Oh.
There it was. Maybe. Or maybe I was just desperate for something, anything, to have come from this conversation that I was latching on to something I’d imagined, rather than an actual clue.
Sebastian had already told me that it wouldn’t be possible to explain what he’d been doing back at the cathedral. I’d read it at defiance, but maybe there was more to it. And now he was telling me that his side was still growing. Right when faction members had started disappearing all through the city.
“Alright then, Sebastian. Good talk.”
With a wink and the jauntiest wave I could manage, I doubled back out of Sebastian’s cell and up the stairs.
I hadn’t learned anything about Aoife’s whereabouts, but at least I was starting to have an idea about what it was she was planning.
Chapter 18
When I entered the main floor, I took one look at the seven sets of eyes watching me expectantly and made a break for the front door. They’d already heard everything I had; they were free to draw their own conclusions. For now, I needed to talk things through with someone I trusted.
It felt like I had seventy-three different trains of thought running through my mind, and I didn’t know how to make sense of any of them.
“Melanie!” Ethan rushed forward to greet me as I reached the street, his hand wrapping around mine. "How'd it go?"
"Sebastian wasn't super helpful. But he may have given me something to go on anyway."
A door snapped shut behind me. I glanced back toward the house and caught sight of Otto hovering on the small stone porch.
We weren't alone, but it didn't matter.
"Those people have gone missing. I don't think they're being taken. I think they're leaving to join Aoife and her people. Sebastian might have gone back to the cathedral as a distraction. Or, and this is very possible, there's something else we're not seeing yet."
In a few quick steps down the stairs, Otto joined us on street level. "What makes you think this?" he asked, not bothering to pretend like he hadn't been eavesdropping every step of the way.
It might have been easiest to boil the whole thing down to a hunch or a theory, but there was more to it than that.
I'd hoped to make it back to the castle. To Tilly and Taya and Simon. To a whole think tank of people inclined to work through this with me without making me feel like a moron. But Ethan and Otto were already here, close to the action and ready to jump into the fray. It was a start.
"Again and again, I keep coming back to the same question. What is it Aoife wants? The first time she made her move, it was in an attempt to enrage Ireland's werewolves. Then she killed a fae girl and tried to set their faction against the wolves. But after that, she was perfectly happy to work with the witches, handing me over to them... for what? And then she was quiet for a few weeks. But no one really thought she'd gone away. We knew she was planning her next move...which ended up being the explosion at the summit.”
Ethan pushed his fingers through his hair. “You’re thinking she’s bringing faction members over to her side?”
“I think the idea of sides is massively oversimplifying things. But there’s definitely more going on here than ‘us versus them.’ She’s trying to sway more people to her endgame, and I don’t think she really cares all that much about what kind of powers people have.”
“Why exactly?” Otto added. It didn’t sound like a question so much as that he was doing the same thing I was, trying to put together as many pieces as he could, hoping to come up with the right answer.
“I don’t know. And I’m not sure we even have enough information to try to work it out. What we need to do is hold the summit. Now. We need to talk to everyone and get on the same page before Aoife has a chance to spread her poison. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll find someone she’s spoken to who didn’t sign on, someone who can give us more information.”
Ethan frowned. “How confident are we that she would just let people go if she didn’t think, or know, they were on her side?”
“Fair point.” Was that what had been waiting for me and Ethan last night if we hadn’t managed to dodge our tail? Aoife would’ve extended a hand, invited us to join her. And if we’d said no, that would’ve been that.
I couldn’t think about that now though; nothing good came from dwelling. “So where are we on getting the summit up and running again?” I asked Otto.
“We’re in talks with two different hotels who have enough space for everyone. The problem is security and privacy. Also, the late hours we need, plus getting the vampires in and out.”
“How is it that absolutely everything becomes more of a headache as soon as the vampires are involved?” I wondered out loud, not expecting an answer. I was already bracing myself for the backlash from what I was about to suggest. “So what you’re telling me is that you need some place private, but big enough to hold a few hundred people, all without cramming them all into a space so tight that they’ll be at one another’s throats.”
“That would be ideal,” Otto answered. “But it took us months to come up with the one location we had. And the witches crafted their protection spells based on that very specific location. Honestly, I’m not sure how to replicate what we already had.”
“Why would we want to replicate that?” I countered. “People died. We got five minutes into proceedings before we were nearly destroyed. We don’t need more of the same. What we need is something better.” I took a breath, giving myself one last chance to change my mind. “And I think I know just the place. Castle Elgan has everything we’d need...”
Otto furrowed his brows. “I don’t know what that is.”
“I’ll show you everything you’ll need to know. But it’s safe, and it’s far away from humans. Plus, we can make whatever adjustments are necessary for the summit.”
