Guys. I can’t even. My gosh I am just the worst at this. I feel so bad for disappearing for months on end. I know I keep saying it, but work keeps me so busy. And it’s only going to get worse as my setting gets bigger. But I PROMISE I am not going anywhere. I’ll be here. Slow and steady.
I AM reading all of your lovely comments and stories, I just fail at communicating with you guys at the moment, and again, I apologize.
But…..one more chap until the final of this gen? And babies? Does that make up for it?
I hope so. Enjoy.
“Explain to me again why you wanted to do this? There isn’t even any clouds out and don’t you think there are more important things we could be doing?” I asked Daniel with a nudge to the ribs. Ever since I agreed to stay behind during the siege that would take place in a couple of weeks, he’d become ever so relaxed and mellow. Corny. That too. It was somewhat frightful.
Whenever he wasn’t with me, he was with Edward and Hayden, the two had really taken Daniel under their wings as it were and helped him to adjust to being…well real. The three were actually very close friends. I guess the idea of you going to battle with someone is an incentive to grow closer to people.
“It’s peaceful,” He says with a sigh, pulling me even closer. “I want to close my eyes and just pretend for a moment that everything is normal. And reflect on what I’ve gained since you came into my life.”
He nuzzles his nose with mine and I practically melt. Having him close was the only thing really keeping me sane, what with my mother and I, trying to find common ground. Dad came to the meetings with us sometimes too. He tried to convince me that it was a good thing, and that Alyssa deserved to be in my life. But he also understood how hurt I was by her absence.
It’s complicated trying to find something we both see eye to eye on, when your mother never really had the chance to appreciate life. I get that. Yet I can’t excuse her for it .Does that make me a bad person?
“And what did you gain when you met me?” I asked with a raised brow, and big grin as his hand slides to my cheek. “Fishing for compliments again? I gained a soul mate, someone I trust completely and cannot live without. I gained a family, something I had long ago given up on. I have a life.” His other hand rested on my stomach. Every time he did that, I felt…a pressure. Almost like it was our child's way of letting us know they were there.
Even if it was impossible considering the dates.
Our talking soon turns into kissing, as much as his gentleness made me feel safe and secure, I also treasured the intimate contact between us just as well. I could feel it easier, it was easier to believe he was still here. Not miles away fighting in my place. Or gone away completely back to the Society. Both were big fears of mine.
We’re interrupted by a burst of giggles and a cough. Both red faced, we sit up and turn to see Fern and Rose, looking down on us, one amused, the other embarrassed.
“Sorry to interrupt your little lovers moment…but we thought you’d like to know that Sky isn’t letting us into the room. She said she’d only talk to you.” Fern got right to the point like always. Face probably as red as mine. Seeing as she is the only girl at this place who isn’t seeing anyone. Hayden proposed to Rose last month, and Sky…
Well Sky and Stefan got together around the same time. She had come to me in private and asked if I would be okay with it. Seeing as we were related and all. Of course I told her to go for it, I don’t even consider Quinn or Stefan family. Not directly enough anyway.
Hearing that my friend was clearly in discomfort I jumped to my feet, Daniel right behind me. “Is she okay?” He asked.
Rose rubbed the bridge of her nose before replying. “I dunno. She was crying…sounds like a heartbroken cry. You know the type.”
Daniel looked damn right confused, I kiss his cheek and tell him I’d see him later, he told me he’d train and I slowly head to our room. After letting her know it was me, the door unlocked, and I find her knelt against the wall sobbing.
Ever so slowly I lean down so I’m beside her, for a moment I don’t talk, figuring it is probably best if she calms down before I try to talk to her. After a while her sobs do seem to calm ever so slightly and she doesn’t shudder every so often.
“So….do I need to go beat on Stefan for being an idiot or?-“
She chuckles once, then buries her head in her knees. “It’s not Stefan…or maybe it is.He’s so caring and wonderful and…and I don’t want him hurt.” She confessed, looking away from me still.
“Look, Stefan has been training for this for….well years. Decades even. He’ll be fine, as will you. And everyone else. I just know it.” If I kept saying it enough, praying, than it had to be true. It had to.
“I know he will survive it….it’s not the fight I’m worried about. It’s…my fiancé.” She recoils at my reaction to the news, shock as you might well expect.
“I’m sorry but…fiancé? You love Stefan! It’s been clear since the very first time I saw you in the same room as him! And besides….didn’t you leave the sea when you were a teen?”
