask.
The matriarch purses her lips. “The Fates wrote all our stories long ago. They are the keeper of everyone’s futures. They do not take kindly to those who disregard their wishes.”
Malakai snorts. “No one has seen the Fates in millennia. I do not care what they want. Is there a way to break it or not?”
Alanis places a calming hand on Malakai’s arm, trying to tame the beast inside him that is itching to come out.
“There are certain loopholes that could be taken,” the matriarch says, “but a prophecy of this magnitude would take time to create one.”
“How long?” I snap.
“Months, if not longer. Prophecies are delicate, so if you don’t create the loophole correctly, it could destroy everyone involved.”
Alanis’s shoulders slump. My heart thuds in my chest.
The king speaks now. “Iclas is on the move with his forces. Any idea where he plans for this war to take place?”
The matriarch turns to the other woman at the table. “My psychic would know more than I.”
The psychic Witch’s eyes turn to black, her face tipped towards the ceiling. Her body goes taut, veins bulging in her neck and temples. We all wait in tense silence before her gaze lands on Alanis.
“The prophecy will be fulfilled on a golden field drenched in blood.”
Alanis’s grandmother flicks a flame over her fingertips, much like Alanis did not long ago when we were training. “That’s enough. We are leaving. The coven will come when you call for us, Your Majesty, but until then, we must prepare.”
- ALANIS -
The matriarch eyes me with cool assessment. “You look just like your mother. Turns out you’re also just as much of a disappointment. Choosing a man over your powers.” She makes a tsking sound.
I stand, my anger rising to the surface. “Funny, I don’t remember asking or caring about your opinion. My father gives his regards.”
The matriarch’s eyes widen, making me wonder if she ever discovered my father’s true identity. My guess would be no by the curious glint in her gaze.
“You’ve met him?” Her voice is deep and ancient, but she doesn’t look a day over sixty.
I smirk, my heart pounding through my ribs. “I’ll make sure to let him know how disappointed you are in me, even though you don’t know a damn thing about me.”
Seriously though, fuck this old bitch.
Her eyes flare red, fire igniting at her fingertips. She may be powerful because she’s been around for centuries honing her magic, but I have raw power coursing through my veins thanks to my father. The small amount of training has helped; I’ve worked for hours on learning to wield and control it, the more I practice the better I will get.
So far, I’ve learned sadness lets me use ice. Anger links to wind. Frustration is tied to fire and nervousness to earth. I wonder what would happen if I let my overwhelming feelings of loneliness and betrayal take over my system. I let the memories flow through my mind, every person to ever leave or abandon me. All the death I’ve encountered.
I feel my power like a liquid heat running rampant through me. Malakai and Kailu both stand, preparing to defend me. But I don’t need them to save me.
I learned long ago that I can only depend on myself, and no matter how much I love them, I will never depend entirely on either to keep me alive. They all need to know I’m strong enough to fend for myself.
Before anyone can make a move, and before that old bitch can release her powers, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I filter every memory into my powers. And when I thrust my hands out, a giant gust of wind throws her back, trapping her against the wall. I dive into my emotions further, letting them all bubble to the surface. Ice shoots from my fingers, the shards pinning her to the wall by her dress. A liquid heat builds in my body, sliding down my arms and into my hands. Water encapsulates her, essentially drowning her on dry land.
Her eyes are wide, her fear slithering through the room like a living entity. She gulps for air, not able to take a full breath before more water suffocates her.
I count in my head, waiting for the perfect moment. My body thrums in anticipation. I lock eyes with the king, and he nods. It’s such a small movement that I almost miss it.
He’s helping me, letting me know that the matriarch has had enough. I never did learn what the king’s powers were, but now I can see it. He has some type of illusionary magic. The matriarch’s psychic now sits in such a still, trancelike state that she must be under some type of power or hallucination to not attempt to intervene.
I drop my hands, letting the water splash to the floor in a waterfall. The matriarch falls to her knees, gasping for breath. She turns panicked eyes to me.
I give her a small smile. “I was expecting so much more from the matriarch of the strongest coven. I think maybe it’s me who should be disappointed in you .” I walk closer and kneel so we’re eye level. “Don’t insult people you don’t know. It’s rude.”
With that I leave the room, exhausted from the exertion of power and the emotional face-off with my grandmother. I head to the bedroom I share with Malakai and Kailu. Mal moved us in a few nights ago and has made it clear I am never allowed to leave it, unless we are staying at his home in town. I sit on the edge of the bed, quickly scrawling a note to my father.
I am just heading back up the stairs after sending it through messenger when a figure slams me up against the wall.