Chapter 17 Chapter 16
The three days of confinement passed slower than I thought possible, and when they finally ended, I emerged to find the Court in chaos.
Kael was waiting outside my door when the lock finally clicked open. His face was grim, and through the bond I felt urgency mixed with dread.
"What happened?" I asked immediately.
"We need to talk. But not here." He grabbed my hand and pulled me through corridors that seemed unusually empty. "Thalia has called an emergency Council meeting. All three vampire Courts are gathering. Something big is happening."
"How big?"
"The Veil is weakening faster than expected. Rifts are opening randomly across the city. Demon attacks are increasing exponentially. And there's been an incident." He stopped outside a room I'd never seen before, checking to make sure we were alone. "Last night, a rift opened in downtown Chicago. In front of humans. Multiple humans saw demons cross over and attack. The supernatural world is about to be exposed."
My blood ran cold. "How many humans saw?"
"Dozens. Maybe hundreds. There's video footage spreading online. The Courts are trying to contain it, calling it a hoax, special effects, but people are asking questions. Questions we can't answer without revealing everything." His hand tightened on mine. "Seraphine, this is what the prophecy warned about. The Veil failing. The worlds merging. If we don't do something soon, there won't be a secret supernatural world anymore. There will just be war."
"What does Thalia want me to do?"
"She wants you to demonstrate your power to the other Courts. Prove that you can strengthen the Veil. That Shadow Witch magic is the key to preventing complete collapse." He paused. "And if you can't prove it, she's considering handing you over to a joint task force. All three Courts working together to extract whatever power they can from you."
"Extract?" The word tasted like ash. "You mean kill me and harvest my magic."
"I won't let that happen," Kael said fiercely. "The bond protects you. If they kill you, they kill me. Thalia knows that. She's not willing to lose me just to study your power."
"Yet," I said. "She's not willing yet. But if things get bad enough, if the Veil fails completely, how long before she decides you're an acceptable loss?"
He didn't answer, which was answer enough.
"I need to see Luna," I said. "Before this Council meeting. Before everything goes to hell. I need to know she's okay."
"I'll take you to her." Kael led me through more corridors, and I noticed vampires watching us pass with expressions ranging from curiosity to outright hostility. Word had spread about my rescue mission and my punishment. Some saw me as brave. Others saw me as a liability. "But Seraphine, after the Council meeting, things are going to change. The Courts will demand more from you. More demonstrations, more missions, more use of your power. You need to be prepared for that."
"I'm tired of preparing for things I can't control," I said. "I'm tired of being everyone's weapon or prize or solution to problems I didn't create."
"I know." His thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand, a gesture so casual and comforting that it made my chest ache. "But we're running out of time to find another way."
Luna's new quarters were in a different wing, one with more guards and heavier wards. The vampires stationed outside looked at me with suspicion but let us pass after Kael nodded.
Inside, Luna sat on a bed that was nicer than the one in her previous room, but the windows were barred and I could feel the oppressive weight of containment magic. She looked up when we entered, relief flooding her face.
"Sera." She rushed over and hugged me tightly. "Are you okay? They wouldn't tell me anything except that you were being punished."
"I'm fine. Just locked in my room for three days." I pulled back to look at her. "Are they treating you well? Has anyone hurt you?"
"No, they've been decent actually. Bringing me food, books, even a laptop with restricted internet access." She glanced at Kael. "Though I'm pretty clearly a prisoner now instead of a guest."
"That's my fault," I said. "Thalia made my defiance your problem. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize for saving my life." Luna squeezed my hands. "Sera, what's happening out there? I can hear vampires talking through the walls. Something about rifts and exposure and the Veil failing?"
"It's complicated," I started, but Kael interrupted.
"The supernatural world is falling apart. The barrier between Earth and the demon realm is breaking down. If we don't find a way to fix it, demons will pour through unchecked and humanity will be caught in the crossfire." He said it bluntly, matter-of-fact. "Sera is supposed to be the key to preventing that. She's the last Shadow Witch, and her bloodline created the Veil in the first place."
"So fix it," Luna said, looking at me. "You're powerful. I've seen what you can do. Why can't you just repair whatever's breaking?"
"Because I don't know how," I admitted. "The magic that created the Veil was performed by multiple Shadow Witches working together. I'm one person with barely a month of training. Even if I knew the ritual, I don't have the power to perform it alone."
"Then find help," Luna said simply. "You have vampires who need you. You have that demon lord who's clearly in love with you. You have me. We'll figure this out together."
"It's not that simple," Kael said.
"Why not?" Luna crossed her arms. "Look, I've been sitting in various vampire prisons for weeks now, watching supernatural politics tear apart people I care about. And from what I can see, the problem is that everyone is working against each other instead of together. Vampires hate demons. Demons hate vampires. Everyone used witches as weapons or scapegoats. But if the Veil fails, you all die together. So maybe it's time to stop fighting and start actually cooperating."
The simplicity of her logic was stunning. And through the bond, I felt Kael's surprise that a human had just articulated what none of the immortal supernatural creatures had been willing to admit.
"The Courts would never agree to work with demons," Kael said. "The war has been going on for two decades. The hatred runs too deep."
"Then the war will kill you all," Luna said. "Because from what you just told me, you're running out of time to find another solution."
She was right. We all knew she was right. But knowing it and implementing it were different things entirely.
"I need to get Sera to the Council meeting," Kael said finally. "Luna, stay here. Don't try to leave or do anything that will make Thalia restrict you further."
"Not much else I can do from a locked room," Luna said dryly. She hugged me again. "Be careful. And Sera? Whatever they ask you to do in that meeting, remember you have choices. You always have choices, even when it doesn't feel like it."
I hugged her back, drawing strength from her presence. "I'll remember."
Kael led me to the Council chamber, a massive room I'd never seen before. Three thrones sat at the far end, each occupied by a vampire that radiated age and power. Thalia sat in the center, with two others flanking her. A man with dark skin and silver eyes on her left. A woman with red hair and a predatory smile on her right. The Crimson Court Queen, Morgana. The one who'd witnessed my demonstration.
The room was filled with vampires from all three Courts, hundreds of them, all turning to watch as Kael and I entered.
"Seraphine Blackwood," Thalia announced. "Approach."
I walked forward, feeling every eye on me. Kael stayed at my side, and through the bond I felt his protective instinct warring with his duty.
"The Council has a proposition," Thalia said. "The Veil is failing. Human exposure is imminent. We need a solution, and we need it now. You claim to be the last Shadow Witch. Prove it. Show us you can repair what's breaking. Give us hope that this crisis can be resolved."
"And if I can't?" I asked.
"Then we will be forced to consider more extreme measures," the male vampire said. His voice was deep and resonant. "Measures that may not align with your continued survival."
"Are you threatening her?" Kael's voice was sharp.
"We're being realistic," Morgana said, her smile sharp. "One witch's life versus the exposure and potential extinction of our species. The math is simple."
Through the bond, Kael's fury blazed. But before he could speak, I did.
"I'll try," I said. "I'll attempt to repair the Veil. But I need resources. Information about the original ritual. Access to the hidden witch covens. And time. You can't expect me to fix three centuries of damage overnight."
"You have one week," Thalia said. "Prove you can do this, or we explore alternatives."
One week to master magic I barely understood, to repair something created by multiple witches far more powerful than me, to somehow save everyone from a catastrophe I didn't cause.
No pressure.