Chapter 26

Emjay

"If the women my people chained to a wall could turn darkness into light, maybe I can too." ~ Emjay

With everyone gathered and eating, Damian stands. All faces gaze at him expectantly. He clears his throat. "There's something I need to share with you all," he begins. His announcement is steady but tinged with urgency.

"What is it?" Georgia asks, breaking the silence.

"Willow, the witch in covenant with my herd, shared some important information with me that pertains to this herd and your history," Damian continues.

The murmurs die down, and the camp falls silent. All focus intently on Damian. Plates of uneaten food sit on laps. Firelight flickers across their faces. Damian takes another deep breath.

"What I have to say won't answer all your questions, but it will answer many of them," he offers, growing more confident. He stops, and I reach for his hand, offering support. He glances my way with a smile of thanks that reaches all the way to his amber eyes.

"Willow came with us for many reasons, but one of them was for her own self-interest. As a witch, she believed it her duty to recover the remains of the witches captured by Ioannis," he explains, sweeping his gaze over the gathered faces. "When a witch dies, it doesn't matter what coven they belong to—light or dark—even from another family. The power lies within each of them to touch the remains, speak certain words, and send the body back to their people."

Damian pauses again. The fire crackles, the only sound in the still night.

"When we arrived, Willow sent Frank to recover the captured witches. Emjay showed him where to find them. There were three."

The faces around him reflect a mixture of jaw dropping, women leaning forward, and nodding.

"Willow is the seer in her coven. With each touch, memories of the captured witch flooded her. Memories pertaining to each of you," Damian explains, his words filled with the weight of the revelation. "These memories hold pieces of your history, fragments of your past that were lost to time and circumstances, or just hidden from you."

The camp remains silent.

"Willow's visions revealed connections between your herd and the captured witches," he continues. From the women's expressions, it's obvious that his words are sinking deep into their hearts.

"The first body that Frank recovered is the one that helped Emjay escape—Hallie," he tells everyone, his eyes scanning the faces of his audience. She had touched the remains of the previous witch and sent her home. Willow saw the memory of the witch Hallie had touched."

A lone cricket chirps, adding another sound to the cracking flames of the fire, in the otherwise silent night. Damian's gaze turns distant, as if he is visualizing the past through Willow's mind. "Ioannis captured Jenna first. He begged her to cast a spell, forcing his mate to accept him and the others. Those not rejected wished for her to return their mates from Elysium, the afterlife paradise."

A murmur of confusion ripples through the crowd. Damian raises his hand for silence. "Both requests are not within a witch's power to grant. There is no power, not even among gods, to take away free will. Sure, a witch can force you to move your feet or do something silly, but they can't change your heart."

He pauses again, letting the weight of this truth settle over them. "They beat Jenna to death and swore vengeance on her family," he informs us, his attitude filled with sorrow and anger at the injustice. The silence that follows is deafening.

Damian takes a deep breath then continues. "The second body Willow recovered was a shadow witch from the Somes coven. Willow's family was granted their gifts to fight the Somes. Recently, a prophecy pertaining to the end of either the Somes or the Wardwells came to pass. The battle ended in victory. The Somes witches completely lost their powers, causing every curse they ever cast to be broken."

Georgia gasps. I will celebrate with her later or weep with her. Whichever way her heart leans at this revelation.

"In her dying breath, she cursed this herd. With her curse, no one born here would ever hear the call of their mate."

The crowd shifts uneasily. Damian's voice remains steady, a beacon of strength in the darkness. "The third body belonged to a light witch. Her name was Kate. She touched the Somes body but, sensing the evil in the bones, refused to return her to her people.

"Ioannis tortured all three of the women with the same requests. The last witch Frank carried out inherited her seer abilities when the previous seer in her family died while imprisoned in your tunnels. Kate witnessed what the Somes did to your mating calls. She also witnessed the end of the Somes' coven, along with the death of every male and female in here if mates were claimed before Ioannis' defeat.

"She reiterated what the Somes did to your people, except with a clause to lift the curse with the fall of Ioannis."

A collective shiver runs through the crowd. Damian's gaze meets mine, and I can see the determination burning in them. He squeezes my hand, drawing strength from our growing bond.

He looks around the circle, meeting each gaze. "We carry a new fate. The power to shape our destiny lies within us. It's up to each of us what we will do with this new path."

Some women nibble at the remaining food on their plates. Silence fills the air, save for the one cricket and the fire. All seem lost for words.

As the night deepens, the campfire burns brighter. The memories Willow shared are now a part of the herd's collective consciousness. Hopefully, many will use these visions to guide them forward into an uncertain future filled with light.