A Promised Prophecy

Chapter Fifty-Five

James took time to think over Callisto's answer. He was right, there was a lot we didn't experience with Cybill while visiting Coralis. I felt guilty that, while we might've been productive there, it felt like a vacation. I didn't have the same worries they did and I wasn't in the direct line of fire in case Eris attacked. That relief that I felt personally, knowing that Eris wanted me dead, only exacerbated the guilt I felt.

"Rhea, what do you think?" James looked at me, giving no indication of which way he expected me to respond. Est and Callisto turned to face me as well and I felt a pressure to immediately respond, even though I hadn't sorted out my own feelings.

"I'm not sure I could be of help," was the first thing out of my mouth. "However, I'd like to be there. If something does go wrong, I'd know immediately and maybe there would be something I could do to help in case it did. Sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, provides no support and again, if something did go wrong, I wouldn't know and something bad could happen to any one of you and who knows when you'd be able to tell me. Put me in disguise and take me with you. I don't think it hurts anything."

"I don't think that's enough for me to say yes. You're on the run. You were already supposed to die. Bringing you with us only exposes you to potential death. I see no benefits other than placating Cybill."

"But James," Est argued. "That's the whole point. We need to placate Cybill right now. We still don't know who she is and what she's truly capable of. She's been putting on a show for the whole of Silverleaf and it feels like her grand finale. She's predicted our doom and the people are nervous. They want answers. If she's our doom, then placating her is exactly what we should be doing."

Cybill was a wild card, I could tell that from my experience with her at La Voisin. I heard her talk and never wanted to experience her again. But I saw the chokehold she had on the people. They treated her like a god, she could do no wrong, speak no wrong, and it a time of crisis that is who the masses would follow. Hell, I'm technically doing the same. In a time of crisis, I sought out Celeste, who I considered a verified leader and I trusted her judgment. If Celeste were here, would things of turned out differently? Not that James was a bad leader by any means, but would the people of Silverleaf have trusted Celeste if she turned Cybill down, regardless fo Cybill's ability to prophesize, because of their longevity with her. Even if James took over leadership of the coven immediately after I left, which he didn't, that would've only been a decade of leadership, compared to the multiple decades Celeste led the people of Silverleaf.

"I don't know what the right answer is," James finally said. "But if you all agree—Rhea, are you ready to go?"