Chapter 9

Alexandra glanced over to Calista once more. It was odd to see her in such a state. It was strange to see her at all. Calista had secluded herself after Carl’s funeral and was rarely seen outside Pierce Estates. Even Orion’s children had turned her into a ghost story and said she haunted the eastern wing of their home.

“Presenting the Celestial Council with Head Councilman Aiden Valerian Bliss presiding,” an attendant announced.

The air in the room shifted as another set of doors opened, and the Celestial Council filtered in. At the head of the room sat four rows of raised seats that they filled. All eleven seats were filled, and Aiden filtered in last and stood in front of the centermost chair.

Alexandra and Shaun felt like dirt in a room full of people dressed in their finest clothes and shiniest jewels. They’d been dressed up with the rest just the other night, but now the dynamics had changed, and they weren’t seen as equals anymore. They hadn’t even been considered people but less than the specks of dust beneath their feet.

“Good evening, everyone,” Aiden began, and his words echoed throughout the hall. “Admittedly, I struggled with what I would say as my opening statement, but there isn’t a right set of words that can accurately explain the situation we find ourselves in at this very moment. For generations, we’ve been taught the horrors our ancestors experienced upon their first centennial Sapphire Moon a few millennials ago.

“From what I’ve learned from my grandfather, Jasper Bliss, one of the Progenitors of the Celestial Realm, it was something that should be engraved in our minds and hearts, even now,” Aiden continued. “In all honesty, it is hard for me to sit here this evening and see that the subjects of tonight’s Grand Assembly are of my blood. But as the Celestial Council Head, I promise to uphold my duty to the people and remain unbiased in these proceedings. I swear that on my oath as a member of the Celestial Council.

“However, the Hybrids are not our only concern this evening. King James and King Orion failed to uphold the oaths they swore to the Claret Codes on the eves of their coronations, and that is not something we can overlook,” he continued. “They like every soul in this realm, know the horrors our ancestors faced on the first Centinniel Celestial Celebration, and we’ve done our due diligence to ensure we do add another bloodstain on our realm’s history.

“By now, thousands have been executed to ensure the peace and serenity we’ve maintained all this time, and we aim to continue to do that. However, these circumstances are unique and require us to handle them appropriately. Never in the long history of our realm has there been an artificially created Hybrid, and though it’d be easy to execute, there may be another solution.

“So tonight, we’ll deliberate these matters and decide what’s best for the sake of the Realm,” Aiden concluded. “Each member of the Celestial Council will be allowed to ask their own series of questions to all those on trial this evening. I’ll ask my own questions at the end, and we’ll take a recess to discuss before returning with a final decision. King James. King Orion, please join the others at the center of the floor so we may proceed.”

James and Orion were allowed to approach independently, unlike Alexandra and Shaun. They stood on either side of them and stood before the Celestial Council and the Celestial Realm.

“Let’s begin,” Aiden announced. He sat first, and everyone sat along with him.

As Aiden stated, each member of the Celestial Council was allowed to ask questions. It was a painful process, to say the least. Alexandra couldn’t effectively answer most of the questions they asked her, seeing as she had just discovered she was a Hybrid the other night. They had tried to ask Shaun who her parents were, but she shared that she didn’t know who her father was and wouldn’t name her mother.

Many of them had many of the same questions, so all the same answers were given. Surprisingly, many questions were directed at Alexandra and Shaun, and very few were given to Orion and James. Despite that, they continue to stand by.

Then it was Adrian’s turn.

“Shadow Walker representative, Councilman Adrian Ghastly speaking,” Adrian called for the attendant recording the meeting. He leaned forward against his portion of the table and smiled, “I’ll be giving the Hybrids a break. I’m also exhausted from repeatedly hearing the same questions and answers.”

“Thank the gods,” Shaun breathed.

Alexandra nudged her, and she silently apologized.

“James,” Adrian looked to their father first, “who was the Mage who helped you wipe the memories of Alexandra and Erik?”

James hesitated to answer, “Lady Sol Magicis, Councilman.”

There was a spike in murmurs and whispers from the spectators and Celestial Council. Some dirty looks were shot over to where the Mages sat, but none buckled beneath the pressure. Especially Sol.

