Spellbound & Hellhounds, page 20
part #1 of Coven Chronicles Series
A few of the Council members looked unamused, a few others shifted in their seats looking like they were about to pop off at the mouth because they assumed Vanessa and Leon were joking around. “We are not sure why we were summoned,” Vanessa added more seriously than her first response. Her eyes were burning with tears brought on by the blinding light that the Celestial naturally gave off. Even from under the thick fabric of the spelled blue cloak it was immensely difficult to endure.
They nodded and regained their composure. “You have been brought before the Council because of this,” Torro McTaggart spoke while stroking at his fiery red beard and staring the group down like he was judging a handful of criminals silently. He then motioned for the female blue cloak Mia to step forward and place something upon a short podium in the center of the raised flooring.
The fair Mia stepped forward and dropped a crystal ball onto a deep red, crushed velvet pillow and walked back to her seat. The moment that Vanessa saw it, she knew why they had been called before the Council. Surprisingly, the crystal ball held not a scratch on it. However, she shouldn’t be concerned with such a silly detail under present circumstances. She tried to refrain from swallowing the lump of fear and regret that was ever growing in her throat, and her eyes darted up from the ball to the thirteen members and their harsh gazes.
“Does this crystal ball belong to you, Hunter Peterson?” Torro asked, and his eyes felt like they were burrowing into her soul.
Her mouth was dry. Her skin felt clammy and all of a sudden, she felt the color drain from her face as her stomach soured. “I…” she started, but what the hex was she going to say? It looks pretty good for being kicked into the face of a minotaur? She bit her lip and tried to think of something that would sound reasonable and had little to no chance of getting her and the others into trouble. She wasn’t coming up with anything, and the Council members were not pleased with how long it took the witch to produce an answer.
“Hunter Peterson, is this crystal ball familiar to you or not? Answer the High Priest Torro,” Isolde asked as she narrowed her frightfully bright eyes at Vanessa.
All crystal balls looked the same, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t detect who it belongs to. For one, the magic impression retained within the orb was a dead giveaway. Magic was like a fingerprint, it was left behind in every summoning, every potion mixed, every spell casted, and every crystal ball call. Also, any spell caster knew that crystal balls held magic from the user within the orb, and that magic was like a calling device. You could find it by just reaching out magically. Just thinking about her orb made her magic reach out to the crystal ball before her. That was answer enough. There was no doubt in her mind now that the crystal ball on the podium was, indeed, her own. So, if she lied, she would get nowhere, and it would only anger the Council. She sighed and lifted her gaze to them. “It’s mine,” she answered honestly.
Mia pointed to the object in question and asked, “Do you know where we found your crystal ball, Hunter Peterson?”
Again, Vanessa didn’t want to answer, and she nervously chewed at the inside of her bottom lip and fidgeted with her finger nails while in deep thought. She felt like the Council was making her put together and nail her own coffin with each answer she gave. But, what about everything that she—
“Hunter Peterson!” High priest Dmitri yelled so loud that it made Vanessa feel like she was about to jump out of her own skin. “The Council awaits your answer,” he added in a much softer tone.
She looked at Bobo, Lyx, and Leon. She could save them from punishment if she just told the truth. She lowered her head and answered finally. “Yes, High Priest Councilmen, I know where you must have found it.”
“Why were you in the tunnels after we advised you to not proceed further. It is a job for the Summoners,” Mia looked pained as she asked the question.
“I… I know. I just heard word that no Summoners had been sent. The people of Tolvade know nothing of the happenings and wouldn’t be prepared for an attack if one of the hellhounds had managed to escape. They would be in horrific danger, and no one would be able to answer the distress signals or calls soon enough. Especially with the encroaching yearly blizzard. There is no telling how long those tunnels are or even where they go—” she was interrupted again, this time by Isolde.
“That is not a concern for a Hunter. We have chosen to send Summoners to minimize damages to the Coven, the people of Aeristria, and to ensure that the academy isn’t in anymore danger.”
