‘This is it. This is why Tobias wanted Carlton in office. To prevent something like this from happening. He could have controlled them and stopped an investigation like this.’
The president stood up from his chair and exited the room. Everyone else soon followed and were escorted to a secret garage where they could leave discreetly.
I opened my eyes to see Eli doing the same, taking his focus off enhancing my vision with his vixra magic and examining me before taking a step back.
“Well?” he asked expectantly.
It had been nearly thirty minutes since I spoke. A whole half an hour that he and Nathaniel stood there patiently waiting while I watched and listened.
“Imagine how bad it could possibly be,” I answered. “Now multiply that by a hundred.”
Eli grunted. I could sense he wanted to swear but he contained his anger.
Nathaniel stood stoically behind him with his eyes drilling into mine. He was irritated. That much I could sense easily without even feeling his emotions radiating from him.
‘Yeah, yeah, I know. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t left you that night. I don’t need to be reminded.’
“What now then?” Nathaniel asked Eli after breaking eye contact with me.
I could tell Eli didn’t like the conclusion he was forced to come to. But he gave into it anyway.
“We don’t have a choice,” he said. “We have to go in. Do everything as I instructed you and nothing more. Do you understand?”
Nathaniel and I both nodded.
I watched as Eli lifted his arms into the air and created a shadow over the three of us. The same way I did with the cameras in the city when Nathaniel and I hunted. Only when watching a vixra doing it, I was in a state of awe. He didn’t have to put effort into it like I did. He barely even broke a sweat. A cloud formed over us then slowly went invisible, making anything we did hidden from those around us. Even the security cameras.
Eli took his hand and carved an opening in the air. Green magic slithered through his palm and into his forefinger as he opened a vixra tunnel and stepped inside. I went in behind him, followed by Nathaniel.
The only times I went through a vixra tunnel created by an actual vixra, it was rushed. First when Edmund sent me back through time and space to my own century and again when Arthur sent me back to Tobias’s mansion when I used the tolepa potion to find my sister in the Matthews house. This was so incredibly different. I could walk through the tunnel without feeling like I was being pushed and pulled by strong gusts of wind threatening to shove me about. The sides of the tunnel showed a crunched version of the distance we were traveling. I could see people inside the White House sleeping and Secret Service agents standing guard as the night stood still around them.
When we stepped out of the tunnel, I landed perfectly on my feet with little effort. Right into the center hall of the president’s private residence inside the White House.
I turned to the left to see a large half circular shaped window with long white curtains. There were three couches. Two facing each other and one in front of the large window with the moon shining directly inside.
The president sat on the far end couch in front of the window with a glass of whiskey on a circular table to his right. There was a cigar in his hand and a book in his lap. Only he wasn’t looking at it. His eyes were wide open and glowing in the magical light of Eli’s tunnel closing behind us.
President McAllaster set down his cigar and placed his book to the side. I wasn’t sure if he was going to scream for help or if he couldn’t decide if he was hallucinating. But when I stepped forward along with Eli, the president immediately recognized me. A shiver ran down the length of my spine and my arms. Having the most powerful man in the western world look you dead in the eyes with an expression of shock and awe wasn’t something I gathered many people got to experience.
“Hello, Mr. President,” said Eli, taking his steps forward slowly and methodically. As if he had planned this encounter down to the way he would move his feet. Like he was approaching a frightened animal.
I could feel President McAllaster’s fear beginning to rise. It turned into full-blown panic within a matter of seconds. It permeated the air around us and I knew Eli could feel it too.
“Don’t be frightened,” said Eli. “We’re not here to harm you. Or anyone else. My kind are very private and we prefer to be left alone. Harming you would only threaten our desire for privacy.”
I wasn’t sure why but the president believed him. He got up from the couch and stood taller than Eli. Not that it was any consolation that he had his height working for him. It wasn’t something that would intimidate an old vixra witchling like Eli. A man who had seen many presidents sworn into office over the last century.
“Why is she here?” the president asked with his eyes transfixed on me.
“I needed her help. She has a very special talent. Many in fact. A few of which you’ve seen on security camera recordings.”
“And who are you?”
I could hear the condescension in the president’s voice. Fortunately, Eli didn’t appear phased by it.
“My name is Eli. My family lives abroad in seclusion. Most of our kind do. We’ve tried very hard to assimilate and benefit human existence. Sadly, we failed. Many times. And granted the reaction Miss Ashwood’s incident received from various members of your administration, I think you can understand why.”
“What are you?” President McAllaster stammered, trying to sound tough and ultimately failing.
Eli sighed. He was ready for this. He prepared both Nathaniel and me should we have to take drastic actions. But I sensed that he still couldn’t quite believe it had come to this.
“We’ve had many names over the centuries,” Eli explained. “Seers, clairvoyants, magicians, sorcerers, wizards, and witches. Just know that what makes us who we are is different from what makes you human. We are other. My kind came here a very long time ago to gift humans with knowledge of the unknown. That which they could not understand and to create a better future. Our arrogance in believing we could live among one another and mutually benefit has turned into centuries of punishment for our own foolish altruism. And so we live in seclusion and choose not to mingle with humans. We want no trouble and no part in human affairs.”
