"Let's begin," Étoile said, shimmering on stage, and surprising a good portion of the crowd into startled silence. Behind her filed the High Council members. There was Gage, of course, leading the werewolf faction, and Luke Fellows, whom I'd seen sworn in for the vampires. Arnie South represented the shapeshifters. I didn't know the demon leader, and had to nudge Astra to ask.
"That's Corinthia," she said as I took in the tall woman's appearance. Her hair was very black and straight, cut to her shoulders, while her eyes were almost completely black with barely any white showing. I sensed her curiosity as she surveyed the assembly, and refused to turn away when she met my eyes. I didn't have personal relationships with any of the High Council, although I had met Arnie before. I wasn't sure I wanted any either, and my relationship with Gage was in limbo. Last time we spoke properly, it was to establish our tentative friendship since there appeared to be nothing else left. Since waking up in The Amethyst, we barely exchanged more than a few words. Regardless of that, I felt his eyes on me a fraction of a moment before I switched my gaze to him. He looked away quickly. What was that about?
"Over the past few months, we have been quietly investigating the disappearance of several members of our brethren. Some of you know about this. For others, it is surprising news. For keeping any of you in the dark, I sincerely apologise. Our High Council members have also investigated similar disappearances amongst their own factions." Étoile waved for quiet as the assembly broke out into worried whispers. "One of our missing has returned," she said, glancing toward me for the briefest of seconds before aiming her gaze at the crowd again. She may have been trying to avoid drawing attention to me, but several attendees still turned to glance in my direction. I held my head firmly. I had nothing to be worried about. I was kidnapped, rendered immobile, and escaped. None of that knowledge, however, prevented the wave of shame that passed through me. I left people behind with the promise of sending help that never arrived thanks to my mental vacation. "She returned with vital information; and it is that very information which is under discussion today. We are all in agreement. The Brotherhood must be obliterated if we, every one of us, are to survive as a race. We are officially at war."
Hearing that, everyone began to talk at once. Astra and I exchanged fearful glances. "What does this mean?" I whispered.
"I don't know. I can only guess. Our factions have never banded together like this before, and never to declare war against another faction."
"The Brotherhood aren't any faction. They're not even supernatural," I replied.
"They're in our world regardless of what they might be. They've been tolerated for too long. We've lost too many of our own kind to them."
"Did you know others that went missing?" I asked. "I remember meeting a werewolf at the place they held me, and witches. There were lots more."
"Many more, from what I've overheard. But I've never heard of demons going missing."
"Evan didn't mention anything."
"Étoile is beckoning us. We should follow." I glanced across to where Étoile was standing, but the stage was empty. The High Council was gone too. "She's in her office," Astra continued, tapping her head to tell me the message she received was telepathic.
Seren and David were ahead of us, apparently also en route to Étoile's office, judging by their direction. I threw out a telepathic message to Seren and they slowed so we could catch up to them as we pushed past the lingering mass of confused, excited witches and a couple of angry-looking werewolves.
"War?" I asked, when Étoile closed the door to her office. Seren and David held hands as they often did. Astra had her arms crossed, her brow furrowed with worry. Clare stood behind Étoile's desk, but her posture told me she was anything but relaxed. Étoile took up position in her chair behind the desk.
"I wasn’t intending to spring it on anyone, but it was a High Council decision so we can start preparations as soon as possible. Where are we on..."
"But war?" Seren interrupted. "Against The Brotherhood? We'll squash them. They're nothing compared to us."
"Right now, we can't even find them," pointed out Étoile, "They have evaded us time and again, and now they are working with at least one witch."
"Georgia Thomas," I said feeling weak at the thought of her standing at my door. I couldn't understand why she was so hellbent on helping the enemy. No, she was the enemy. Everything I'd ever learned about her spelled greed and destruction. There was nothing she wouldn't stoop to in order to get her own way, including murdering her own people.
"Exactly, and we know she is no ally to the witches. We don't know who else is working with them. Based on Stella's testimony..."
