Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

" I wish we could stay in our little bubble of love," I told Alex as I leaned against him. "But I need to call everyone together and get on with things to stop Miletus."

Alex gave me a supportive squeeze. "I understand, Yūki-Onna. Duty calls and we cannot ignore it, no matter how tempting."

With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and started sending messages to the gang. " We need to figure out which version of the prophecy is accurate before we use the Soul Compass. If we want to be ready to react when we find the crystal holding Shannon's soul, we can't afford to be guessing. Oh, I'm engaged! Alex asked me to marry him last night. "

Almost immediately, Faith responded to the group chat. " What?! Holy shit woman. You have to tell us everything. How about we meet at Carnell's library? Seems like the best place to start. "

" Congratulations, Nishi! Sounds good to me. I'll be there shortly ." Tegan's message popped up a second later.

" Squee! I am so happy for you, Nishi. Can't wait to hear. See you there. " Eve added.

" That is wonderful news, Nishi. I'm on my way ." Damon replied last .

My cheeks flushed as I got up and got dressed. "You told your friends?" Alex asked.

Stepping into my jeans, I looked over at him and nodded. "I did. I didn't want to wait. Shit tends to hit the fan when we're dealing with a crisis, and I want them to know."

Alex wrapped his arms around me and kissed me soundly. When he broke away, I was panting and turned on. "I'm glad you told them. I'm going to tell my parents right away and pick up the ring I had commissioned for you."

I gasped and gaped at him. "You had a ring made for me?"

Alex bopped the end of my nose. "Of course, I did. I had planned to wait until it was done and do it in the back gardens with tacos under the moonlight. Instead, I let the moment take me last night."

My cheeks hurt from smiling so big. "I'm glad. It was perfect. Will I see you later?"

"Absolutely. I will call when I return," he promised, and we left my house and went our separate ways.

My friends and I convened at Carnell's library. It had become our go-to place to acquire knowledge. It was the easiest choice given Faith was Carnell's granddaughter. I got off the elevator and went down the hall when I didn't see anyone. Everyone was already there.

Eve, Tegan, Faith, Carnell, Cal, and Damon were gathered around a massive oak table in the center of the room. Eve jumped out of her chair and yanked me into a hug. "I can't believe you're engaged!" She bounced in place while holding me. "Planning this is going to be fun."

Chuckling, I patted her back. "Thank you."

Faith jumped in, excitement bubbling in her voice. "Congratulations, Nishi! This is huge!"

Tegan and Damon exchanged delighted smiles, while Cal and Carnell looked genuinely happy. They all shared their joy for me. "I can hardly believe he asked, and I said yes. I never thought I would walk down the aisle again," I admitted, feeling a flush of warmth spread across my cheeks.

"When's the big day?" Tegan asked with a genuine smile.

I shrugged, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden attention. "We haven't made any plans yet. With everything going on, it's hard to even think about a wedding."

Carnell nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. But still, it's something to look forward to once you've dealt with Miletus."

Cal leaned forward with curiosity. "How does this engagement affect your responsibilities, Nishi? Will you and your hunters be moving to the fae realm permanently?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll still have my job on Earth and my hunters have to be here. He's on the council here too. But we haven't discussed it so I don't know how this will turn out."

"Just make sure he doesn't drag you off to some fae ball and forget to bring you back," Cal teased.

I laughed, appreciating the levity. "Trust me, I won't let that happen. Besides, I don't think these guys will let me go that long," I said, thrusting my thumb at my friends. Eve, Faith, and Tegan saw me as integral to the Sacred Sisterhood. It was nice knowing they cared so much.

"Damn right. I didn't wait forty years to get a best friend to have her taken from me that easily," Eve said before she brought us back to reality. "Anyway, it's great news, really. But we should focus on the task at hand. We need to figure out which version of the prophecy is accurate before we use the Soul Compass."

I nodded, appreciating the redirection. "Exactly. We need to be ready to react when we find the crystal holding Shannon's soul."

