by Ciara Graves
“As you say.”
Seneca smiled as he offered her his arm. I told them to be back by midnight, and they set off, acting casual. As if there wasn’t an army gathering in the fields outside of Madwich. As if all of this was perfectly normal.
“Lark,” I said, confused to find him in the tent. “Thought you had business to take care of.”
His lips thinned as he walked further into the tent. “I do,” he said quietly. “It’s Seneca.”
“What happened?”
“She didn’t attack anyone. We took a walk through the woods. She said she wanted to get away from the commotion. I hung back to give her some space. I’m sorry.” He hung his head. “She was out of my sight for only a couple of minutes.”
“Lark, just tell me.”
He glanced over his shoulder as if checking we were alone. “She emerged from a small grove of trees and the smile on her face—it wasn’t hers. It was evil, Draven.”
“And her eyes?”
“They were black as night. Her rings were crackling. I don’t know what she did.”
I had a feeling I did, as much as I didn’t want to say it aloud. “It’s alright. Thank you for telling me. I’m assuming you don’t have any business you need to take care of?” He shook his head, and I rattled off the chore I’d given to Shane before he set off with Seneca. Lark said he’d see the right people gathered and left.
As soon as the tent flap closed behind him, I grabbed the table and threw it against the canvas with a growl, wishing there was more in front of me I could destroy. She was lying to me, right to my face. I asked her repeatedly if the voices were getting to her, asked her what they wanted her to do, and every time she said she hardly heard them. That she had everything under control. The nagging in my gut told me whatever she was sneaking around and doing involved Rudarius. I wasn’t sure how, but she was seeing him again. Talking to him.
Why was it so hard for her to just tell me the damned truth? What was she trying to do? Protect me? “Shit,” I muttered as it dawned on me. That’s exactly what she was doing, downplaying what was going on with her to protect me. If she’d been in distress, I hadn’t even sensed it. She was doing a damned good job of tucking away her emotions from the bond we shared, too. When she returned with Shane, we’d be having a talk about her thinking she had to keep me safe and not the other way around.
Between the two of us, she was the one taking the greatest risk.
I righted the table and replaced the map as the tent flap flew to the side. Marlie stormed in, walked around to the other side of the table, and stared.
“Help you with something?” I asked, my lip twitching from the raw anger pouring off him.
“Seneca. We need to talk about her.”
“Unless you’re here to tell me you plan on making it up to her for being a jackass, then no, we don’t need to talk about her. I suggest you get out of this tent until midnight when the others arrive to go over our options.”
“I said we need to talk about her,” he repeated. “She’s becoming dangerous. You and I both know it. We can’t trust her around the army.”
“Because she tried to deck you, you believe she’s going to turn on everyone?”
“Yeah”
I hoped to avoid this argument, but it looked like I wasn’t going to get a choice in the matter. “Marlie, let me tell you something right now. One, you have no idea what Seneca’s going through. Not with Rudarius, not with the past she can’t let go of, not with anything. So unless you’ve been inside her head personally, you should shut up. Two, I trust her with my life. If I didn’t, then I would be sure to have her away from anyone she could hurt. And three,” I added, stalking around the table to stare him down, “if you lay a finger on her, if you do anything to cause her harm, you’ll have me to answer to. Do I make myself clear?”
He moved closer. “You are not my leader, Draven. You can’t order me around.”
“When it comes to Seneca, I damned well can.”
“I’m her family.”
“Then maybe you should start acting like it. Everyone has used her or turned on her. Everyone. Macron just admitted he let her be taken by Rudarius, let her be changed. And you have the gall to stand there and call her out for her actions? How would you react in these situations?”
“I wouldn’t be flirting with the enemy.”
The last word was still on his lips when I grabbed him by his shirt and threw him across the tent. He scrambled to get back up as I stomped toward him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? She said it herself. She was with Rudarius. You told me what she told you.”
“In confidence. She’s not going to turn on us.”
“How do you know that for sure, huh? Those rings were supposed to help her, but all they’ve done is turn her into something I don’t recognize anymore.”
I was ready to deck him, but managed to keep my fists at my sides. “How would you know? You hardly know her?”
“And you’re any better?”
“I am because I know who Seneca is. You’re still hoping she’ll turn out to be the sister you dreamt of for all those years. Poor Marlie, can’t figure out that his sister needs us to be there for her. Not stab her in the back like everyone else,” I shouted.
“She needs to be controlled, contained. We have no idea what she’s thinking or doing.”
“You really think locking her up is going to help her? We’d be as bad as Rudarius.”
His face turned bright red. “You arrogant bastard. Don’t you dare compare me to that monster.”
“Then stop acting like him.”
“She’s going to turn on us. I see it in her eyes. The darkness. She won’t be able to control it.”
“And it’s not her fault.”
“The hell it’s not,” he went on, spit flying from his mouth in his anger. “You put far too much faith in her.”
“And you not enough.”
The tent flaps parted, and Owen barged inside. He didn’t glare at me but at Marlie. “If you try to lock her up, you’ll doom her,” he growled. “Is that what you want? To lose your sister after you’ve just found her?”