"Did you declare war because of me?" I butted in.
"No, but your testimony clinched it when it was shown to the Council. We can't ignore it. We can't play search-and-rescue on this scale. The Brotherhood have escalated beyond what we thought possible, and there has to be a reason for that. They brought this war to their door."
"So they successfully baited us?" said David, pushing his glasses up on his nose before running a hand over his short crop of brown hair. "Aren't we playing into their hands?"
"If it were just witches, maybe, but we have the High Council with us. Our power has more than quadrupled. The Brotherhood have gone too far."
"If we can find the superwitch, we could defeat them," said Astra.
"That's a big if," I countered.
"How far are you with your search? Did Ariadne aid you?" Étoile asked.
I risked a glance at Clare, but her face remained impassive. Briefly, I wondered what Ariadne was doing since we charged out of the room. "She's helping as much as she can, but she doesn't know who the superwitch is. She can't tell us much, only that the superwitch needs to possess certain talismans from each supernatural faction," I explained.
"Stella and Astra, stay, please. Everyone else, you're free to leave, but please await my further orders. Clare, you too."
"What is it?" I asked, after everyone filed from the room.
"I need to talk to you two alone. Is there anything left to tell me about the superwitch? Anything that you couldn't say openly?"
"No, you know as much as we do," Astra told her.
"We could be chasing a dead end," Étoile mused.
"Or we might have the solution to this war," said Astra.
"We do have an age range now," I reminded Astra, "and we know these talismans exist. I didn't say earlier, but I've seen the talisman that belongs to the werewolves. I know where to find a horologican. If we can find the others, we think it might attract the witch."
Étoile nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Find them," she ordered, "and be discreet. I don't want to raise any hopes; and I don't want our High Council catching wind of this until we know if it's true or not. Astra, could you give us some privacy?"
Astra darted a glance at me, then shrugged. "Sure. I'll meet you back at the room." She slid out, closing the door behind her with the softest of thuds, leaving Étoile and me alone.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Why should there be anything wrong?" inquired Étoile.
"I'm pretty sure we're on our own for a reason."
"Have you remembered anything more from your time in captivity?"
"Fleeting thoughts that could be memories. Nothing I can make sense of yet. Why? Haven't you seen everything you need?"
"Perhaps. We still don't know the reason for The Brotherhood taking you. That wasn't present during Lisette's extraction. I wondered if you had any thoughts about it?"
"Perhaps Auberon didn't want to kill his only niece?" I asked, sarcasm lacing my voice. I doubted if Auberon had any interest in my wellbeing. He already dispatched The Brotherhood to kill me once, before I realised who or what I was, and made more than one attempt since that time. I wasn't even sure if he cared for his own son. My cousin was my last surviving family member. Auberon might have had a blood tie to me, but he was definitely no more family to me than I was to him. I cou
ldn't fathom why he kept me alive for two months. I didn't even feel injured. Considering how damaged the other captives looked, I was perplexed at my comparable health.
"We must assume he had other purposes for you."
"My magic was drained. Perhaps he preferred not to rip out my teeth like he did with the werewolf. I don't know."
"It's a possibility."
"I can't remember what he did to me exactly. I feel like I should but... I'm scared to look at my memories."
"That's understandable. If you recall anything else, no matter how small or insignificant, you must tell me immediately."
"I will."
"I mean it, Stella. It doesn't matter how meaningless it might appear."
"I promise, okay? You don't have to worry about me. I'm safe and there's bigger stuff going on here than just me. Our people are still out there, aren't they?"
Étoile nodded her head once, and made no effort to hide the strain. "We'll renew our search tomorrow. I'm expecting guests. Come find me later when you have a plan for locating the talismans. I don't want to leave anything to chance."
"I will."
"And take this," she said, holding out a slim, electronic key card. "No more hospital rooms for you."
