Chapter 59

Cameron's Point of View

Silence flooded the court as everyone settled in their seats. It was a small circle of friends we had fought side by side and now call family. We had called an urgent meeting within the pack to bring everyone up to speed on the new situation and discuss what to do next.

It was barely up to twenty-four since we got our little girl back, but the news had spread faster than a wildfire. Ever since the prophecy leaked out from the walls of the Council, my daughter has become a target for many. The pack borders have always been heavily guarded, and though I knew no one was stupid enough to bring some trouble unless they were seeking death, I still had some reservations about the Council.

Everyone was scared, and I didn't blame them. The rate at which more ranking officials have been dying the last few days has increased by triple, but there was no way we could ever beat this darkness if we didn't stay on the same page, and they finally understood that there was no way in hell anyone was laying a cursed finger on my daughter.

“What did you see?” Gabi leaned against the table, asking, and once more, everyone’s attention was back on Davina.

“I saw the end of everything we know and everyone we love. It was brutal. There was no saving any one of us. This darkness plans to unleash hell on Earth. And if we don't do it now, it might be too late.”

“Oh Goddess, it's that bad?” I heard Cole's second chance mate, Rosalie, speak next to him.

Davina settled in the seat closest to me, her hands linked together. “When Cyrene touched me, she used the last breath of her magic to show me her visions.”

"Of what's to come for all of us?” Allegra's whispers filled the air quietly.

I shut my eyes as I felt the pressure on my chest, remembering everything Davina told me last night. Things were just bad; they were the worst. And for the first time in my life, I didn't know how we would get through this, but we had to. We didn't come this far to lose everything. Not when it concerned the very people I'd give whatever was left of my soul for.

Davina nodded, and a cold silence settled among us. “Cyrene’s visions were a warning. The prophecy didn't lie. My daughter plays a key role in it. I don't know how it was possible or what connection there could be, but my daughter's birth awakened something that should have remained trapped. This darkness. And it's here among us. It's not going to be easy. I don't know how we'll fight something that we have no idea how to defeat, but I know that just as Cirilla is the source, somehow she's also what we need.”

“You think she's his weakness?”

“She has to be,”

There was a deep silence before Mitch's voice filled the court. “This darkness? It's the one responsible for the deaths.”

Davina nodded. “It's called a rite of darkness ritual.”

“What?” Rhona shifted in her seat. “That's a dark ancient ritual; there's no way anyone can know about it; it was abolished many years ago before the new Council was formed. How is it possible?”

“This darkness knows about it. It's been around for a very long time. A thousand years ago, before the old council was ever formed,” Another silence flooded the room as Davina explained everything she knew, starting from Idalak and Thalia’s birth to even being banished into the void. No one interrupted her; there were only a couple of shocked gasps.

“And now, Thalia's dead. Idalak killed her, and I have no idea why. Or what Thalia wanted with my daughter, or what happened in Ardgal yet. I haven't spoken to Cirilla yet.”

“What about the Council?” Carter asked. “Do they know about any of this?”

“Not yet,” I replied. The council had called for an urgent meeting this morning, but I declined right away. Everyone knew what the reason was, to place my daughter on a sacrificial platter. “Not until we figure—” My words were cut off as I felt Theo trying to connect with me through the mind link.

I accepted his link.

‘Dad!’

‘Is something wrong? I am in the middle of a meeting, Theo,’

‘It’s Ciri. She wants to speak to you; it seems pretty urgent,’

‘Now?’

‘Yes. It's about what happened in Ardgal,’

‘We are in the courtroom. You may bring her,’

My gaze fell back to the small circle around the table. “Cirilla's coming here. She has something to tell us regarding Thalia and what happened in Ardgal.”

It didn't take up to a minute when I felt them behind the door, and Theo opened, walking in, and behind was Cirilla.

The instant she walked in, the weight of everyone's stare fell on her. I could feel almost everyone restrained from ambushing her, especially Lizzy and Gabi; they couldn't even hide their elation.

We had hoped she'd join us for breakfast this morning, but she didn't, and I got it. All this was still so new and soon for her, but regardless, I still couldn't believe our little princess was right in front of us.

This was a reality I hadn't gotten used to.

From the corner of the room, Benjamin cleared his throat, bringing everyone's focus back to the room and the reason she was here.

“Theo mentioned you have something to tell us about Ardgal.” As my words reached her, she scanned everyone in the room.

“It's alright; there's nothing to hide. You can trust everyone here; they’re family,” Davina said as she offered her a seat. “What happened, Cirilla?”

