Chapter 34: Allies

Mrs. Devon, Valarie’s mother, stepped out of the room where she had been with Jane for hours, trying to get rid of the black worms in Jane’s wound and helping her recover. She walked gracefully to where Xavier and his mother sat in the living room.

“Ahem,” Mrs. Devon cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Oh, you’re out. Is there any progress on the girl’s health?” asked Mitchell, concerned about Jane whom she had just met.

“Yes, but she might not be awake soon. Unfortunately, the worms had been in her wound for a long time, and she’ll need a long time to recover,” Mrs. Devon explained.

“It was dark magic, right?” Mitchell asked placing her fingers on her lips. She was once a witch, and even though she hadn’t really handled dark magic, she could feel it. Mrs. Devon nodded to her question. “But I don’t get how a vampire would be able to use dark magic. The only one who has access to that forbidden magic is the Witch Queen.”

“That’s right. It has come to my knowledge that Kashina is fully supporting the vampire lord in the search for the hybrid.” Mrs. Devon paused, recalling the events of the meeting she had been called to. “The Witch Queen has asked all witches to join in the search for the hybrid.” While Mrs. Devon was narrating the events of the meeting, she found a seat opposite Mitchell and sat on it. “And she has also attached a reward. Whoever delivers the hybrid to her will have the privilege of working as her apprentice and later be given a seat at the table of elders. The offer is something most witches won’t let slide by.”

Working beside Kashina would be a big deal for most witches, especially those who were still at level one. They would have the exposure they needed for growth in magic and witchcraft, and after that, there would be a seat reserved for them at the coven below the mountain where the elders who have mastered magic are welcomed.

"An opportunity for greatness." Mitchell nodded as she thought how hard it would be to not accept such an offer.

“This is bad for us!” Xavier exclaimed. “If those witches go all out in search of the hybrid alongside the vampires, we might not stand a chance.” Xavier’s hands balled into fists. He was angered; he had not made any progress in his search, and now this. The vampires were already an issue for them, and with the witches, it would be far worse.

Xavier rose from his seat in anger and walked up the stairs. He needed a strategy to find the hybrid and fast; time was never on their side.

While Xavier was heading up, thoughts filled his head. ‘The only lead we have right now is the powerful energy felt at that school. If I were the vampires, I would do research on all the students at the school. That’s such a hassle,’ Xavier sighed. Even if he was determined to get a hold of the hybrid quickly, he didn’t like the stress that came with it.

As talented as he was, he didn’t have to put any effort into being a leader, but his brother did. Ian was meant to be the alpha after his dad; he had received all the training he needed, but he refused the role when he got older. He might have foreseen such a stress. When Xavier was asked if he would like to be the alpha after his father, he didn’t hesitate; he saw his father as a hero and wanted to be like him. He would have also dropped the responsibility with how difficult things were, but who would he pass it to? And he wasn’t sure his father would like that.

When he was upstairs, he saw Sage standing just outside his mother’s room in the hallway. Her arms were folded, and she leaned against the door frame. “Hey,” Sage said, waving her right hand a bit before folding them back.

Immediately Xavier saw her, and every thought in his head vanished. Somehow, with how innocent she looked, it brought peace to him.

“Are you feeling better now?” Xavier asked as he approached Sage, standing only inches away from her.

“Yes, I guess,” Sage said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, but it slid back out.

“That’s great,” Xavier stepped closer and helped her tuck the hair properly behind her ear. “Your cousin is asleep; you should rest too.”

“How can I possibly sleep? I don’t think I can. A lot is going through my mind. I have a lot of questions, and I’m worried about Jane,” Sage said as she shivered from the grip of fear for the unknown with tears threatening to roll down her eyes.

Xavier didn’t know how to comfort Sage, but he felt like good news would do some good. “Well, I just heard, Jane is okay, but she might need time to recover.”

Upon hearing the good news, Sage’s face lit up a bit, but a tear rolled down her face.

“Thank you, Xavier, thank you,” Sage said, pulling Xavier into a tight hug. The gesture was sudden, and it made knots in his stomach.

Sage was grateful because she would still be stranded in the woods if Xavier never showed up when he did. Jane would be in a very bad state if they had not gotten help. And she would not have escaped with that car if Xavier had not offered to drive her home that day. Overall, he had always shown up when she was in need of help and when she least expected it.

They stood there for a moment, embraced in a hug that seemed to last longer than it should. Xavier could feel her heartbeat pound loudly in her chest, the fear and exhaustion evident in her frail form.

He gently pulled back, looking into her eyes. “You’re safe here, Sage. We’ll figure everything out.”

Sage nodded, wiping away her tears. “I know. It’s just... everything is happening so fast. One moment we were at school, and now... now I don’t even know who I am or what’s coming next.”

Xavier took her hand and led her to a nearby bench in the hallway. “Sometimes, it’s okay not to have all the answers. You just need to take things one step at a time.”

Sage sat down beside him, taking a deep breath. “I guess you’re right. It’s just hard to process everything.”

Xavier couldn’t help but admire Sage’s resilience. Despite everything she had been through, she was holding on, finding strength in small moments. He made a silent vow to himself to protect her, no matter what. There was something special about her, something that drew him in and made him want to fight even harder, but he didn't know why yet.

As the evening wore on, Xavier’s mind wandered back to the pressing issues at hand. The threat from the witches and vampires, the search for the hybrid, and the responsibility weighing on his shoulders. But for now, sitting there with Sage and surrounded by his family, he allowed himself to believe that they could get through this. Together, they would face whatever came their way.