I thought about the plan as I returned to the room where Astra and her research waited. All I could come up with was Gage. I’d have to ask him to return the talisman I retrieved when it was squabbled over by the werewolves former pack leader. Gage and I agreed he would hide it for safekeeping. The damn thing gave me a headache, its power bristling whenever I approached it. I didn't relish having it anywhere close to me again, but it didn't seem like I had any choice. That was the only witch-made talisman I could think of in the werewolves’ possession, and I knew how valuable it was to them. So did Gage, which was why we agreed he should hide it.
The horologican would be easier. Though the demons were searching for such a book, for purposes I never ascertained, I knew where I'd seen one before. I even held one as a short-term gift until it vanished one day. I had to presume it must’ve returned to its rightful owner, a teenager named Chyler. She was also a victim of Georgia once, and she hated her witch lineage. She asked for her magic to be bound because she was so desperate for a normal life, far away from anything supernatural. I hadn't heard much from her since then, but I was pretty sure she would help if I called her. While thinking about how to go about making such a big request, I turned the corner and ran into a man's shoulder. Stepping back, I raised a hand to my forehead, wincing, "Ow!"
"Stella! I've been looking everywhere for you," said the man, embracing me in a bear hug.
Gasping for air, I blinked in surprise, then grinned, returning the hug. "Daniel, you're here!" I exclaimed, examining his face. He'd filled out a little, making him less gangly, with strong shoulders and an angular jaw. His week-old beard matched his chestnut hair. Last time I saw him, he looked so boyish. Now, he looked like a man.
"I've been worried sick," he carried on. "No one will tell me anything. You disappeared, everyone went crazy for a while, then suddenly, you're back and you're okay – at least, I think you're okay? – and apparently, we're at war... What's going on? What happened?"
I wriggled from the tight grip he had on my upper arms and fixed him with a bemused look. "I wish I could tell you, but I know little more than you do."
"I'm sure that's not true. Did Auberon, did my father..."
"I'm fine," I assured him. "I'm home. I'm safe. Auberon didn't hurt me."
"Are you sure? You were gone for so long. I even tried reaching out to him..."
"You did what?" I gasped, my heart racing at the thought of how much danger he placed himself in simply by searching for his father.
"Don’t worry. I didn't find him and he didn't reach out to me. I didn't know what to think."
"You can't ever do that again," I told him, panic filling me at the thought of losing him. "Promise me, Daniel. Please. No matter what, you can't go looking for your father!"
"I can't promise anything. I think I can lure Auberon into the open. I know I can. He wants me."
"He'll hurt you, just like he did before. We can't risk that happening. You know that."
"We can. He went after you because he couldn't get to me."
"You don't know that. You are not being used as bait."
"Isn't that the fastest way to end this war? To get Auberon out into the open where he can be captured?"
"We need to find the captives first," I told him. "You being captured won’t help that."
Daniel puffed his chest out and raised his chin. "My magic is much stronger now. I can take care of myself."
"Don't be so proud that you can't see a bad idea!"
"It's not pride!"
"I couldn't take care of myself! That's a knock to my pride!" I admitted, ashamed of my weakness. Guilt washed over me again at the thought of the captors I left behind. Were they paying for my freedom? I had to push those thoughts away and concentrate, if only to ensure Daniel didn't end up with the same fate. "I thought I was home safe and he still managed to kidnap me and hold me captive for two whole months. We don't know what we're up against with The Brotherhood. We don't know what they're capable of."
"But..."
"No, Daniel," came Étoile's voice behind me, causing us both to spin around. I didn't know how much she heard, but it seemed like it must have been enough.
"But..." he started.
"I said no."
"I can..."
"No!" she raised her voice within an octave of shouting, and more heads turned in our direction. "No," she continued more gently. "Your suggestion is a brave one, Daniel, but until I give the order, you are needed elsewhere. Stella needs your help finding the talismans."
"What talismans?" asked Daniel.
"I'll fill you in," I told him, taking him by the arm to propel him away from antagonising Étoile any further. "Thank you," I mouthed to her, grateful that she forbade Daniel from placing himself in Auberon's path. I also felt proud she was ensuring his safety with me.