She took the seat next to Theo and started. “It’s about Mason.”

“You mean Idalak?” Rhona asked, and she spared Davina and me a glance before nodding.

“That's what Kali—Thalia called him.” She continued. “When I met Mason, I didn't know what or who he was. But he knew me—who I was—before I even had an idea. But things didn't go as he planned and when I found out he's the one who has been after me, I escaped from him and ended up meeting Kali. I got to know about the prophecy from her and everything else. I know somehow everything that's going on is because of me. I awakened something I shouldn't have, and now it killed Kali, and what Mason desperately wants is to reclaim his powers and tear down the void, unleashing the hell he created there. If he succeeds, we are all going to end up like Kali; please, we have to stop him. He killed Kali, thinking he would get the powers the tribe had stowed in her, but he didn't because she didn't have them, and now he's searching for them.” The words rushed from her lips so fast.

“Whoa. Slow down for a second, sweetheart,” Carter's voice sounded sharp, leaning forward to the table.

“They are twins. Practically immortals, they couldn't be stopped a thousand years ago, so how did Mason end up killing Thalia?” Xavier asked.

“Because she isn't like him. He had tried to take back his powers stowed in her in the void; he didn't succeed, but he fed off Kali's powers instead, leaving her almost bare. She had a blade, which she called a phoenix blade. It's powerful enough to weaken Idalak and kill Kali,”

My gaze drifted to my mate instantly, and so did Rhona’s at the mention of the phoenix blade.

Phoenix stones were powerful magical stones that belonged to the Amnell clan of witches and had been passed down from generation to generation. Davina had a phoenix stone her mother, Petrova, had entrusted to her, which Rowena desperately wanted.

Davina leaned further. “A phoenix blade? Are you sure?”

Cirilla nodded. “It was given to her by an elder of the tribe. Kali said the powers from the Phoenix stone were strong enough to weaken Mason but not kill him.”

“And this blade?” Neela asked.

There was a beat of silence before she shook her head. “He destroyed it right after killing Kali.”

“And his powers?” Blake muttered.

“Kali didn't have it in her. She had stowed them somewhere else, and I know who has them.”

“She stowed them in a witch?” Came Gabi’s voice.

“No, in a human. Ria. She's a teenager from the orphanage Kali managed. But I don't know where she is. But we have to find her before Mason does.” She shifted her gaze to meet mine.

“Do you have something that belongs to Ria? Anything we could use to locate her?” Davina quizzed and Cirilla shook her head.

“Well it's going to be a little difficult finding the girl,” Neela commented.

“A retraction spell.” Benjamin stalked closer, gaining our attention. “Every witch has a unique magical print. It’s like a witch’s essence. Also similar to a wolf’s scent. And that girl must have Thalia's magic essence in her. We could cast a spell. Use Thalia's remains to find the girl.”

I ran my hand through my hair, pushing off from my seat. “There's just one problem with that,” I said, and everyone's attention.

“Which is?”

“The Council has Thalia's remains,” Davina said. “But it doesn't matter; we will find the girl. Cirilla's right; if Mason gets his powers back, then there's no stopping him. We'll find her,” Her gaze locked with Cirilla's, sending a silent promise.

*****

Davina's Point of View

We were in the Council courts in the company of what seemed like a half circle of the Council heads.

I was seated right opposite Zeriyah, and next to her was Mirabel, then the elder wolves, a few members of the dragon circle, the Mer-King, the Elven elders, the Phoenix king, Xanax, and a few more, excluding the demon overlord, Daemon. He'd been absent today. But the Fae Queen Sofia was present along with her daughter in place of King Falix, the Fae king. Last night Idalak's darkness struck the Fae kingdom, claiming his life.

And next to me was Cameron, who hadn't spoken a word since the moment we stepped into the Council courts. We were here for Thalia's remains for the spell, and while Cameron would have loved it if we retrieved it a different way, just as he suggested along with Benjamin, I preferred quite the opposite.

This wasn't the time for war amongst the Council. Cameron didn't trust them, and I get it. With the prophecy out and Cirilla being part of it, everyone was trying to find someone to hold responsible, and conveniently, it had to be Cirilla.

But standing against the Council would only magnify the number of threats we had behind our backs. Plus, there were still a few of them I trusted with my life.

I leveled my gaze to Zeriyah as I finished explaining to them everything from Cyrene's vision to what little information we had about Idalak. They knew everything I had said was nothing but the truth.

“We are fighting the wrong battle. Our main concern should be Idalak and what he plans to do once he reclaims his powers. We are running out of time, and with each second that passes, we are only losing more of our own. He's making do with the ritual.”

