Chapter 2 Chapter Two
Chapter Two
A kingdom isn’t built in a day. A planet isn’t built in a day. But in a day, lives can be destroyed. Villains can be made. And I, too, can lose all I ever had~ Lillyan Elyort.
Lillyan
The air in the Council questioning room is stale; it’s the kind of place where you crouch down with your head on your knees, with your eyes closed, and your thoughts for company. It’s the kind of place where your heart races as you kneel or stand in front of your accusers, trying to avoid their gaze. It’s the kind of place I am currently kneeling, hands bound behind my back, eyes fixed to the ground, waiting for my sentence.
I catch the sight of my immediate older brother as he comes into the questioning room, taking the last throne and setting the hearing in motion. The god of Vampires, god of mermaids—body giving a distinct sea smell, god of demons—eyes looking like he wants to be anywhere but here, god of witches, and lastly, god of faeries. I have five brothers. Today should’ve marked my ascension into full divinity. My ascension as the Moon goddess, only goddess to ever exist. However, I am about to be questioned for murder.
“Why did you do it?” Damion asks. Just like the wavy nature of water, his personality is so unpredictable. His eyes bear into me, daring me to lie. I hold his gaze defiantly. What am I supposed to say?
‘Oh, I was controlled by my secret lover, please pardon me.’
Ridiculous.
“I don’t know.” I whisper, finding the well polished white floors of the room so interesting.
“Look at me,” Havier demands, slamming his staff on his throne’s armrest. He has a fiery temper just like the witches who pay supplication to him and ask for his guidance. One time, when we were younger, he pushed me down the tallest part of my castle’s window. Yes, I own a castle, full with tutors and fighting instructors. It’s surrounded by pretty maple trees. I remember how hurt I’d been. I got used to it quickly though. My brothers hate me.
I stare into his eyes, flinching at the screen of detest shining from them. I grab a handful of my dress, swallow down nothing and simply wait.
“You killed the Divine god. Do you know what that means?” Qylier finally speaks up. He has been watching me silently, his mind going to work, I’m sure.
“A life for a life,” I whisper. I think I’m still in shock. My father, the biggest epitome of power I’d grown up to know, is dead. Killed by my own blade. I didn’t know, never thought he could die. By a mere mortal saber too.
“Yes, a life for a life. However, your life can be spared on one condition,” he says, and heads turn to his direction, mine inclusive. Qylier was close to my father, our father, and I won’t be surprised if he hates me more than the others. I don’t deserve whatever grace he wants to grant me.
“Qylier, she–” Zachery—god of faeries—starts to say, but my brother holds his hand up effectively shutting him up.
“She’s the Moon goddess, even though she hasn’t been crowned yet. The werewolf race will descend into chaos if she dies.” He says contemplatively, tapping his pale finger in an unrhythmic manner on his lap. My other brothers debate over his words, and Damion shakes his head in disagreement.
“We can find someone else. Someone else can become the god or goddess of the werewolves. Or we can merge the race with my subjects.” He says, and Zachery chuckles.
“No offense, but mermaids and werewolves coexisting?” He makes a face, then smothers it off.
I watch them, feeling like a stranger in my body. For a moment, everything is just like before. I’m watching them banter, my father smiling a little at their antics, and I’m sitting on a smaller throne beneath his feet. But everything isn’t like before. The tension in the air is thick, so thick that I feel I can cut through it with a knife.
“What is the condition?” I ask Qylier. I don’t want to die, I know I don’t want to. If there’s any chance not to, I’ll clutch it with both hands and not let go.
“You’ll be stripped of your powers and your title as the Moon goddess,” he says, and I start to frown at the simplicity of his condition. “Then you’ll be exiled to the werewolf world, where you have to bring the heart of a man.” He says.
My frown is full-blown this time. I don’t understand what he means.
“She doesn’t understand,” Zachery snickers as his face contorts into an ugly mask. “He means, you’ll be thrown into the werewolf world where you have to fall in love with a man. Then, you have to bring back his heart. Only then will your life be spared.” He explains and my stomach plummets down to my shoes.
“Fall in love?” I roll the words on my tongue wincing at how foreign it sounds. I am twenty-seven years old, the youngest age amongst all of us, and never for once has my heart fully let anyone in. Carlos was a secret partner, a friend, and now, a betrayer.
“You have three years, Lillyan Elyort. You must fall in love with a man, ensure he falls in love with you too, then you must bring back his heart. Failure to do that, marks the end of your existence.” Qylier warns, and stretches both hands towards me. My other brothers follow suit, and my body lifts into the air, my powers seeping out of me. I am exhausted when it’s finally over, and my body falls limply to the ground. Qylier and the others seal my powers in an orb that gleams so bright, I have to close my eyes to shield them.
“Leave.” Damion spits the word harshly, creating a portal and sending me into it. Air bubbles around me and my vision blur at how fast I am moving.
I fall to a wet ground with a thud, and a gasp escapes my throat. Not a ground, I soon realize, but a river. And it is moving fast. I try to gain my balance, but it doesn't work. Oh, black sky, I am going to drown.
Two strong hands grip my shoulders in the next minute, another one gripping my waist. I am pulled to dry ground, and I cough out the unintentional gulps of water I swallowed while trying to swim to shore.
“Hey, are you alright?” A cold voice asks, and I find myself looking into the most beautiful pair of teal eyes I’ve ever seen.
“She almost drowned, Xavier. You’re asking unnecessary questions.” Another voice says, and I turn my groggy eyes to the side, my lips parting as I take in the identical face of the man who’d spoken at first. Twins?
“She’s freezing. Let’s take her back. Which pack do you belong to?” A deep voice says, and my jaw hangs.
Not twins then, but fucking triplets. And they’re drop dead gorgeous. My heart stirs, and I can’t bring myself to form a coherent sentence. Heat pools between my legs, and I press them together in an attempt to ease the pressure. The reaction is so strong, so unwanted. I’ve never felt that way with Carlos. Worse still, I can’t tell which of them is causing the sensation.
“What pack do you belong to?” Xavier repeats the question, and I freeze in place.
