SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Forty-four
Celine’s Pov:
A year has nearly gone by since Amelia told me she had a plan. She has spoken nothing about it since. It’s been my worry that the Goddesses dealt with it, and she knows I betrayed her and has chosen to say nothing to me. The only problem with that theory, she is still her warm and bubbly self. So, I just don’t know. I appreciate I did the right thing, but it doesn’t seem right.
Our trials are just weeks away, causing a crazy stir in me. Although I recognize I have little chance of taking my mother’s title, I still can’t help but believe it’s my true calling in life. Since the age of 11, I have been the official Beta of the pack. Even though it has always been my mother who has done the work for me or gone to the meetings so I could focus on training. I can’t help but think as if I am meant for more.
“Good ole Timmy is looking for you, Celine,” Amelia grins as she wraps her arm around my shoulders, startling me. “Goddesses’ name Amelia, you scared me,” I cry as I place my hand on my heart, hoping its thumping will soon return to normal. “Why does Timothy want to see us?” I question, as he rarely has anything to do with the trainees. Mom always said it had something to do with Gretchen’s death.
“I guess it’s because someone is going to take over as High priestess for your mother. So, I guess he wants to be the one that tells us what our duties are to the pack and blah, blah, blah,” Amelia scoffs as she rolls her eyes at the idea of Timothy. “You are the one who will most likely take the title. Why does he want to see me?” I venture carefully as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Because he doesn’t want to show me any favoritism, plus you are actually his favorite to take over as High Priestess. I guess he wants that old coot Madeline to be there as well, why I don’t know. I really wish she’d kick the bucket already,” Amelia growls with an anger I had never witnessed from her before. The air around us takes on a foul odor along with a chilly dampness. I choose to say nothing, as I am not sure of her sudden behavior. “Madeline stepped down as the General of the Amazons when we were kids. One of her granddaughters is now the general. Why not let her speak to us?” Amelia vents as we near the temple.
As we approach the thrones, I bow to show the current ruling party their respects, as we always have done. Lyra, Madeline’s granddaughter, stands next to her throne in a sign of respect for her grandmother and the longest reining General. A warm smile crosses Timothy’s face at my gesture, but it was quickly diminished as all notice Amelia chose not to bow to them. “Amelia,” my mother’s sharp voice cuts through the now tense air. “You are not yet the High Priestess. You will show your respects,” Timothy reminds her.
An eerie smile crosses Amelia’s face at their words. “No, but I am the daughter of the Goddesses. I bow to nobody,” she replies coldly, in a challenge to my mother and Timothy. “And yet you have none of their class. Even the wolf bows,” Lyra barks. “How can you call yourself their daughter and treat their ways with such disrespect?” she continues with venom in her voice. “You are not worthy of their title.” Lyra seethes.
Amelia laughs at Lyra as we stand before them. Timothy nods to my mother, causing her to rise from her throne and advance calmly towards us. “Amelia, I will see you bow.” My mother’s tone causes me to wince. “No, I will not bow to you, or to anyone for that matter,” Amelia scoffs back. “You will all bow to me.” She whispers so quietly I am certain she believed no one could have heard her.
A bitter smile crests my mother’s face, almost as if she had hoped Amelia would say this to her. With a slight flick of her wrist, mother sent Amelia to her knees, forcing her head to bow down as well. “That’s more like it,” my mother beams as she walks back to her seat. Amelia struggles desperately to return to her feet, but cannot defeat my mother’s magic. As calm as my mother looks, I recognize she is struggling to ensure Amelia remains in her current position.
“We have called you here as your trials are fast approaching. You both possess the power needed to be the Priestess, but there is still much for you to learn. More for some of you than others,” Timothy states in his ‘official Alpha tone,’ as mom and I like to call it. “Power alone is not enough,” Madeline pipes up as she stands, to walk over to Amelia. Madeline forces Amelia’s chin up so they are looking one another in the eyes. “Humility is important as you represent not only the Goddesses but this pack as well. Like an Amazon warrior, you must have strength and courage. You must be able to interpret a situation just as any warrior could as you are one. Instead of a sword and shield, your weapon is the power of the Goddesses,” Madeline states as she drops Amelia’s chin. For a moment Madeline stands over her, allowing her aura to dominate Amelia in her subdued state.