"Watch him," she mouthed back.
Chapter Six
I wanted to find Gage right away to ask for the talisman, but Daniel had too many questions about the war: what it meant, who would be fighting, and how. I didn't know the answers, but that didn't stop his incessant barrage of questions, interspersed with checking far too many times to ask if I were really okay.
It was a relief to get to the research room where Seren and Astra awaited us.
"Where's Ariadne?" I asked, during a pause in Daniel's litany of questions.
"Finding something to eat," replied Seren, casting a glance over the notepads. The table had been cleared, leaving what remained of Athene's writings. Piles of books littered the floor. "Isn't it interesting to be the daughter of someone who foretold the future?"
"Instead of our mother, who cast spells to break things!" laughed Astra.
Instead of confessing I would have liked to know my mother in any way at all, I stayed quiet. Now was not the time to bring other people down. Besides, it wasn't Seren and Astra's fault they were raised by their mother. Mine wanted me, but that was something I found out much later in life, and she died protecting me. Even though I couldn't remember her, I couldn't ask for more love than that. I missed out on a childhood, but at least, I was loved. It made me glad to know that.
"Let's work out how to find these talismans," I said, grabbing a chair and pulling it to the table. "There has to be something in here."
"We’ll take a couple of notebooks each." Seren divided them between us, pulling extra chairs to the table and indicating Daniel should sit. "We need to reread every one. Look for notes in margins and between the spells and writings. I think Athene got careless and wrote things as she remembered them, but not necessarily on the right pages."
I filled Daniel in on what we were searching for while we awaited Ariadne’s arrival. By the time she returned, Clare was with her, and we had already re-read half th
e notebooks.
"Here's where we are," said Seren, taking control of the room. "Stella is pretty sure she can get the werewolf talisman and the horologican, so that's two of the required pieces. We can't find any mention of what the other talismans might be, except for the pendant, or who might possess them. We can't even be sure they actually exist."
"These books are a lost cause," said Astra. "We've been over and over them and there's nothing left to find. How do we locate the other pieces?"
I threw my hands in the air in frustration. "We can't ask around without alerting suspicion. Étoile said to keep all this quiet." Just as I finished my sentence, the sound of several heavy footsteps ran past. Frowning, I got up and moved to the door. I opened it just in time to see another group running past with Gage at the rear. "Gage!" I called. He glanced over his shoulder, then stopped and jogged back to me. "What's going on?"
His face was set in a determined mask. "We're moving out to search what we think is The Brotherhood's new compound."
"You got a lead?"
"Not a strong one, but we think we know where they moved. I can't say much right now, I have to go. I'll be back later."
"I need to..." I started to ask, but he was already gone. I wanted to ask him where he'd hidden the talisman. Now, even more frustrated, I turned back. "I'll ask him later," I told the curious waiting faces. "They have a lead on the compound." As I spoke, my longstanding guilt coursed through me again. Shouldn't I have been the one to generate a lead? Despite my memories returning, I still wasn’t willing to delve into them. Nor did I wish to see all the things that weren’t projected from my mind. I was still stuck with second-hand knowledge lying in the deep recesses of my fragile memories. They felt so removed from my personal experiences. I knew I endured everything I saw, yet I had no concept of it happening. Those I left behind, however, still suffered whatever horrors The Brotherhood continued to inflict upon them. I virtually abandoned them and still couldn't even bring them a glimpse of salvation. I did nothing to help them. "Excuse me a moment," I gasped. I felt horrified and angry with my actions as I hurried away before hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I ran for my room, holding the electronic key card Étoile gave me pressed tightly in my hand, gulping air as my heart raced, and panic overtook me. Before I got there, however, strong arms caught me and pressed my face into a broad chest. A jersey t-shirt absorbed my tears as they coursed down my face. A hand ran over my head before calm swept through me.
Endless Magic (Stella Mayweather Series Book 6) Page 6