She sat beside her daughter, the current Queen of Mages, with a stoic expression. Her bronze skin glowed, and her silver hair was pulled into a braid on her shoulder. Her green eyes were sharp, and at the mention of her name, she didn’t flinch.

“Lady Sol, can you confirm this?” asked Adrian.

“I can,” Sol responded, her voice melodic and warm.

Adrian gestured to the main floor, and Sol nodded. She stood, her robes of shimmering gold and silver flowing around her as she strolled to the center of the room and gave a respectful curtsy to the Celestial Council.

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“You can ask me anything, Councilman Ghastly,” assured Sol.

“Very well,” Adrian stood, and he was on the main floor with the rest of them in one swift move. “Can you recall the events of that evening for us from your perspective, Lady Sol?”

Sol nodded, “Certainly. I’d been home when I received a call from Queen Cassandra requesting my assistance with a delicate matter. I journeyed to Bliss Palace, where I saw Alexandra and Erik nearing Death’s door.

“James had called Rashad to secure the perimeter and see where the Werewolves could’ve come in, and when Rashad arrived with Ashanti, they had Shaun with them. They shared that Shaun had attempted to break into their home, but with more urgent matters in hand, they placed Shaun in the dungeon. However, before she left, she said, ‘She’s just like me.’ Unfortunately, none of us knew what that truly meant until it was too late.”

“So, is it fair to say that whoever cast the spell that turned Alexandra into a Hybrid is quite skilled?” Adrian suggested.

“Yes, quite skilled indeed.”

“Even more than you?”

Alexandra couldn’t help but notice the slightest twinge on Sol’s face at his remark.

“Possibly,” Sol cooed. “Though I’m unaware of anyone who could hold such talent.”

“That’s alive, anyway,” Adrian noted.

Now Sol’s smile faded, “Yes. That’s alive, anyway.”

“And when did Orion become involved in all of this?” he wondered.

Sol glanced over to Orion. He’d been standing firm with his back straight the entire time, but the sweat was beginning to bead on the back of his neck, “He’d arrived the morning after they’d been attacked to help investigate the Werewolves who attacked Alexandra and Erik at home. He’d identified them as members of noble families. From what I’ve been told, they’d both gone missing just weeks prior.”

“Is that true, Orion?” Adrian looked over to him.

Orion nodded, “Yes.”

“And their names?”

Orion didn’t answer right away. “Issac Clarion and Thyrius O’Leary.”

“Prominent names indeed.” Adrian seemed amused. “Were the families notified that their kin had been found?”

“Of course,” he responded. “However, their deaths had been kept a secret until now. I knew both Issac and Thyrius personally, and these actions weren’t within their usual nature… it’d been odd, to say the least.”

Adrian nodded, “I’ve always thought you were a considerate and kind man, Orion. I’m glad that’s still true.”

Orion simply nodded his silent appreciation for Adrian’s words.

Adrian nodded as well before turning his attention back to Sol, “Were you able to identify the type of magic used?”

“It’s either Blood Magic or Dark Magic,” Sol shared. “I was unable to pinpoint which it was exactly.”

That wasn’t an answer any of them wanted to hear. Had it been Blood Magic, then it narrowed it down to a Vampire, but Dark Magic? That could’ve been anyone from the Eleven Nations.

When it came to the Major Clans, they each used a type of magic specific to them. Vampires pulled their magic from their blood, Mages pulled their magic from nature, and Werewolves pulled their magic from their ancestors. All the other nations had variations of the three main types of magic at varying degrees, but Dark Magic pulled from every kind of magic.

Only more capable wielders of magic could use Dark Magic because, despite its extensive uses, it drained the user and source rapidly. Like the other forms of magic that are pulled from other sources, Dark Magic is pulled from shadows. If someone capable of using Black Magic wanted to use Blood Magic, all they would need to do was pull from the shadow of a Vampire. The same held true for Ancestral Magic, but when it came to Nature Magic, they just needed to pull from the shadows of anything in Nature.

“I see.” Adrian began to stroll around the room, “So that leaves us with either a Vampire or literally anyone else in the Celestial Realm. Far too many options, don’t you agree?”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Sol chimed.

