Chapter 111 How it all began 3
Ira's POV
I find myself standing at the far end of a meeting hall, my eyes fixed on the scene before me.
The silence at the table is so terrible that it sounds like an earthquake when the heavy double doors at the entrance of the hall groans as they are gently pushed open by two huge guards.
Every head turns. Immediately the men and women surrounding the meeting table see who it is, they rise in unison to their feet.
The first thing I notice about him is how big he is, how easily he fills the doorway. He’s tall and broad across the shoulders, built like someone people learn to step around instead of stand against.
At the sight of the golden crown on his head, I realize immediately that he is the alpha king.
When he looks up, his golden eyes catch me off guard. They’re the darkest gold I've ever seen.
Along the right side of his neck, old faint claw marks prove the brutality he's seen in his past.
When he steps close enough, everyone bows, not a word leaving their lips. My father steps from behind the alpha king and I can't help but smile at how relatively small he is to him.
“Welcome everyone,” the king says before taking his seat at the head of the table. Every other person sits down too.
Only when all movement paused does he speak again.
“Members of Vahl,” he begins, his voice dark and deep. “It has been too long since we gathered beneath one roof like this.”
A few heads nod but most faces stay tight.
The king glances at my father who's still standing behind him and with a curt bow, father opens his mouth to speak.
“Years ago, our clans faced a choice.” He begins. “After old hatred and blood debts divided us, our territories became weak enough for the vampires to invade.”
Everyone at the table, including the alpha king, scowls. Like the memory alone is acid poured into their minds.
“They crossed our borders in numbers, spreading like a flood. They poisoned our wells, tore out the throats of our loved ones and left villages silent for months.”
Not a word is said from those listening but the pain in their eyes is so raw.
“We could have stood alone and died one by one. Instead, we chose to join our forces and fight as one.”
I notice more slow nods but they are looking more pissed about the fact than pleased.
“Together we pushed them out of Vahl,” he continues. “We bled on the same fields. We buried our dead side by side. That union gave us the strength to seal our borders and rename our lands under one… Vahl. For more than two decades we have walked the same streets, shared the same markets, raised our children under the same sky. It hasn't always been rosy but we've held peace.”
He lets the silence sit for a heartbeat.
“It pains me to see us tearing at each other now. To see brothers raising fists at each other, fathers refusing their daughters and sons to mate with another clan.” he says, staring at a man on the table.
“It hurts to hear about blood spilled in back alleys instead of on battlefields, fighting the same enemy.” His gaze moves slowly around the table.
“Still, almost every clan leader is sitting here today. And that tells me I’m not the only one who remembers what we built together. It tells me there’s still hope.”
A woman at the far end of the table snorts.
She's dressed in read silk. On her heart shaped lips is matte black lipstick, so bold that it's the first thing you see on her.
Her ash coloured hair is pulled back tight, highlighting her sharp cheekbones. It's her eyes that really get me..
Leaning forward with her elbows on the table she instantly owns the room, her black eyes looking fierce.
“Enough circling,” she says. “We all know the werewolves lit the match that burned the peace down. They violated our veil. They glimpsed what should never be seen.” Turning to the alpha king, she says. “Have your people apologize to the witch clan for the insult, Alpha King, and we will consider the slate clean.”
A fair-skinned chubby man seated beside her, adorned with the same hair and lip color snaps his head toward her, clearly not agreeing with her decision.
“Mariam?” he whispers but she ignores him.
The Alpha King’s brows draw together. “The werewolves?” He repeats her words in annoyance. “You slaughtered my pack members in their sleep and you dare stand there blaming us?”
Mariam shrugs. “Death by the sword is the sentence for veil thieves. I carried out justice not the evil you wolves did. My conscience is clear.”
Three men seated together near the center of the table shift. They each have long white woollen coats with the collar turned up, framing most of their necks.
And their white hair flows down to their waists so elegantly. The one in the middle sighs but the moment he speaks, the air in the room changes.
it's as though winter itself stepped through the door.
“We’ll gain nothing but more anger by pointing fingers,” he says quietly. “If peace is what we want, we must each swallow our pride. Alpha King, your people should have been disciplined by you the moment they damaged the veil. But their disrespect was allowed to stand unanswered. That was a mistake on your part.”
He then turns his pale gaze toward Mariam.
“And you, Mariam… You should have brought the matter to the king himself before you answered with blood. Did it ever cross your mind that the Alpha King may not have known about their crime at that time? You dishonored him by acting alone. Now Vahl bleeds because neither side chose patience.”
Mariam’s black lips curl. “Don’t pretend the sempyrs are innocent in all these.”
In response, all three white-haired men frown in perfect unison.
“You humiliated the warlock clan in the open street, didn't you?” she says. “They haven’t even bothered to show their faces here today because of it.”
One of the other sempyrs leans forward. “They shapeshifted into our likenesses and pranced through the market square mocking us in rags while the whole city laughed. You expect us to let that stand?”
“Was stripping them bare in the middle of Vahl and delivering mass beating to their leaders truly the only answer?” Mariam asks.
And just like that the tension returns.