Helen and Kestrel had just arrived home, and Legardo was lurking around tempting himself with the idea of making dinner, it seemed like a better opportunity to hear what Gabriel had to say as a group than just the pair of us. I needed more votes, and more eyes, for if left up to my husband, I knew the direction he would be most inclined to go. 

One thing that I had learned in my short dealings with the court was that anything worth saying could be said in front of the collective. It was no longer just me making the decisions, with Helen taking partial control of the 'lycan' side of things and more of our members taking on a leadership role, I had to prepare them for what it would be like when this was over. 

In an ideal world, I would be an equal partner instead of a monarch. I had no wish to be King, no desire to devote the rest of my ever-shortening life span to this cause and if Gabriel was right, then I would not live long enough to guide them. 

While we had our secrets and our topics that we kept to ourselves, a solution would involve all of us and time was too short to pretend like my life wasn't coming to an end. It was my secret hope, my hope beyond all else, that this group would advocate for my survival. Much as I had convinced myself moments before that I couldn't live in a world where my husband loathed me, gazing down at Xavier as I handed him off to Silvia, I could manage to live in that world if it meant that little boy would have both of his parents. 

It would kill me on the inside, but I would take it in trade for Xaiver's happiness. I would allow this man who I loved so dearly to wish ill of me, to never accept kindness from me again, to be with Xavier. 

The thought was beyond my comprehension, something I had never thought I'd experience. Yet, as the group collected around the table, I strengthened my resolve to get Helen on my side and make my plans for an afterlife that involved survival. Even knowing it was out of fear of losing me, knowing that he just wanted me to stay the same, we couldn't afford to wait. 

We sit around the island, Kestrel forcefully separates himself from Helen as if he were removing a limb. His eyes darken, he pops a pill and offers one to Gabriel who denies it. As I think back, I'm not sure I'd ever seen two lycans in a relationship before, not as if Helen was interested in Kestrel.

Vaguely, my mind drifts back to Verando and Marisol, the intensity of their bond that had lasted multiple lifetimes. 

It was strong enough that being apart seemed almost physically painful, just as Kestrel's face reflected. They were drawn to each other, even if only in friendship, they coveted the other for reasons beyond my comprehension. It felt the same with Rhea, only Verando did not reciprocate that bond. 

Is that what he feared? That I would somehow bond this way to another?

Resting my hands on his broad shoulders, I drag my fingers over the taut muscles and envision a happier life for us at the end of this. My thumbs knead circles, chuckling at his irritated grumble. In a quick motion, I stoop to kiss his neck where he sits before me on the barstool. "Whatever happens, I love you," I murmur, a plea for mercy. 

He had had an opportunity to wash up from his repairs made by Bet. He smells intoxicating, the heavy scent of my favorite body wash coupled with the unique natural scent that I found so alluring. 

To a mortal, vampires had a unique smell that could be quite appealing. I had often never found them to smell nearly as horrible as he claimed, even if they seemed to make him physically ill. 

It would only make sense that he would smell just as good to me, a quiet appeal to draw in what would have been a prey item in olden times. 

The heavier-set woman appeared out of the hall, shushing us to keep quiet as Landon was still passed out. 

Verando says nothing to my plea, offering me the slightest hint of concern only to hold onto it for later. He knew better than to bring it up in front of others, airing out my personal affairs was not something I enjoyed even in the vow of transparency and I'd learned he was often more receptive to outside opinions if we weren't surrounded by prying eyes. 

"How are the civilians? Fadri's forces?" Verando addresses Helen who looked at the peak of exhaustion coupled with overflowing amounts of enthusiasm. 

Clearing her throat, she stands as erect as she can manage. "Fadri is handling the cleanup, we're tending to the wounded as we speak and establishing a perimeter. I've sent out a scout to follow Caspian and keep us notified on when he will be returning as I'm quite certain we won't escape him for long. I've informed the press that we will be making a statement in the morning, people are frightened but morale seems high."

This seems to impress him. As Legardo looks like he wishes anyone else could answer the question, Verando swells with pride. A hint of a smile curls onto his lips. "Good girl."

The praise causes her to beam and she resists the urge to do her characteristic jig of contentment. Kestrel smiles too, I wish that Tyler were here. I would never consider Helen to be unfaithful but absence seemed to be causing the opposite of fondness. Briefly, I'm aware of how grateful I am for my warlord's age. 

I don't think I could have handled any of his promiscuous tendencies in his youth, we would have been the death of each other. 

Gabriel stands central to the room, his eyes watching the television that flickers absently on mute. It would seem the news was still on, displaying the destruction of the town and taking a more in-depth look into the division of sides. Where we had gained massive amounts of support on the human side, I couldn't help but fear what we had long on the magical side. 

The Good King siding with humans, felt like a silent betrayal even if it was anything but. 

