SWNOVELS Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mircea
“We would all prefer to avoid a war.” Vali responded to Ianthe, her honey coloured eyes focused entirely on the Witch Queen. Mine… mine were still focused on her.
“Then why are you here? The Summit Council did our part, we voted to remove Traian as Vampire King and from there it was up to Mircea to control his people.” Right, I forget how harsh all the leaders were. How cold they had to be to keep their titles. Ianthe was always one of the warmest aside from Derek, always the second most welcoming.
“That vote didn’t account for the fact that there has been a larger plot being devised and acted upon by Traian. You allowed Mircea the chance to take control, but have done nothing to make sure he was actually able to achieve it.” Vali replied, her hands on her hips as her and Ianthe stared at each other. “The spell placed on Traian’s ‘cell’ was flawed, he was able to be released by a co-conspirator and return to Bran Castle before we even knew he was missing. His reach runs deeper and further than we would like to admit, and we need a way to face him and end this once and for all.”
“Traian was freed by someone other than Mircea?” Ianthe asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she turned towards me. “Why weren’t we informed?”
“Because the Summit had reached completion. I knew you, and the others, wouldn’t care.” I replied, and I didn’t enjoy the way her blue eyes turned cold. “I told Vali that night, because I knew her people were in the most danger, and I knew she would help me if I needed it.”
“We would have cared.” She replied, I shook my head.
“You and the others don’t care for preventative measures. For decades you’ve known what Traian did to wolves, surely you had an inkling of what he was doing to your people as well. People like him, they always want more power, and they get it. What do you think he’s going to do once he eradicates the wolves?” I asked, and Ianthe’s jaw tensed. “He would go after the world, and you know that. You, Derek, Adonis and Lilith all know that and yet you’ve done nothing.”
“Don’t be so quick to blame, little Prince. You’ve been there too and you haven’t done anything to stop him either. He’s your father, you of all people would know how powerful and how terrifying he is. His fire…”
“He’s not my father.” I said, and Ianthe’s eyes flashed with confusion as I looked back at Anne. She looked like she was about to kill me, but I didn’t care. If I was going to have to fight him, everyone may as well know why. “Traian isn’t my father, his older brother is.”
“Nicolae…” Ianthe trailed off, eyebrows furrowed as I looked back to her. She knew Nicolae? “He had telekinesis, and your power has never been shown.”
“If people knew what my power was, they’d know I’m not the true Prince, that I’m not Traian’s son. But they would know that I am Nicolae’s, and that his power and my power are the same. The power of the Vampire throne has always been telekinesis up until my father.” I explained, probably to someone who knew better than I did, how the politics of this would work. Despite not looking a day past twenty, Ianthe was well over a hundred years old. She climbed the ranks of power slowly and steadily until she reached the top, and she had held onto her position for forty years. “I haven’t done anything for the same reason as you; fear. I was terrified of my uncle, and that’s because I watched him burn my mother alive. Now… I’m not scared, I’m fucking angry.”
“What do you expect me to do? Throw my people into war? Witches are not fighters.” Ianthe said, I shook my head.
“No, you’re amplifiers. You help build strength, you help give the upper hand to those who would otherwise struggle. Centuries ago your people made our scent inhibitors…” I pulled mine out from my shirt pocket, the light of the room reflected the opalised wood. “If you want to keep your people, and everyone else’s, safe you will need to help us. And if you don’t…”
“Are you trying to threaten me? Because it won’t work.”
“I don’t need to. Firstly because I think Vali has the threatening bit sorted.” I said as the cabin began to rumble around us, and as I looked to my mate I saw her eyes were glowing red, my power channelled through her body. “But secondly and more importantly, you’ll help us anyway because you are just as angry as we are.” I turned my eyes back to the Witch Queen. “The only difference between us is the fact you’ve been holding that anger for a lot longer than me or my mate have even been alive for. If you’ve been looking for a way to rid the world of Traian, this is your chance. If I were you, I’d take it.”
Good speech, Little Red. Vali’s voice echoed through my head, that strange sensation of her being in my mind returned, seemingly scratching an itch I couldn’t reach inside of my skull.
Thanks, Little Wolf. I replied, and I swear a snarl entered my head next.
I am not a little wolf. Her reply made me smile, which earned another growl.
You’re little to me. Which was true, she stood at least a full head shorter than me. Apparently she realised that and withdrew from my mind once more, and I felt the absence of her so strongly that I almost reached back with my own branch of her power. But I couldn’t; I didn’t know how.
“What is your plan? If I agree to help you, I can’t take any chances. You must kill Traian and restore the true heir to the Vampire throne.” Ianthe said, her eyes flicking between Vali and myself. Maybe she sensed our telepathic conversation…
Would that be bad?
“We might need more than tea to cover that topic of conversation.” Vali said, walking towards the desk to pick up one of the cups of tea that had been left untouched so far.
“I’ll get Rose to bring us some alcohol.”