Damon leaned back in his chair with fingers steepled in that classic "I know something you don't." He paused. "I was one step ahead of you," Damon began. He had a self-satisfied grin on his face. "I returned to my father's sanctuary last night and checked in with the priest there. He continued looking for answers and had some interesting information to share."

"Don't keep us in suspense," I told him. "Tell us what he said."

Damon chuckled and inclined his head. "He shared a prophecy from a seer that had been categorized incorrectly. It came when someone demanded answers from a seer about the dangers Miletus proposed. When I read the passage, it felt like it was Miletus. This was a long time ago before he was killed. Well, we believed he was, anyway."

"What is this prophecy?" Carnell asked.

"It's about Miletus and his ritual to take over the world," Faith replied.

Damon nodded in agreement. "And this last one says ‘In the light of the full moon, when the veil is thinnest, the fate of realms shall hinge on the actions of five. Losing the soul of a hunter, the power of a god, the spirit of a witch, and the courage of a warrior can upset the balance. The relics of old must be reclaimed, and the soul-bound compass shall guide their path. Beware the rise of the dark one, for he seeks to shatter the veil and consume the world of light. Only through unity and sacrifice can the tear be mended, and the worlds restored to harmony. The key to victory lies within the bonds they forge and the strength of their will. In the end, the choice of one will determine the fate of all.'"

"Well, that's ominous," Tegan muttered, tapping her fingers on the table. "How can he take a warrior's courage?"

"He could never take my courage," Faith insisted.

Cal gave her a look, "He could if he threatened those you love. If he was holding a knife to your son's neck right now, your courage would fly out the window and all you would know was fear."

Faith growled and bared her teeth at the gargoyle who was more like an uncle to her. "I would make him ever regret touching a hair on my son's head."

Carnell waved his hand through the air. "That's not where we need to focus. There are many warriors, and he likely already has that element. We need to understand the significance of each element mentioned in the prophecy. The soul-bound compass, for instance. You have that, but what is its significance? It wasn't in his hands, which tells me it doesn't play a role for him."

"I'm glad he dismissed it because that's going to be the key to us finding that asshole," I said. "What we didn't know was a time frame. It seems as if we need a plan before the full moon tomorrow night. If we don't, we're walking into this blind."

Eve nodded, her eyes scanning the room. "This doesn't really give us the answers to that, though. It doesn't tell us what we will face."

Faith smirked. "So, business as usual."

"Not quite," Eve interjected, eyes flicking over a passage. "Let's talk it through some more. The hunter's soul is Shannon. The god is Apollo, and he is gone, so he can't use him."

Carnell lifted a hand. "Not necessarily. Damon, didn't you say your father was overcome with nostalgia when he initially returned to Earth?"

Damon's brow furrowed as he nodded. "Yes, that's why he helped Miletus with the Shadow Weavers at first."

"Right, so Miletus could have gathered what he needed during that time," Carnell said.

Faith pinched the bridge of her nose and ground out, "I love it when we waste a bunch of time on shit we didn't need to. It wasn't easy to hunt Apollo down. And we wouldn't have been able to get him to go home without Artemis."

I sighed. "We had to make Apollo return regardless. We can retrieve Shannon's soul and that will put a crimp in Miletus' plans. Before we do that, the last thing we need to understand is about the sacrifice. That's the one that terrifies me most."

"It might mean you need to make a significant sacrifice or take on a role you're not used to," Cal replied with a thoughtful expression .

Faith's smirk faltered slightly. "Sacrifice. My new favorite word."

"We sacrifice all the time," I told her. "We sacrifice our free time. We endure wear and tear on our bodies and put ourselves in danger all the time. All of that involves us giving up something else."

Carnell looked at us with wide eyes. "Your lives are full of sacrifice. I've never fully comprehended that until now. And I have to say I have a lot of guilt over that fact."

