The Heir of Moon-Fire

Chapter 57

Cal's POV

"So, that's it?" I said, slumping back in my chair. "Four months of planning and we finally figured something out that had a chance of succeeding." I sent a look around the room. My mate's whole family, except his parents, were in attendance plus Ladon, Luna, and I.

Everyone except Mal, who was frowning intently, nodded in agreement. "Obviously, we'll need at least another month to come up with different outcomes and how to account for them. But, yes," Elentiya replied.

Silence fell as she took a minute to relax. "What if he plants another illusion?" Mal stated, shattering the quiet.

I looked at Ladon as he spoke up, "Luna could always check his mind."

She immediately shook her head. "We'll need a second daemati. From what I've seen, he's far too powerful for me alone to break his mind's walls. And we can't ask my parents before you get any ideas. We can't send me, my brother, and either of my parents because they've bonded their lives together so if one dies the other dies. And we can't send the entire Night Court's ruling family into a battle we're not sure we can win."

Elentiya sighed. "Luna's right. But there's only one other daemati that we know of." Everyone turned their gaze to Mal.

"No. I refuse to work with her," he spat the last word before crossing his arms.

"Fine. You leave, we need Emily," Elentiya snapped at him.

He whipped his head towards her while I watched with interest. The colour drained from his face. "I'm not inviting her," he muttered before storming out.

"I should be the one to talk to her," I stated as I pushed back my chair. "I wanted to talk to her anyway." It was true. I'd been pushing off visiting her since she left, afraid that she'd want nothing to do with me anymore. Now, was the perfect time to speak to my unofficial sister.

I didn't wait for an answer before leaving.

————————————————————————

I looked up at the setting sun with my fist raised to knock on Emily's door. She'd be preparing dinner right now if I had to guess. And by the delicious smell coming from inside, it seemed my thought held some truth.

Finally, I mustered up the strength to knock.

A muffled shout came from inside seconds before the door swung open. "You're not Auntie M," Ashleigh muttered.

"Sorry, for dropping by unexpectedly but I need to talk to Emily." She hesitated before stepping back to let me in.

I walked down the short hall. It was exactly the way I remembered it from when she lived here with her parents. The faded blue of the walls needed to be repainted but the wooden floor remained as strong as ever.

"You're early," Emily said, her back still turned to me as she reached up for a couple of plates. I winced as they shattered when she saw me. She stood there gaping.

"Mom!" Ashleigh shouted, shoving past me on her way to Emily. The shout snapped Emily out of her stupor, making her move towards the broom in the corner.

Ashleigh snatched the broom out of her hands. "You cooked dinner, my turn to clean up," she stated simply. Emily looked as of she wanted to protest but remained silent.

She gestured to a chair which I gladly took. She started setting the table while Ashleigh swept up the broken plates. "You're welcome to join us for dinner, we were just waiting on Maddy." Another knock sounded, causing her to smile. "That'd be her."

"Ems!" Came an excited squeal from the front door. A red-haired fae female entered the room, rushing over to Ashleigh and squeezing her tightly.

"Um. Madeline. I don't think you've met Cal, yet. He decided to drop by."

She turned to me. "Oh, Cal! Emily's told me all about you! I'm Madeline, nice to meet you!" She offered me her hand.

As soon as I let go, she turned back to Emily. "Anyway! Here's the thing you wanted! Sorry it took so long but you know I haven't had much contact with him recently," Madeline stated, handing a large bag over to Emily. She nodded with a smile.

"Thanks. How's he doing?" Emily scooped potatoes onto her plate alongside the chicken.

"Fine. I won't be able to meet with him anytime soon though, so I can't do you any more favours like that for a while. It should last you until the end of May, though."

I frowned at the conversation, helping myself to some of the strangely spicy chicken.

"Thanks, again, Maddy. I don't know what I'd do without you." She then turned to me. "So, you obviously can here for a reason. Might as well get to the point," she stated cheerfully.

I shrugged. "There's been a lot of planning lately," I started, choosing my words with care. "And we've come to the realization that to successfully beat him, we need another daemati to check that he is who we think he is."

She frowned. "So, you want me to abandon my daughter in order to check that Vincent hasn't pulled another illusion on you." She rested her head on intertwined hands. "Do you know how dangerous that will be?"

I sighed, moving the roasted potatoes around my plate with my fork. "I know. But there's no one else we can ask. Luna's not strong enough to break his mind's walls be herself. And you know her parents's situation. Plus, you probably want a crack at him yourself."

She hummed thoughtfully. "What do you guys think?"

It was Maddy that spoke up, surprising me. "You should. I mean, of course, it'll be difficult. Difficult for me and Ashleigh if you don't return. But I promised to take care of her if anything happened to you. And... you need to do this." She smiled sadly at Emily. "You need to get back at him for all the pain he's caused you."

Emily buried her head in her hands before peeking at Ashleigh. "And you, Ashe? What do you think?"

Ashleigh glanced up, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to lose you." Emily remained silent. "But Auntie M's right. You need to do this for you. And I'm in good hands if anything goes wrong."

Emily leaned back against the chair. We all waited for her to answer as she breathed deeply. "I'll do it." She sat up straight, a fire burning in her eyes. "I'll help you take that monster down."

A/N

See you all next week!

Luna (August 9), 217

Elentiya & Cal (May 1), 201

Lyria (September 9), 187

Malatyr (March 20), 170

Emily (July 15), 170

Sam (February 27), 74

Connall (December 2), 73

Ladon (September 13), 21