Chapter 69

Cameron's Point Of View

I still believed this was crazy. Hell, this was the craziest idea I had heard in ages. And to say I was worried was an understatement. I was terrified. I had complete faith in Davina and her plan, but that wasn't enough to evade the fear in my heart. This wasn't our typical walk in the park. This was dangerous. If anything went wrong we wouldn't just have Idalak to deal with but crazy ass Rowena still driven with her hate and hunger for dark magic.

I sighed.

I leaned against the Council's round table with my intertwined together setting under my chin. The courtroom was as silent as a graveyard. This silence has lingered for almost twenty minutes now since Davina and Rhona had explained to them everything she had told me. And still, no one had uttered a single word.

Elder Alex was the first to speak. His gaze scanned through our quiet faces before he cleared his throat. “Traveling back into the past,” He released a deep breath. “It's dangerous. If anything goes wrong. It could alter so much,”

“I know the risks involved. And you're right. Going back in time could alter several chains of events. But I know exactly what we stand to lose, nothing will go wrong,” My mate replied confidently and the courtroom returned to silence.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. I do understand that. But I'm more worried about Rowena. She's not someone to be taken lightly, we all know exactly what she's capable of,” Philip's voice filled the courtroom.

“Rowena should be the least of our concerns. I will see to it she won't be a problem,” Davina answers again.

And after a series of several questions, Elder Walter's eyes met my gaze. “What do you think about this, Alpha?”

My eyes flickered over to my mate. “It's dangerous and there's so much risk involved. But our lives are at stake. And please, let's be honest here. Everyone would rather take this risk than wait for a future where this darkness wins, and there's nothing left of our world. We've wasted enough time already sleeping on this topic, we should be more focused on strategizing a proof plan that'll ensure nothing goes wrong,”

“I agree with the Alpha King. This is the only option we have, and we should do something rather than do nothing at all,” Mirabel said, and we waited for the others' decision.

Slowly, everyone agreed and we were now on the same page, the only question now was finding Rowena's most loyal siphon witch, Emily.

******

Davina's Point Of View

Ever Since that night, I had taken a glimpse of Cirilla's memory, I hadn't had a single moment of peace. The only emotions that easily seemed to dominate me were rage and pain. It killed me completely to watch how miserable my daughter lived all her life. And at the same time, I felt an uncontrollable anger.

At first, it was directed at the fact that I wasn't the one who had the pleasure of ripping Jasmine's heart out for the pain she caused me. But I had to console myself with the sole thought of finding Emily, the siphon witch who performed the dark magic that took my baby from me and placed it in the bloody she-wolf.

I pulled up my ankle boots, fastening their ropes.

Emily had always been a clever little witch. It had been difficult locating her through magic, but I always knew one day she would come to me instead because I still had Rowena's skeletal remains and I would finally get the revenge I wanted, hoping it would bring me the peace I craved for.

But one thing was for sure, I never expected that day to be today. Nor did I expect I would see Rowena again, although I couldn't deny, I didn't exactly detest the idea.

Maybe this was what I desperately needed to restore myself. To finally heal, get back my happiness and peace, and rid myself of the guilt I had always carried next to my heart for not being able to protect my daughter that night. For being powerless to change her fate.

But I swear to the moon goddess and all things sacred, I would never be that powerless to protect the people I loved again. It didn't matter what our future held in the visions I saw, one thing I was sure about was that they were just visions. They were warnings of the future and can be changed at any cost.

As I was done with my boots, I strutted to the bed to grab the small backpack I was taking with me. It only held a few supplies for the spell Rowena and I needed to anchor, the Phoenix stone, and my family's grimoire. But there was one thing I was missing at the moment. Cirilla's blood.

And as if on cue, the door pulled open and Cirilla and Theo roved in.

“Wow mum,” Theo whistled, a playful grin on his lips as his amber eyes identical to Cameron's sparkled. “You look hot and ready to kill,” He commented, and I smiled.