“Mermaid law is different than what you are used to. They practically live in the middle ages of your world. My father sold me off to be married from the moment he deemed me a ‘woman’ and the guy he picked as my husband is a monster. He’s been married 3 times already, they all fled rather than be with him.” She trembled again and her fear was obvious. Heartbreakingly so.
“So that’s why you braved the unknown up here than remain in the sea.” I conclude, and here I had thought it was one of those fairy tale desires fuelled by curiosity and wonder. Not the means to an escape.
“I love Stefan, Opal. I love him so much, he saved my life, and since then he’s been nothing but supportive to me, helping me learn how to adapt and survive in this new life of mine. I should have told him this sooner shouldn’t I?” She asked me after another round of hastily wiping at her eyes.
I wondered when I had become an expert on love, but then maybe this was what best friends did. Both things were still relatively new to me. I run a hand through my hair and decide to just talk without thinking about it.
“Yeah, probably. But even so I don’t think this will hurt Stefan as you fear it will. Yes, he’ll want to protect you but you have to remember he has trained almost his whole life for this. He knows what he’s doing and where his head needs to be. If he’s anything like his grandfather Quinn, well he knows how to keep the two far away enough not to hurt you, but close enough to give you strength.”
“You think so?” She said looking up at me at last, hope etched into her features. When she looked like that, you could see how Stefan could fall for one of his ‘students’ and how mermaid beauty was a thing from lore.
“Only one way to find out,” I shrug leaning against the wall. “When dealing with feelings for someone else, often you find yourself hurtling towards the unknown…I can’t picture myself happier than I am with Daniel. Granted I wish the situation was better. But I don’t regret a single action. It’s all about trust and being there for each other.”
“I want to be there for him. I’m not the weak willed girl I used to be when I was with him. Part of that is due to Stefan…I think part of it is due to you too. I’m so glad I met you.”
I smile and take her hand. “Yeah me too. Now come on, let’s go tell him.”
I didn’t listen in to the actual conversation, but I kept close enough to offer Sky a small form of support if she needed it. Although I knew deep down she didn’t. Stefan would be totally accepting of what she told him. And judging by the tender way he held, her, I’d say I was right.
“Aren’t they so sweet? I just know they’ll be together a long time,” I say out loud with a easy smile on my face. Yet something was eating away at me. “But why does he look so…casual?”
Daniel bumped shoulders with me. “You didn’t hear? He talked to Quinn this morning and handed in his official resignation. After the raid of course. He said he had a special lady to look after.”
My heart swelled with happiness for Sky. If anyone deserved a happy ending as it were, it’s probably her.
“So he’s pretty optimistic about the mission then,” I decided to say as they slinked off arm in arm. “If he’s making plans about the future and all.”
“We all have plans Opal. If we go into this thinking that the worst will happen, then it will. We all have something to fight for.” He slips his hand into mine and squeezes. I squeeze back, letting him know I believe in him. I have to, it’s all I can do now. And I do believe in him, in my entire team. We had all put everything into this over the past few years. I had learnt they’d all been hurt by the Old Ones in some way or another. They had taken my mother from me, so they effected who I was today in a abstract way.
“I know, for our family. And I don’t just mean our child and I. Everyone already considers you a member and would be devastated if anything were to happen. Which it won’t.” I add quickly. We decide to leave Sky and Stefan alone and spent some time in my room. As the number of nights we had lessened and lessened we wanted to savour every moment.
And then the day came. The last day that I would spend with Daniel before he left to go to war. War against a ancient clan of vampires. Vampires who claimed to be the first.
How could I not stress?
Quinn wanted to give one last talk to all of us, reminded us that we had all worked hard for this and that he believed in us. Even though I wouldn’t be going, I wanted to sit in on it, I was still a part of the team after all. No one blamed me for sitting out, no one was even mad. I think that was the worst part.
“I still don’t like her.” Daniel grumbled from beside me. I look over at him briefly to find him glaring at Alora, teeth clenched and his hands are gripping his trousers tightly.
“Why? You never really did explain that. So she looks like Formetia. So? Alora is a fairy. Not to mention she has helped train us for this mission. Why the distrust.”
“A feeling.” Was the reply I got, and nothing more. I’d learnt to just step away when Daniel closed himself off like that. Figuring it was probably for a good reason. Instead I chose to listen to Quinn’s motivational words. And try to ignore the guilt that swelled inside me. Knowing that I wouldn’t be there.
