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I’m going to show him what we do to traitors,I think to myself as I raise my hands, twisting them to help me channel the huge round of magic I’m holding. With a simple thought, I release my power, and a literal wave of stars shoots towards him, pushing him back and pinning him against the balcony wall. He shouts out, waving his arms as he tries to steady himself, fear flashing in his eyes as he thinks he’s about to be thrown over the wall. That’s not what I have planned for him though.
“He’s all yours,” I call out, pumping a steady flow of magic into his restraints.
Belua rises above the outside wall, her huge water dragon form towering over us. When Ruby looks up, pure fear shines in his eyes. A scream erupts from his mouth, but it’s over in a flash as the goddess pounces, snapping her jaw and taking his head and half of his torso into her mouth.
Sweet revenge, she purrs into my mind as she tears the male apart. Councillor Ruby’s death was hers, and it was only right that she was the one to take him down. His death is so gruesome that I actually have to look away. Belua’s vengeance is bloody, making me nauseous. There’s a shift in magic, and I quickly look back to find her in her human form. Covered in blood, she looks like a beautiful nightmare.
Real panic has settled into the councilmen’s hearts now that they realise exactly who the creature is, but we’re still outnumbered, and Atlas still doesn’t have access to his magic while the council seems to be able to use theirs. Syn and Atlas are holding their own, especially now that Belua is here, but as I take a quick look over the balcony wall at the fighting below, my gut lurches as I see great groups of witches and werewolves being rounded up by the council’s wolves.
As though the goddess heard me and sent a blessing right to me, a stir suddenly passes through the arena, and the scent of magic fills my lungs. Whatever the werewolves managed to do to keep us from using magic, it’s been destroyed. The temperature drops as Kano embraces his ice magic, and I see glows all around the arena below as the witches are finally able to fight back. A cheer rises up, and a grin splits my face. We could win this thing.
Help is here, little moon, the goddess whispers in my mind, her voice full of warmth.
Frowning in confusion, I look around, trying to work out what she means. I assumed that the help she spoke of previously was Belua, yet it seems I was wrong. The cheer from below suddenly becomes a roar, my ears ringing as the witches and wolves fight back even stronger than before. That’s when I see them.
Running through the tunnel I first arrived in and flooding into the arena is a familiar group. Witches and werewolves alike that I’ve trained with or known all my life pour into the space, seeming to know where they are needed. It doesn’t seem to matter what race they are, they work together for the chance of freedom. I begin to pick individuals out of the group, my eyes stinging as I see my instructors from Haven, Selena from my old pack, as well as my other pack mates. Leading it all is Kano.
He’s alive.
Sure, he looks like he’s had better days, but his expression is ferocious as he flings his magic towards any who stand in his way. I’m not sure how I know, but he was the one who managed to return the magic for the fighting witches. I can just sense it.
It’s a struggle to pull myself away from the edge, but I still have something I need to do up here. Now that magic is returned, Atlas is freezing the councilmen while Belua and Syn tear them apart, which leaves one person who needs to be dealt with.
Turning my attention to the queen, I find her trapped at the far end of the balcony by Star. She looks like she’s contemplating her chances of surviving the drop from the platform.
“You can try jumping. It would save me the trouble.”
My callous comment seems to make up her mind. Spinning in a swirl of skirts, she narrows her silver eyes on me. I’ve never seen her so furious before, her hands balling into fists.
“You’ve ruined everything,” she hisses, her face contorting with hatred. “Why couldn’t you just die like you were supposed to?”
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t just let me be.” Shaking my head, I gesture to the arena around us. “It’s clear you’ve been working with the council. They are werewolves, and you seem to get on with them okay, so why encourage the hatred for them at Haven?”
I’m starting to realise that it’s not necessarily werewolves she hates, but anyone she deems below her, which happens to be most of us, wolves and witches alike.
Tossing back her golden locks, she purses her lips. “I doubt your puny mind will understand.”
“Try me,” I demand. Power tingles throughout my body, begging to be released so we can finish this once and for all.
“Do you know how long I’ve been in power?” She shakes her head as though this is something I should know. “No, I doubt you do. I look good for my age. What about the faceless councilmen? Do you really think they hide behind those masks just for the hell of it? They arecenturiesold, simply changing identities every couple of decades so no one notices.”
Stunned, I process what she’s suggesting. If it’s true, then the council never actually changed, they’ve been hiding who they are so they could continue to rule, making it seem like we actually had a choice when it comes to our leadership. Using this same logic, the queen has been doing the same thing. What she planned to do when people eventually noticed that she wasn’t aging, I don’t know, but one thing is becoming clear.
“You’re never going to give up the throne, are you? You’ve been manipulating people to keep yourself in power.”
Throwing her head back, she laughs loudly, a twinkle in her eye. “Clever girl, maybe I underestimated you.” It’s clear she’s messing with me, but I don’t give her the reaction she’s looking for. “You see, war brings people together,” she begins, slowly walking towards me and trying to find a path around Star. “If we have a joint purpose, such as keeping everyone safe from the evil werewolves, then no one questions my power or rule, as I’ve been protecting everybody. The same goes for the council. Their rules are harsh, but they keep you safe from witches. People fear change. What if someone else replaces the council, and they are somehow worse? Then, you’re without protection. Yes, a few people have to be sacrificed, but it’s for the betterment of everyone else. It’s worked for centuries, untilyouturned up and destroyed it all.”
It’s sick logic, but it’s clearly been working all this time.
“You’ve purposely been continuing the war between the witches and werewolves, all so you can stay in power. Both you and the council.” I thought I knew the lengths they would both go to so they could stay in power, but I underestimated them. What she’s saying is horrific. The casual, callous way she speaks of her people’s death makes my anger boil within me. They deserve so much better than her. We all do.
“Yes,” she croons, smiling with sick pride. “And with the council’s new virus, we will have another way to control everyone.”
My heart stops beating in my chest for a second as the true horror behind it all is revealed. While I knew the queen would stoop to killing those in her way, this is a whole new level that I’d never even imagined. “You’re talking about biological warfare.”
Nodding with mock sympathy, the queen smiles at me with pity. “It’s for the best.”
“For you, maybe. For everyone else, it’s genocide!” I’m shouting now, and I know we’re collecting an audience. “Did you really think you could get away with this?”
