Chapter 26: Strike Three- You're Out!
Flashback- Crystalgrave - Years Ago
“Explain yourselves, all of you,” Calchas growled as he looked from one elder to the other, his body shaking in rage.
“EXCUSE ME?!” Bermude shouted as he pointed his robed arm towards the seerer. His bony finger seemed to split the air. “How dare you speak to us that way!”
Inhaling sharply, Calchas bit his tongue. “I’m just at a loss of how such things have gone unnoticed. There was a plan. Fill the book with the prophecy and the deep understanding of their powers, seal it and then provide them the test to see if they could figure how to combine them on their own. You said these tests would be fair and would allow you to see if they could truly become powerful enough for you to return to your eternal sleep and they takeover.” He looked upon each of the faceless robes. “You made me agree to part temporarily so that the trials would be honorable, but none of you said anything about wiping their memories! You said nothing about interfering!”
Murmurs swirled around the room as Hecate silenced the others, “Be careful Seerer. You may be all-knowing, but remember it is us who gives you sight.”
Calchas let out a scoff, “You and I both know that to be a lie. I ALLOW you the insight of my powers on the grounds I am allowed marry my two loves, but this-something seems off about this.” His eyes bore into Bermude, “The king was supposed to die of natural causes, and yet rumors swirl of poison. I don’t need to be all-seeing to know when pieces are being hidden.”
“MIND YOUR TONGUE!” Bermude shouted as he smashed his hand against Calchas’s chest. The vibration of the power tore through him, and Calchas felt an entire shock flow through his body.
He belted out a scream of pain as he dropped. “I’m sorry, I shall not speak out of turn that way again.” He said raggedly. Watching the nods flow around the room, he closed his eyes and waited to return home. His body crashed through the air, landing in a heap on the floor.
“OH MY GOD!” Samantha screamed as she rushed over to him. She looked him over, “Where have you-”
“I’M FINE!” He screamed at her while pulling from her grasp. Steadying himself, he walked aimlessly out the house and slammed the door.
Samantha covered her hand with her chest and tried to calm herself, “Chas?”
“Hm?”
“Did you hear the signal?”
Chastity nodded, “How couldn’t I? He played that all very well including his anger towards you... Are you sure we can trust him?”
Samantha faced her, “I may not fully remember but I can feel the connection between us, can’t you?”
Shaking her head feverishly, Chastity handed her the book. “I finished putting all of the history and everything else in it like he said.”
“Good, now we need to hurry up while he still has the elders distracted.” Samantha waved her hand and produced multiple places and illusions. “Rubicon...guides, symbols...I hope you’re right about this Calchas...because if you are, we're going to need everything we can think of to wake up.”
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Holding the book to her chest, Samantha quickly ushered herself into Lilith’s office. She sized up Sahir, “Can we have a moment alone?”
“No” He retorted, almost snarling.
Lilith patted his chest, “Stop. Samantha is my best friend and if we’re going to be together, you two have to try and get along.”
His eyes widened, “B-but we were just about to have a little fun.”
“And we will...right after I speak with Sam.” Giving Samantha a cold look, Sahir adjusted himself and bustled through the door.
“How can you stand him?” Samantha asked, her disdain evident.
“H-he grows on you.”
"So does fungus."
Lilith couldn't help but grow uncomfortable. Now that he was no longer near her, she had a sinking feeling something wasn’t right. She clapped her hands together and shook off the thought, “So what’s up Sam-Sam?”
“Well….there is something I need to tell you about the four royal brothers.”
“What about them?”
Samantha bit the side of her lip and look down to the floor. “You’re not going to like what I’m about to say.”
“Never stopped you before so go ahead, whatever it is must be bad if it has you this uncomfortable.”
Swaying back and forth, Samantha tried to remember all of Calchas’s words. “You know how you said Sahir is SUPER pushy about you being all monogamous, but how that doesn’t feel right?…which kinda makes sense considering you’ve two only been dating for...how long have you been dating?”
Lilith scrunched her face, “I-I can’t remember…” She felt a small chill go up to her spine. “But then again you know I’ve always been horrible with time management.” She tried to laugh, but she knew Samantha saw right through it, “What are you getting at Sam?”
“You’re supposed to be with four, not one.”
“Four wha-” Her sentence stopped as she quickly caught on to what was being implied. “Nope.”
“YOU HAVEN’T EVEN MET THEM YET!”
“Don’t care, I don’t want to. Any royals that can sit around and watch the men of their kingdom slaughter and beat its women aren’t the type of men that deserve my pussy or my heart, I don’t care how fine three of them are.”
Samantha nodded, “Under normal circumstances, I’d agree but something tells me that they don’t know.”
Lilith raised her brow, “How could they not?!”
Because it’s all a part of an elaborate illusion
Samantha thought to herself. Maintaining her composure, she pleaded with Lilith, “Lil, I’m telling you there is a prophecy. You are supposed to be with the four brothers, you’re special, REALLY special and so are they.”
“Oh don’t tell me you’re really buying into this whole Lilith’s special thing because the trust me you’re barking up the wrong tree.” She sat in silence, her lip quivering. “My big sister was special and they took her from me.”