I shook my head. "We don't have time for a pity party. We have less than twenty-four hours to the full moon. We need to focus on finding the crystal with Shannon's soul and getting it back where it belongs. So, is there anything that jumps out at anyone from the prophecy?"

"Nothing about the prophecy per se, but thinking about what we need to be prepared for," Tegan replied as she twisted her fingers together. "Miletus is going to have the crystal heavily guarded. He'll keep it close after we've interrupted so many of his previous attempts. I think you were right when you said we needed to take out his Milens. That will be our best bet at being able to fight him and win."

Faith's finger shot into the air, and she practically shouted, "What about the Purification Rite?"

Carnell's brow furrowed with curiosity. "What exactly is this Purification Rite you're talking about?"

I sighed, knowing this would take some explaining. "The Purification Rite is an ancient ritual designed to revert Milens to Apollonians. They would no longer be driven by the desire to steal souls. But it's risky and complicated because everyone involved has to willingly buy into the rite."

Carnell leaned forward, intrigued. "That sounds perfect. Can you perform it, Eve?"

Faith shook her head. "They have to agree, Carnell. The followers need to be willing participants. Otherwise, it won't work."

Eve, who had been quietly pondering, suddenly looked up with an excited expression. "Actually, I might have a way around that."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you're holding out on us?"

Eve rolled her eyes and smacked my shoulder. "I've been thinking about how Miletus got around this issue with the Milens. Normally, it wouldn't be possible to bypass someone's will in a magical ritual. But Miletus somehow managed it."

"How did he do that?" Carnell asked with a growl. "The thought of him being able to bypass something as strong as an individual's will is incredibly concerning."

Eve started explaining in a steady and thoughtful voice. "It is not easy. And very few would be able to do it on this level. What he did went beyond merely influencing someone's thoughts or behavior. That being said, there are ways to circumvent a person's will in a magical ritual. But they're all dark and revolve around blood magic. Blood has a potent connection to both life and magic. If you can manipulate that, you can twist the ritual to suit your needs."

"You're not doing anything like that, Eve," I cut in. My tone was sharp enough to cut. "We're not stooping to his level."

Eve shook her head as a smile bloomed across her face. "That's the beauty of it. I don't have to. I believe Miletus already did it for us when he used it to force the Apollonians to turn. He had to have altered the nature of the original ritual. By manipulating their blood and will, he turned them into his followers without their consent. That opened a door, and I doubt he knows to shut it."

"So, you're saying we could potentially use this twisted version of the rite against him?" Tegan clarified.

"Exactly," Eve replied, her eyes shining with determination. "If I can tap into the alterations Miletus made, I can use it to do my altered version of the Purification Rite and disrupt his hold on his followers."

Faith, who had been listening intently, finally spoke up. "Sounds like we have a solid plan. It's time to use the Soul Compass and find Shannon's soul. Nishi is right. We can't sit here speculating all day."

I nodded, feeling a renewed sense of urgency. "Let's get moving. We've got a soul to save and a madman to stop."

Eve patted her bag with a determined look. "I grabbed the things we might need for the Purification Rite, so we won't need to go back by my shop."

"I really do want to be just like you when I grow up," I quipped. I don't know what we would do without Eve's talent and foresight.

We said goodbye to Cal and Carnell and left Carnell's library. When we entered the elevator, Faith sidled up next to me. "So, Nishi, how are you going to handle being a fae princess? Will the royal family frown upon you solving cases with us?"

I snorted and shook my head. "I have no idea how they will feel. I'm not abandoning you guys. Alex will support me. Right now, we need to focus on the immediate problem—stopping Miletus. We can figure out my royal duties later."

Faith laughed, but there was a serious undertone to her question. "I mean, it's not every day you find out one of your best friends is a fae princess."

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "But hey, if anyone can juggle saving the world and navigating fae politics, it's me. I have three outstanding women to help me do it."

Eve walked out of the elevator first and glanced back at us. "Focus, people. We've got a soul to save and a madman to stop."

I gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. Let's go play hero."