“Then why weren’t Summoners sent out yet?” Vanessa snapped.
The Council looked like she had started cracking a whip in the center of the room. “How would you know if we’ve dispatched Summoners or not, Hunter Peterson?” Isolde snapped back.
“I…” Banish a banshee, if she told them how it would ruin Tasgall’s reputation, her business, and her father’s image. Instinctively, her eyes shifted to Torro and then dropped her gaze. She bit her lip. No, she needed that ace up her sleeve, and she needed to protect Tasgall. There was only one option for her, because giving an honest answer wasn’t. “Have you sent out Summoners?”
Isolde blinked her eyes and gaped her mouth, offended at the question. “How dare you question the Council! We’ve all done nothing but serve the Coven for years faithfully. You come in here and can barely adhere to a simple rule we’ve set in place and have the audacity, after defying our word - which is LAW - to question our means and methods?”
“I meant no disrespect,” Vanessa tried to reason with them.
“You were out without speaking to your partner, I presume?” Torro asked calmly.
She swallowed whatever reply she had for Isolde and nodded to High Priest Torro. “Yes, sir.”
“And your pet?” he asked, eyeing the ogre up.
Vanessa could feel Bobo tense up as soon as the Council member looked to him, and she immediately jumped to his defense. “No. He knew nothing. I snuck out.”
“Surely not for long. You two are tethered. Speak, Botobolbilian, when did you meet up with your master?” Torro urged the ogre to speak for himself.
“Within the hour, sir.” Bobo admitted without skipping a beat.
“Did you notify Leon of her whereabouts?”
“I … I did not, sir.”
“Did you assist her into the tunnels?”
“Yes… I did.”
“Did you forget our warning? Did you dismiss our decree?” Torro tilted his head as he badgered Bobo with questions.
“I ignored it. I did wrong. Don’t blame him,” Vanessa shot out.
“Why should we not? Is he not just as guilty as you?” This came from Dmitri. “Not only did you defy our decree, but you put others at risk for your own selfishness. What was there to gain from you going down into those tunnels?”
“I just wanted to find out if the hellhounds were still down there. I just wanted to protect the people,” she half whined her reply. She felt her chest tighten, and the world spin for a moment. She could feel herself slipping into a panic attack, and she had to focus on not hyperventilating while trying to explain her reasons to the Council while being berated with question after question.
“Hunter Peterson, how is putting the people in danger protecting them?” Isolde asked with a slight smirk on the corner of her lips.
“I… I wasn’t thinking…” she stated finally and sounded so defeated as she uttered the words.
“You weren’t thinking… do you think if anyone got harmed that those words would make the damages you brought about any better? You were reckless and risked the very people you claim you were trying to save!” Dmitri barked, and it felt like she was being slapped with words. Her vision was hazed by growing tears, and she looked to the ground to escape the Council seeing her on the brinks of weeping, and then there was a shadow blocking out the light that emitted from the Celestial. She looked up to see Leon’s back as he was standing in front of her.
“She may have been wrong in acting on her own, but there is no reason to attack her verbally like this. Just—”
“Do you wish to stand alongside Hunter Peterson and have your insignia on the line as well, Spellweaver Zvěrokruh?” Isolde asked in a tone that sounded like honey-soaked venom.
Leon stumbled over finding words for a moment and that was when Vanessa lightly pushed him off to the side and slowly came to stand in front of him. “Are you … taking my insignia away?” she whispered, and it sounded like it was laced in pain.
Dmitri sat up proudly in his chair and didn’t even look at her when he stated, “Would you think someone that can barely perform their job and can’t even follow standard procedure would be fit to wear the Coven insignia?”
She opened her mouth and closed it and then searched the floor. They were taking away her insignia? They were letting her go? This… no.
This wasn’t happening.
“I will gladly hand over my insignia if I can have but one question answered!” Leon had his hands at his side balled up into fists, and his chest puffed out as he boldly stared down each one of the High Priest Councilmen.