The night that followed was the hardest. Knowing that it could be some time until I saw him again…or maybe it would be the last. I believed in him, I really did, but the reality that there was a chance of it happening never left me. We did nothing other than hold each other. We talked about everything we had been through, he expressed how thankful he was to me, for teaching him what it was to be ‘human’ as he called it. How much he loved me, and how much he would love this part of us. This baby.
I just prayed he would be there to meet them. We even talked names that night, something we had both been sceptical of doing so early on.
“We could always name them Quinn if it’s a boy…I’m sure his namesake would love the ego boost.” Daniel joked planting a trail of gentle kisses along my neck. The suggestion made me chuckle.
“How about no? Although I am hoping for a son.” I confessed with my arms wrapped tightly around him. My heart pounding far faster than it should be. My thoughts were whirling and it felt like I was about to burst into tears at any moment. But Daniel kept me grounded.
“And why is that?” He seemed to hold me tighter with every passing moment, on the outside he seemed calm about everything, but I noticed the way his eyes danced around the room sometimes, how he’d shudder randomly and then try to play it off.
I smile and try to focus only on him as I rest my head on his chest.”Because nothing would make me happier than seeing you teach a son all the things you wanted to do as a child, to be the father I know you want to be.”
He seemed pleased by this and before all that long, we fall asleep in each others arms. The dream of our lives together keeping all the dark worries inside us away.
Until morning came. Then they call came flooding back at once. I’d woken up before him and not wanting to wake him, slowly crept out of bed to watch the sun rise. As I stood there watching the sky go from orange, to yellow to finally blue I felt a unwanted tear slide down my cheek just as I felt him approach me from behind.
“Opal-“
“Don’t. I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go if you do.” I said fists clenched as wave after wave of unwanted tears overcome me. For that one selfish moment I don’t think about anyone but him, about the reality of him not returning. About having to wake up without him beside me, about never seeing the dimples of his smile that he hates so much. About him being gone from the world.
Instead he gives me space for a few minutes before gently gripping my arm and running his fingers along my flesh. “I promised you that I’d return didn’t I? When have I ever broken a promise to you?” He asks, and when I don’t answer, he shakes my arms slightly.
“Never,” I grumble reluctantly, looking away from him. “But this is different!”
He steps closer and puts his arms around me, and I do the same. I urge to bring him closer, but I know I shouldn’t. I should get used to the distance. Prepare for the worst. And yet it’s so, so hard.
“Whatever happens Opal, you have to be strong. You always have been and you always will be. As long as you believe in me….than I can believe in myself. When it was just you who could see me I…I relied on that belief so much. You’re so, so special and you don’t even see it. And not because of your eyes, but because you are a truly beautiful person, on the inside and out.”
Most of what he said sounds like such a cliché but it touched me deeply. After all the years of feeling isolated and different as a teenager, hearing them is what I needed to hear even after all this time.
“We’re stronger together and don’t you forget it. Now I have you right here in front of me I can’t lose you. I may not be going with all of you…but I’m with you still right?”
He chuckles, playing with my hair. “Right. You’ll always be with me.”
“I’ll miss you.” I can’t help but tell him.
And in response I get the longest, and yet saddest kiss of my life. For a brief moment in time it felt like we were one being and that being separated would break us apart.
But I knew Daniel. I knew my friends. I knew what they were capable of. And I believed in them.
They would come back.
I wasn’t left alone while everyone went off to battle without me. Quinn had asked his wife Danni to stay behind with me. She’d agreed without a moment’s hesitation but made sure her husband knew she didn’t appreciate being left out it, claiming it was another reason for her to be brought out here.
“How do you stand it?” I asked her as we watched the fire crackle with life seeing as neither of us felt like doing much else. I was much to anxious and scared.
She raises a brow. “Stand what? Quinn? Earplugs mostly.” She joked with a half smile in place.
I lean on the chair she’s sat in. “No, waiting around like this…not knowing…”
With a sigh she folds her arms and looks dead ahead. The way she moves is so slow and easy, you can just tell she has been a vampire for many lifetimes.
“This isn’t the first time he’s done this you know. Up and left me behind while he leads an army into a battle with uncertain odds for the better good. I just….have faith in him. I know this is what he needs to do. If someone is in help, he helps them. It’s one of the many things I love about him.” The loyalty and love on her face is so sincere and strong, I long for a relationship like it.
“I remember hearing about that…briefly. But this is different…these guys…they scare Quinn don’t they?”
“Honestly? Yes. They’ve held Jace for 3 decades now. Quinn has tried everything to free him and failed. He’s running out of ideas.” She said gravely, lips thin and eyes dark.
