“Thank you,” she says to me, hugging me fiercely. “I know I did wrong and I accept that but thank you.”
“No worries,” I say, patting her absently on the back. Future me was right, I am so reserved with those I am not close to.
“Care to share?” Sebastian asks, his eyes firmly on Jess and I frown. I’ve still got a niggling feeling…
“Devon went through the sire trials and Jess is now past her limitation,” I state to the surprise of most of the group.
A few seconds pass and then everyone is congratulating her. Her?
“Erm? Might I add it is Devon who did his duty by her. If congratulations are in order it is to him, if you please.”
He throws me an “oh, please” look and I blow him a kiss as everyone directs their attention to him now.
“Right.” I clap my hands to get everyone’s attention. “The Thirteen is the reason for this meeting and we have lots to share.”
I get everyone’s undivided attention and I start my tale of the findings of Cade, Nico, and Serena.
I have them all riveted as I speak. I am quite clear on what needs to be said after rereading the pages a couple of thousand times.
“So, let me get this straight,” Devon says when I finish. “It was a Demon and Tiamat went up against it when it became too powerful and basically hacked it into thirteen pieces with the Hellfire sword. The real Hellfire sword. Thus, sending it to its fate in the Spirit Realm.”
“Yes,” I nod.
Lincoln picks up the story. “And the corporeal pieces were scattered to the ends of the earth, but it still managed to find a way to gain power.”
“Yes,” I say again.
Xane pipes up now, “I bloody knew it! It sat there in the Spirit Realm and fed off everything that made its way through, gaining more and more power for itself.”
“Yes,” I say, even now sounding annoying to myself. “Three thousand years’ worth of dead beings to feed from has made it a very powerful creature. It has been waiting for a chance at retribution and as it can’t defeat Tiamat, it is coming after me.”
“But what about the sword?” Devon asks.
“As far as we can tell, it managed to get a hold of it somewhere around two thousand years ago. As Xane said, it separated the real essence and left just a shell of the real thing, knowing it is the only thing that can destroy it.”
“So, go get it and kick its ass,” Devon says.
“It’s not as easy as that. I don’t know where it is, and I don’t know how to defeat it.”
“Oh, I intend for it to stay that way,” says Lance’s voice, making me spin to the corner where he is lurking.
He throws up a forcefield as we all step towards him and he shakes his head, “You can’t best me. You aren’t strong enough.”
I step forward, trying to embrace the Powers I have been told I have. “I will end you,” I snarl at it, but he smiles at me.
“You can try. By the way, on your travels to the other Earth, did you happen to run into Fraser?” he asks innocently.
“What?” I ask, very taken aback, and he laughs.
“I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. What a pity, I am sure he would have loved to have seen you.”
“What are you taking about?” I ask, hating myself for sounding so desperate.
“Oh, you don’t know? He is still alive in the other timeline,” Lance goads me but I don’t believe him. It’s not possible. Is it?
“What do you mean still alive?” I croak as everyone else just stares at me silently.
“Oh, the other you turned him. Against his wishes mind you, but he is still alive,” he says offhandedly, and I feel the bile start to rise.