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“No, I was promised my revenge. We need to regain control,” the queen argues, her constant need to be in control showing through even now.
A male scoffs. “Soon, there might not be anything left for you to control!” one of the councilmen retorts. I think it’s Councilman Diamond, but it’s difficult to tell because I’ve rarely heard the others speak.
“No, the queen is right. We can still rectify this,” Ruby insists.
Just hearing his voice stirs up the anger within me. They are talking about us like we’re all errant school children not following the rules, not their people rioting against their rule. They will never understand that this is their fault, blaming the few who dare to think for themselves.
Having heard enough, I nod at Atlas and reach for the door handle. I throw the door open, and the three of us step inside, Star rematerializing at my side. The six of them spin to face us, surprise written across the queen’s face, and although I can’t see the faces of the council, I can feel their shock. Did they really underestimate us so much and think we wouldn’t find a way to get to them?
“Unfortunately, you’re wrong.” Brushing my hair from my face, I raise a brow as I stare directly at Ruby. “You should have listened to your fellow councilman.”
“Laelia,” he sneers, stretching out my name like a curse. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before you found your way to us.” He doesn’t sound surprised or worried about my presence, just reluctantly accepting. Twisting slightly, he gestures towards the chaotic stadium. “Are you happy with the mayhem you’ve caused?”
I take his brief distraction to glance around the space and take in the current situation. The platform is literally just a large balcony, the wall around it protecting them from falling and also separating them from everyone else. The space is much bigger than I expected, their large, throne-like chairs taking up about a quarter of the area. The rest is empty save for a cabinet filled with alcohol and empty glasses. It seems they were determined to enjoy the show.
“I’m here to put an end to your rule. You’ve terrorised us for too long.” Taking a deep breath, I fight against my instincts as I speak again. “If you step down and agree to go peacefully, then we will allow it. This doesn’t have to end in death.”
In the back of my mind, I know they are not going to agree with it, and that they would never stick to the rules even if they did accept. The safest thing for everyone is for them to die. However, in my heart, I knew I had to at least offer. I won’t let them take my kindness away from me completely, even if they would kill me in a heartbeat without offering me the same.
“Laelia,” Atlas counters, warning and disapproval in his voice, but he doesn’t say anything else or try to stop me. Syn snarls in agreement with the witch, and I know if he was in his human form, he would have some stern words for me.
They needn’t have worried though, as the councilmen laugh at my offer. I notice how the queen stays out of the conversation, keeping her distance, her eyes on the door as she tries to work out how she can escape. Unfortunately for her, we are blocking the exit, and even with magic, she wouldn’t survive the drop from the platform if she were to jump over.
“Do you really think we’ve not had to deal with rebellions before?” Councilman Ruby sneers. “Oh, child, you have a lot to learn.” He reaches up and pulls off his mask. My heart races as I wait to see the man behind the mask after all this time. When he drops it to the floor, I feel a wave of disappointment. He looks completely normal. I’m not sure what I was expecting, some evil-looking villain with fangs and glowing eyes, but he’s just an old male with a completely unremarkable face. While I didn’t expect to recognise him, this just feels underwhelming. The whole time, this mysterious figure that I’ve feared was just an old man in a mask.
The others follow his lead, revealing much of the same. They all have different features, but ultimately, they all look ordinary. Atlas is looking at me in confusion, having felt my mix of emotions, not really understanding the significance of what’s happening. Syn, however, is just as shocked as I am. Having worked for the council for years, he’s never seen their faces until now. When all you have to go on is a person’s voice and their behaviour, I suppose you build up an image in your mind of how they look, and this is definitely not what I expected.
A maskless Ruby steps forward, his face twisting as he looks me over, ignoring Star’s and Syn’s warning growls. “You have been a constant thorn in my side. Even before you were born, you were causing trouble.”
Dumbstruck, I’m completely lost for words. They knew about me all that time. My magic wasn’t a surprise to them, as they already knew I existed.
“You knew about me before my magic showed itself?” I choke out, my hair falling into my face as my head shakes in denial.
Ruby’s brows rise, and a smirk pulls at his lips. “Oh, we knew of you, but we weren’t sure you would ever develop magic. You smelled like one of us, and you showed no signs of being anything other than a werewolf, so we never had to step in.”
“And now?” I ask bitterly.
This time, Ruby’s smile is wide as he chuckles. “And now, you have to die.”
Raising his hands, the councilman throws a ball of magic towards me, but I manage to block it easily with a shield of stars. The other councilmen jump into action, moving to attack Syn, Star, and Atlas.
“Leave the girl. Ruby wants her for himself,” one of the councilmen shouts, confirming my suspicions as they focus on attacking my mates instead of me.
Ruby’s attack never falters despite the sudden movement around him. His magic may be weaker than mine, but he knows how to control it much better than I do. It quickly becomes apparent that I’m not going to win a magical battle against him. If I want to win this, it’s going to have to be hand-to-hand. Forming a plan in my mind, I create a glowing shield around myself, slowly closing the gap between us.
“How do you have magic?” I gasp as a huge wave of his power batters against my shield, pausing and bracing against it. The force is so strong it pushes me back, my feet slipping on the smooth floor.
The huge use of magic seems to have taken its toll on the councilman, though, as sweat drips down his face and he takes great gasps of air. “Werewolves have had small magics for centuries.” Using this as an opportunity to recover, he regales me with information. “Probably thanks to our ancestors breeding with the witches, and those gifts have passed down over time. It’s mostly diluted so thinly in our blood now that most never know they possess it. The council’s bloodlines are strong, so we can actually use our power.”
The explanation makes sense, but I really just want him to keep talking.
When a flash of colour moves behind him, I know I need to push my advantage. Strengthening my shield, I step forward. Of course, he counters this with several weak blasts of magic, stepping back as he realises it’s not affecting me in the slightest. The councilman goes to look over his shoulder to check how much space he’s got, and I quickly fire my own blast of stars—not to injure him, but to keep his attention on me.
“Let me guess, you then kill off anyone who shows signs of magic. Just how many have you killed to keep your secret?” I don’t have to fake my disgust.
He shrugs, sending another wave of magic towards me. “We couldn’t risk the masses finding out we had our own.”
Shaking my head, I feel my magic react to my anger, swelling within me like a hurricane. “You’ve betrayed your own people for your selfish greed and need for power.”