Marlie licked his lips nervously, no longer so keen on arguing with me now it seemed, what with Owen backing me up. “She’s dangerous. You have to see that.”
“She is, but she’s not going to be a danger to us.”
“How can you know that?”
“Because I’ve known Seneca longer than you both,” he pointed out. “I know who she is beneath the rage and the darkness. She would die rather than betray us after the many times she’s been betrayed.”
Marlie didn’t seem convinced, but he took a few steps toward the tent flaps. “Fine, have it your way, but when she hands us over to Rudarius, don’t come to me.”
“It won’t happen,” Owen assured him. “She’ll never go to him.”
How could he sound so convincing when even I had doubts about what she was doing speaking to Rudarius so much?
Marlie cursed then stormed out of the tent.
Owen shook his head as he turned to me. “Was walking by, wanted to make sure you weren’t killing our little fae prince.”
“Tempted to, but no. Thanks, by the way.”
“For what?” he asked.
“Sticking up for Seneca. Not many people seem to be doing that lately.”
He crossed his arms, scuffing his boot in the dirt. “I love her,” he whispered so low I wasn’t sure he wanted me to hear. “I can’t help it. I tried not to after she chose you, but we were together for so long.”
“You were there for her when no one else was,” I said quietly. “I’m only sorry I couldn’t be.”
“You’re here for her now. And,” he sucked in a harsh breath as he looked at me, but I couldn’t read his expression, “you haven’t lost faith in her.”
“Don’t plan to.”
“Draven, I can’t say that I’m happy she chose you, because
I’m not, but I’m staying in this fight because of her. I shouldn’t have turned my back on her the way I did.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Shit, she came to save my ass without even thinking about it. What kind of woman does that to the jerk who dumped her?”
“One with a good heart. It’d be nice if everyone else saw what was really there.”
His shoulders tensed as he said, “Macron, I can’t believe what he did. She spent all those years fearing for his life and to find out what he did to her, no wonder she’s becoming unhinged.”
She might’ve been able to weather this storm but knowing that Macron was the reason she endured so much pain and torment, someone who was meant to be her protector, I was still surprised she hadn’t tried to kill him.
“I need your help,” I told him. “She’s hiding something from me.”
“You think she’s still speaking with Rudarius?”
Speaking… yeah, we’ll go with that. I didn’t even let myself think of what else they were doing. If he’d held her again, kissed her again. I bashed my fist into the table, cracking it right down the middle.
Owen smirked, and I shot him a curious look.
“How I felt when I saw her with you,” he replied. “I understand the anger. I take it they’re not just talking.”
“He kissed her,” I hissed.
Owen’s smirk disappeared in a shot.
“Comforted her,” I added.
“Like he’s trying to replace you?”
“What he told her.” I ran my hands through my hair, not wanting to say the words aloud, but they were already on my tongue. “I feel like I’m losing her to that monster. To this power inside her. I don’t know what to do to pull her back. She keeps going to Rudarius and listening to the voices, and she’s not telling me the truth. The whole truth. There’s more going on, but I can’t see it.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her when I can,” he promised. “I lost her once. I won’t watch her succumb to evil.”
I believed him, too. He did still love her. Not in a sad, pining way. He truly cared for her. A small part of me felt bad for coming between them, but Seneca had been ready to leave him long before we tried to kill each other. And he loved her anyway for who she was.
“Thank you.”
“Doing it for her, not you,” he uttered, but he didn’t meet my gaze as he said it.
He might say he hated me, but it looked like he was starting to come around. Slowly. We switched the topic from Seneca to the demons and mages who were preparing to leave Madwich. Owen said those who didn’t wish to stay and fight were heading to the demon embassy. We weren’t going to have a huge demon force since many had been killed in Rudarius’s initial assault on Valesk. Their numbers in the human realm were scattered and would take too long to bring here. That and each clan had different loyalties. He started to explain, but I held up my hand to stop him.
“Vampire covens are just as political, trust me. The only reason these are joining is that Rudarius attacked them. But the demons who stay are a help.”
“Seemed there’s a decent number of fae. You think they’ll follow you what with the way Marlie is shooting his mouth off?”
“Marlie’s going to have to get over it.”
“He’s a spoiled prince,” Owen said. “And you cut off his hand.” As if I needed reminding.
“I’ll cut off his other hand if he doesn’t back off his sister.”
Owen laughed at that, then the coven leaders arrived. Wendall was first, casually strolling in as always, with Nathaniel at his side. Carter entered behind, face pinched as if he just drank sour blood. Vince and Theon came in last. There was no new leader chosen for the Night Lurkers, Petra’s coven.
“Did her coven come?” I asked, knowing I didn’t need to specify.
“They’re here. We’re speaking for them now,” Vince informed me.
After them, came Marlie and Lark, Macron, several other mages, Helena. And two more demons who shook hands with Owen, then stood at the rear of the tent. Ash and his brothers arrived as well. I looked around at their faces, wondering how many held the same concerns about Seneca as Marlie did. When my gaze landed on Macron, he quickly averted his eyes. Seneca had made it a point to steer clear of him, though she knew he wanted to speak with her. He’d just have to wait.