I was interrupted by the sound of a scoff coming from the Elven regent, Greg. “You said it yourself; the prophecy never lies. And it's as clear as day: the tribrid princess is responsible for what's going on. She awakened this darkness, and she's his source. She brought him to our realm and led him to Ardgal to murder Thalia and destroy the only weapon we currently know of to weaken him. I agree we are fighting the wrong battle; we should be focused on the tribrid instead; stopping her would be stopping him. The only thing we need to do is—”

“The only thing you need to do is choose your words with caution or risk losing your tongue.” As the words left Cameron's lips in a deadly calmness, I could already feel the storm brewing.

Greg didn't speak, but instead, elder Alex did. “You killed a Council member in cold blood, right in front of everyone. How do you expect us to trust anything you say? She's your daughter, and I understand where that puts you, but this concerns the entire supernatural realm. We are at the point of destruction. To do the right thing we need to —”

Cameron cut him off. “This isn't about what's right or wrong, Alex. All of us seated here are morally questionable. Right now, what's important is surviving this darkness. And we have a better chance without Idalak's powers. Give us the witch's remains, and we will find the girl.”

“That will not be happening, Alpha. This could be one of your daughter's ploys to get her hands on the human instead.”

A loud growl vibrated from Cameron, his eyes had turned completely golden, and I could feel the internal battle within him as he remained seated. Nothing was stopping him from ensuring the next breath Alex breathed was his last, but that wouldn't end as quietly as the last Council member he had killed.

I placed a hand on him, trying to pacify the raging storm within him. We all had to be on the same page.

“We cannot release the witch's remains over to you. I hope you understand Davina,” Mirabel began, sparing a second glance at Cameron. “We'll perform the spell on the witch's remains instead, and the Council's army will retrieve the girl the second we find her. We'll keep her safe in the meantime.”

"I do understand Mirabel, but it's best if Cirilla goes along to fetch Ria. She's more familiar with her. Ria has powerful dark magic she can't control coursing through her. Something could go wrong if she feels threatened or scared. Sending the Council's army will only endanger their lives and the child's life.” I say.

“And sending the source of this darkness to her is the best course of action?” Sofia attacked, the skin around her eyes swollen.

“It’s the safest,” Cameron voiced.

Sofia banged her fist on the table in rage. “Your child is the reason my husband is dead. She is—”

“Enough Sofia. Control yourself,” Zeriyah's voice snapped through the tension in the air, silencing everyone.

“Zeriyah, you do know what's at stake. He's drawing more power from the ritual and coming for us. We are all on the same side, just like always. No one seated here can blame me for wanting to protect my daughter. She's not the problem here. Idalak is, and he's a step ahead of us. He's after my daughter, and there's no way in hell he's getting her. The best chance we have against him is finding that girl before he does."

"And we will. I promise. Everyone wants the same thing. You can't blame us as well for being cautious. The witches and I will perform the spell. You have nothing to worry about,"

“Zeriyah is right. You have nothing to worry about. For the sake of peace, the Crescent Moon Pack should stay out of this. A few of our witches will be joining the army to find the girl once the spell is complete,” Elder Phillip said.

"It's decided then, the Council army will go and fetch her. And that's that." Alex's voice came through. "So do as he said and stay out of this matter,” His gaze fixated on Cameron.

Cameron's large hand clasped mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. "No need for dramatics, Alex. What's important is finding the girl before he does," Cameron said, rising from his seat. "We hope to get some updates before dusk. And for the love of the goddess, get rid of those assholes you have around my territory, or by the moon, I will. And I doubt you'll like how,"

I pulled from my chair, sending a final glance to Zeriyah before we left the Courtroom, heading outside to where the guys were waiting for us.

“Where's the witch's remains?” Carter asked as we approached the SUV.

"We couldn't get it," Cameron bit out fast and pissed.

"What happened?" Benjamin's instant words caused all of us to stop walking and their curious gaze on us.

"The Council cut us off. They are performing the spell and finding the girl." I remained silent as Cameron explained to them.

"Is that a good thing?" Blake sounded, and I shook my head, sighing.

"I don't know. But I don't like it. I have a bad feeling."

"You know we could easily get the remains." Carter for the umpteenth time suggested and he was right. We could easily get the remains, but it wouldn't be the best.

"It will only bring more distrust between us and tear the Council apart. We need to trust them." I muttered, hoping I was making the right call.

I needed to trust Zeriyah and the Council with this and believe I am not making a big mistake with them. Because at this point, we can't afford to be wrong.