Chase POV.
The Elders have never called for an emergency meeting of the Protectors before.
I sat on a cold, stone bench with my head in my hands. I was waiting outside of the Council room, anticipating the moment the doors would be opened.
I glanced around the room, trying my best to remain calm and collected. There were five other Protectors who had gathered for the meeting, including Xavier, who I spotted when we made a brief moment of eye-contact across the room.
The rest of the Protectors consisted of more retirees, and some faces I recognized from training. I scrutinized them, giving them a quick look up and down and wondering to myself: Who were they protecting? They had fresh, confident faces. Clearly, they either haven't met their Enchantress yet, or they were lucky enough to not have any run ins with the Lawless. Whatever the case, I envied them for their cluelessness.
The Council trained Protectors together in cohorts, which is how Xavier and I got to know each other. In the name of keeping the identity of each Enchantress a secret, they don't encourage Protectors to work together. I had never questioned that idea before, always assuming that Valerie wouldn't need anyone but me--that I'd be enough. Looking around at the faces in the room, before unwillingly landing once again on Xavier, I realized that we had more to gain from being together than apart.
I stood up from where I was sitting, making my way over to where Xavier was standing. "We need to talk." I muttered under my breath. He brushed me off, scoffing in silence. I yanked him by the sleeve, tugging him along with me so that we were further away from the others. "You and I both know what this meeting is about. I need to know that I can trust you won't say a word about Valerie." I said in quick, quiet breaths, my eyes scanning the room as I talked to make sure that no one could overhear.
"She's a dangerous liability." Xavier replied through gritted teeth.
"You know what they'll do to her if they find out." I reminded him, trying not to let my thoughts wander to that dark place.
"Maybe she deserves what's coming to her."
I bit down my bottom lip, trying to hold myself back from making a scene. The last thing I needed was to draw more attention to us, to make it obvious that we were in involved with this mess.
"You made a promise to protect her." I reminded him.
"And she chose to protect them in return."
"You can't turn your back on her."
"Watch me." Xavier said with a shrug, starting to walk away.
I pulled my dagger from my back pocket, pressing it gently against his abdomen. "Xavier," I said slowly. "don't make me hurt you."
Xavier smirked down at me. "You know that little knife of yours won't work."
The large doors of the Council room suddenly swung open, making way for each of us to enter. I pulled my dagger back into my pocket. "The Elders didn't do anything to save Rebecca." I blurted as he started to walk ahead of me. He stiffened slightly, but kept his back turned to me. "You and I both know they could have done more to save her, and they didn't. Remember that before we both lose another person we care about."
Without another word, Xavier continued into the council room. I followed reluctantly, knowing my fate--and Valerie's-- was about to be sealed.
My shoes clicked against the granite tile that covered the ground floor. I took my place in a standing position within a semi circle, facing towards the Elders who sat perched on their thrones behind their individual podiums. Theon, as usual, was prominently placed in the center.
Theon's gavel pounded against the podium with a loud bang, signaling the start of the meeting.
I sat up straighter, clasping my hands behind my back and keeping my gaze fixed straight ahead of me.
"The Council calls this meeting to order." Theon's gravely voice echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the towering curved walls. My chest tightened, anxiously awaiting the next words.
"Last night, we experienced a security breach." There were no gasps, sounds of surprise, instead the room remained silent. I was thankful for that, maintaining my outward stoic appearance. "We believe," Theon coughed into the sleeve of his robe in between breaths,"that the breach was caused by one of our own. An Enchantress."
Don't flinch, don't make a move. I repeated in my head over and over again. Keep your face straight, and chin up. They're watching you to see if you react.
"At this time," Theon continued, his eyes scanning by each of the Protectors who stood before him. "we haven't identified the Enchantress that caused this." He paused to take a sip from a glass of water. "As a Protector, you have a responsibility to your Enchantress. However, it is your duty to report any irregulaities so that we can all help ensure the safety of the ones we serve." What a bunch of bullshit. "The Lawless are growing stronger by the day, while our numbers decline rapidly. The last thing this Council needs is a rogue Enchantress, or worse, one that is being unknowingly controlled by the enemy. We don't wish to harm any of the Enchantresses you have been sworn to protect. We simply aim to identify any parties that were involved in the security breach, so that we can ensure all necessary steps are taken."