“Amelia, you possess none of these. You merely get to do the trials despite your lack of discipline and respect because you are the daughter of the Goddesses. If it was up to me, you would never take the trials. You are unworthy of the gifts you have,” Madeline snaps. “A spoiled brat, as spoiled as that nest of witches we took out all those years ago. Shame, someone worthy of Amethyst’s legacy should be the one to claim her title.” She huffs. I did not miss that her eyes fell on me when she mentioned my mother’s legacy.
Try as she might, Amelia could not break the bonds my mother forced on her. While I understood Amelia was difficult for them to deal with, she still didn’t deserve this. My heart ached for Amelia. Why was I brought here if this was what they wanted? Without thinking, I dropped to my knees, bowing my head beside her and clasped her hand. The room went eerily quiet. You could almost hear the collective eye rolls of the reining three. “At least we see you will live up to your father’s legacy Celine, its such a shame to see it wasted on someone who doesn’t care for you.” Madeline growls.
“If you are done,” Amelia hisses, defiantly. Timothy sighs as his footsteps approach us. He places his fingers under our chins, lifting our faces to look into his. “I suppose. I brought you here for a reason Amelia, it was my hope you’d show some humility and grace but…” He starts to verbally lash out at Amelia. “It is no secret; it is my hope for you to claim victory for your mother’s title. I can’t place the instinct I have, but should Amelia succeed, I do not believe it will be good for anyone. Please Celine, whatever it takes, for this pack and for others, you must beat Amelia even if it costs you her friendship.” He pleads with me while still lecturing Amelia.
My eyes lock on his, causing my blood to run cold. That same sense I got the day she told me she has a plan washed over me. Even in Timothy’s eyes, I saw fear, and it punched me in my gut. This was Amelia’s birth right. How was I supposed to beat a child of a Goddess? I am a mere mortal and she, well; they created her for this exact purpose. What chance did I stand even although I wanted it so badly it hurt?
“And my reason for requesting this meeting is to announce only the two of you are worthy of the trials,” my mother’s cold voice rings out. “They will take place in three weeks’ time on the morning of the full moon, the day of your 18th birthdays. Your true powers will be awakened then. Remember, the trials do not guarantee someone will take my title, just the chance to claim it. Should there be a tie, a friendly dual will decide the clear winner,” my mother announces, waving her hand releasing Amelia. “You are dismissed.” Timothy says in his stagnant official voice that drives mom nuts.
“Thanks Timmy, as always, it’s been such a joy to see you, brother. Madeline, don’t croak on your way out the door. Oh, and Amethyst, thanks for keeping my seat warm,” Amelia laughs as she waves goodbye. Madeline raises her hand to stop Lyra from coming after us, causing Amelia to let out another round of shrill laughter. Now I understand Madeline’s reason for being in attendance, to keep Lyra from attacking Amelia. How will they ever rule together if they can’t get along? Perhaps Timothy was right, perhaps Amelia becoming the high priestess was the worst thing that could happen to this pack.
“Can you believe them?” Amelia huffs as we leave the temple. We stop at the overlook as anger radiates from her. “Absolutely no respect from any of them. Do you remember me telling you I have a plan?” Amelia’s eyes dart to mine. “I needed to make sure you wouldn’t run to my mothers, as they seem to think more and more like good ole Timmy.” She hisses, “I am so glad you didn’t.”
Filled with mixed emotions and unsure of how to respond, I just smiled at her. From her pocket she pulls a small amber coloured stone that radiates power. A twisted smile takes over her face. Her eyes turn such a dark shade of silver, grey would be a better way of describing it. A foul stench, almost as if an animal was decaying nearby, fills the air. “We deserve so much more than we are getting. We should rule together, forget Celeste. She is like those worthless and weak Amazons. What good can they really do? Look at our strength. The stars would outshine the moon if we asked. So why shouldn’t we rule over all wolf kind?” She hisses with venom.
“Did they tell you Celeste is only meant to live a normal wolf’s life span? How, how could anyone ever think she is suitable to be our Queen? My plan Celine, see this little rock? Without Timothy’s or my mothers’ knowledge, I snuck away to the darkest pits of the abyss just to find this wonderful stone,” She grins almost as if in a trance. “Ambrosia, do you recognize what that is? I expect not, but this little stone is, in fact, not a stone, but the gift of eternal life. Once I eat this, I will become more powerful than even my mothers could have ever predicted. The only catch, I must eat it once my full powers kick in so I can reach my full potential.” Amelia beams.