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch.” I straightened my shoulders, trying to project the kind of confidence I knew werewolves most respected. “But if you think the castle is a good fit, and you want the Undefined Magicks faction to host the summit, then there are going to be a few conditions.”
Negotiations took half a day. And through every single minute, I was either wishing I was in bed or out on the streets of my city, on the lookout for trouble.
A big part of me enjoyed the political side of all this: talking through what both sides wanted, finding ways to give and take. But there was no way to shake that feeling that I was always supposed to be doing more.
Individually, each moderator was probably a force to be reckoned with, unparalleled in power and influence. Together, they made a poor showing toward being a united front, each trying to please their own faction while simultaneously trying to put me in my place.
The werewolves needed to be in control, dominant in all things, whereas vampires tended to lean toward shows of deference. The fae at least were practical, with a focus on safety. Their kind did not reproduce quickly, making every life lost a more crippling blow than most. The witches mostly seemed inclined toward more obvious power plays. They never missed an opportunity to remind me I was only at the table because they allowed me to be there.
It was strange to think that I had pieces of each of these factions inside my soul, fueled by their power but altered by my own.
In the end, I held the best hand. It hurt my pride a bit to bow my head and be a good little team player, but if playing by their rules got me the results I needed, then game on.
The castle was deemed an acceptable location by the factions, for all the reasons I'd thought it would be a good fit in the first place. And we agreed to allow them to use it in exchange for a few small concessions.
First, a denouncement of all claims of war against our faction or those who supported us. While Nadir's harassment had never been officially sanctioned, people had still died as a result, and countless numbers of our faction had fled their homes, and not just in Ireland and Greece, in fear of retribution for our very existence. If we w
ere going to play nice with those who had used and abused us for so long, it was under the understanding that there would be no more targets on our backs. At least, none as far as they could control—I doubted I'd ever fully shake the target I had carried since birth.
Secondly, every member of our faction currently in the city would be issued an official invitation to the next summit. I wasn’t about to kick anyone out of the castle in order to make room for the very people they were hiding from. And this way, our numbers would nearly match at least the fae who had the smallest delegation of the existing factions.
After that, in the spirit of compromise, I’d abandoned as many of my conditions as those I’d been able to meet.
My last ditch effort for one final benefit had been a request to see our faction officially recognized. I'd hoped to have anyone whose magick didn't fall under the umbrella of the existing factions declared a member of a brand new faction, equal to the others. That had been declined. While the moderators existed to present a unified voice for their people, they didn't actually speak for every member of their kind, Otto argued. Ella, the witch representative, was also quick to point out that the existing factions had never been declared or recognized in any official capacity. They existed because their existence was undeniable, and if our people wanted the same respect, we'd have to find it for ourselves.
Gaining respect was exactly the kind of thing hosting the summit would help us do. And that was only the most recent in a quickly growing list of steps we'd taken to amplify our voices.
We would be official guests at the second attempt at the summit which was more progress than I ever would have dreamed of when we'd just been starting out.
I said my goodbyes, thankful for the headway I’d made. There was far too much work to be done for getting lost in idle conversations.
One day. One day to turn the castle we'd hijacked into somewhere we could all feel safe, and, with a little luck, actually get some work done.
Back at our faction's home base, it was hard to know where to begin. The moderators would arrive in less than an hour, and a flock of witches would follow soon after. There was no one room that would hold everyone in attendance, and no spell in place for widespread protection. The witches would help as best they could, but there was only so much that could be done in a day.
After getting the others up to speed, I excused myself for a few minutes, mumbling an excuse about making a phone call. Really, I just needed a little time to myself. I'd have loved a quick power nap, but I couldn't trust myself not to fall into a short coma instead. I'd have to settle for twenty minutes to sit and think, to remind myself that step by step, we were getting there.
Someone tugged on my sleeve before I'd even made it halfway down the hallway. Taya hovered behind me, Tilly close behind.
“Melanie,” she started, instantly putting me on guard. Why did I feel like I was about to get bad news?
“Whatever it is, let’s hear it. I’ve got room for exactly one more disaster on my schedule today, but after that I’m full.”
Taya smiled, but the expression looked forced. “No disaster, I promise. But we were wondering. Is it really the best possible idea to have the summit here? The biggest threat to this event is Aoife. And this is technically her house. We’ve covered the rabbit holes, but if there’s another way in, she’s going to be the one who knows about it.”
Oh. That. “Funny enough, that did cross my mind. If Aoife is paying any attention at all, she'll figure out what's happening. So, yeah, I'm not just aware that we’re at risk of uninvited guests. I’m counting on it.”
Chapter 19
Since getting involved with the supernatural world, I’d learned that I was capable of far more than I’d ever imagined. But an event planner, I was not.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to be. After filling Taya and Tilly in on how I was hoping things might go down, they sprang into action. I relished in a whole thirty minutes to myself, although it wasn’t enough time to calm my mind to complete one single thought, let alone feel like myself again. By the time I resurfaced, I felt more frustrated than before; I hadn’t even thought that was possible.
