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“My point exactly!” was Sigurd’s response to this, giving Seth cause to give him a wry look in return. But I was not in the mood for these antics, and was quick to remind them all the reasons we were here were far from having a fucking itch to scratch!
“Yes, well, we may all enjoy a good battle and reminisce the days on the killing fields, but this war is over my chosen one, and it is one that I want to end in a single fight. I want the chance to rip that fucker's head off!”
“A justifiable impulse, HellBeast, for every man at this table understands that there is no enemy like the one who threatens what you love the most. We have all been there and faced that same threat at one point in our lives, but each of us have also learned through the ages that, sometimes, our greatest weapon is that of knowledge before even stepping foot on the battlefield,” Dom said, and I hate it that he was right.
Knowledge had, and always would be, a king’s greatest advantage. I lived by this rule, for to know one’s enemy is to know oneself and therefore discover his weaknesses.
“Then what do you suggest?” I asked in a frustrated tone, despite being reminded of this rule.
“Let me reach out to Carrick, see if the Death Dealer knows anything other than what was said at the time. Who knows, he may have recognized the soul,” Dom said, making me grit my teeth and snap,
“The soul…? It's fucking Ella, Dom.”
“I understand your frustrations, Cerberus, but if she is indeed an old soul, then we have to ask ourselves who was she before she became mortal. Did this Summoner who rightfully lost her head, this Niniane, did she give any indication as to why Ella had the ability to take her summoned souls and that of her power?”
I flinched at this, noticing now how everyone eyed me intently before I was then forced to admit,
“There is one thing.”
“And that is?” Lucius asked in an expectant tone.
I released a sigh and told them all what I myself had refused to believe was true. The other cause to the heavy weight on my mind this last week.
“Niniane… she referred to Ella as… the Summoning Queen,” I forced myself to say, and their response in return was a collective breath taken by all. A reaction that quickly prompted me to add,
“But she is hardly a reliable source.”
“Perhaps not, but I also fail to see what gain she would have had from this, especially after having her powers stripped from her along with her collective souls,” Dom offered.
“No doubt as a last ditch attempt at saving her life and making us believe she was somehow more useful to us alive than dead,” I pointed out, making Sigurd scoff, likely at the idea that she was foolish enough to believe anything could have saved her from my wrath after what she had done. But then being as he was once a renowned fighter in my club, he knew more than most the destructive nature of some of the summoners and their dishonorable means of acquiring new souls.
“And if not?” Dom asked, as clearly he had his doubts.
“So, what? You think that's it? That in some past life, Ella was a fabled summoning queen now in hiding from her uncle as a mortal with no memory to speak of?” I asked in return, my tone saying it all.
“It certainly sounds possible,” Seth agreed, adding to my frustration.
“And what of Ella? Would she really have no knowledge of this? If she was that old of a soul, a supernatural, she would have simply transferred into another vessel knowing who she was. She would not have been reborn as a mortal baby. That shit doesn't happen for a reason, Dom,” I said, aiming my argument his way as he was the one fueling this speculation.
“Yeah, because it is fucking impossible,” Sigurd agreed.
“I have to agree, it is unheard of.” Dom rubbed his jawline before holding his chin and looking to Lucius. “And what of you, my old friend, are you also as disbelieving in the possibility?”
All heads turned toward Lucius, awaiting his answer.
“I agree, it is unheard of. But whether or not that means that it is impossible, I do not know. Though, I will tell you this, there are many things in Hell that don't reach the ears of others for good reasons. Over two thousand years I lived this life, and with it not a single soul until recently had knowledge that I had a brother, not even those closest to me,” he said, looking briefly to Dom before he continued his point. “Nor did they know what his abilities were, for they were so rare, it was considered dangerous.”
I released a sigh, knowing what he said was true and therefore as much as I hated to admit it, unfortunately it gave food for thought. As he was right, just because something wasn't well known, didn't make it impossible for it to ever become known given time.
“Then how would we ever have any hope in discovering this?” Seth asked, voicing the most important question.
“I might know someone that can get on the inside,” Clay offered, making all eyes turn to him.
“It might be worth doing so before Clay makes himself known to his kingdom, as the timing on when to strike will be imperative,” Lucius agreed, and I had to say, it finally felt good to have a plan of attack being put into place.
“We will all need to move as one, for if we fail in taking back Clay’s legions, we will need our own in place ready to fight,” Dom said, as clearly despite what Ella was, or more like who she could have been, his mindset still mirrored the rest of us.
“It would be nice to know what his plan is, for even with a single army, we all know that he has no chance in taking over Hell and if he is already ruling one realm, is his ambition really to take over the rest of them?” Sigurd asked, as this was usually the case when those hungry for power had the foolish ambition for gaining more, for clearly ruling one realm was not enough.
