Poe called out weakly from his perch on the stable's roof as we made our way out the door. We didn't make it far before I spotted Liam in the courtyard talking with Collen. They glared at John as we passed by and broke off their conversation. Liam followed us into the stable.
"Ezra!"
I turned and John paused beside me.
"Dad told me you'd returned. I didn't believe him when he said you were friends with a witch." Liam's hostility caught me off-guard, though I shouldn't have been surprised. He'd hated witches ever since he learned what they'd done to the Families.
"John saved my life, multiple times, and I've no doubt that he'd do it again. I don't care what side he's from."
Liam pointed violently at John. "But you brought him here! He could be a spy! "I wouldn't put it past a witch to double cross us." Liam spat on the ground.
"I don't even know where 'here' is," John mumbled as he shifted behind me.
"Liam-"
"Dad should have killed him on sight." Liam turned on his heel and stomped away.
I shook my head and put it aside for now. We had bigger fish to fry. "Are you sure you recognized Nathan's voice? To be honest, I wouldn't put it past him to be working with the Witches, but I want to be one hundred percent sure."
John looked at me with steady eyes. "I'm sure."
"Right," I glanced around the stables. A few of the horses were looking out of their stalls, watching us with curious eyes. What were we to do now? All I could think of was to talk to Dad, and Poe. We had Witches with a killer plant determined to wipe us out at one dysfunctional dinner. And apparently, that would be with the help of someone who is supposed to be an ally. The whole situation was making my head hurt. What the hell was I going to deal with first?
I paced, then turned to John. "Wait here. I'm going to get my father."
"Uh, I'd rather not be alone on a ranch full of necromancers who want to kill me. Thanks."
I tried not to laugh at my own stupidity. Of course it was a bad idea to leave him alone. I looked around, and saw the tack room. I scavenged a scrap of paper and a pen, and scribbled a note before whistling for Poe. He flew in and landed on my shoulder.
Folding the paper, I handed it to him. "Give this to Dad and meet us in the Grove. We need to figure out our next move."
John and I made it out to the Grove without running into anyone else. I sank down into the soft grass of the clearing, stretching out as sleep threatened to roll over me. John stopped at the tree line, his eyes widening as he reached a hand out in front of him. He looked up from his hand and took in the scene of the Grove.
"What is this place?" he asked, fixating on the altar.
I debated for a moment, trying to think of how much I should tell him. I thought of Avery. It was her family's relic. What would she say?
"Each family has an object or a place that's sacred. It's something that connects us with our power, our ancestors. All the Necromancers that came before us. This is the Manser's Grove."
John lowered his hand still in awe. "I can feel the power here." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "It's ancient, pure." He frowned, and looked up at me. "I've felt this before, around our own sacred items."
"What items?" I sat up, willing my body to cooperate.
He shrugged. "The Priest and Priestess of Earth both have staves that give off a power like what I feel here.
What John said about the power feeling the same as the Witches items. Did that mean they were the same?
I thought about it, staring out at the trees, and the longer I stared and thought, the more the idea felt 'right'.
Poe called through the trees and then appeared. He drifted down to the grass in front of the alter, shifting to his human form before touching the ground. He sagged, leaning against the stone, out of breath.
I jumped to my feet, ready to rush to his side, but he waved me off.
"I'm fine," he grumbled, pushing himself up straighter against the alter.
I still walked over and sat next to him, John still stood at the edge of the clearing. Poe gave a not so pleasant smile.
"Aren't you going to come closer?"
John glanced around, uncertain. "I could, but I don't think I should. I don't want to," he searched for the right word. "-trespass."
Poe closed his eyes. "It's probably for the better."
We waited in silence for the others to arrive. I paced in the clearing, trying to puzzle out what Nathan was up to. It didn't make any sense why he would be working with the witches. He was most vocal about taking our chances to attack the witches. So unless he was urging both sides to fight, which wouldn't-
My feet stilled as the realization came over me.
"What's wrong?" John asked.
"That's it," I said. "He's trying to re-start the war. But why?"
"What's this all about?" Dad asked, coming through the trees with Lyssa and Avery.
I swallowed, knowing how completely crazy this was going to sound, especially to Dad and Lyssa. "Nathan is working with the witches. He's trying to force both sides back into an all out war."
Lyssa burst out laughing. "Nathan? I don't think so."
Dad only frowned.
"It's true," John said, "I recognize him. He's been to the warehouses a number of times, working with the High Council to develop the plants. Except, he didn't feel like a Necromancer then, I thought he was a witch."
"You're both insane!" Lyssa said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Nathan is the most outspoken against the witches. I can't see him looking at one without killing him, let alone working with one." John shifted and she shrugged. "No offense."
"That's what I thought at first, too, but think about it." I stood and crossed the clearing, standing closer to them. "He's working with the witches in disguise, and now they've got a weapon that could kill us all."
Dad's frown deepened. "Have you considered that he's working undercover for us? Gathering information on the witches to warn us?"
"Then why hasn't he? From what John's said, they're almost ready to purpose 'peace', but Nathan hasn't said a thing."
"It also doesn't explain the tracking spell," John said.
Poe stirred, pulling himself up to his feet. "Tracking spell?"
Everyone turned to John, but I answered. "Nathan gave me a ring to gift Avery with, for our Betrothal, but it's spelled, with a witch's tracking spell."
Poe cursed, wavering. He barely managed to catch himself on the altar before he fell. I hurried over to his side, offering a hand for support.
"What's wrong?" Avery asked.
"He was hurt-"
"It's nothing," Poe interrupted. "This isn't the time to worry about my health. In either case, whether Nathan is on our side or not, the witches are still planning on killing us. We need to prepare."
Avery crossed her arms against her chest. "I agree, and I want some answers."
"Can you see anything?" Lyssa asked, "Has there been any omens?"
Avery closed her eyes, a small frown line of concentration appearing between her eyebrows. The air around her shimmered with power.
"I can't make anything out. It's too uncertain, too many possibilities for my talent to see them all," she paused, opening her eyes. "But Thea might be able to see something."
I turned back to Dad, who'd been rather quiet.
He nodded. "Let's talk to Thea first, quickly. Then Nathan. Either way, he has more information on the situation that we need."
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Not entirely happy with this section yet, but I didn't want to leave y'all waiting any longer. Allergies and other factors are keeping me from working at full capacity, and this chapter and the next (the final chapter) are critical. Only about 7 more updates left and I want to make sure they count.
The next update, 10.2, will be available on Patreon Early Access Friday 4/28, and available here on Wattpad on May 5th.
<3 J.D.