Still, at least the others had managed to make better use of the time. When I finally tracked them down, Tilly had already acquired a guest list and had begun creating some of her now-famous spreadsheets. Taya was already giving the witches who had come to work protection spells the grand tour.
It was interesting, seeing Taya interact with members of the faction who’d never accepted her. She’d worked so hard for any of witches to welcome her into the fold, even reporting my existence to the most powerful coven in the country almost as soon as I’d told her who I was and what I could do. Since then, she’d gotten her priorities well sorted. And, as I watched from the kitchen window, she walked the perimeter with an easy confidence.
She was the most important witch in the room now and was clearly loving every second.
As soon as the kettle beeped, I poured myself a much needed cup of tea and went to join Tilly at the table. “How are things looking?”
“As well as can be expected. It looks like the last summit was very much organized by committee, and over the course of about a year. We have a day to pull off something similar, but at least a lot of the heavy lifting is done: figuring out the guest list, picking a location, getting the security and protection elements worked out.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“The big part is figuring out a new format. We could maybe fit everyone into the front hall, but we’d all be standing and crammed in like sardines. It’s not exactly conducive to discussions. I’m wondering about setting up different discussion rooms, roundtable discussions or something like that. But that doesn’t leave a lot of room for people to make decisions. I’m not sure, really. How important is it that we go old-school on this? I’m feeling like some A/V equipment might go a long way here, give us some room to keep everyone connected.”
“Do you need any help?” I asked. “I’m happy to do whatever you need, or see if we can get someone who did the original setup in here to help on the organization front.”
Tilly furrowed her nose, looking less than pleased. “Whatever we need to do, I’ll do. But if I get a vote, I’d rather just figure this out myself. Too many cooks in the kitchen, you know? We’ve got about a day, I’m still thinking I can make this happen.”
“When it comes to this kind of thing, you get all the votes. If there’s anything I can do on the computer front to keep things moving for you, I’m happy to help.”
“All good.” Tilly’s eyes didn’t move from the screen. I was only in the way.
“Let me know if anything changes,” I said, picking up my tea again to make my getaway. I’d done my duty and offered to lend a hand, but if Tilly didn’t need me, then I was getting far away from all things paperwork.
There had to be something else I could do, something useful that didn’t involve staring at a computer screen to figure out who was supposed to be where and when.
But for every possible chore I came up with, someone else had already started. Dozens of people who had come to the castle for safety had already started mobilizing to get things organized for the new summit. Furniture was being moved from most of the main floor rooms to the cellar, groceries were being brought in through the rabbit hole. There was nothing left for me to do.
Melanie: Is there something I’m forgetting?
Ethan: I think I missed something. What do you mean?
When I’d hastened to the castle to oversee preparations, Ethan had returned to his pack. Being so close by, he’d had the largest number of wolves with him, which made the Dublin pack the perfect volunteers for a coordinated security force in the city.
They’d be patrolling the streets in Galway proper until the summit was finished. For now, their main goal was to stop Aoife from getting her hands on anyone else, while some fae worked through the list of attendees to try to figure out exactly who was missi
ng and where they might have gone.
Once the summit started and everyone was here with me, I’d still breathe a little easier knowing there was an extra barrier between the people who lived in my town and anyone who might be willing to hurt them for a chance to rattle me.
Melanie: I’m back at the castle, but everything seems more or less under control. I’m not sure what to do with myself, which probably means I’ve forgotten about something.
Ethan: Protection spells are going up? Someone’s working on how to get everyone to the castle without drawing too many human eyes? You’re working on a plan for how to run the summit within the space we have available?
I checked off each item in my head.
Melanie: All covered. So what else am I supposed to be doing?
Ethan: Might I suggest an incredibly radical idea... sleeping?
The idea was beyond tempting. More than anything, my body needed rest. A full eight hours of sleep would work miracles, but at this point, even shutting my eyes for thirty seconds felt like it would help energize me. But how could I rest when all the people who looked to me for leadership were doing the heavy lifting for the summit I’d organized? I relayed as much to Ethan.
Ethan: There’s a lot going on, yes. Which is why there’s also a massive team of people already working to see this through. They know where to find you if they need anything. Don’t forget, getting ready is only the first thing on your list. After that, we actually have to make sure we all use the time to do good work.
Melanie: What do you mean?
Now I was the one feeling out of the loop.
Ethan: By the time everyone arrives, you’ll need to switch gears from planning to getting real results. You were off to a great start before the explosion, and you’ll need to get that momentum back. You want to bring people over to your way of thinking, and that’s going to require a sharp mind and well rested body. Sleep now, you’ll be glad you did.
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