Shadows (Book Two of the Royals Trilogy)

Chapter Eleven

SKYLAR

“Finally, took you long enough,” I heard Blair say when she saw me. I looked at her, she had her arms crossed in front of her and a look on her face that said we would talk later. I nodded, “yeah, sorry, I wanted to take my time,” I admitted since it was the truth, after my quick chat with Mark, I had taken the longer path through the forest and at a slower pace so that I could think clearly.

Melissa smiled, “don’t worry, the meeting hasn’t started yet, it seems your camp leader wanted to discuss something with other Hunters in there first.” I nodded and joined them by the porch of the cabin as we waited for Elda to come and get us.

I don’t know how long we waited, we had decided to sit on the steps at some point right before Elda opened the door to the cabin and let us through. Blair’s expression hardened and Melissa looked nervous as we walked into the cabin.

Elda led us into a big room I had never been to before. Inside there were tables and at the biggest, the council elders sat patiently. They occupied all the seats in front of us and Elda had us sit at the center. Elder Monique smiled kindly at me and I nodded towards her.

When we are all in our seats, Elder Monique was the one to speak up. “It is great to see you again Huntresses, and we are all glad that you are safe. There is a matter we must discuss though, the Royale Brothers were your priority and yet, you returned to camp with a witch and a human.” Melissa tensed beside me and I could feel her anxiousness flowing off her from my seat.

“From what we have heard and gathered is that this… creature possesses a great risk to all of us and that the severity of this mission is escalating,” said another elder, I think his name was Connor. He was an old man, known for being derogatory and elitist.

“What are you implying?” asked Blair, boldly, as she glared at Elder Connor. I gently nudged her foot with mine from under the table, we couldn’t lose our temper.

“All that I meant was that maybe you’re not suited for this mission,” the Elder responded directly. “And that maybe we were mistaken to graduate you from your Trainee positions and wrong to give her the last name ‘Chase’,” the old man spat out as he pointed his wrinkly finger at me. Blair was about to respond but I held up my hand to stop her.

“Blair, it’s all right,” my friend backed down and I turned to look at the Elder in front of me. He looked at me with disgust and disapproval, but it wasn’t something that bothered me, I was Skylar Chase after all and if Elder Monique had once been an outsider to the camp, she had proven herself and so would I. “Elder Connor, I believe Blair and I have gotten further and closer to uncovering and finding the Royale Brothers than any of your other Hunters. Yes, I may have not used my full potential as a member of the family Chase, but I can assure you that I will not stop until the Royale Brothers are imprisoned and judged for their actions. You say that our priorities were compromised, I differ from your opinion. The Queen of Shadows, Dalia, is a powerful witch who claims to be the mother of all supernatural, she knows everything about everyone, and she has recently made contact with the Royale Brothers from what we found out. Now, all we need to do is intensify the truth serum, and combine it with the technology from the devices you’re using to block her magic and bingo, the witch will be talking in no time.”

Elder Connor looked at me coldly but didn’t object. “I think we can give it a shot and once the witch has talked, we’ll be able to send Blair and Skylar back in track with their mission and we’ll be capturing four birds with one stone.” I smiled and the rest of the Elders nodded in approval.

“We still need to discuss another matter, Huntresses,” Elder Connor said coldly as he gave Melissa a look that would make anyone feel like an ant. “How does this girl come into the picture?” Melissa gulped and I could see her face pale as she looked at her hands.

“She was sent to kill me,” I responded quickly, before the atmosphere of uncomfortableness suffocated us.

Elder Connor raised an eyebrow and then released a loud laugh. My face remained neutral and I could see Melissa looking confused beside me. “We are supposed to believe that this girl was meant to kill you? Just look at her, she doesn’t seem like the type to kill anyone,” he spat out.

Elder Monique intervened before I could say anything, “hold up Connor, don’t underestimate her, just remember the last time you underestimated an outsider and she turned out to be better than anyone at camp.” Connor looked taken aback and he remained quiet. I smiled at her and Elder Monique nodded her head. “Anyway, this young lady surely has an explanation.”

Melissa nodded hesitantly as we waited for her to respond. Slowly, Melissa mustered the confidence to speak her part and she told them all about Dalia’s blackmail and how the witch had only wanted her as her servant and never meant to fulfill her part of the deal. Everyone was quiet after that, what could you say to a girl that had just lost everything? From experience I knew nothing would fill the gap that now occupied her time, only time would help her feel more at peace.

“Melissa is it?” asked Elder Monique nicely as she looked at my childhood friend. Melissa nodded. “There is something we need to discuss. Would you mind stepping out for a minute We’ll let you back in in just a minute.” Once again, Melissa nodded, and she hurried out of the room.

As soon as the door was closed, the Elders looked at each other, waiting for one of them to suggest something. Elder Connor was the first to speak, “what if she’s a spy? What if she is working for that witch?” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. The Elders started whispering amongst themselves until their internal debate turned into a debate and they started to raise their voices.

“She is not a bad person, nor would she ever do something like that,” I said, interrupting the discussion. The six Elders in the room turned my way as if they had just realized we were also in a room with them. “Melissa is just scared, she has to process so much in just a very little time.”

“Fear can lead to rash decisions, Huntress,” a woman said softly but confidently. I remembered her green eyes and her reddish hair from the graduating ceremony, but I couldn’t remember her name. “I am Elder Zoey, I saw the confusion in your eyes when I spoke,” she said with a smile as she answered my internal questions. “I do not believe the young woman is bad. What I do believe is that it is natural for humans to act impulsively when facing fear and that could just be the case here.” There was a silence in the room and a few Elders nodded their heads in agreement.