I stand with my arms raised. “So this is all just a Plan Z to him? The last resort? Throw random kids at them and see what happens! I thought this whole operation relied on me and my powers. And I’m not even there!” I cried a little to loudly. None of this was her fault after all.
“Firstly, Quinn would never throw away anyone’s life. This team was picked and trained carefully for many years and he has complete faith in all of you. And secondly…yes the original plan focused on you…but since your mother stepped up..”
It revolves around her and her powers. Her relationship with the Old Ones. It was unspoken in the air. “What do they want with us?” I ask hopelessly to the air, shifting awkwardly between my feat because it is impossible to stand still.
“I don’t know. That’s one of the things no one can be certain of right now,” Danni replied softly, leaning back in her chair and flashing me a sympathetic smile. “You realise there is a high chance that your child…will inherit a power similar to your own.”
“I have considered that possibility.” I say as my shoulders slump. I hate feeling like this. Helpless. I should be out there with my friends. And yet I know why I have to stay here. But still, it’s frustrating. I guess she senses this, as she watches me silently, yet doesn’t appear to judge.
“It’s funny how much you remind me of myself so long ago. Back when I was pregnant with Rogue…I had no idea if Quinn would even live long enough to meet him. I’d sit at home and wonder if I was a hindrance and not a help to him. Just another distraction,” Again she smiles and I find it hard to grasp how someone can have such a strong bond. “But now I know that our love didn’t hinder him at all…you’d be amazed by how hard someone will fight when they have something to protect.”
I look over at her and bite down on my lip again, listening to the fire for a moment before sliding into the chair beside her.
“How much do you know about this operation? About everything?” I asked her not expecting an answer. But I got one.
“Quinn may act like a distant, all powerful badass in front of people, but I guess I’m lucky enough to see the side of him that no one else does, he runs everything by me. Seeks my thought and opinion. I know that he has been planning this attack since before you were born. That he gathered this team well, and that they aren’t just tools or soldiers. They are real people that he saw himself in.”
I watch her carefully. “Was it like this for the last team he raised?”
She shakes her head instantly. “No, no. No one will replace those kids to him. He trained them well and still we lost 3 brave souls. He still thinks of Finn, Briony and Keely often watched over the survivors as much as possible. Still does really. He cares about all of you…just doesn’t show it as strongly.”
I can strangely see it. Quinn is a good man, there was no doubt about it. But he was haunted too. That much was clear. “We all know. We know how much he cares. All of them think of him as a father figure…does he talk about us?”
She nods and smiles. “Oh yes. I’ve known Rose and Hayden since they were children. Quinn heard reports about lost children that needed someone to look out for them…and he went.”
Rose was the first one he heard about. Agents in the area had been hearing about a family being accused of using black magic, necromancy that type of thing. The local covens would not stand for it, and there were rumblings about a supposed attack. Quinn looked into it and Saw…the whole family being slaughtered. He made it just in time. He convinced the others that she was just a child and shouldn’t be punished for her parents crimes. Reluctantly they allowed for Quinn to take her into care. She loved him like a father ever since.
Yes she has dark magic in her veins, but she never uses it. And is a power dark if used for good? It’s one to think about right? Rose may seem cold at first, but it’s only walls she’s put around herself. She’s dedicated and one of the brightest young minds I’ve ever met. And her skills as a mage are incredible. Quinn is counting on her quick wits and her abilities to distract and help the others. And he knows she won’t kill. It’s not in her nature.
Hayden came next. Quinn had been tracking some leads on some of the surviving Council vampires from the initial attack. He later found out one such vampire had lived in a town not that far away from their headquarters. There he had forced a young woman into being with him and she eventually bore a son. A half human, half vampire son. I know the difficulties of this, and I understand the situation is different between her and myself. But she hated Hayden. She hated her son with everything in her. And once she was convinced her captor would never return, she wanted to rid herself of him too. But his instincts kicked in…and he killed her. In self defence. Quinn found him trembling in his house, he didn’t trust Quinn at first. He didn’t trust vampires at all. Ironically enough, it was Rose that convinced him to give Quinn a chance. He never looked back since.
Now he uses those emotions as weapons. He is determined not to be like his father and help people. He still feels guilt for what happened to his mother and feels like he has to…to pay for it. Rose is the best thing to ever happen to him, and his loyalty and strength is unmatched. Quinn knows that he is the one everyone trusts and looks up to, he’s almost holding the team together. And can and will protect everyone if needed.
