One Broken Legacy

Chapter 19: The Gathering

The Gathering was my favorite thing as a kid; a congregation of all the people and stories that I was too young to understand. My favorite group was the three witches who shared a vote. My mom held the Mother seat, the one my aunt now sat in, with the Crone and Maiden supporting her. I had a little stool behind them where I could listen. It was fine because everyone assumed I would one day sit there.

Since my mom died, leaving me the only heir, there was still the question of whether I would take over the Morill seat from my uncle on my eighteenth birthday or wait for Esmeralda, the Maiden, to step into the Mother role. I knew I wasn't qualified for the Maiden seat, but the Morill one was my birthright. I just needed to prove myself.

The eyes of everyone zeroed in on me and Kiri as we entered the room and stood behind the Morill chair, while the other members did the same. Alpha Daniel stood a few spots down, opposite my Aunt Beatrix. Marella, the mermaid who lived at the manor since her appointment to the merperson seat, rested her head on the table, her unnaturally green hair spread out like vegetation.

Uncle Finn entered the room, his eyes sweeping over everyone. They stopped on me, or rather Kiri, and his pupils went wide, black overtaking brown as he strode forward with slow, deliberate steps.

"Kiri, you'll have to wait outside. This isn't the place for you."

"I was asked here by Alexis, so I would like to stay." Kiri was taking a stance. I recognized that stony voice. This wasn't a fight Uncle was going to win. She didn't want to be in this house, but damned was she going to leave this meeting.

"Alexis is here as a future member. You don't have a seat here. I have to ask you to leave as the chief mediator."

He was wrong, actually. Tucked away at the opposite end of the table stood two identical chairs representing the siren and torch of the human. The unused, forgotten positions.

"Kiri could occupy the Siren chair," I said. "We need a representative, and no one has been willing to fill it for years. Treat her as the potential placeholder."

Uncle and Kiri shared shocked expressions, one as cold as ice and the other shooting lasers.

"I'll take it." Kiri agreed before Uncle could say anything. She would soon realize what she had committed to, but for now, it served as a way to one-up my uncle.

Kiri pulled the chair up to the table, the neglected seat not as polished as the others. She looked larger in it, her loose posture like Marella next to her.

"We should probably get to work," I said, taking my spot next to Uncle. "Daniel and I have some interesting information that I think everyone would like to hear. Kiri knows enough to hold her own here."

Uncle didn't reply but took his seat, which indicated the start of the meeting. Chairs scraped the floor as members sat, and we went around the circle, reading off complaints and updates since last month. Most of it was basic stuff, little protests or fights, and most had been handled within the Coth groups themselves.

There was one problem in the witch community. A witch had summoned a demon like the one I had faced, but she wasn't as lucky as me. The coven in her area had handled the problem and the Crone witch had gone to help, only just returning.

As she recalled the spell and how the demon had torn through the girl on its rampage, I found my hands tightening. I understood that witch's motivation, but she had been naïve. Her greed had pushed her past her limits and exposed her community to the power the demon held. There was nothing to be gained from a demon deal. It was an outstanding power, but the cost was always too much.

"And the follow-up?" Uncle said. "Will it affect other species, or do we need to send more representatives down to help?"

"The coven had it under control when I left." The drooping eyes of the Crone stared down Uncle. "The witches handle their own."