“Be careful and don't let your father hear you,” I said, my smile running deeper.

“Don't worry mum, Dad has absolutely nothing on me,” He chuckled and I turned my gaze to Cirilla's.

“Here,” Ciri stretched her hand, handing me the vial with her blood. Her blood was the only guarantee I needed that even if Asula recreated the phoenix blade, it would be lethal enough to stop Idalak momentarily. Her blood was the weakness we needed. Idalak's very own weakness.

“Are you sure this is going to work? There'll be no repercussions. What if you end up in a different timeline?” She speaks so fast, bombarding me with so many questions and instead, I feel my eyes almost well in tears.

Gosh, I was a teary mess of late, but it was a beautiful emotion watching her worry about me.

“Yes, it's going to work. Hopefully, there'll be no repercussions cause I'm not going to alter anything from the past. I just need her to make the phoenix blade remember and as for the timeline, well I hope I don't end up with dinosaurs,” I joked, hoping to ease their worries because frankly, nothing I was about to do was as easy as it sounded. “But seriously, I have my Grimore and in there, I know exactly in what year Asula had it,”

“It doesn't seem like a good idea going alone. Uncle Ben should come with you,” Theo said with arms crossed over his chest.

“He can't. And I need him here. There's something important he needs to do,” I tried not to go deep into details. Neither Ciri nor Theo knew anything about Rowena's existence at all and I loved it to stay that way.

“Come here you two,” I stretched both my hands, and they took it. “I'm going to be fine. And this is going to work. So have a little faith in me alright,”

I hugged them, and just in time, Cameron appeared. As the kids gave us the room, I turned to meet the worrisome gaze I knew he would have.

“I can handle myself, Cam.,” I said, gripping his jacket, and pulling him down a little so he could kiss me.

“I know you can handle yourself. But please, just come back to me safe. I would die if I lost you. You are my world, Davina. My very own compass and life. Without you, I'm lost. Don't forget that,” He said slowly, his sweet breath in my lungs and his words squeezing the life from me.

Tears found their way to my eyes easily. I couldn't trust myself to speak, so I nodded. “I'm doing this for us,” I muttered against his lips. I needed him to know that.

“I know,” His lips touched mine again, and the tears in my eyes slid down.

“I promise you I'll be back and we'll be fine. As you know already, not even death can tear us apart. We are all we need,” I added again, and this time, his tongue slid deep into my mouth, his kisses unraveling me.

“And I love you, my little witch,” His eyes filled with unshed tears.

“I love you more Cameron. So much more,”

We finally took control of our emotions and headed downstairs, meeting everyone outside the mansion. Roe, Neela, Blake, and Carter standing together with Mitch, Theo, Rhona, and Cole. Right next to them was Asher and in his arms, Ciri.

“Not sure how long you'll take, but we packed some food,” Gabi said and I turned to look at the bag Lizzy was handing to me.

I smiled. “Thanks, guys,”

After a few hugs and kisses, Benjamin and I drove off in the SUV. We had to make a stop at old Granny Lydia’s antique shop in town which she had left under my name before she died.

Benjamin packed the car by the street, and I grabbed the keys to the shop and opened it. The place was as neat as usual from the daily cleanup. I headed to the round table in the middle, removing a vase of fresh flowers while Benjamin went round the shop grabbing some witch ingredients we would need.

I inhaled, going through everything once more in my head, covering every loose end or loophole that could emerge. There was no room for errors once I left this place.

The plan was simple but the spell was way too complicated. It required a large amount of similar magic to travel through time and find Asula. Cirilla and Rowena were the last of Amnell's witches, and while my daughter was the safest option, I would never risk her life in this. So, unfortunately, Rowena was the last option and the only witch whose magic complimented mine to open the portal.

The dark magic running through her veins was a bonus and our magic channeled together would be enough to get through the portal.