Fern was next. Found years later. There was reports coming in about a lone elf coming in. Some reported a pixie. Some fairy. No one knew who or what she was. Quinn took it upon himself to find out, what he found was a lost, scared girl who had lost her entire clan. Hunted for their unique ties to nature and unusual appearance, Fern was lucky to escape those that hunted her people. Although she didn’t come out of it unscathed. Her wings had been torn off. Lost and afraid she didn’t know what to make of Quinn when he approached. But she figured she had nothing else left to lose.
Over the years her physical attributes increased immensely and as she worked harder, she grew fitter, faster. And for brief periods of time, she can now manifest her wings once more. She’s never felt as accepted and loved as she does right now with all of you, and that’s only made her stronger. She can use her powers to control the earth while outside to aid her and her agility can by far match that of a vampire.
Lastly out of the four that Quinn recruited was Edward. And to be honest, I think his story hit Quinn the hardest. Before he died he was a werewolf, we only know that because a background check was done. When he died Edward lost all of his memories…Quinn asked if he wanted to know who he once was, but he declined. He told Quinn that all he felt was rage…and that that scared him. He didn’t want to be that person. His entire pack was wiped out by his stepfather. As a young wolf he was unable to let that go….we think that because of that rage and need for blood his soul lingers here. Unable to cross..
But Edward hasn’t let that stop him. He is constantly proving what we believe a ghost’s limits to be wrong. He can interact with the living, with objects. And true to his word, he doesn’t let rage control him. Despite his goofy mature he’s one of the most clear headed teenagers I’ve ever met. He reminds me so much of Rogue.. Edward took it upon himself to learn how to hack, seeing as he can sneak into places easier than most. The skill was a must.
She smiles before going on, “Not to mention there is the talents of Sky, Daniel and yourself of course. By any means this was never going to be easy. These vampires, these ‘Old Ones’ might actually be who they say they are. Quinn has a contact who claims to know them, but wont open up much about himself either. And if what your mother says is the truth…these guys are somehow related to the origins of werewolves and who knows what….then there is their knowledge of the power of your eyes.”
I interrupted her the moment she mentioned them. Even to this day the curiosity as to why my eyes could do the things they could burned with each moment. “You think that these people know about the origins of their power?”
Danni can only shrug. “Who knows for sure? But I’d wager that they know more than we do. Which makes them very dangerous.”
“And also my best bet if I want to learn about them. And their purpose.” I said gravely.
“All to true,” She shrugged in return. “In any case…Quinn will do everything in his power to prevent them from hurting anyone. It’s in his nature. Especially after what happened to him….and no, it’s not my place to tell you.”
I had to resist the urge to huff. You’d think after training us for this, he would have let me, of all people know. “What happens when we win?”
“I don’t think anyone really knows. We don’t know the extent of what they’ve already done. Just look at your mother’s story. There will probably be 100’s of stories like hers. All of which will need a life to return to. Support and help.” She said sadly, her hands tremble slightly, but she clenches them tightly together, probably so I didn’t see.
“As a Seat on the Council you must have seen and heard some horrible things. Could you handle that?” I ask gently. Honestly I welcome the distraction. Anything to stop me worrying for my friends.
“It’s true in my time I’ve seen some truly horrible things. I’ve felt helpless, guilt, sympathy, sorrow. Every emotion you could possibly think of. You know….I never told Quinn this but I was afraid to turn into a vampire. I was worried that I’d lose all of my morals and emotions like an ancestor of mine did. It was all I thought about for months after I was Turned. But I can safely say that I’m still me. I still care for people. I will openly volunteer to help any who are harmed in this mission. In any way I can.”
I don’t think it had dawned on me that maybe there was another side to the Council and the groups that helped it. Maybe my life wouldn’t be dictated by this. I could choose to be like Danni, help support people without openly having to fight them. Knowing what I did now, I knew I couldn’t have a ‘normal’ life..maybe this would be the best option for me and my child.
“You are a very brave woman Danni,” I chuckle, as does she. “But then us Tale woman are, right?”
“Right, they’ll all be home before we know it. You’ll see.”
“That. Is where you are wrong.” We both look up at the same time. Confused by the familiar voice.
Alora. But why. How?
“What are you doing here Alora!” Danni asked for me, standing in what I would call a defensive stance. “You should be with Quinn and the others, you are one of his generals!”
Alora’s expression was…emotionless. I’d never seen her like this. And Danni was right. Half of my team were depending on her for guidance. How could she be here. She left with the others.