“Then what was that display outside?” The president argued. “You can’t say that after I watched the tape. I saw what she can do.”
“That was the fault of a man named Victor. Not all of those on our side are kind. There are a great many that do not practice discretion. It has been our responsibility to make sure that those such as Victor are tamed and controlled. Due to circumstances beyond our grasp, we lost that control recently. But we already have very powerful individuals working to regain that control and to capture Victor. It will take time but we’re working on fixing the problem.”
“Powerful individuals?” the president barked at him. “Powerful in what way? Can they do what you just did? Can they enter a home using…using-”
“Magic?” Eli finished his sentence.
I think Eli was expecting to be disrespected. But he certainly wasn’t used to it. I saw his posture stiffen at the president’s tone of voice.
“Yes,” Eli continued. “Yes. They can.”
“Who are these powerful individuals?”
“A very old witch and an even older vampire. I have no doubt that their combined age and skill set will allow them to gain control of the situation regarding Victor’s crimes. And once it’s been fixed I will give you word. But there’s one single thing I came here to explain to you. Something of great importance that you need to make your administration aware of.”
“What’s that?” the president sneered.
Eli took a few steps forward.
There was nowhere for the president to run. Nowhere to hide. He couldn’t even step back with the couch directly behind him.
Eli lifted his hand and let the green light of his magic shine in his palm. It entwined
around his fingers and grew into a bright ball of light for the president to see.
President McAllaster’s eyes were practically entranced by the sight of it.
“Many of our kind have died throughout the centuries trying to get along with humans. We wanted to help them. Our efforts only ended in heartbreak and chaos. Our kind do not share in your ideas or your worldview. We have a way of life that allows us a certain amount of order. An order we will fight fiercely to protect. If humans seek to destroy that order and interfere in our lives by digging too deep, cataclysmic events will occur that will change the world forever. In ways that can’t be reversed.”
“I recommend you do not threaten me in my home, Eli,” said the president. “Remember who you’re talking to.”
‘If only the president knew who HE was talking to.’
Eli let his magic trail around his arm like a snake. Its power was so intense that the president fell back onto the couch. Nathaniel and I were forced to take a few steps back too. I had my hand over my eyes to protect them from how bright Eli’s magic became.
“And do well to remember who you’re talking to, Mr. President. I did not come here to threaten you. I came here hoping you would understand. Perhaps even to make you understand. Digging into affairs that do not concern humans will only end in suffering. If you leave my kind alone, we will do the same. That’s the only way we can maintain peace between us. Where there’s too much proximity between my kind and humans, only destruction can follow. And if there’s one lesson humans refuse to learn, it’s that not everything is meant to be shared. Our world is our own and we are entitled to keep it as we see fit. We will not tolerate human interference.”
Eli let his magic seep back into his body. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust back to the dimly lit room. The president remained seated and completely in awe of what he just witnessed. He gave Eli a smile. A sly smile that I didn’t trust.
“Can I have your word that you will tell your administration to end all investigations into my kind?” Eli asked.
The president finally gained back some of his confidence and stood up again. “Yes.”
His mouth moved. I heard him say the word that Eli wanted to hear. His emotions, however, were another story entirely.
“I can sense the deception running through your mind, Mr. President,” said Eli. “You may not trust me. You don’t even have to like me or my kind. But respect the distance we have intentionally placed between us. Because if you don’t, I will be back with more of my kind. Not all of them are as polite as I am. Consider this your only warning.”
With that, Eli turned his back to the president and walked to the center hall of his private residence. Nathaniel and I followed. But not before I saw the president’s eyes settle on me. I never liked the man from the rare occasion Madison had the news playing in the background while I was at her house. I thought he was as arrogant as any other politician. Just like Carlton was. At that moment, I knew President McAllaster was worse. There was hunger in his eyes. The sort I had only ever seen in the vampires I had the displeasure of meeting when I was displayed before the Catach-Brayin. Only the president was sly about it. He didn’t snarl. He didn’t have fangs to flash at me. And he didn’t lust for my blood. He was lusting for something else.
My magic.
‘Just like the Romans came to conquer our tribe in ancient Scotland. Eli is right. Nothing will change between humans and witchlings.’
Eli opened up the vixra tunnel in the hallway as Nathaniel and I followed. Disappearing into the night as if we were never there.
Chapter 15
“Have another helping,” Madison said as she spooned more mashed potatoes onto my dinner plate.
“Maddie, if I have more my stomach might burst open.”
“Toughen up. I believe in you,” she teased.
I groaned but didn’t try to stop her.
“It’s your own fault,” she said after tapping the large serving spoon on my plate to get the last bit of mashed potatoes off. “You’ve been under enormous stress and I know you. When you’re stressed you don’t eat much. You need to put some weight back on.”
