The Queen Of Darkness

21.The Beginning of The War

I woke tangled with Finian, his body warming mine. His arm was around my shoulder, my leg thrown over his waist, my hand against his chest. I stared, focusing on his heartbeat, the slow sound of his breathing. I smiled to myself as I admired him, sighing quietly to myself in turmoil.

I twisted my head, freeing my ear from the pillow as I honed in on my hearing, a flurry of urgent voices sounding from the floor below. I glanced at my mate, deciding on whether to wake him or not.

I was out of the bed in a blink of an eye. I changed into a fresh pair of clothes, hiding behind the closet door. I turned, taking in Finian's still sleeping form, before I flew out of the room and down the stairs to the rotunda.

The witch and two Guardian survivors chatted frantically to Celeste and Cosima, the rest of the coven, Alexeron and a few maids loitering close by. I twisted around people to get as close as possible, catching half the conversation.

"and they were calling themselves The Immortal Faction, they said we needed to give them the book if we wanted to ensure the survival and equality of the supernatural world. When we refused they attacked. They were mostly witches, only a few vampires and one werewolf. They nearly slaughtered all of us, and us three only got away by sheer luck. There was a woman there, a vampire with green eyes. As we fled, she told us to give you a message. That this was the start of the war, and Orion was coming for Regina." I inhaled sharply, my muscles in my jaw tensing. The vampire had to be Ester. Celeste twisted toward me, frowning. She held my gaze, probably weighing the pros and cons of going to war over me. Her face tightened, her chin dipping fiercely.

"Did you get the grimoire?" The witch nodded to the Queen, pulling the book from her rucksack. She held it out tentively, grimacing. A patchwork of what I hoped was leather covered the book, thick stitching holding it to the cover.

"Is that what I think it is?" Celeste asked, her face screwed in repulsion. The action made her appear younger, not a Queen, just a young woman who was utterly disgusted.

"Yes, I believe it's human skin." I turned away, my breath whistling in my throat as my stomach churned. The prophecy wasn't kidding about the book being evil bound. I frowned, wondering silently if other parts of the old rhyme were as literal as that.

"Okay, listen up. I want everyone of importance in the library in fifteen minutes. I don't care how long it takes, we're running out of time and we're now at war." Celeste announced. The gown she wore was simple and she had foregone her crown today, but she still commanded the room as if she were standing on a platform.

The group dispersed, the witch awkwardly carrying the book wrapped in skin. I hurried back to my room to retrieve Alizabeth's grimoire. I'd been reading, but there was nothing of significance about the prophecy so far.

Finian was gone when I returned, his earthy scent still lingering. I smiled to myself at the made up bed, surprised. I ran my fingers over the covers, smoothing away crinkles, my stomach filling with butterflies.

"Stupid mate bond." I muttered, pulling the grimoire out from my bedside table. I paused at the door, looking over the bed, grinning gleefully before hurrying to the library.

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I ran my tongue over my teeth in frustration, sitting on the balcony floor over looking the bustling, loud room. A headache had formed as we went around in circles, posing the same questions.

I flipped lazily through the faded parchment on my lap, stopping to read the prophecy on one of the last pages. The Queen did the same on the desk below me, pushing the pages of Estrianna's grimoire apart with a pen.
I turned to watch Maddy climb the spiral staircase to where I sat on the floor, carrying a tray with a decanter of blood. I almost moaned in delight. I'd stupidly skipped dinner last night.

"Thank you." I praised as she handed me the bottle. She folded the tray under her arm as she looked out over the room. I swallowed the luke warm liquid, my eyes changing in satisfaction.

"I don't understand why Orion is doing this." I turned as she spoke, frowning. She took in my confused expression before continuing.

"I mean, we all know the prophecy, but what is it for? What's he trying to achieve?" I raised my eyebrows at her before realising that we had been so focused on the prophecy that we'd forgotten the purpose of it all.

"Madeline, you're a genius." I raced to my feet, squeezing her cheeks affectionately before vaulting over the balcony, too excited to use the stairs. I pushed passed people to where the Queen stood.

"Excuse me." I nudged my way till I stood in front of the evil bound book. My skin lurched as I made contact, the dark magic tangible. I ignored the feeling, frantically searching the pages until I landed on one. It was writing in Latin, the spell bordered by strange drawings. Black swirls, horns and claws. I pivoted on my heel, facing Celeste.

"We've been so clouded by the prophecy that we completely forgot what Orion's motivation was." The room quieted as I admonished, keenly staring at the pureblood. She raised an eyebrow, lifting her head for me to continue.

"Orion is dying. Estrianna performed the sacrifice back in thirteen sixty four. That was over six hundred and fifty four years ago, and that's how old Orion is. The demon blood has kept him alive for that long but it's depleting, and because witch's only generally live up to two hundred years at best, he won't survive for much longer without it. He needs this grimoire to conjure a demon. And he needs a very powerful witch to do so. His mate, my sister has the soul of Estrianna, so if she's unlocked her power, then he gets what he wants." The group listened intently, expressions growing more determined as I went on.

"But he also needs someone powerful to sacrifice. And you bare the soul of Reena." I twisted to Maddy, her face pinched in worry. The realization seeped into my skin and deep into my heart. The room was silent as I stared at my best friend, my mouth slightly open and my eyebrows pulled down. She looked furious, her cheeks going red.

"The prophecy states that one will become the Queen of darkness. There's a fifty percent chance that you'll die Regina." It almost sounded like she was pleading with me, as if I could just stop fate and live a normal life.

"Well if my death has to happen to save our world, then there's nothing we can do to change it." Maddy glared, her frail human body tense. We stayed that way for a few minutes, eyes locked in a heated silent debate. The pretty red head gazed around the room, realizing that she was throwing a tantrum in a room full of people, including her employer. She reeled, twisting on her heel and fleeing the room, the tray no where to be seen.

I grinded my teeth, rubbing my face in frustration.

"We won't let that happen." Celeste whispered as she sidled up to me, looking ready to kill. I nodded, my head down.

"Okay everyone, back to work."

¤¤¤

After hours of searching through both grimoires with no luck, we were dismissed with the order to return that afternoon. It was almost five in the morning, and the sun would be up in a few more hours.

I made sure to stop by the kitchen to get some dinner and hopefully talk to Maddy, but the staff had retired earlier.

When I reached my room, I was surprised to find Finian's sleeping form back in my bed. I scoffed lightly, a small exhausted smile pulling up my lips.

When I slid into bed after getting changed, he pulled me close, my back to his chest. I acknowledged the fact that I'd never even had a proper conversation with him and that I knew absolutely nothing about him, but I decided I'd chide him in the morning. After I fell asleep curled against him warm body.