Chapter 33

The next courtly meeting was held in an urgent nature. The tension in the air was thick as the members of the court waited for all the seats to fill, Jace’s skin started to crawl as he noted the uneasy expression on his mother’s face. The queen always held the most confidence in the world yet now she looked deep in contemplation.

Jace’s body was ridged with tension. Lynn was the same beside him, both siblings not saying a word to each other. Both knowing that the meeting was about something very serious.

Nikita beside him was slouched and inspecting her nails. He was glad for her that she could relax at such a time, not noticing the tension. Or perhaps she did and just didn’t care to indulge it. Nikita was like that, she so rarely let external factors influence her. To a fault. Jace both hated and admired that attribute.

Across from him the werewolves were speaking in hushed tones to each other. Momoka was biting her lips as she listened carefully to her Alphas.

Finally the last members joined and the formalities were out of the way. A tense moment of silence hung over the court before Danya spoke, “The Myth Hunters are planning something monumental. I have received reports from myths opposed to the Myth Hunters from almost the whole north half of this content that their Myth Hunters have gotten much quieter and worse, sent their more powerful members up to the bases nearest to us.”

“Our scouts have confirmed this, as well as a large amount of activity in their base, unlike any we have seen before,” Gaufrid said grimly.

Queen Pearl actually looked uneasy. Jace put his hands on the table to steady himself. He felt like he was going to be sick, he had never seen his mother look like this. He took a deep breath subtly, yet panic made him tremble.

“We have no insight on what they are doing?” Cassianus asked the court, his eyes skimming over everyone.

It was the head of the witches, Iza Szwed who answered him, “We know that they are using extremely high levels of magic. Even with the distance between the palace and their base it can be felt among the palace witches. What confirms this further is reports from other covens and magic user groups that they have been transferring the witches within their operations to this base. Witches both willing and kidnapped. I will remind you that they use kidnapped witches as essentially magical batteries to power whatever spell it is they are performing.”

The court then headed into discussions of placing magical barriers, the witches not being powerful enough to stop whatever it was that the Myth Hunters were brewing and the chance of getting backup being slim because of their location, speed in which they would potentially need help and the inherent danger.

Their location had long been an asset but Jace suddenly understood the horror of it and how long it would realistically take magical help to come. Magic was a topic Jace wasn’t the most well versed on but he understood the difficulty of not knowing what they were facing and trying to prepare a defence for any kind of magical attack was a complex issue.

The horror started to consume him as he watched his own mother dealing with this situation and trying to keep her own composure. In a few years it would be his responsibility to shoulder such a burden. He was supposed to be ready for it and yet he just felt he couldn’t possibly. With the Myth Hunters the world of the Mythical had become far more dangerous a place.

Jace sneaked a glance at Momoka and she was staring absolute daggers at Nikita. The most hateful and vile look that chilled Jace to the core despite his soul being carved of sunlight. Nikita beside him was warily listening to the court she was biting her lip, clearly in as much panic about the situation and the future of leading it as Jace was. Yet she was paying Momoka no mind as Momoka looked as if she wanted to kill Nikita.

As if the situation wasn’t worse enough, April noticed the glare and frowned at Momoka. Perhaps April just considered it a petty drama because she soon turned her attention elsewhere but April took her job as protector of the royal family very seriously, Momoka would be in trouble if she tried anything with Nikita.

Suddenly Jace’s ears pricked up as Gaufrid spoke, “A report that is a little more positive, there have been very few demon attacks. We might be swimming in negative emotions yet it seems the mortal world must be a little happier.”

Jace tried his best not to look suspicious at the mention of demons. It was irrational to be so worried as no one knew what he had done and who he had been with and yet nerves overtook him.

He wondered if Zebedaios was listening to the whole meeting, how would the demon react to hearing that. Would that smile grow across his teal lips? Would he be worried, compassion blooming in those cracked eyes?

Thinking of Zebedaios calmed Jace down a little and he was able to glide through the rest of the meeting with his thoughts purely resting in his imagination of how Zebedaios would react if he were sitting beside himself.

The meeting ended and Jace stood up. Claude walked over to them. “I just wanted to let you all know that Isabella will be heading off to a gaming convention in a few days.”

Lynn said, “might be for the best, things are getting a little hectic here.”

“Wish I could just dart off like that,” Nikita grumbled as she left the room.

Nikita’s words echoed in Jace’s mind. Would they have to evacuate the palace if things got too dangerous? Would Momoka have to leave? Surely their Pack would be in just as much danger.

And yet if there was distance between Momoka and himself perhaps it would put at ease some of their issues. Either that or they would be exasperated beyond the point of rebuilding. Either would be better than the uncomfortable status Jace contemplated darkly.