A Fall of Secrets

Mona’s eyes fell on her husband as she gulped. Then she nodded, and although there was no confidence in her expression, that nod alone gave me some hope. She stood up from her chair and left the Great Dome.

I looked now at Sofia, her forehead creased with worry.

“In the meantime,” I continued, “we must try to prevent more kidnappings. It’s impossible to know exactly where they will strike next. But I think we can all be confident that they will strike again. And they will not travel far when they can find what they need nearby. It seems they are targeting younger people. We need to make it more difficult for these witches to get access to them.” I paused, steeling myself for what I was about to say. “We need to do what we have never done before in the history of this island. We need to make contact with the police.”

“What?” a chorus of voices gasped.

“We need to make contact with the police,” I repeated steadily, “of all our neighboring shorelines, and call for a closing of schools. Children and teenagers alike should be kept inside and people should avoid going out. Each household should be equipped with guns, with instructions of what to do if a black witch shows up—”

“Gun or not, a human family wouldn’t stand a chance in hell if a witch showed up in their living room,” Landis said.

“I’m not saying they would,” I replied. “None of these measures will stop them. We can only attempt to slow them down. You all heard what Mona said. These witches are on a blood hunt unlike any before. We can’t let them perform whatever ritual they’re trying for. Because if it’s successful, I suspect that the white witches of The Sanctuary will only be the first among many to feel their wrath…”

Ashley looked at me, disbelieving. “What, so we’re just going to show up randomly at a police department and tell them that all the schools need to be closed? Why would they even listen to us in the first place? What if they ask for ID? What if they ask where we’re from—?”

“There is no need to reveal The Shade, and there is no need to reveal our identity. After this violent introduction to the existence of supernaturals, not only by the black witches but also by Ben, I believe that they will be open to talking with us. I suggest that a human and a vampire go.” I looked at Sofia and she nodded, as if reading my mind. She stood up next to me, placing her hand over mine on the table. “My wife and I will go. We will also need a witch so that we can travel quickly.” My eyes rested on Corrine, who nodded. Next I turned to Xavier and Vivienne. “My sister and brother-in-law will take over ruling the island during our absence. You have the dragons here now helping to protect us. While we’re gone, I don’t think anyone needs to be worried about our safety. It’s the world around us that is in jeopardy now.”

Chapter 15: Sofia

We had no time to lose. Neither Derek, Corrine nor I knew how long this was going to take. Hopefully, if the humans weren’t too difficult to convince, we wouldn’t be gone more than a day.

We decided to head to the place where the first abduction had taken place in California. After the meeting was adjourned, Derek and I hurried back to our apartment to get ready for the journey, while Corrine returned to the Sanctuary to make her own preparations.

We hoped that by the time we returned, Mona would have formulated a plan on how to get rid of Lilith once and for all. In the meantime, we had to do what we could to prevent more human lives being lost.

We hurried about in our bedroom, stripping out of our pajamas and changing into comfortable and durable clothing. I pulled out a large umbrella from one of the cupboards and tucked it beneath my arm.

It was still early in the morning and we had no desire to wake Rose up. We would be back soon and Caleb would inform her of where we’d gone.

“Are you ready?” Derek asked.

“Yeah. I think so.”

We left the bedroom and made our way toward the living room to find my father standing there. He looked at us with concern. He drew me into a hug and kissed my cheeks.

“Be careful,” he said. He squeezed Derek’s shoulder before stepping back from both of us.

We descended to the forest ground and parted ways. Derek and I headed straight for the Sanctuary to pick up Corrine. We found her standing on her doorstep, lost in a passionate embrace with her husband. We waited until they were done before approaching. Corrine left her husband’s side and came to stand next to us. She had a map in one hand, and a thick cloak was wrapped around her shoulders. She breathed out heavily. “Okay, let’s go.”

She held onto both of us, and the peaceful courtyard of the Sanctuary vanished.

When we stopped spinning through the air and my feet touched solid ground, my vision came into focus. We were standing outside a large rectangular building, lit by fluorescent lighting. After adjusting my clothes, I ran my hands through Derek’s hair, smoothing it out. Then we headed straight for the entrance.

A plump, baldheaded man was sitting behind a wide wooden desk in the entrance area. He looked up as we entered. Surprise showed in his eyes. We had tried to wear clothes as plain as possible, but I supposed we still looked odd to him with our rather old-fashioned cloaks, especially me with my pale skin, and at this early hour of the morning.

He stood up, all five foot of him. “What can I help you with?”

“We have some information that will be of interest to you,” Derek said.

“Regarding what?”

“The school incident.”