I could imagine what that'd look like. I wonder if they would first remove my scar, and then attempt to strip Valerie of all her elements? Or perhaps the latter, so that I too, could feel all the pain they were about to put her through.
"We called this meeting to give you the chance, before our own investigation begins, to speak now if you have any information about what occurred here last night." Theon explained, expecting us to fall in line, to follow orders like we were trained to do. "So," He cleared his throat. "is there anyone among us, who would like to make a statement on the matter?"
I felt my stomach drop in my chest, but refused to show a hint of emotion on my face. The best thing I could do for Valerie right now, was remain silent, and pray that Xavier would keep his mouth shut too.
Minutes passed in silence, and still no word from any of the Protectors. I was tempted to break my straight forward gaze, to take a look at the facial expressions of the others called into the meeting. They might not be the Protector of the Enchantress responsible for this mess, but that didn't mean they would be so willing to turn in their own either.
Feeling a burst of confidence, I looked to Theon. His cold, unforgiving scowl traced over each of us. I could sense the disappointment in the air, at the Council's realization that a Protector's loyalty never really belonged to them.
I anxiously waited, fearing that at any moment Xavier would break the silence. I understood where his anger came from. I was angry too when I discovered what Valerie had done, but unlike Xavier, I was connected to Valerie last night. I could feel everything she had felt and gone through---the rush and swell of power, the pure energy coursing through her body and mine. And I knew that she trusted the Alpha, that there had been no fear there--that she truly believed the words she said.
The night Rebecca was killed, I was still undergoing my Protector training. What I remember most wasn't when Xavier carried her limp body into the Council room, begging on his knees for the Elders to save her. Nor was it watching Xavier destroy everything and anyone in his path, and having to help restrain him when he became too violent. What I remember most is finally seeing him give up, accepting the fact that Rebecca was gone and that no one was going to help him get her back, and that I--his best friend--did nothing but watch.
Would Xavier return the favor? Would he turn Valerie in not because of the betrayal he felt towards her, but what he felt towards me? It had taken me this long to fully realize what losing Rebecca must've felt like. I had no way of knowing that before, how deep the connection really went. Now, I stood before the Elders--about to lose the person I care most about in this world--praying that Xavier wouldn't make me go through everything he has been through himself. The terrifying thought lingered in my mind the longer we waited for the silence to be broken.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Theon spoke. "Very well." He nodded, curling his lengthy fingers into balls. "We are given no other choice than to declare the order: All Enchantresses under protection of the council are to be brought before the Elders by tomorrow at Midnight. Failure to do so, will result in immediate expulsion."
This time, the room didn't stay silent. "You can't do that." One of the others said, shaking his head. I could see that his own branded scar was starting to glow, and when I looked down, I saw my own shining from beneath my shirt.
"It would be wise to keep your mouth shut until this investigation is complete." Theon shot back with a thundering voice.
"We will not bring our Enchantresses here for you to interrogate." The next voice, belonging to Xavier, surprised me.
"Last time I checked, you didn't have a Enchantress under your watch." Theon said coldly, a small smirk visible on his face.
And that was when I finally decided I wasn't going to stand and watch like I did the night Rebecca died, that I would be the friend that Xavier needed and the Protector Valerie deserved--regardless of the Elders orders.
"Expel us, then." I chimed in. "Go on," I raised my arms in the air, as if I were breaking the invisible chains that the Elders had around me all these years. How stupid I was for it to take me this long to realize that the real power never came from them. "I'd like to see what you do without us--without our Enchantresses." I threatened, locking eyes with Xavier who nodded in encouragement with me.
"Expel me." Xavier repeated, stepping forward.
"Expel me." Another declared.
"Expel me." The others began to follow our lead, until we all stood in direct opposition to the Council before us.
I looked around the room, growing in strength with each declaration.
This is why they tried to keep us separate, to make us rely solely on them, because together--we were stronger.
"Order!" Theon shouted, banging his gavel. "I call order to this meeting immediately."
"The Enchantresses don't belong to you." I told Theon, soaking up every last bit of this moment, a culmination of something that had been building and brewing inside of me for a long time. "Consider this a resignation." With that, I turned my back to the Council.
"You do not want to make an enemy of me, of this Council." Were Theon's parting words as the Protectors left the Council room on a united front--bonded in our connection to our Enchantresses, to our sacred promise. "You will come crawling back here. Mark my words, you will regret this. You will see the errors in your ways."
I raised my middle finger in the air while the doors shut close from behind.