“I’m sorry Daniela. I’ve deceived both you and your husband. You need to understand that it was necessary. I’ve known this would happen for many a century.”
“Century?” Now I KNEW Danni was defensive. Fangs out. Something I’d never seen from her. “Just who are you!?”
Alora folded her arms. “You know not of me. My orders existence was cleverly hidden for almost all of time…until recently.”
No…a bad feeling came over me. Right as her form began to shift.
“My name is Formetia, the founder and mother to the Shadow Society. I save the souls of lost children and offer them a second chance at life. That is my identity.” She stated, voice melodic and I could very well understand when Daniel said she could keep them drawn in easily. Convince anyone to do as she said with that voice.
But all I could think about was him. How she had treated him. “Get out!” I shrieked, finally standing to my feet. “All this time…all this time you lied to us! Why can’t you just let him go and be free!”
She finally appeared to turn and look at me, violet eyes gazing into mine. She didn’t hold the look that most did when looking directly into them. In fact she seemed unaffected.
“Opal Tale…you have no idea how long I’ve waited to really meet you. So many generations have passed and finally the Azura line comes into contact with the Solaxus.”
Not that I expected to…but I didn’t understand a single thing that she said. Not that I was really listening either.
I stand and glare at her, wishing for a moment that I could be ruthless and all of the supernatural elements of my genes was removed at birth. That way I could make her pay for every second of Daniels torture.
“You know what? I don’t really care what YOU have been waiting for. If you think I am going to stand by and let you punish Daniel for FEELING, for living a life as you so claim to give, then think again. I LOVE him, not that I think you’re even capable of the emotion.” My words come out so fast I’m surprised even Danni can understand them. All my anger and frustration, everything comes flying out at her. No matter who she was or claimed to be.
“I’m not here to hurt Daniel. Why do you think I posed as a teacher here? I want him to make it out of this…for the child you carry to complete their role in the greater scheme of things…and for my mistake to be corrected.”
Danni puts a hand on my shoulder and gently pushes me back a little. “Start talking. Formetia.”
“I really don’t know where to begin. Whatever I say will be more than either of you can comprehend.” She said slowly, almost looking down on us.
Danni scoffs, a sound that eerily echoes her husband. “Trust me, I’ve been married to the words sarcastic and most skilled story teller in the world. I’m willing to believe anything these days. Try me.” I nod too, and Formetia slumps her shoulders.
“I wasn’t always the entity I am today. I was born a witch. My coven was the oldest at the time, and we believed we knew everything there was to know. But one day our coven was attacked, I abandoned my sisters, took my children and fled. Terrified for their lives…I cast a forbidden spell on them all. I believed it would prevent them from death. Instead…it turned 3 of them into monsters.”
Danni stiffened beside me, and a horrible feeling came over me too. “When you say monsters..”
“I mean Vampires. Yes…I am responsible for the Vampire race. I used the dark arts selfishly and my children suffered for it. My dearest Henry, Elizabeth and Noah were all transformed before me. At the time I was certain they were possessed by demons.”
“You said you had 4 children.” Danni pressed. Though by her stance, I’d say she was bursting to tell all of this to Quinn.
Formetia actually sniffed. “My eldest boy. Nathaniel. For whatever reason….he remained pure. His siblings couldn’t stand this…so they sealed him away using the last of the magic abilities they inherited from me…They named it the Solaxus Seal.”
I vaguely remembered her mentioning that word before. Still not sure if I believed her, I step forward. “I still don’t understand how this holds any relevance as to why you’re here now.”
She takes a deep breath. “When I cast that spell..I traded everything for my children’s safety. Though I can never see them again. I was sealed away between worlds. I could see my children, what was becoming of them but never interact. That was my punishment for my sin. For centuries I was alone….until one day I watched as a young child died during a theft at a store. My heart cried out for that child…and without realising it, I pulled his soul over to me. Thus the Society was formed.”
Danni stood back a little. Seemingly taking this all in. “You couldn’t mother your own children…so you decided to help the dead.”
Formetia looked over and nodded. “I could send them to the world of the living provided a strong bond or anchor was in place. Meaning a child that was lonely, and could believe strongly enough in an imaginary friend. But when I assigned Daniel to the task of Brooke Tale…I never realised that in her blood held my coven’s blood. It mixed…and slowly Daniel began to change. Grow stronger. I didn’t want to punish him for this… but it wasn’t time for him to grow happy and settle…he needed to wait for you.”
Me? Why me?