“Lilith…”
“It’s fine,” Lilith said, giving a small smile. “At least I still have Morrigan. I don’t know what I would do if I lost her.”
Staring at the four corners of dry blood on the book, Samantha gave a deep sigh, “It’s fine. Maybe I was wrong...maybe it’s not them, but I know it’s supposed to be four.” Turning, she heard Lilith call out to her.
“Sam?”
“Yes?”
Quickly scribbling a note, Lilith gave her a small smirk, “Deliver this to them for me. If you’re right about this prophecy, then it will happen on its own. Besides, I don’t know what King Noah looks like, but if he’s anything like his fine ass brothers, I might be willing to sit down for a five-way meditation and a rousing game of naked twister.”
Samantha gave her a smirk back and quickly left the room, brushing past Morrigan on her way out.
“Where is the little witch off to?” Morrigan asked, causing Lilith to roll her eyes.
“Samantha is a highly respected and powerful sorceress, and my best friend, please stop disrespecting her okay?”
“Fine, where is Samantha the Sorceress off to?”
Lilith inhaled sharply, deciding it best to let it go. “She was just leaving. You know she has the funny notion that I’m supposed to be with four dudes? And guess who the four are, the king and the three princes.”
Morrigan's eyes widened, “WHAT?! DID SHE SAY THAT TO BE EXACT?”
Lilith arched her brow, “The hell you busting my eardrums for? At first, she said them, and then she said just four.”
“Ohh...well couldn’t that technically mean that Sahir is one of them?” Morrigan said regaining her composure, “I mean that's even if you believe in something like that. Prophecies are typically about people who are...more” She scrunched her face, “More esteemed than you.”
Lilith fidgeted with her fingers, “Yeah same thing I told her.” Standing, she hugged her sister, “Thanks for talking some sense into me.”
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“New plan, the sorceress somehow remembers!” Morrigan said in a panic as she paced back and forth in her room.
Bermude waved his hand, “I have a feeling that has something to do with that damn Calchas.”
“WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK ABOUT SAILOR SATURN, SHE TOLD LILITH AGAIN ABOUT THE PROPHECY, AND I’M SURE NOW THEY ROYAL INCUBUS KNOW TOO!”
Bermude glared at her, "Why do you insist on being so loud when we’re plotting treason? Learn to WHISPER dammit before you get us caught!” Pulling out a dagger, he extended his hand, “Give me your finger.”
Cautiously, Morrigan allowed him to prick her. A pouch formed in his hand and he let her blood drip over it.
“Fairy dust, more potent than the last. Use it ONLY if necessary.” He stepped into her, “I mean it Morrigan. It will change EVERYTHING once it’s unleashed and the other Elders will know what I’ve done.”
“B-but if that’s the case, why would you give it to me?” Though she couldn’t see it, she knew he wore an awful grin.
“Because when you beat your sister, you’re going to resurrect me.” He folded his arms to his chest, “Now, in terms of how to keep the love at bay, I suggest you use a bit of influence to turn those fake slaughters into reality."
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Four Days Later-
“So you’re really telling us that you’ve SEEN Lilith at Rubicon and you feel nothing?” Liam asked Noah in utter shock.
Noah shook his head, “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I can hardly even remember the woman. I mean I saw her, but then Melanie came and easily stole my attention. I surmise if I was supposed to be with the Succubus queen I wouldn’t have forgotten about her the moment I saw my fiance.” He turned and folded his arms to his chest. “ Samantha and I did converse about the happenings with the separation. Perhaps the only nice thing I have to say about your Lilith is that she did what she needed to look out for the Succubus when I had not.” He looked down at the small cut on his finger, “I’d like to follow up that compliment with an insult to her establishment though. I cut my finger leaving that death trap, and the only person willing to help me was Sam.”
Jayden looked at his brothers, “It just doesn’t make sense...Noah are you SURE that you’re remembering things as they happened? You said you'd go undercover to see why we kept pushing you, and now I feel like your stubborn ass really didn't go.”
Noah let out a chuckle, "Don't be sore because I don't feel a connection to her," The words didn't feel right the moment they left his mouth. He stopped and tilted his head in silence and Mason stepped to him,
“I don’t want to be pushy but this whole Melanie thing is weird. Like, I'm good with numbers and for the hell of me I can’t remember when you two started dating...she just sort of popped up and the next thing I knew you were getting married."
Noah felt his skin prickle, as he tried his hardest to place the date. “I-I have to go.” He said finally before retiring back to his room. Opening the door, he found Melanie completely nude on his bed.
“What took you so long?” She purred.
“Hey Mel, how long have we been dating?”
“What?”
“It’s just- my brothers asked me and for the life of me, I can’t remember. I don’t mean that as an insult, I think the war has made everything kind of jumbled.”
Beckoning him to her side, Melanie stared at the clock on the wall. “You’re so handsome you know that.” She said with a small smile. “I didn’t think I would fall for you, but I actually did.” Running her hands through his hair, placing the new dust on him. She saw his body rock. “I’m not letting her take you from me, just like Sahir won’t let you take her from him. We WILL be royal...we will be with who we’re meant to be with, one way or another."