Bet changes the channel and replaces the image with a screen that looks familiar. I spot Harrison and Avril, coupled with Stefan, Ryan, Selema, and Leo. Of all the people I had hoped to see, Stefan seemed the least impressed at my presence. He still hadn't forgiven me for my lack of faith in his valid warnings about Verando. 

Capturing the image on her tablet, she taps a few buttons and then projects it onto the large wall adjacent to the kitchen. "Can everyone hear me?" She addresses the group, earning a collective nod. 

"Aye, we can hear ya lass." Harrison sighs as if he's aged fifty years since he met us. "If this is negotiations for hostages, we don't bargain with terrorists." He addresses Gabriel who tilts his head curiously. 

I quickly step forward, offering my best politician's face. 

"No, Gabriel is on our side.." Guarded in my expression, I know I got my point across. "We're calling a meeting as this involves all of us. Gabriel has a proposition, I have some news I need to reveal."

As the group settles in, Gabriel and Kestrel exude a level of calm that I wish I could possess. Nothing about this situation felt right, once more it would seem we would be forced to make decisions in one direction or the other. Even with a growing force, we were limited in experience and time. 

Gabriel slips out of his cloak, carefully setting it over the back of a chair as he prepares to speak. 

In deep silence, nobody dares to breathe. Legardo gestures to Rhea who removes the children from the room, it'd be easier without tiny eyes wondering about their futures. Finally, he begins.

 "Caspian has multiple teams that he calls the elementals, they are anarchists who believe that the world will end to be reborn in the vision of magic users. The rest of the magical users who side with him appear to just be throwaways, lesser begins who are put on the front lines to give the elementals a chance to eradicate the threat."

Helen flinches and Verando warns her with his eyes to keep her composure. 

"Has anyone seen these to confirm?" Leo interjects. 

Verando nods. "Helen and I faced one, a fire mage gone rogue. It was quite impressive, we hardly got away. They also have quite an artillery. Pascal's brother, Grayson, has been infected by dark magic." 

I resisted the urge to touch him, to assure myself he was alright. 

Gabriel strokes his beard casually, his flat expression offering nothing. "All the elementals are infected by dark magic, I've been harvesting off of wraiths and injecting them with their essence. The harvesting stations are used to collect the essence of other magical beings, I then combine it with the dark magic and it makes an instant elemental." 

Silence. 

I had never imagined that that was what the bounty hunters had been searching for. "What have you been doing with the shapeshifters and lycans you've captured?"

Gabriel shrugs, indifferent. 

I force myself not to falter, not to blame him, for he did not see them as we did. A practical sociopath, Gabriel lacked the necessary empathy, something he had admitted he was searching for when he agreed to join us. He wanted to begin to feel for it had evaded him for some time, I had to accept there would be just as much bad with any good that he offered. 

"They were a power play, to throw you off the trail of the harvesting. I figured you would focus on the lycans, as lycans are extremely loyal. Same with the elves, it was a stunt to intimidate whoever found the camp."

Slamming his fist on the table, Harrison startles us all as he snarls in Gaelic, Stefan quickly grips his arm to prevent a further assault on the screen. 

"Why isn't this man dead, Nicolas?" Leo's hollow voice echoes what the entire group is feeling.

 How could we trust him? How could we side with Gabriel? I felt that few realized how few options we had available to us. If he wanted to help, it was our duty to try. 

Still, there were questions to answer. "Gabriel wants to help us."

"Bullshit." Harrison thunders. 

Members of our group nod in agreement. "We can't trust him." Legardo mirrors, "Either of them."

Resisting the urge to resort to eye-rolling, I lower my tone. "We don't have to trust him, we just have to accept his help. Gabriel is the only one who knows where Fergus is. The truth of the matter is that...." My chest tightens but not in the way that had been slowly draining me, it's difficult to tell people you love that your time is limited. "I have been greatly affected by the time travel, my multiple run-ins with my sister, and the advanced use of magics that are beyond what my body is supposed to handle. As a Solomonari, I'm bound to nature, as you all know I go well beyond the realms of what should be possible."

Swallowing back the discomfort of a reveal, I relax my clenched hands. "It would appear that the magic is damaging my life force which was already fragile, due to a weakness in my heart. I am no longer capable of reviving Fergus on my own. But, Gabriel feels he has a solution and I'm working on my own in the meantime."

The room erupts in murmurs, I can feel the beckoning call of my warlord's gaze on my back. I want to go to him, to receive that familiar comfort, but I know better than to appear weak now. To the outsider, I might appear healthy, but inside I'd been dealing with the chill and the physical rise and fall for months. Ryan seems to be one of the only ones who doesn't look surprised, as if he'd known all along that I had had an issue. 

