Ancient Spell

Ancient Spell
Lilith POV

I noticed the beautiful girl standing next to a man. Her father had given a speech earlier, and her name was mentioned. He called her Cleo. "I haven't seen the head of the council yet," I said, glancing at Theo, who was focused on the man beside Cleo. The man met Theo's gaze, but I looked away and fixed my eyes on Cleo. Her face was unfamiliar in NYC, and I could tell. What was her mission in my city? I had no idea, but people loved her.

It was as if I never existed. "We have to find him," I said, narrowing my eyes at the man this time. He noticed I was staring and immediately looked away, and I redirected my gaze to Theo. I watched as Theo's eyes drifted away from the man and settled on me.

"I have an idea. We need to find the library first," he said, and we moved into the crowd. I didn't understand why he wanted to visit the library first, nor did I question it—I simply followed him and directed him to the library. The head of the council usually spent his time there, but I wasn’t sure about this time. There was a party going on, so he could be anywhere besides the library.

Theo wanted to look for clues at the library. He thought he might find something among the council head's ancient books.

"What exactly are we looking for?" I asked as we entered. He quietly shut the door and moved toward the arranged books. "Theo!" I called. He turned to face me, letting out a sigh.

"The creature we saw in the cave might be ancient," he said, but he wasn’t making much sense. We never saw the creature’s face or its appearance; we only heard noises, which wasn’t enough to identify it in a book. I thought Theo was losing it. We came here to talk to the council about the information we found, not waste our time in the library.

"You’re not making sense right now. We never saw what the creature looked like," I pointed out, but Theo returned to searching through the books. "How would we find what we didn’t see?"

He picked a book from the shelf. The cover was old and delicate. He dusted it off before opening it. "Theo, will you at least answer my question?" I hated being ignored. I am the Chosen One, I am the Queen. He was supposed to listen to me and give me the respect I deserved.

He moved to another shelf, scanning through books. "You saw the portal that opened, didn’t you?" he asked, and I nodded. I followed him around. "Only an ancient spell could have opened that. It was a powerful spell indeed." Theo took the books he found to the table, placing them gently before beginning to read one after another.

"So, you’re saying that Beauty’s father used ancient spells to create those demons? Does that sound right to you?" I didn’t want to believe his words, as they didn’t make sense to me. I’ve fought beings like mine, and my father once used ancient magic to try to kill me. All I could think was that not just anyone could access such spells—only my father with special power. "King Cain possessed that kind of power because he was a king, and the power chose him. I believe people with such power are rare and must be royalty. Beauty’s father isn’t from the royal clan."

"And how sure are you?" he asked, meeting my eyes.

"What?"

"You speak as if you know everything about him. Just recently, you learned about his relationship with one of the greatest witches. He might have a past story, and as you said, not everyone can wield that power."

"You’re right, son," I heard a familiar voice say. I looked toward the door as it opened. The head of the council entered with Lydia by his side. I hated seeing that witch, and my hatred had grown ever since I heard what she did to my Alaric. Theo stood up and paid his respects. "You didn’t tell me you were coming," he said, glancing at me. I knew I had said some harsh things to him last time we met at a party in California, and I was sorry for that.

"Lilith and I didn’t have much time to inform you—we were in a hurry," Theo said, handing the book he was reading to the head of the council. He examined it, running his finger over the damaged cover.

“This reminds me of old times,” he chuckled. “What exactly is the problem?” His old voice asked as he approached a shelf and pulled out a book.

"California is in trouble. The war—" I cleared my throat before Theo could finish. He looked at me, and I shook my head to indicate Lydia was present.

The head of the council glanced at us. "I’d like to speak with you in private. Lydia needs to leave," I said.

"You can trust her—I tell her everything, so she can stay."

"No, she can’t," Theo replied. The head of the council looked at Lydia and nodded slowly. We watched her leave before speaking again. She was a witch, but the room was sealed, and no magic could be used inside it.

"She’s gone," the head of the council said as he approached us. "What danger did you encounter?"

I looked at Theo. I expected him to speak, but he remained silent.

"Lydia’s husband is up to something that could endanger us all," I finally said after a moment of silence.

"What? Was that why you didn’t want her here?" he asked, raising his brows. I nodded. "Lilith, you shouldn’t speak badly of her. I know you don’t like Lydia, but you shouldn’t hate her—she's just following my instructions."

"I am the Chosen One. Why would I lie to you?"

"You’ve done it before. Speak, boy—what is she saying?" he asked, glancing at Theo, who had been silent the entire time.

Theo looked at the head of the council. "She’s not lying, and that’s why we’re here. We don’t know much about this man, but he’s about to cause a war in my city. He’s about to unleash deadly creatures, and these creatures are powerful enough to detect anything. There’s a nearby cave, not far from the institution. We all witnessed the warlock’s power, and I believe it involved ancient spells."

"Not just anyone can use such spells," I argued again. "My father used one because he was royalty."

The council head exhaled, closing the book he was reading. He placed his hands on his chin. "The Chosen One is right, and you are correct as well. Truly, only royals can wield that kind of magic, and it’s said that only royal blood possesses more magical power than most supernatural beings. You’re also right because we don’t have the full story about the warlock. He could be royal, or perhaps the power he used wasn’t ancient but merely looked like it."

"How is that possible?" Theo asked.

"Magical spells can be forged, but they can never be as powerful or dependable as the real thing. Cleo is here for the same reason—she saw things too and came seeking help after many years. I didn’t expect the person behind these problems to be involved."

"How old is she? Cleo," I asked, eager to learn more about her. The only thing I knew earlier was that she was the daughter of a witch and a werewolf.

"She’s around your age. Her family moved to California before she was born. Her mother died last year, and we suspect she was killed by her own kind. She’s an interesting girl, and I’m sure you’ll get along well."

"What do we do? How do we defeat this thing that threatens my city?" I asked.

"Take this," the head of the council said, handing Theo a book. "You might find answers there." Theo took the book.

"I need to see my parents before I head back to school. Are they okay?" I asked.

The head of the council stood up. "They’re fine. Make sure you call for help if things worsen over there. I’ll send reinforcements."

Theo and I thanked the council and left the library. I hoped to see Cleo again and maybe chat with her for a while. She seemed like an interesting person.

When we reached the ballroom, she was no longer there, and I couldn’t sense her aura anymore. "Let’s get out of here," I said to Theo. He clutched the book the head of the council had given him and followed me out of the region.