“Very well,” Mia answered. “If you feel that strongly, ask your question. I implore you remember your words well, Spellweaver Zvěrokruh.”
He stepped forward again, but this time standing at Vanessa’s side. He pointed to the crystal ball, “How is it that Vanessa was in the tunnels from just before dusk until almost dawn and in less time than she had been down there, the Coven was able to locate her orb, get back to headquarters, make a report, hold meeting with the other members, and summon all of us here? Unless…” Leon scanned the Council with a mock grin, “… someone knew how to navigate the tunnels already.”
There was a stunned silence over the High Priest Council. The first to speak was a very red-in-the-face Isolde. “What a presumptuous remark from a Spellweaver that didn’t even contact the Coven when his partner had gone against our wishes!”
“Leave us.” The voice made everyone go quiet and turn to face the source. The Celestial was standing and staring down the group at the bottom of the steps with a set of inquisitive mother-of-pearl eyes.
“High One, you can’t possibly be serious?” Dmitri gawked at the Celestial.
The blinding light faded as the Celestial turned to face Dmitri. “But I am. Again,” the Celestial turned to face the other six members, “I ask you to take leave into the Council chambers. I wish to speak with Leon, Vanessa, and their pets alone.” Her voice was soft and sweet and far more soothing than any voice that Vanessa had heard since they walked through the doors to the High Priest Council Room or even the Coven. Though the actual gender of the Celestial was not known, Vanessa always viewed it as a feminine force and referred to her as such.
Isolde stood in a huff and was the first to storm out of the room. The rest followed to the Council chambers. The women went to the left, and the men exiting to the separate chamber room to the right. When they were all gone, the Celestial sat back down in the center throne and motioned at the group with her palm turned up. “Explain to me, Hunter Peterson, what is was that you found down in the tunnels.”
Chapter 26:
Vanessa didn’t know how to feel about the Celestial’s request, much less about being alone in the Council room with only one member of the Council … and it wasn’t just any member, it was the Celestial! THE CELESTIAL. The highest being in the Coven. Timeless, ageless, and pure power and kindness were some of the qualities that made the Celestial a most trusted member and being. The balance between genders, the voice between worlds, and it wished to speak with her. Alone.
Well, Leon, Lyx, and Bobo too. But … still.
Vanessa was so caught off guard that she stood there at the bottom of the steps transfixed on the bright ribbons of light that seeped out from behind the hood of the cloak that the Celestial wore. She recalled all that had happened and thought that if she wanted her and Leon to keep their jobs, and possibly their lives, she needed to speak up now.
“High One, I must reiterate the fact that I truly meant no harm to anyone. I was simply doing what I believed to be right. I joined the Coven to protect the people and enforce the High Priest Council’s laws, not hurt the people I’m trying to serve and break those laws.”
The divine one nodded once softly, silently telling Vanessa that she believed and understood where she stood on the matter. Then quietly waited for the Hunter to carry on with her tale.
Vanessa went on to explain the spells that were around the entrance of the tunnels, the fact that a minotaur was guarding them, the happening with her crystal ball, and even went on to explain the two tunnels lined in prison cells holding the ogres that were barely living … if that was what one would call it. She spoke a little slower when speaking of the gray magic she performed to give the ogres peace. When the Celestial said nothing, she continued with her story to tell her of the hellhounds and escaping the tunnels to go home and then, after only a few hours of sleep, had been summoned back to headquarters. Through it all, the divine one sat unmoving and without a sound listening to the tale.
“And… here I am…” Vanessa finished.
There was a longwinded hush that ate at the room and then moved on to eat away at Vanessa’s fragile nerves. The harsh and unwavering stare of the Celestial made her want to fidget even more, but it didn’t make her feel like she was in anyway threatened. A good few minutes went by before they’d hear the voice of the high one again. Oddly, it brought them comfort instead of dread.