“I will take Celeste’s throne; I will replace my mothers. You, Celine, will be my High Priestess. Although I will take the mate, my mother promised to her High Priestess, but don’t worry dear sister, I will grant you an amazing mate. With our powers, no one would dare oppose us, even Timmy will bow to us,” she laughs, clearly believing she could pull this plan of hers off. “Celine, are you with me?” she asks with a hopeful twinkle entering her eyes. Unsure of what it was I was to do, I clasp her hand as I try to think of a way to tell her absolutely not. Without warning, a tingling at the base of my neck causes my mind to seem clouded and fuzzy. “Of course, Amelia, I am with you.” My voice announces.
A brilliant and almost evil smile crosses her face as she wraps her arms around me, pulling me close to her. “I knew I could count on you,” she squeals, as she leaves me standing dumbfounded. “I want you with me when I ascend. At the beginning of the trials, I will take the Ambrosia.” She links me. I stand there dumbfounded and unable to move.
A cold sweat races down my back as my heart seems as if it might explode. Why did I just agree to aid Amelia in the destruction of the Goddesses plans? As fear grips every part of my soul, I race back into the temple. “Mom,” I scream, with tears in my eyes. The terror in my voice caused my mother to rise from her seat and the colour to drain from her face.
Timothy, Madeline, and Lyra were not far behind my mother. “For Goddesses’ sake Celine, what is wrong?” Madeline demands with the same aura she held as the General. My mother brushes my hair from my dampened cheeks. “Its alright Celine, tell us what’s wrong,” my mother coos to calm me.
“I… I, well, I don’t understand how to explain this,” I stutter and swallow hard as my words will end whatever future I had hoped to have. Taking air into my lungs becomes so difficult black spots dot my vision as I look at each person standing before me. “Celine, no matter what’s happened, we can fix it, but only if we know about it,” Timothy reiterates softly. Unsure of why, I ran into his arms, buried my head into his chest and sobbed for what seemed like forever. He said nothing, just gently stroked my hair, allowing me the time I needed to calm down.
Eventually, I noticed my mother’s hand on my arm. Her warmth caused me to face her and tighten my grip on Timothy. At that moment, I noticed my bond with Timothy strengthen. No matter what, he’d never let anything happen to me. “Amelia,” I finally whispered. As I spoke her name, Timothy’s heart seemed to skip a beat. “She has a plan to take over the pack as both Queen and Goddess. Amelia has Ambrosia. She asked me to join her. Tried to say no, but that’s not what came out. Ran straight here to tell you.” I whisper, suddenly afraid of my mother’s wrath.
The room’s temperature shifted as a layer of ice crystalized over everything. “Amethyst,” Timothy snaps. Anger rolls off Timothy with such intensity it causes me to jump. He tightens his grip on me, taking a protective stance between my mother and me. Their eyes lock, holding an intense stare between them. Neither of them wanting to back down from whatever battle is raging between them. “The Goddesses now.” He grits between his teeth.
Without so much as a flash, my mother vanished to the Goddess. Timothy relinquished his grip on my body, allowing me to release my breath that I wasn’t even aware I was holding. “Well, for almost 18 years, we recognized she was a rotten seed. Now we have proof,” Madeline huffs. “Your mother’s anger will subside; you did what you needed to do. Who’s to say what that beast would have done if you didn’t agree?” Lyra tries to comfort me.
In a blink of an eye, a bright warm light wraps around me as three figures take shape. I swallow hard, knowing I am about to face the wrath of my mother and the Goddesses alone. “Celine,” my mother growls as she walks over to me like a beast about to pounce on its prey. “Amethyst, leave us, we will deal with this,” the Girl hisses. My mother’s jaw drops at the Goddess’s words. “Yes, Goddesses.” She answers before she vanishes.
“So,” the Girl starts as she moves closer to me. My nerves get the better of me as my body quakes with fear. “We now know the plan; do we know when?” The Woman smiles as she and the Girl exchange an excited glance.