Chapter 109 Meditations pt 2
Duncan
"I'm afraid so. And I'm sorry, Alpha Duncan, that I didn't prepare for it or expect it. It should have been a simple matter of letting those thoughts go, but instead, they turned on you, attacking you."
"How do you know that? It was in my head."
"Yes, but as your guide, I could see. One benefit of being High Priestess, I suppose you could say. I could see, but I couldn't assist." Her hands twisted together as she spoke. "What happened was caused by dark magic. A spell, I suspect, cast by someone in the Circle of Astaroth, my sister's former circle. It's safe to say that they've heard you're the princess's mate, and they don't like it. I will investigate further to be sure."
"What happens now?" I asked. My head was throbbing. Seren brought the cool cloth back to my forehead.
"Now, you rest a bit. Eat lunch. Go read a book or take a walk, then come back and we'll take the next step. You and Conn combined broke through the spell, so when you come back, we can focus on exploring the connection to your precog powers."
With that, Julian came over and extended his hand, helping me up. "Come on," he said, clapping me on the back. "Let's get some food."
After spending time with my group and eating a light lunch, I headed off to the library. Seren and Gideon were due to train with their mother, so this was a good window for me to get some research in on precognition and psychometry. Now that I'd stepped back to really look at things, I could see that I had been dismissive of the powers. Elaine was right—I couldn't call them down like I could lightning, and therefore they didn't seem as important to me. I'm realizing that was not the case.
I wandered the stacks in the Alpha's library, looking for anything that stood out to me as being helpful. Unfortunately, the recorded number of wolves who had been gifted the same powers as me was small. These were very rare powers among the shifter race. Ultimately, I opted to focus on recalling my first meeting with the Goddess and what she told me.
I had knowledge that I was unaware of, or didn't realize the significance of, if I followed what she was saying. I replayed my last vision at Blood Moon over and over in my head. Outside of the fact that James and Tobias escaped to Bloodraven Coven, nothing significant stood out until I recalled the name James had mentioned—King Mikhail. There were no kings by that name in the current supernatural political environment. The king of the werewolves was obviously King Cian, my father-in-law. The vampires had King Dorian. As far as I knew, witches did not have a royal lineage. The closest they came was their high priestesses, though it was worth asking Elaine about. It's possible there's something I'm missing there.
Conveniently, it was time to meet back up with her, so that's where I headed next. When I stepped into my office, she was waiting, a small pouch in her hand. She held it out to me.
"This is for you, Alpha Duncan. While we're training, you're open to psychic attacks like the one you experienced earlier. This should block them."
"What is it?" I turned the velvet bag over in my hands, feeling the contents shift. It felt as though it had bits and pieces of all shapes and sizes inside.
"A charm I've put together. A portable spell, if you will. As long as you keep it on you while you're meditating, you should be protected."
"Thank you." I slipped it into my pocket. "Since you're here, I have a question. What is the ruling structure for witches? Both shifters and vampires have royal families, but I can't recall anything like that related to witches."
"That's because we don't have a royal family. We have a council. The Council of Hecate contains the High Priest or Priestess from each coven, as well as three Elders. This is not information we share lightly, which is why you're unaware. If I may ask, why do you want to know?"
"I saw the past while in Blood Moon, and Selene mentioned it contained a clue. The only piece of information that I can think of is the mention of a King Mikhail, but there is no king who goes by that name among shifters or vampires. I was wondering if perhaps he was a witch, but that doesn't seem to be the case either."
"I've not heard the name, either."
"I'll look into it. Now, let's focus on what we're here for. What's next?"
"Meditate." There was a twinkle in her eye as she said it, and a small smile on her lips. "You need to get back into that space, and then open yourself to visions, past or present."
"I've always had to touch something to get a vision of the past," I told her.
"That was before the Goddess gifted you directly. I suspect that has changed."
With a shrug, I sat opposite her again. "Okay." I centered myself, then slipped into my mind. The white space surrounded me again. I looked around, hoping for something simple like the door from earlier, but there was nothing. Elaine's voice came through, soft and relaxing. "Relax, Alpha Duncan, and just breathe. Focus on accepting yourself and your powers. It will come to you."
Even as she said that, there was a spike of joy through the mate bond with Seren. She was feeling happy, and that warm glow expanded in my chest, a feedback loop of positive energy. Suddenly, I was standing in the middle of the Alpha suite upstairs. I quickly turned, trying to figure out how I'd gotten here from my office, when a little boy with golden-brown hair and brilliant green eyes ran into the room and right through my legs. He was laughing, looking behind him, ducking around the sofa.
"Gavin Ravenscroft! You know you're not supposed to be running through the suite!" Seren called from the doorway as she entered, heavy with child and a smile on her face. "You know what would happen if your father were to catch you."
More giggles from behind the couch. "But Momma, how can I surprise Daddy if I'm not hidden? I needed to get here first!"
She softened, her hand on her belly, as she came around to see him. "Oh, all right. It'll be our little secret. Now get ready, he's almost here."
I jolted back to the present, eyes wide as I stared at Elaine in front of me. "Was that…the future?"