Volume 1.12: What Have We Done?

Type: Series

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: M

Characters: Witches, Hunters, Wolves
Word Count: 1848

Glossary: 

Warning: language

I tried so hard and got so far

But in the end it doesn't even matter

I had to fall to lose it all

But in the end it doesn't even matter

In The End-Linkin Park

The walk, which took less than ten minutes, was a welcomed relief; she needed to calm down and clear her head before the meeting.

The sound of dirt and pine needles crunching beneath her feet was soothing to her taut nerves and the heady scent from the violets smattering the everglade made her think back to the time when Cadence was just a little girl and they’d venture out into the woods to pick flowers.

Cadence had loved being out and about as much as she’d loved picking the flowers, and she’d always place the best one from the bunch in Sonja’s hair, telling her she looked like a fairytale princess. She was so young then, and Sonja had naively believed she’d carry her innocence with her always; she’d never have to know the kind of evil always lurking in the shadows. Things were so perfect then, Luca was gone, and the idea of him returning to Twinbrook had never ever crossed their minds. They’d falsely believed in the forever the banishing spell had promised them. They shouldn’t have.

Children’s laughter pulled Sonja out of her reverie. It was Nana and Thomas Flint, the youngest members of the pack, they were playing Peekaboo. She liked their parents, Jewel and Phillip; they were easy going people, kindhearted and fiercely loyal to the pack too.

Sonja saw the adults were already seated in the tribunal area where the pack normally held its meetings.

It was a small patch in the far corner of the campsite, with big Pine trees lining the fence posts. About five or six trees, arranged in a circle in the middle the patch, had been cut down at various times in the history of the camp for firewood and other amenities, and their trunks now served as seats. In the middle of the circle was a fire pit the pack used for virtually everything, from grilling fish and roasting marshmallows to getting warm and telling stories. Sonja knew it was an integral part of the pack and it went hand in hand with their evenings of dancing and storytelling.

When Luann first started seeing Romulus, she always brought Cadence to the camp to play with Rudolf. Often Cadence would come home and excitedly fill her in on the songs she’d learned and the awesome ghost stories Aunty Jewel and Alpha Romulus had told.

“Good times,” Sonja thought to herself. Stella and Luann looked up from their hushed conversation when they saw her standing off in the distance. Her sister tapped her wristwatch, silently letting her know the meeting should have started already. Luann was a stickler for rules, order and schedules, everything had to be done at the right time and in the right way too.

Romulus, in his deep baritone voice, called the meeting to order since all the key people were already present.

The first order of business was Carmella’s missing piece of the Star. 


At first, the Hunters, who had grouped themselves on one side of the small field, denied being in possession of it, but when Luann threatened to cast a truth spell on everyone, Samuel quickly changed his tune.

“Here.” He retrieved the small piece from a gold satin pouch Ava had been playing with all along  and handed it to Luann.

“Thieves!” Carmella lunged at the hunter and threw her hands out, preparing to put a curse on him, but Luann gave her a warning look which sent her back in her seat.

Samuel and his hunters apologized for their actions, especially the attack on Sonja, but they also explained why they did it. “Without the Star, Luca can’t break the seal, and we planned on destroying it as soon as we had all the pieces.”

For ten minutes or so Romulus preached about the importance of trust and strengthening the alliance. He reminded everyone that they had to stand together to defeat Luca, and working separately they’d never achieve their goal.

“United we will win, divided we fall,” he cried passionately. As cliché as his words were, they were very true.

The inspired feeling his words had roused in everyone didn’t last long. New concerns were soon raised; the words to the reversal spell and Cadence’s blood.

Sonja’s revelation about Luca having connections to a witch or sorcerer in unknown parts was not met well by the hunters and the wolves, and the calm that Romulus had managed to weave over the group was gone once again as accusations and angry words were exchanged.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be a unique spell?”

“How’s he connected to a Witch?”

‘Who is this Witch? I should hope it’s not your daughter Sonja!”

“Yeah, Cadence’s been very friendly with him!”

 “Doesn’t she know he’s the enemy?”

“For God’s sake tell her to stay away from the bloodsucker!”

These were just some of their irrational statements and questions and Sonja tried her best to defend her daughter, but she couldn’t. The whole town had been watching Cadence’s every move since Luca's return; someone had even witnessed the blossoming tenderness between her and the vampire.

“That’s enough!” She screamed at last and the group quieted down again.

“Cadence knows what’s at stake here. She’ll never do anything to risk our safety,” she added. Her words though did not give everyone the confidence she’d hoped they would.

“How can you be so sure? Someone saw her in his arms today all lovey-dovey and rainbows and shit!” Samuel barked.