The last to enter the tent was Shane and right behind him was Seneca. The air became tense. I waited for Marlie to demand she leave, but he kept his mouth shut. Owen shifted closer to him all the same, and I gave him an appreciative nod. Seneca quickly walked to my side, but she didn’t take my hand.
“I’m alright,” she promised with a small smile that didn’t quite fit the worry lines on her face. “So, we’re all here. Should we get started?”
I glanced to Shane, standing just behind her, but he didn’t give me any sign that I should worry. “I called you all here tonight because we need a plan. Macron, I would also ask if you and the other mages can find a way to form a protective barrier around the encampment? With the veil no longer sealed, Rudarius can set his goons on us any time he wants. I know you said a few days ago, you weren’t up to your full strength, but we could use some sense of security here.”
“I’ll see what we can do. Though I would say, Seneca might be better suited for that task.”
“Me?”
I kept a close eye on him as he nodded, wondering if he was being truthful or trying to start something again. “Yes, you,” he went on. “The power inside you is strong enough to create a greater ward than we could. Many of the mages who came from Valesk are still recovering. And as Draven mentioned, Rudarius and his forces could attack us at any time. We must be ready for him.”
Seneca’s eyes darkened, and I reached for her hand, but she slipped out of my reach. She walked around the table toward Macron, while I stayed right behind her just in case. “You trust me to do this, huh?”
“I do,” he replied sincerely. “You can keep us safe. You have that power. Use it for good.”
Mentally, I cursed. He just had to say that last part.
Seneca stiffened, shaking her head. “What the hell do you think I’ve been doing? Think I’m just running around not trying to kill Rudarius? Think I didn’t beat him back once already? Or save everyone I could from Valesk?”
Macron remained silent, but it was Marlie who stepped forward. “Do it to prove you’re not secretly siding with him.”
“Marlie,” I snapped.
Seneca held up her hand. “If that’s what you think, then fine, I’ll do it.”
She walked out of the tent, and we followed. I glowered at Marlie as I passed but kept my comments to myself. Seneca walked to the center of the encampment, drawing the attention of everyone around her. She shook out her hands and rolled her neck.
“You don’t have to do this to prove anything to them,” I whispered.
“It’s fine. If they want a magic show, then I’ll give them a magic show. Can you give me some room? I’ll be okay.”
I backed away to stand with the others. Macron approached from my right. “What are you playing at?” I asked.
“I’m trying to make up for what I’ve done.”
“By putting her on the spot?”
“By giving her a chance to prove where her loyalties lie.”
I growled, sensing the air grow heavy as Seneca pulled on her power. The rings glowed, and she raised her right hand high over her head, her left in front of her.
“As if they were ever in question,” I argued. “You’re the one who doesn’t trust her.”
“You’re right, and I should, but with Rudarius inside her head, how can I?”
“By believing she’s the same Seneca she’s always been.”
“You don’t even know what that is,” he said, annoyed.
I scowled at him. “Actually, I do. I know exactly who she is. I feel what’s in her mind. Seneca is there, struggling to keep her head above water. All you and everyone else is doing is ensuring she drowns.”
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“She’ll understand one day why I did what I did.”
“No, she won’t, and neither will I.”
Seneca’s head fell back, and a burst of twisting shadows glimmering with a faint white light erupted from her right hand. They shot into the sky as those on the ground shifted and backed away nervously. I hissed at them all for thinking she was going to hurt them. The shadows glowed brighter and brighter until there was hardly any darkness to them. The magic was beautiful as it spread across the sky, encompassing the entire camp. Runes or protection wrote themselves within the light, and they crashed to the ground on all sides. They burned as bright for a few seconds, then dimmed. Seneca lowered her hands, but a faint shimmer remained, showing where the enchantment formed around the entire camp.
“There, happy now?” Seneca said as she turned around to face us. Her words were slurred. She took one step when her knees gave out.
I blurred to her, catching her in my arms.
“I’m good, really.”
“You’re bleeding again.”
She lifted her hand to her nose and pulled it away bloody. “Just a bit wobbly.”
“You want to go inside and rest?”
“No, I want to hear the rest of the meeting. I’m fine, promise.”
I wasn’t going to argue, so I carried her back to the tent. Those who had been in there earlier joined us again. I set Seneca in a chair, wiped the rest of the blood from her nose and frowned. She squeezed my hand as she smiled.
“Go, be a commander,” she whispered with a wink.
Reluctantly, I pulled back from her, noticing immediately how much her eyes darkened. As I passed Macron back to the table, I muttered, “Satisfied?”
“Yes, I am, and it would appear so is everyone else.” He nodded in Marlie’s direction, and the prince had the good sense to look guilty for accusing Seneca of being a traitor.
“Fine then,” I said, calling everyone back to order. “Our next major concern is knowing where Rudarius is going to break through the veil. We all know he won’t do it quietly. He doesn’t know how to not make an entrance.”
“There’s no way to track him, not without him realizing we’re doing it,” Macron said.