The Sorceress

42~ Grand Opening

42~ Grand Opening

Nylein

"Mom- mom, stop!" Jasper gently swatted my hands away from his tie. "I know how to do this! It's not that hard!"

I rolled my eyes. Even though I'm blind, I know he's doing it wrong. "Didn't your father ever teach you how to properly tie a tie? Put your hands down!" I quickly did his tie perfectly.

He grumbled to himself. "Thanks..."

"Come on," I took his arm and lead the way to the front room. "We don't want to keep our ride waiting. Elder Arden is waiting for us back in Werlandis." We joined Nathan and the twins in the front room. I borrowed Nathan's sight and made note of every apprentice waiting there with them.

This is a special occasion. Werlandis will finally reopen to every Sorcerer and pilgrimages will begin again. The academy will open its doors once more to Sorcerers from every part of the world to learn who they are and train with the very best.

This is also the day Jasper will be appointed the very first Wolf Sorcerer Elder. Every Alpha and Sorcerer will be there for the ceremony.

It took several cars for us to get to the airport. We booked an entire plane just for us. We've had this planned for nearly a year. On top of this being the year Jasper becomes an Elder, we will also be holding the Alpha Convention inside the Capitol.

"Are you ready?" I asked him as the plane began to take off.

He took a deep breath. "I don't know. I feel like I should be, but I feel... nervous."

I borrowed his sight just as his mate, Bella, took his hand. "Everything is going to be just fine. Trust your mother; she knows what's going to happen."

"You're right." He adjusted his cloak. "Everything is going to work out perfectly. It will go off without a hitch and I will be cutting the ribbon to open Rivone's Academy once more. I just wish he was here to see everything we've done."

"I wish the same thing every day." I gently took Jasper's hand and smiled at him. "He would be so proud of us and everything we've accomplished." We fell into a peaceful silence as we listened to the conversations around us.

Yes, Rivone would give us high praise for everything we've done. He would hug us, tears in his eyes. He would thank us repeatedly until he was blue in the face. He would finally have peace knowing that his mistake has been fixed and the wounds have healed. The feud between the Wolves and Sorcerers is over.

It's what he's always wanted.

Hours later, we touched down in Germany. The airport was packed with mainly Wolves and Sorcerers coming from all over the world for the Convention and the reopening of the academy. We expertly made our way through the crowd, never once getting lost.

Buses waited outside for all of us. We boarded two buses and waited for the OK to leave. I nodded to the Warrior driving as I took my seat directly in front. I closed my sight between Nathan and rested my head on his shoulder.

"It's finally happening." I whispered as the bus started moving. "After all these years, Werlandis will open once more. Sorcerers will no longer have to live in fear. We can live as we please and help our packs with everything they may need. Everything is as it should be."

He pulled me close to him. "Rivone wouldn't want it any other way." I grinned as the bus strolled along to get us all to the Capitol.

When we finally arrived, I borrowed Nathan's sight. We were the first off the bus. Thousands of people were already at the Capitol, waiting for us to arrive. They made a path directly to the grand staircase.

Elder Arden stood at the top of the stairs and waved us forward. I sensed Jasper and his mate get off the bus and stand behind us. Korah, Felix, and their mates joined us soon after. The eight of us walked down the path, our pack mingling with the crowd.

We stood on the stairs with Arden and the other Elders.

Another thirty minutes passed as we waited for the last of the Alphas and Sorcerers to arrive and settle within the crowd.

Arden opened his arms to the whole world. "Friends! Wolves, and Sorcerers, we stand before you on this wonderful moment in history. Today will go down in history as the day the very first Wolf Sorcerer becomes an Elder of the Capitol Werlandis. Jasper Rims of the Shyrone Pack will be standing before you as the new Elder to both Sorcerers and Wolves."

Jasper stepped forward as the crowd erupted into cheers. Arden quickly calmed them down as he spoke. "Accompanied by his mate, they will also be opening the doors to Werlandis to every Sorcerer in the world. Once more, they will be able to walk through these halls and explore their rich history and see all the work Rivone put into it. Our doors will be open for apprentices to come in and walk through the library and read the vast books and journals we have found hidden throughout the Capitol."

"Today, we move forward to peace!" He raised a fist high in the air. "Today, we are no longer just Sorcerer and Wolf. We are now joined together as one! Where we were once foes, we are now friends, family, and powerful allies! Together, we will move forward to a bright future no longer clouded by hate and anger! We are one!"

"We are one!" The world chanted together. I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks as a wide grin lit up my face.

Nathan pulled me close to him as I watched through his eyes. Arden handed a pair of large scissors to Jasper and Bella. They nodded to each other and cut the bright red ribbon that was tied between the two doors. The second it fluttered to the ground, the crowd let out a deafening cry as they all hugged one another and cheered happily. We are one rang out over the group.

Yes, we are one. We are together as we should have been in the beginning.

Nathan turned his head to look out to the crowd.

But I wasn't seeing the thousands of people. Through his gaze, I narrowed my own gaze to a spot way out into the forest. Something, or someone, moved.

I quickly extended my senses and saw the swarm of energies of all the Alphas and Sorcerers. But I wasn't focused on them. I concentrated on the faded energy that was slowly walking away from us.

To my surprise, it vanished and drifted into the sky before becoming one with the wind. I'll have to check that out later. Right now, we have a Convention and a celebration to attend to. We all turned and carefully filed through the doors to relive the history Rivone set out for us.

------------

Out past the crowd of all the Alphas of the world and the many Sorcerers, a lone figure stood. The man standing there stared at the crowd, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

"I've finally done it," He whispered to himself, his deep wrinkles crinkling as he widened his grin. "It took me so many years, but I've finally done it. I made everything right. I watched over my family from the beginning, always in the shadows. I protected them all, making sure everything got to this point. I just knew this would happen."

His eyes drifted to the woman with fire red hair. She stood proudly beside her mate, her three children standing close by.

"Nylein, you've become a wonderful woman and a powerful Sorceress." He chuckled to himself. "I am glad to have been a part of your life, even though you never knew I was close by. May you forever live on and pass on your knowledge. Farewell." Slowly, he turned from the crowd and pinned a piece of paper to a tree.

The old man walked off into the forest. He pulled a small pill out of his pocket. He knew it would reverse the effects of the potion he had made all those years ago before he supposedly "passed on."

He placed it on his tongue and swallowed. Just as he took another step, he tipped his head back. A small gust of wind swirled around him before he turned to dust. The wind lifted him into the air before it scattered him all over the world so he could always watch over them, even in death.

The paper fluttered in the wind that took the man away.

Thank you.