“Rest easy, little one. I believe that you speak the truth.” As soon as the sentence left the Celestial’s mouth, Vanessa let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and most of the tension melted from her form. “I have had my questions on where some of the Councilmen’s loyalties and priorities lie. I fear that whoever the fiend is that is hiding the truth of what is inside those tunnels is the same culprit that wishes to eliminate you and your friends as a threat to them and their plans. Not knowing who among my Council I could trust completely, I asked them all to leave to hear the truth from you, Vanessa.” She stood then and dusted unseen dirt from her cloak, the action letting patches of grand, blinding white light peek through the seam of the blue cloak. “I will form a team of Summoners at once to follow you and Spellweaver Zvěrokruh down into the tunnels where you will make sure that the hellhounds are still captured as you said. If it is to be found true what you say, then the full search of the tunnels will begin immediately. If it is found that you have spoken falsely and lied to the Council and I, I will have your life in placement of your insignia.”
“Yes. Of course. Thank you!” Vanessa chirped. She didn’t care that her life was just threatened because they would find the proof in the tunnels, and she would be saved from this nightmare.
“What an odd and brave little witch you are, Vanessa Peterson,” the Celestial said with a smile as radiant as the light that emitted from her being.
Suddenly, before Vanessa – or anyone else – could say anything, there was a loud crash from one of the chamber rooms. Then a yell and something that sounded like a muffled explosion from the other. Both doors that led to each of the opposing High Priest’s chambers blasted off their hinges and were sent flying across the Council room. Before the divine one could react, two forms emerged from the clouds of billowing smoke and cascading debris.
The blue cloaks Isolde and Dmitri pointed their wands at the high one, and the spells shot out from the tips of the black lacquered wands before Vanessa could scream. Silver snakes with bodies like chains slithered out and swam through the air toward the divine one at lightning speeds. The mouths of the snakes opened to reveal sharp curved fangs that sank deep into the Celestial’s flesh once they made contact, and it caused the being to scream out in unfathomable anguish before seizing up in place as the bodies, or chains, of the snake spell wrapped around her. Both venom hide binding spells were now in place, and the Celestial was incapacitated.
She started to fall forward down the steps, and Leon rushed forward to catch her and instantly began to drag her to a safer place in the room. Other Council members poured out from the chambers, stumbling and holding their heads. While Dmitri pointed his wand at the new threat in the room, Isolde pointed hers at Leon as he tried to find cover in an open room.
They had no spell pouches. No weapons. Nothing… nothing to save them from the deadly spells that were to be slung at them. Vanessa saw the wand being poised in their direction, and then she screamed at him, “Leon, watch out!” There was no time. She’d never make it to him before the spell did. All her body could do is stand there and scream out, “Leon!” Right as the words left her mouth, she saw Lyx dive in front of the arcane blast. The demoness hugged Leon and her succubus wings encased around the divine one and her master as she awaited the inevitable pain of the blow. Only, she felt nothing.
She started to unfurl from Leon and blinked down at those in her embrace completely bemused. Turning slowly, she looked behind her. A massive shadow had been cast over them and surrounded the three because of the large ogre that stood at her back. Just as she turned to see Bobo standing there behind her, she smiled warmly. There was a comfort that washed over her when she saw the large demon. Only, that moment of comfort would be snatched from her as she saw the rivulets of blood drop to the floor. It splattered around his feet in large, crimson pools. Her unbelieving eyes rose to see the black smoke that was spiraling up from the impact on the ogre’s chest. With a grunt of pain, he hit the floor on one knee while coughing and struggling for breath. With each cough, he sputtered up more blood onto the marbled flooring. It sprayed in a cone of cherry-red droplets as he choked and strived for air. He seemed to sway in place for a moment, a short dizzy spell that spiraled out of control and the beast fell to the side, only to catch himself with a gigantic hand. As it slammed onto the hard ground below, he stifled a painful growl.