As the talk dies down, the mixture of panic and question begins to simmer and Gabriel takes the opportunity to speak. "I suggest I take Nicolas and we go together to the unicorn. We can travel in the dragon realm and I will revive Fergus myself." Once more the room erupts. 

"No!" Harrison proclaims. 

"It'll be a cold day in hell before you're alone with Nicolas," Leo adds. 

Helen murmurs sharply to Legardo who seems just as concerned. Amid the chaos, Envari appears to me and shakes her head. I startle, taking a step back as she moves effortlessly through bodies until she's before me. Her hand touches my temple and the splitting headache causes me to grit my teeth as I grip the table. 

It feels as though the memory was trying to bore its way into my skull. I writhe away from the pain, unable to make a sound as the scene appears before my clenched eyes. I could see blood, so much blood. The smell was overwhelming, I felt someone's hands on me and I realized Verando was clutching me from behind. 

I hear someone screaming and realize that person is the vision's version of me. I hear myself speak but the words are mumbled as if someone was blocking them. Gabriel's eyes lock on mine, guarded, in a sweep of his hand Envari vanishes like a whisp and I drop to my knees, gasping for air. 

Legardo moves quickly to restrain Gabriel; as if he could. Kestrel lurches to defend the man and Helen quickly pushes him out of the way to distance him from her father. We're encircled by snarls as I shake my head to clear my thoughts, leaning against the solid warm frame of my warlord for assistance. 

"Are you alright?" His voice is short, restrained as Pascal readies her hands to defend us. 

Gabriel has not moved beyond waving his hand. 

I nod with gritted teeth. "Just.. a bit of a migraine." 

Verando does not believe me for an instant. I don't need him to, I just need everyone else to see the farce as truth. The brown eyes of my progeny have not left me, almost challenging me to reveal his intrusion. 

What was Envari trying to show me that he didn't want to see? 

"Gabriel, it would be impossible for me to attend with you by myself. The dragon realm is not safe for travel."

"Then make it possible." he insists. 

"So you can kill him?" Pascal demands sharply. The floor erupts in ice at the threat and I quickly break away from Verando to press my hands to the ground and absorb it. My fingertips threatened to darken, and the runoff of dark magic laced use burned like fire to come in contact with. Dark magic was impossible to control, it leaked out at every opportunity.

 With a jut of my hand, I shove Gabriel backward to slam him against the wall. 

In a quick gust, I push myself back onto my feet and storm forward. "If you are truly my son, you must begin to act as your breeding dictates. I know that you have experienced more hardship than any man should but you can not attack these people. If you're going to be on my side, you must truly be on the side of all of us. Not just me." 

I feel him before I see him, the gray wolf standing just behind me, ears flattened and fangs exposed in preparation to defend me.

 The wolf took up more space in the small living area than was comfortable. There would be no escape, no portal to fade into. If Gabriel wanted to help us, he would have to play by our rules. 

Finally, he nods. "What do you propose?"

All eyes rest on me, fear, concern, uncertainty, the hardship of having a court was showing them what it meant to rule. It is Verando who speaks, inching closer to place himself between me and the threat. I press my hand into the furry shoulder, thankful to 'Alpha'. 

"If we reset Fergus, if I understand Ragnarok and all it entails, it would buy us time to defeat Caspian at a later date. If we face him now, we will not have time to go to Fergus. The focus has been on Caspian... I think that's intentional."

It would make sense. It had even managed to distract Lux. Kestrel steps forward, earning a snarl from the gray creature to warn him from nearing me. "If my father gets any stronger-"

Verando interrupts him sharply, "You are the true vessel of Fenrir, Caspian was unable to let him out. Fenrir wants your father to die so it can infect you, we can not risk rushing into this. The unicorn's life is the most important piece to this, I don't believe Ragnarok can happen while the unicorn is alive. It is the most powerful being in the universe, it could stop Fenrir on its own."

I shake my head quickly, "Fergus has always said he would never help us."

"But he would help the planet. Fenrir is a threat to all life, maybe Fergus is the answer to this. It wouldn't end the cycle.." He frowns, considering the options. "Right now, all we can hope for is time. The unicorn will die on the first of the year, we have to devote all energy to stop that from happening."

That would mean going now. That would mean we making the final trek to my homeland, to decide if we lived or died. "You're not going with him alone," Helen tells me firmly. I ignore the hurt look on Kestrel's face as if he expected her to trust them blindly simply because he was obsessed with her. There was so much left to do, so much left undone. 

But, it would all have to wait. "I won't go alone. We're going to need a task force of our own. Assemble the Heros." I address Avril and then turn to Helen. "Gather all of your generals, councilmen," I gesture to Bet, "Police, vampires, slayers, anyone in a position of power. It's time to have a meeting."

"What do you want me to tell them all?" Bet sighs, tapping quickly on the tablet. 

"We are going to war."