“When did you discover that Alexandra had been altered?” Adrian wondered.

“About forty-eight hours after she’d been attacked,” Sol shared. “By then, it was already too late, and the enchantment could not be reversed through normal means.”

“And is it possible that you sealed her fate when you used your magic on her to heal them?” Adrian asked.

By the expression on Sol’s face, it was clear she had considered that. Her silence was enough of an answer for Adrian, and he continued to stroll around the room. He seemed to slow down just a bit when he neared where the Werewolves sat, but he moved along.

“Lady Sol, do you know where your sister’s grimoire is?” Adrian asked.

The room seemed to shift at the mention of Sol’s sister, and Alexandra and Shaun didn’t quite understand why. Adrian noticed, and a small smile came onto his face.

“I take it they stopped teaching the later generations about the infamous Stygian Witch,” he said.

“Adrian,” Aiden’s voice came out stern, “tread carefully.”

The Stygian Witch Luna Magicis - one of Sol's younger sisters - had been taboo since Alexandra was a child. She’d come across it once in one of her relative’s journals, and when she asked her father about it, he pretended not to know. That following day, all of that relative’s journals went missing from the library, and Alexandra only found vague information on Luna Magicis after that.

“Always, your Eminence.” Adrian bowed slightly towards Aiden before making it to where the Mages sat. “Luna Magicis’ grimoire Ataraxia is still considered one of the most potent and dangerous spellbooks in all the realms, correct?”

“That is correct,” Sol responded; her once warm voice was beginning to cool, and the air in the room seemed to become thinner and thinner.

Adrian smiled, “And Ataraxia disappeared from your sister’s tomb nearly twenty years ago, correct?”

Sol narrowed her eyes at Adrian, and the shock was prevalent on the faces of everyone in the room.

“My apologies,” Adrian laughed, “I hadn’t realized it was a secret.”

“Lady Sol,” Aiden looked ready to pop a blood vessel, “is it true?”

“With all due respect, Head Councilman Bliss, Ataraxia is my family’s responsibility, and thus none of the Celestial Council’s concern,” Sol sneered. “As to how Council Ghastly was aware of that, I’m inclined to believe he may know something about Ataraxia’s disappearance.”

“If I was in possession of Ataraxia, I’d return her to your care with the utmost haste,” Adrian declared. “I know just as well as you how dangerous those spells are that rest in that book, and it’d be detrimental to the Celestial Realm if it ended up in the wrong hands.”

“It’s one thing after another,” Aiden groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“One more thing,” Adrian walked over to Sol and smiled, “Luna is still in her tomb, yes?”

“Yes, she is,” Sol responded.

“Adrian,” Aiden snapped.

Adrian stepped away from Sol, “My apologies once again, your Eminence. That was all I wanted to ask.” In another swift motion, Adrian was back in his seat among the Celestial Council.

An uneasy feeling lingered in the room, and it wasn’t coming just from the four Hybrids pending an execution. It was everyone. None of them knew precisely what Luna Magicis had done, but it’d been bad enough that the entire room was unsettled at the mention of her name alone.

“Lady Sol, before you return to your seat,” Aiden sighed, “can you restore her memories from that night?”

Sol nodded, “I can.”

“And before you erased her memories, had you searched them to locate any trace of the person responsible for this?”

“Yes,” she answered. “However, any attempt to try and track the magic back to its original source was… blocked. The lines would become more and more unclear the closer I came to identifying the person responsible, and after several attempts, I could no longer track it at all.”

“And what was the purpose of erasing their memories?”

“It’d been a traumatic moment for both Alexandra and Erik,” Sol shared. “James insisted that I block it to keep their opinions from being changed on Werewolves, especially since they’d grown up alongside the Pierce children for so long.”

Aiden sighed, “Thank you, Lady Sol. Your cooperation is appreciated.”

Sol curtsied once more, “Thank you.” She returned to her seat more hurriedly than she’d left it and sat beside her daughter again. Among the Mages, all of the Magicis seemed to be glaring at Adrian at his intrusive questions regarding one of their own.