But first of all, I needed Rowena back. Knowing Auntie Dearest, she must have made some contingent plans that night like she always did in case something happened to her. That clearly explained why Emily had been searching for Rowena's remains all through the years. So I needed Emily

“Hey,” Benjamin's call broke me from my thoughts. His deep hazel eyes were on me. “You are doing the right thing Davina Amnell. Trust yourself, you are the best witch I know. And I know a lot, so you got this,” He began packing the few supplies we picked up into the bag.

I couldn't stop my smile. “Did you just try to stroke my ego, Benjamin?”

“Did it work?”

“Maybe,”

There was an almost invisible smile on his lips. “Then I guess I should do that more often,” He grabbed the bag. “I'll send you a text as soon as I'm done,” He said, moving to the door, before turning around. “Good luck, Davi,”

I nodded and watched him leave. Immediately, I packed up as well, shutting my eyes and muttering some chants in my native Creole language. Soon, my surroundings began to change, and by the time I opened my eyes, I found myself in the familiar surroundings of Wuslip Woods in Georgia. And up ahead was a cave.

I walked on my ankle boots towards the cave. I took off the protective spell that concealed the cave and hid it away from any form of magical location. There was also a sealing spell cast on the woods surrounding the cave. It was the best measure to prevent anyone from taking the coffin and leaving the forest.

I went deeper into the cave as soon as I entered, each torch hanging on the wall lighting up at every step, illuminating the cave, and the red candles that surrounded the brown coffin in the middle of the cave burned alive.

My fingers trailed the ancestral symbol of the Amnell clan on the coffin. I could feel the intense magic binding the coffin.

I smiled. Very soon, Rowena. Very soon.

I left the cave without placing the protective spell back on. I knew it was only a matter of time before the very witch I was so eager to see would finally resurface.

I went hunting throughout the woods for some quick lunch and thankfully, the deer I caught would do just fine, although I wished I had some actual blood instead.

By the time I was done, the sun had begun to retire for the day, and for the first time since I had been here for hours, I felt a heartbeat within the woods.

Finally, she was here.

Wiping off my lips with the back of my hand, I took off in speed, and in half a second, I was in front of the cave.

I took a sniff of the witch's scent that still lingered in the air, bringing back memories.

Quietly, I walked into the cave, and expectantly, my blue eyes fell on Emily, standing next to the coffin, about to do some kind of spell.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” My voice echoed through the cave, and Emily's hands froze midair. Shock registered in her purple eyes. “Oh, manners. Hello Emily. It's been an awful long time, eighteen years is it?” I said delightfully, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

*****

Davina's Point Of View

“Oh, my manners. Hello Emily. It's been an awful long time, eighteen years is it?” I said, tilting my head a little, slightly resting on the cave walls.

“You… What the hell…” I watched her recover from her shock, her heart racing and her calculative eyes already brewing evil. I could tell exactly what she was thinking before she acted.

Swiftly, she lifted her hands and sent a jolt of energy towards me but quickly I raised a protective shield around me and redirected her very own attack back to her. Before she could stop it, it threw her against the wall.

I extended my fangs, bringing my palm to them, I bit into my flesh just enough to get my blood out, and used my blood to draw a symbol on the wall, lifting the protection spell on the cave, and momentarily stripping her of her magic as long as she'

was within these walls.

I moved closer to Rowena's coffin as she dusted herself from the ground. I place a hand on the coffin, turning to Emily. “Think smartly about your next course of action, Emily. This cave has been thoroughly spelled. You may have willingly waltzed in here with your two feet, but you cannot leave without my permission,” I broke the news to her without faltering in my smile.

“You bloody witch!” Slowly, she walked around the coffin cautiously, standing right opposite the other side of the coffin. “You intentionally wanted me here. Is she even in there? What do you want from me bitch!”

I chuckled. “What do I want from you? It's simple, Emily. Nothing. Instead—” I took a step closer to the coffin, and she took a step farther from it. It made me smile, but I continued. “I want to help you,”

Her brows were crippled, but she didn't utter a word.