“You know if she’s sleeping with the enemy Sonja you’ll leave us no choice but…” Ava’s feisty hiss remained frozen in her throat while they all watched in horror as a fiery orb hurtled straight at her.

Sonja threw it so fast none of them had time to react, but luckily for Ava, Romulus, who had been pacing the field since their war of words began, with his quick reflexes lunged for her and pushed her down, Sonja’s orb missing them by mere inches.

“You Witch!” The hunters were instantly on the defensive as they took out their knives and guns and prepared to attack.

The Witches brandished their magical wands and hovered protectively around Sonja.

A clear line was drawn in the sand, and for a tense minute or two, the two sides stood glaring at each other, while the wolves remained caught in the middle.

“You threatened my child. NOBODY threatens my child! NOBODY!” Sonja was the one to break the tension and both sides backed down.

They all let out partly relieved and partly shocked sighs as they resumed their seats.

Luann took over the meeting then. In her calm, neutral tone, she managed to erase everyone’s fears and doubts when she reminded them that Luca needed Cadence’s blood, the words to the spell and the Chaos Star to break out his brother. Without the Chaos Star, Cadence’s blood and the reversal spell were useless, there was no reason to make threats on Cadence’s life, no reason why they should be fighting to begin with.

A little while later the small group gathered around the makeshift altar space the witches had prepared for the destruction of the Star. 


The Youngblood coven placed the eight pieces of the keystone on the ground and took their positions around the magical circle. They bowed their heads and chanted the words to their coven’s binding spell while Romulus lit candles and incense.

Jewel handed Romulus a small case with ornate carving on its exterior and he retrieved what appeared to be an ancient scroll.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He looked at Luann and the Witches and they hesitated.

“God forbid, but if we had to face something similar to that night, or if something more evil than the Delacroix’s fledglings comes along, we’ll have no defense, no weapon to protect ourselves. Once we destroy it, we can’t have it back.”

A pause, followed by a brief look was shared by the Witches, it encompassed all their fears and doubts and their hopes. Romulus’ words were chilling. They knew he was right, once they destroyed the Star, they’d be vulnerable, they’d have no way of banishing evil if it ever came their way again.

But Luca’s plan was their biggest threat at that moment; and the evil that lay beyond the Delacroix’ cellar’s door had to remain locked away.

“We are sure,” Luann sounded firm and confident as she spoke for the coven.

Romulus gave them another minute to change their minds, and when they didn’t, he turned to the keystone and unfurled the scroll with shaking hands.

His lips barely moved as he chanted the words engraved on the scroll by his fore-bearers.

“Keepers of Legend grant this great chance.

Reality fabric get rid of this keystone”

Lightning and thunder flashed across the sky at the exact same moment the keystone began  to glow on the ground.

Friends of Fenrir

Spirits of the Wolf

Get it out of my hand

“It’s happening,” The Witches shouted over the sudden heavy whirlwind as they watched in fascination the Chaos Star flash a multitude of colors.

“Make it disappear into unknown worlds

Never to be recovered!”

The last words to the chant were barely out of Romulus’ lips when the skies above opened and it began to rain heavily.

The hunters tried their best to outrun the whirlwinds funneling upwards from the ground to the dark sky, they ducked for cover, throwing themselves inside the various tents around the campsite.

Jewel and Philip, braved the branches and leaves falling from the tall trees as they quickly gathered the children and joined hunters.

The Witches, having stared the devil in the eye when they banished Luca’s clan, were unfazed by the chaos around them; they held on to each other, softly chanting the coven’s protection spell, waiting it out with Romulus.

A single golden beam, accompanied by lightning flashes, fell from the sky and shone on the keystone, splintering it into a million little pieces.

“No!” The Witches screamed as they blocked their faces with their hands to avoid the angry shards.

As quickly as the golden beam had fallen it was gone and the rain lost its steam.

“It’s gone,” Romulus was the first to speak.

For what felt like forever they all stared at the simmering pile of dust where the Chaos Star used to be.

“It’s over. Luca’s lost.” Luann cried triumphantly and the others’ excited echoes joined hers moments later.

It didn’t take long for the camp to be abuzz with activity once more as everyone prepared for an evening of festivities. The women sang and danced as they started fires and got the food going in the heavy iron pots, while the man sat around the campsite, grilled fish and told ghost stories to the pack’s children.

The mood was phenomenal. Once again, good had triumphed over evil, and The Forsaken would never see the light of day…

______

Credits: The Faelon Camp was created by Aussie Karima. Thank you Ms. Henderson. It's gorgeous! And so is Rom, he makes me want to howl!