Salvation : Book 3

CHAPTER 4 : Fight On

Felicia Russ

"This shouldn't be a matter up for discussion, we have to save him," I argued as I shot to my feet. Hugh, the head of the council gave me a bored expression, massaging his temples as if he was tired of this conversation. He raised his gaze to meet mine, I glared at him but he didn't shy away from the fury in my eyes.  

      "I agree, but we can't afford to send a team to the underworld. Not right now, at least," he said, rising to his feet and running a hand through his entirely grey hair. "We have no clue exactly where he is and we don't even have the man power to search the entire realm. Until we have more information, we can't act." I groaned as my jaw clenched. Why wasn't he listening? 

       A child was in danger, he was in the hands of dangerous begins and he wanted to wait to save him. He wanted to leave Marcus in their clutches. He couldn't be serious. There was no telling what could happen to him. He could...

       "Something could happen to him," I said the anger seeping out of me as my mind drifted to a darker place; imagining all horrors the poor boy could be enduring. I worried my bottom lip, as I furrowed my brows. We couldn't let those beasts hurt him. I couldn't let Marcus die, I'd promised to keep him safe. I'd promised that he'd get to live. 

      Hugh sighed exasperatedly, drawing his gaze from me. He reached for his face, pulling off his glasses, before tucking them away in the small front pocket of his blazer. He stepped away from his desk, coming to stand in front of me and placing his hand on my shoulder. 

      "You yourself suggested that they need him alive, they won't harm him," he said as if trying to reassure me, but it didn't work. Nothing could convince me that Marcus would be safe in the underworld, I knew he wouldn't be. 

     I shrugged his hand off me, taking a step away from him, "They'll keep him alive, sure, but for how long? They want something from him and as soon as he gives it to them he's dead. You know that. We have to get him now, we can't let them get what they want and we sure as hell can't let him die," I explained. 

     "I'm sorry Felicia but there's nothing we can do," he said, his tone neutral showing no remorse. How could he be so cold? To Marcus especially. He turned from me, taking steps towards the door. 

     "He's your grandson," I said, stopping him in his tracks. "How can you chose to leave him there, knowing he could die? Don't you even care? He's Melissa's son, her son, that should matter," I expressed. 

      Hugh was Melissa's father, Marcus' grandfather not that Marcus had the slightest clue. Melissa made sure of it. When she left the realm she'd left everything with it, including her father. I understood why. 

     It wasn't that Hugh was a bad man, in fact he was a great one. He was a great council member. Under his leadership he'd been able to keep demon activity at an all time low. Well before this whole situation with Marcus. 

     He just wasn't a great father. He spent to much of his time working and not enough being there for his daughter. And after her mother died Melissa wanted nothing to do with the realm. She wanted normal and once she had her mind set on something it was impossible to change her mind. 

      However that didn't change facts, Hugh was still Marcus' grandfather. He had to care, even if it was just a little. 

     "This has nothing to do with it. I'm following protocol," he told me as he held the door wide open. "We're not giving up on him, I promise. We just need time to gather intel. We can't walk in blind. As soon as we have enough information we'll get him out of there. I made a promise too and I intend to keep it," he said right before shutting the door behind himself. 

.....................

"Mel, you can't just leave," I said as I grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her from walking out the door. 

      "Yes I can," she said, always the stubborn one. I rolled my eyes huffing in frustration. 

      "So what? You just going to walk away from everything, your family, your friends?" I asked incredulously. 

      "What family Felicia?" She yelled, jerking her hand from my grasp. "My mother is gone... I don't know if I can be here without her. I can't do this alone. I don't want to. He's busy all the time, I don't think he'll even notice if I do leave. The council means more to him than I do, it always has. I'm tired of being second best to his job. He loves it more than his own daughter. I sick of it," she said taking a step away from me. 

       "David loves me. I love him. He makes me happy, he wants me to be happy and I want to be with him. It's all I've ever wanted," she exclaimed as my frown deepened. 

        "So you're willing to give up magic for him?" I asked, my brows knitted in worry. 

        "I've never wanted it. In fact I've never liked it," Melissa said. "Look, I get it, you're worried. But trust me Felly I know what I'm doing. This is what's best for me," she said gentler, a small smile curved her lips. I could see it in her eyes, she wasn't giving in. She really wanted to leave. 

      I lowed my head in defeat. There was nothing I could say that would stop her. But I did want to say something. 

        I wanted to say, "What about me?" 

        What about me? She was leaving me behind. She was choosing him over me. What made this human, one she'd known for only two months more important than me? We'd been best friends for years, since we were in dippers. How could she choose him? 

        I'd been with her through everything. Through every broken heart. Through each failure, each success. Through each up and down. Through each dark day. Why was it so easy for her to say goodbye to that? 

        What about me? What about what was good for me? Losing my best friend, my sister couldn't be good. I wanted to tell her that. 

        But I didn't, I couldn't. It'd be too selfish. She wanted to be happy. I wanted her to be happy, even if that happiness was in another world with someone else. I gave a sad smile. 

       "Okay," I said as I battled tears. "I want you to be happy. If David makes you happy, I won't stop you from being with him," I told her before reaching for the back of my neck. Using my fingers I unlatched the silver chain draped over my neck. 

         I placed it on her, my fingers lingering on the poppy pendant. "To remember me," I said, my voice heavy with sadness. 

        "I don't need a necklace to remember you Felly," she said before pulling me into a hug. "I love you," she said in between sobs. Hearing her cry, I couldn't stop the tears that trailed down my own cheeks. 

        "I love you too," I told her as I held onto her, too afraid to let her go. I didn't want to let her go. 

..........................

But she did let go and she left. 

     She married David Nelson and had a son with him. In the first years they were happy. She had everything she ever wanted, a normal life. I was happy for her as well, even though I wasn't in that life. 

       I had my own life. 

       A year after Melissa left I graduated as a guardian. I worked my butt off, working for the council for ten years. I was their best recruit and when a spot opened up on the council I'd been their first choice. I was more than excited to accept the position. It was what I wanted. Everything I'd dreamt of. 

      Melissa might have always wanted a quiet life but that had never been the path I wanted. I wanted to help people, protect the world from the bad things. It's what witches were born to do. We were guardians by nature. 

         And I was going to make sure I did my job. I was going to make sure that I kept my promise and kept Marcus alive.