Chapter 8 Chapter 7
By the time Kael finally called an end to training, every muscle in my body was screaming and I was pretty sure I'd sweated through my expensive new clothes.
We'd spent six hours in that stone room. Six hours of summoning shadows and pulling them back, of trying to shape them into something useful instead of just letting them explode outward in panic. Six hours of Kael barking instructions at me in that infuriatingly calm voice, never losing his patience even when I lost mine for the dozenth time.
"Enough," he said finally, and I nearly collapsed with relief. "You're exhausted, which means your control will only get worse from here. We'll resume tomorrow morning."
"Joy," I muttered, sinking onto the floor despite how undignified it probably looked. "Can't wait."
"You did well." He grabbed two water bottles from somewhere and tossed me one. I caught it clumsily and drank half of it in one go. "Better than I expected for a first session."
"Was that almost a compliment?" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Careful, Thorne. People might think you're going soft."
Something that looked suspiciously like a smile tugged at his mouth. "Can't have that." He sat down across from me, and I was struck by how normal the moment felt. Like we were just two people recovering from a hard workout instead of a vampire and a witch trapped in an impossible situation.
"Tell me about the prophecy," I said. "The real version. Not whatever sanitized explanation Thalia gave me."
Kael took a drink from his own water, considering. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Why Shadow Witches were hunted. What I'm supposedly meant to do. Why everyone seems to think I'm going to either save or destroy the world."
"That's a lot of questions."
"I've got time." I gestured around the empty training room. "Not like I'm going anywhere."
He was quiet for a moment, and I thought he might refuse. Then he sighed, and when he spoke, his voice had a quality to it I hadn't heard before. Like he was reciting something he'd memorized long ago.
"Three hundred years ago, your ancestor Elara created the Veil. Demons had been crossing over from the Shadow Realm freely, feeding on humans, causing chaos. The supernatural world was on the brink of exposure. So Elara and her coven performed a massive ritual that created a barrier between worlds. After that, demons could only cross through specific rifts, and those rifts were heavily monitored."
"That sounds like a good thing," I said.
"It was. For humans." Kael leaned back against the wall. "But it also meant demons were trapped. Their realm is dying, has been for centuries. They need access to Earth to survive. The Veil cut them off from their primary food source. So they went to war with the witches who'd imprisoned them."
"And the vampires?"
"We tried to stay neutral at first." His jaw tightened. "But demons are destructive by nature. Their war with the witches started spilling over, threatening our interests. We made an alliance with the Demon King at the time. Malakai's predecessor. Together, we hunted Shadow Witches to extinction, thinking that if their bloodline died, the Veil would become permanent. Unbreakable."
The casual way he said it made my stomach turn. "You killed innocent people."
"We killed witches we perceived as threats," he said. "I'm not defending it. I'm explaining it. And yes, many of them were innocent. Including Elara, who had a three-month-old daughter she managed to hide before we reached her."
"Elena," I said softly, remembering the name from my dreams. "My ancestor."
"Yes. She survived. Had children of her own. Passed down a diluted version of the bloodline that we couldn't track. Until you." His eyes met mine. "Twenty years ago, a seer had a vision. A Shadow Witch would awaken on her twenty-fourth birthday. And she would choose which species survives and which burns. That prophecy started a new war. Demons want to find you first, use your power to tear down the Veil so they can escape their dying realm. Vampires want to control you, use you to strengthen the Veil and keep the demons contained forever."
"And witches?" I asked. "Where do they stand in all this?"
"Most are dead or in hiding. The ones who remain are too scattered and weak to be a real factor." He paused. "You're alone in this, Seraphine. Which is why you need the Court's protection."
I processed all of this, my mind reeling. "So everyone just expects me to pick a side? Condemn an entire species to death?"
"That's what the prophecy says."
"The prophecy is wrong." I stood up, ignoring my protesting muscles. "I'm not choosing between species. I'm not playing this game."
"Then you'll die." Kael stood too, and suddenly we were close, too close. "The war won't stop just because you refuse to participate. Malakai will keep coming for you. Other vampire Courts will try to steal you. And eventually, someone will succeed in using you whether you consent to it or not."
"So what am I supposed to do?" The frustration in my voice was sharp enough to cut. "Just accept that I'm a weapon? That my only purpose is to be wielded by whoever can hold onto me the longest?"
"You're supposed to survive," he said quietly. "Long enough to find a third option. Long enough to maybe change the ending of this story."
The intensity in his eyes made my breath catch. This close, I could see flecks of darker blue in all that silver. Could see the ancient exhaustion he carried like a weight.
"You don't actually want me to choose the vampires, do you?" I said, the realization hitting me. "You think this whole war is pointless."
"What I think doesn't matter." He stepped back, putting distance between us. "I serve my Queen. And she wants the demons contained and the Veil strengthened. That's what I'll help her accomplish."
"Even if you don't believe in it?"
"Especially then." His expression shuttered, going cold again. "Welcome to immortality, little witch. Eventually you stop questioning orders. It's easier that way."
The sadness in his words hit me harder than any training exercise. He was trapped too, I realized. In a different way than me, but just as thoroughly. Bound by loyalty and duty and centuries of habit.
"That sounds like a terrible way to live," I said softly.
"It's the only way I know." He grabbed his jacket. "Come on. You've earned your phone call to Luna."
He led me back to my room in silence. When we reached the door, he pulled out his phone and did something that made mine buzz in my pocket.
"I've unblocked your number temporarily," he said. "You have thirty minutes. Don't try to tell her where you are or how to find you. The call is being monitored."
"Of course it is," I said bitterly.
"Thirty minutes, Seraphine." He turned to leave, then paused. "You did well today. Better than most would have in your position."
Before I could respond, he was gone.
I stood there for a moment, staring at my closed door. Then I pulled out my phone and called Luna.
She answered on the first ring. "Sera? Oh my god, Sera, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said, and just hearing her voice made my eyes sting with tears I refused to let fall. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine. Confused as hell and possibly having a mental breakdown, but physically fine." Luna's voice was thick with emotion. "They put me in this apartment. It's nice. Too nice. They said I'm in protective custody, which sounds a lot like being a prisoner but with better furniture."
"I'm so sorry," I said. "Luna, I'm so sorry for all of this. I never meant for you to get dragged into my mess."
"Your mess?" She laughed, but it sounded more like crying. "Sera, you're a witch. An actual witch. And there are vampires. Real vampires. And demons. And apparently, you're some kind of chosen one from a prophecy. How long have you been carrying this secret?"
"My whole life," I admitted. "I wanted to tell you. So many times. I just didn't know how."
"By using words, probably," Luna said, but her tone was gentle. "Like, hey Luna, by the way, I can do magic and there's a secret supernatural war happening. That would have been a good start."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. "Point taken."
"Are you safe?" Luna asked, her voice going serious. "Really safe? Or are you just saying that because someone's listening?"
"Both," I said honestly. "I'm safe for now. But the situation is complicated. Really complicated. And I don't know how it's going to end."
"Then we figure it out together," Luna said firmly. "Like we always do. I don't care about prophecies or wars or any of this insane supernatural stuff. You're my best friend. My sister. And we're going to get through this."
The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over. "I love you, Luna."
"I love you too," she said. "Now tell me about this Kael guy. Is he hot? Because I feel like vampires are probably hot."
I choked on a laugh. "You're impossible."
"And you're avoiding the question."
We talked for the full thirty minutes, about everything and nothing, and by the time I hung up, I felt steadier. More grounded. Whatever happened next, at least Luna was safe. At least she didn't hate me.
That was enough. For now.