“Now, I propose a solution, or rather and option. We take the girl through numerous tests and keep watch on her, when we are sure that she is not manipulated by the witch then we can offer her two options. Since she is an orphan now, I would think it would only be right to offer her a place amongst us.” When Elder Zoey stopped talking, there were immediate protests from some Elders, one of them being Elder Connor.

“You cannot be serious, Zoey. She is a human and we have already accepted another human and look at where that has led us,” Elder Connor said and I fidgeted slightly, his words pierced me like venom.

Elder Monique tried to intervene and stop the discussion from going too far when Elda finally spoke up. “Enough!” Everyone looked at the camp leader who hadn’t said anything since the meeting had started. “There is no point on fighting about this, I agree that the girl should get to choose what path her life takes now. That is why I suggest we all vote, in silence, and avoiding further accusations.” Blair tensed beside me while I only raised an eyebrow; it was the first coherent and admirable thing I had ever heard the camp leader say and I was surprised.

The Elders accepted and Elder Monique got up from her seat, “all of those who think Melissa should be sent away immediately, please vote.” A couple of hands shot in the air, one of them belonging to Elder Connor. “Now, all of those who believe that Melissa should go through trials before she can be given the option to stay?” The majority of the council voted in favor of that proposal, including Elda, and even though our vote didn’t count, Blair and I raised our hands. Melissa deserved the opportunity to prove herself, if she didn’t want to become a Huntress that was fine, as long as she was offered a new life and a chance to be a part of a bigger purpose.

“Then it is decided, she would go through different tests throughout the week and until we are sure of the results, we will resume this meeting,” Elda said, and the Elders nodded. “Very well. Blair, please go tell Melissa she can come in now.”

Blair remained expressionless as she did what she was told and a second later she was back with Melissa walking quickly behind her. She sat down in her former seat and I could see she was holding her breath as she waited for someone to say something. “Melissa, my name is Zoey, I am a member of the council before you right now. Before letting you go, we would like to run some tests on you to make sure the Queen of Shadows’ presence is no longer in your mind, affecting you.” Melissa agreed instantly and waited for further instructions.

“Until we obtain all the results, we will have you monitored. There will always be a Hunter or Huntress with you, and you will not sleep with Blair and Skylar, you’ll be staying in a different cabin for now. Are you alright with this?” asked Elder Monique kindly and Melissa cleared her throat before agreeing.

“So, then it is decided, we will meet here once all of the results are ready. Until then, Blair and Skylar, please try to find out more about the Royale Brother’s whereabouts, you have permission to go down into the cells to question the witch if you’d like,” Elda said, and we nodded. After that, everything happened so fast, the council got up and headed out and left the three of us standing in that empty room.

Blair still looked off and I reminded myself to ask her what was going on once we were alone. “Anyone hungry?” I asked trying to lighten the mood. The girls nodded and together we walked towards the cafeteria. It was already getting dark outside and the chilly air made me shiver but once we were inside the cafeteria, the cold breeze was forgotten.

We got our meals and went to sit on an empty table. None of them had said a word and I didn’t know what else to say or do. “Blair! Skylar! Thank God you’re alright,” I heard him say before I felt his strong arms being wrapped around us.

Once the awkward hug was over, I turned around and face Gideon who looked relieved and happy to see us. “Hey Gideon, don’t worry, I brought her back in one piece,” I said trying to joke around but Blair didn’t seem to be in the mood since she only shrugged. Gideon raised an eyebrow in confusion, and I sighed as I shook my head, I didn’t know how to answer his question.

“Well I am glad you’re alright, I tried to convince Elda to let me go on the rescue mission but she insisted I was needed here in case something happened to her,” he explained and I nodded, he was a possible future candidate for the camp leader position and Elda always tried to hand him down some responsibilities so he could get familiarized. “What happened, by the way?” he asked, and I could still see him sneak a few worried glances at his sister.

“Why don’t you get your food and then we’ll talk,” I suggested, and he nodded before disappearing.

“Well that is quite something,” Melissa said teasingly, and I looked at her with confusion clear in my face. “You have just gotten back, and you already have two guys coming over to you to see if you’re alright. They must really like you,” she said, and I instantly laughed. Blair, on the other hand, didn’t seem amused.

“No, it’s nothing like that. The guy who went to get his food is Gideon, Blair’s brother and that’s how I see him too, as a brotherly figure and Mark, he is just a friend, we cannot be anything more, anyway,” I said trailing off at the end and Melissa raised an eyebrow and was about to say something but her eyes focused on something behind me.

“Hello again, Sky, and hello Blair,” I heard Mark say as he walked over to us with Gideon next to him. Blair only waved slightly, and the two Hunters sat down in front of us with their plates. Mark’s attention then turned to Melissa who was next to me. “And who are you?” He asked trying to sound polite.

Melissa blushed and smiled at him as she ogled him, I rolled my eyes, she was just meeting Mark and she was already drooling over him. I couldn’t blame her, Mark was attractive with his medium-length, dark hair and his toned body and his piercing blue eyes. Still, that didn’t stop me from feeling uncomfortable when she looked at him like that, I was not jealous, just to be clear. “My name is Melissa, Melissa Rodriguez. I am a friend of An- I mean, Skylar’s.”

Mark looked back at me in confusion, “really?” I nodded and Mark smiled back at Melissa.

“Nice to meet you, Melissa. I am Mark Argent,” Melissa smiled sweetly at him and I turned to face my plate uncomfortably. “Gideon invited me to join you since you were going to tell him what happened out there,” Mark said softly as he tried to me my gaze and I nodded.

“Right, where should I begin?” I asked to myself and then I started explaining our findings and our mission. Blair wasn’t much help since she kept mostly to herself and Melissa only intervened in a few pieces of the story that she knew and remembered. The two Hunters listened patiently as I talked up until where we were now.