AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe he did,” Lucas theorized. “Summoning the gods requires powerful spellwork, but Marcus is powerful. He’s a demigod, so maybe he can reach out to our gods and bring them here. It’s interesting, though… it’s like Santos knew this was going to happen. The last time I saw him at Hattie’s, when we banished the demon’s spell from Nadine, he promised we’d meet again.”
“I felt him,” I admitted. “Right before he appeared, it was like he was hugging me. I felt his powerful love.”
Grant eyed the spot in the hall where Margaret and Lilian had disappeared. “What do we do now? The priestesses are going to come back.”
“Not if they know Santos is protecting this place,” Chloe said. “They’ve probably figured the same thing we have—that Marcus summoned him—and they know he can do it again.”
“They have his power now, though, in the Master Wand,” Talia pointed out. “Can’t they summon Santos—or even Mother Miriam for that matter?”
“Even if they could, they’re not powerful enough to control him,” Chloe pointed out. “Even a demigod like Marcus can’t control him; he just brought him here, and Santos wanted to protect him. The gods are still more powerful than the priestesses are, and if they’re on our side, it’s the one thing holding the priestesses back. They’re not going to come in guns blazing. They’re going to bide their time and slowly infiltrate the coven all over again, until they can eliminate the threat.”
“Eliminate us… and Marcus,” I said hollowly. “They don’t want a child to grow up that has the ability to summon a god.”
“They’ll try,” Chloe confirmed. “But this time, we’ll be ready for them.”
“So what do we do in the meantime?” Grant asked.
“There are five openings on the Imperium Council,” Professor Wykoff pointed out. “The coven will need leaders to fill them.”
I shook my head. “The coven doesn’t want us to lead.”
Professor Wykoff peered out a window. “You’d be surprised. Why don’t you ask them yourself?”
I followed her gaze to see a crowd had formed outside Octavia Hall across the street. Hundreds of people had come to see the damage.
Lucas looked out the window with heartbreak in his eyes. “The least we can do is tell them the truth about what happened here tonight.”
I nodded. “The coven deserves to know.”
“We have to be careful,” Chloe warned. “The priestesses didn’t always keep secrets just to manipulate their people. Sometimes, secrets are for the better. We can’t tell them about the Master Wand. It’ll create a panic. Others might get their own sinister ideas.”
Lucas nodded in agreement. “We’ll tell them what they need to know, and we’ll figure out where to go from there.”
We made our way outside. Across the street, Octavia Hall was in ruins. Windows had been blasted out, and debris littered the streets. The building was technically still standing, but it looked like it might come crumbling down at any moment.
The streets were eerily quiet when we stepped out the courthouse, despite the large crowd that had formed. People looked around, trying to figure out what had happened, but it was like they were waiting for someone to speak.
Lucas glanced around at the piles of dust that had once been Executors that were scattered over the street. I didn’t think he’d quite processed how many people he’d slaughtered earlier. I thought I saw the pain of regret in his eyes, but it quickly turned into something else entirely.
“What is it?” I asked him, quietly so only he could hear.
“Maybe there is a part of me that deals in gray areas,” he admitted. “But I know one thing for damn certain. We saved our son tonight—which makes me the best fucking dad out there.”
Joy filled my chest as I stared down at Marcus sleeping in my arms. We could’ve lost him tonight, but he was still here with us. It felt like a miracle.
I smiled up at Lucas. “It certainly does.”
People began to notice us, and murmurs spread through the crowd. Someone shoved their way to the front—a younger man with long hair, suspenders, and mis-matched socks. It was Professor Clarke, my Miriamic Law professor. The last time I’d seen him, he’d been passing out flyers at the Festival of Chosen last November. He didn’t look happy to see us.
“You did this!” he raged. “What happened here? Who’s that child in your arms? Tell us, or?—”
“There’s no need for threats,” Lucas insisted. “I intend to tell you exactly what happened. This child is our son.”
Professor Clarke wore a look of disgust. “A bastard child! Born of two Casts.”
“Half of us were born of two Casts!” someone in the crowd shouted, though I couldn’t locate who had said it. “Let us hear them out!”
The crowd quieted, awaiting our response.
