Page 11 of Vengeance and Fire

“We are going to fix it, and I know just who I need to talk to in order to do it.” Cordelia untangles Adrian’s arms from around her waist, stands and begins to walk out of the dining room.

“Well, this was a productive dinner! Change is in the air gentlemen.” My sister whoops in excitement as she hurries out the door to catch up with Cordelia.

Change is damn good. After all this time, change is a godsend.

CHAPTERSEVEN

MADDOX

Everything the seers had prophesized is coming true no matter what we did to thwart it. The moment Cordelia was carried out of the portal followed by my daughter shortly after, the sinking foreboding feeling inside of me flared to life. As soon as Vivyn’s betrayal was found out I knew it was only a matter of time. Time. As hard as I tried to prevent the seers’ warning words from happening, I know my time has come.

The Waters of Elysium shimmer under the baby's little body. Her coos echo around the large, cavernous opening as the moonlight shines down on this moment in blessing. I stand next to Thana, her hands are wringing together as the three seers, the protectors of the water, wade out into the middle of the underwater lake.

“She will be OK, my queen.” Delilah grabs Thana’s hand, offering her support. Thana decided that whatever we find out here, there is only one person she wants to be privy to it, and that is her most trusted advisor.

In the past few days, Arcadia had been thrown into chaos over the deaths of Thana’s mates, and the emissary of the Fae, Dain. No one knows exactly what happened, but it was a Fae ambush. Why Maurelle would want to kill her brother is a mystery to us all. As the King of the Druids, and a dear friend to Thana, I had sent my people out to find answers, but when they started to disappear, I knew the Mages were involved too. My fears have been realized. The Mages were helping the Fae, even after the mate bond between my daughter, Twyla, and the three heads of the Mages Guild.

The sound of chanting jolts me out of my thoughts as the seers’ voices rise higher and higher, filling the entire room with magic. Ancient and rich, I can feel it pressing down on me, wanting to stir my own magic inside of me. The chanting calls to me. I slam up a mental shield and force it back from me and out into the cave.

“Rise and become one.”

“Cordelia, Daughter of Thana, future queen of Arcadia.”

“Align and become one with the great Red spirit.”

“She is you, and you both are one.”

“Align!”

“Align!”

“Align!”

The seers continue to chant, speaking as one disjointed voice. It is otherworldly, as if it is a God’s power we are using to call forth the spirt of Cordelia’s Dragon. I turn to look at Thana and see tears run down her cheeks as she watches the seers’ work.

“They were supposed to be here. They were supposed to witness this with me.” She sobs, clinging to Delilah, which makes the baby cry as well. Cordelia’s cries join forces with the chanting. It only makes Thana more inconsolable. Her grief is so thick, it makes the air around us oppressive as her magic threatens to break forth.

“It’s too soon. It’s too early!” Thana shrieks running to the edge of the waters, and I hurry after her. I grab her around the waist and pull her into my chest.

“Remember that they called you here for a reason. That this must be done. I know it hurts, my friend. I know what it’s like to lose the ones you love. Let the seers do their work. It will all be over soon. Before you know it, your baby will be back in your arms.” I attempt to calm her, to soothe her as my robe soaks up her tears, helping her to remember why we are here. The seers had summoned her here with urgency. Cordelia needed to receive her Dragon early, that was all the letter stated, with the promise that more information will be revealed in private. There are eyes and ears everywhere in Arcadia.The Black Barons are immobilizing their forces and sowing discord around the Realm. Thana knows it is only a matter of time before a rebellion will take place, so whatever we learn tonight, she wants me to know it as well.

“I don’t know what’s happening, Maddox. What’s happening to our worlds? It’s like someone is hell bent on destroying us.” She sucks in a deep shuddering breath as I put her down on her feet. Delilah hurries over as the chanting builds to a crescendo, and then dies down. Thana moves closer to the water as Delilah rubs the back of her queen with gentle circles.

The cave around us begins to tremor and the water begins to churn underneath the three seers, like a whirlpool is eager to suck them beneath its depths. Suddenly, a flash of bright red moves below the surface and aims for the circle they’ve formed in the water. Thana and Delilah don’t move, but I’ve never witnessed anything like this before, so I walk to the edge of the water to get a closer look. A large Red Dragon advances towards the seers. Its scales cause the water to change color around it, followed by a soft red shimmering mist floating over the surface. Cordelia floats on the water above their hands, finally calm as the waves rock her tiny body gently. As the spirit draws closer its body begins to transform, turning into a red mist instead of being a giant beast. When the mist reaches the baby, it fuses with her, seeping into her skin and making her whole-body light up.

“It is done.” The seers speak as one, immediately walking a floating Cordelia back to the edge of the lake. Thana rushes forward, taking a shawl from Delilah, swaddling the wet baby and holding her to her chest.

“Now that’s it over, can you please tell us why we are here?” I ask in frustration. The three women move as one, everything they do is in tandem. The sheer robes cling to their wet bodies, their silver hair flows down in long waves, shielding their nudity underneath. They fix their milky white eyes on us, almost as if they can see the inner workings of our souls. It makes me want to shy away from their gazes, the last thing I want is to be weighed and measured in the eyes of those who can see truth.

“The future of Arcadia.”

“Celestia.”

“Incantatia.”

“Hangs in the balance.”

“These are tough times.”

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