I shoveled what was left on the plate into my mouth as her girls giggled across from me. Something told me that Maddie had a similar attitude when making them finish every last bite of food on their plate. Especially the vegetables.
I glimpsed at her youngest who had scooped up what was left of her green beans and held it in her lap. She let a bit of her magic out of her palm under the table when Madison wasn’t looking and made them disappear.
‘Remind me to ask her how she does that. I wish I knew that trick growing up.’
I watched Madison as she finished her meal. Her husband Ted helped her clear off the table and get the girls ready for bed. They sat in the living room looking at picture books for a few minutes with a large knitted blanket over them while Madison made a large pot of coffee for us. She brought it back to the dining room on a large wooden tray and served me a cup.
I shook my head.
“What?” she asked as she sat down next to me.
“I just can’t believe we’re here. It was only five months back that we had coffee in your kitchen and all this started.”
“But we’re both alive,” she said.
“Barely.”
She wasn’t wrong. There were countless times when I could have been killed. Isaac nearly killed me. Brian nearly killed her. Then Ragna and Victor. Daniel and the vixra council. Our lives had been anything but boring over the last five months. Only now as we sat in her new dining room in a home the Matthews family kindly provided to her in the countryside outside Budapest, I was able to see things with a little more clarity.
“I’m proud of you though. And I know mom would be too,” she said.
My brow furrowed. “Proud of me? For what? Barely managing to stay alive? For exposing witchlings to humans? I told you how President McAllaster behaved. I doubt he’ll let go of what he saw.”
She snickered. “No. None of that. I’m proud of you for overcoming so much.” She took my hand in hers. “I tried for so long to get through to you. You were in such a state of grief after Caleb died that I wasn’t sure you would ever snap out of it. I saw you on the days when you couldn’t get out of bed. When you weren’t sure moving on was even a possibility. But you took control of your life when it mattered the most. I know the last five months have been terrifying and lord knows I wish we could have avoided them. But if the purpose all along was to bring my sister back to me, it was worth the sacrifices and the pain.”
I hung my head. “I’m not really sure I agree with that. I would do anything to get this poison out of your body. To have a life with you in Dilton.”
Emily’s face flashed before my mind. I knew she could finally rest. She was at peace. If my survival in exchange for hers was some sort of cosmic-trade off, I knew I had no choice but to live it as fully as I possibly could.
Madison saw the sorrow in my eyes. “Would you though?” she asked with a smile.
I sat back in my chair. “What do you mean?”
“I see the way Nathaniel looks at you. Don’t try telling me there’s nothing between you two.”
I didn’t say anything. And lucky for me, my silence was a confirmation to her.
“I knew it!” she said. Now she was practically beaming.
‘It doesn’t matter. Daniel severed the mark. I can’t be with him the way I was with Caleb.’
I shrugged my shoulders. “He’s a vampire, Maddie. What kind of life could we have together?”
“You mean your magic hasn’t-”
“No,” I lied. She didn’t know what Daniel had done. That he severed the mark. It was awful enough thinking about it when I was near Nathaniel. How we could have had a normal life together. But false hopes like that were quickly dashed against the rocks. I didn’t need Madison to carry the weight of what that meant too.
“Take what blessing you can get right now, Harpe
r. You’ve spent most of your life in the service of others. When you take things back into your own hands, they will fall into place.”
“Yeah, okay,” I muttered sarcastically before taking a sip of the hot coffee.
I let her take control of the conversation. She told me how she was homeschooling her daughters again and how Ted was doing at his new job in a town nearby. Along with her experiences of living among the vixra for months and getting to know some members of the Matthews family. I listened with genuine curiosity until it was time for her girls to go to bed.
She showed me to the door and I wrapped up in a coat to prepare for the cool fall air that would greet me outside.
“Give it time, Harper,” she said to me. “We’re strangers in a strange land. It’s going to take time for us to fully adjust but we’re here. We’re alive. That counts for something.”
I smiled back at her as I tightened my scarf on the stone steps outside her new country house. “Aren’t we always strangers? Being witchlings and all?”
She grinned and then closed the front door. I walked through the grassy patch outside her house and toward a clearing. Then I placed a leftover paper droplet of vixra blood on my tongue from my pocket and let it dissolve, allowing the power it held to wash over me. When I felt it flowing freely through my veins, I lifted my hand and carved an opening with my magic. Then I stepped inside the vixra tunnel with one place in mind. I focused hard on it and walked through the tunnel until I came out softly on the other end.
‘Nice to finally have that skill mastered.’
I was standing in front of Nathaniel’s house in the Mátra Mountains of Hungary. I walked up to the door and gently knocked. There was no answer. I pushed the door open to find it unlocked.
“Nathaniel?” I called out his name. He didn’t appear to be home. But I knew he wouldn’t leave the door unlocked if he wasn’t. So I walked in and removed my coat. I wondered around until I found him standing outside on his deck looking over the mountains in the distance. I slid open the glass door and stepped onto the porch. There was a piece of folded paper in his hands. “Are you alright?” I asked.
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