“I will cut right to the chase. You've been searching for Rowena all these years because you have a way to bring her back. And that's why you are here. And now you are going to bring her back Emily,”

She remained silent. A storm of questions in her eyes but she didn't say a word. Just regarded me, trying to figure me out and when she realized she couldn't get anything from me, she took several steps forward, placing her hands on the coffin.

“What are you playing at?” She bit out, clearly exasperated.

But I remained calm. “I don't have time for games, Emily. You want Rowena back, and I want the same thing,”

“Why?” She asked before a dainty smile appeared on her lips. “Because of her isn't it? That spoiled little brat, she's the reason you are willing to make a deal with the devil isn't it?”

I balled my fists, clenching my jaw at her choice of words in speaking about my daughter. But now wasn't the time to get riled up. “That doesn't concern you. Except if you are eager to face the same end Emma did,” I said calmly, bringing up her sister's name. After all, Emma's death was the reason she hated Cameron and me.

Emma deserved it though. They were twin siphon witches and loyal minions of Rowena. The day Cameron ripped out Emma's heart was the day this war became too personal for Emily.

Her purple eyes burned with fury and resentment. But I could see she was fighting her rage and I took joy in every second of her pain. She wasn't stupid enough to fight me.

“One day Davina. I swear one day, I'll get to shut those lips of yours permanently,” She breathed in, smiling evilly.

“Sure Emily, I'll look forward to it,”

“I need to be certain she's in there,” She looked at me. “I couldn't get it open,”

“No one can,” I leaned against the wall, with my hands folded against my chest. “I placed a spell on it. A spell unique to my bloodline that only allows an Amnell witch to unseal the coffin. And you're not it,”

“You are right. I have a way to bring Rowena back to life,” She trailed her fingers on the coffin.

“How?” I raised a curious brow.

She smiled like we had suddenly become besties and she was about to disclose her darkest secrets. “It was the Queen's contingent plan. Just in case something went wrong. She anchored a powerful ancient spell, binding her soul to a talisman for protection. And at the point of death, her soul deviates to the talisman where I would be able to retrieve it and return it to her body once I have it,”

I chuckled. Of course, Rowena would do something like that.

“Where's this talisman?” I queried, knowing she wouldn't be so dumb to tell me.

“Has eighteen years of longing for your stolen daughter messed up with your sanity? There's no way I'm telling you anything not until I get out of here,”

“I could easily rip that information out from your memory,”

“Try it and you'll regret it,” She threw her weightless threat at me.

I rolled my eyes as I rested on the small black necklace around her neck.

“It's sunset already. You'll be performing the spell here,” I walked around the coffin to stand right in front of her. My hand stroked her hair and gripped her chin tightly. “Act smartly Emily. One wrong move from you and you will not get to breathe your next,”

“You do not scare me, Davina,” She shoved my hand away, but I already got what I wanted. “You know what kept me sane all these years?” Her lips twitched again into a dark smile, not waiting for my response, she added. “The look of pain on your face the night I ripped your bastard child away from your stomach, and placed it in that foolish ex-she wolf,” She laughed.

I wanted to unleash the demon within me. To grab her by the throat and tear her to unrecognizable pieces. But in the end. I did not. And sincerely, I had no idea how I took a step back, and walked away. Sometimes, the best revenge wasn't served hot in the fleeting heat of rage.

“I'm curious, Davina. What kept you sane all these years? Knowing your daughter was living with your enemy calling her mum and not having a single clue what stories were told about you?” She laughed again and I turned to face her.

Soon Emily. I'll give a befitting response to your question and I swear it would be the truth.

“Don't you get tired of spewing out nonsense? Let's get to work, alright,” I snapped my fingers and we were transported to a clearing within the woods where I had kept some ingredients that I suspected she would need for the spell.

Her smile enlarged as she tested her magic and it was working. She threw me a look that meant danger.

“Just to be informed. The forest is also spelled. You can't leave without my permission either and the slightest attempt to counter the spell would result in your instant demise,” I warned.

“Let's get to work then,” Her purple eyes flashed with mischief.