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Story: A Curse of Stars and Storms (The Choosing Chronicles #3)
Death is Hiding in the Wings
“ D eath is hiding in the wings, preparing to sweep through the Republic!”
Nalon Winterthread, a white-haired Fortune Elf with dark brown skin, stood from his seat across the long oval table and slammed his fist onto the dark surface. “I have Seen it! My team has Seen it! It is coming . Tonight was a sign that should not be ignored.”
Tension seeped off the Western Region Representative in waves. Nikhail bristled, the air thickening from where he sat on the other side of the large conference room. He’d been on edge for hours, ever since the Night Corps had shadowed him to the Hub.
The shiny black government building was one of the most guarded places in the Central Region, and there were dozens of soldiers stationed within its walls. They weren’t the source of Nikhail’s unease, though. No, that came from the material the building was carved from.
Prohiberis, the magic-blocking substance that was mined in the Northern Region, surrounded them on all sides. It rendered every single person in this space powerless.
Silence had replaced the wind’s constant murmur in his ears, and the quiet made him feel jittery. He hated being in the Hub, hated feeling like he’d been born Without.
Was this what the prisoners in the Pit felt like? The prison was reserved for the worst of the worst, and everyone contained within its walls wore prohiberis shackles to stifle their power.
But that was the nature of this building, the very reason it had been constructed.
The Hub was the only place in the Republic of Balance where magic was not welcome.
Here, everyone was on equal footing. Decisions could be made without powerful beings flexing their strength.
Arguments could be had without devolving into magical duels as they apparently had when the Republic of Balance had first been formed.
Like the Choosing, the Hub was meant to encourage unity across the various beings who called this land their home.
From where Nikhail sat next to Ryker, he didn’t see much unity.
If anything, the lack of magic was just making everyone anxious.
At first, it had just been unsettling, but as the hours had passed, the room grew more and more agitated.
Empty take-out coffee cups were littered across the table, and people’s yawns were becoming more pronounced.
Ryker was drumming his fingers on his armrest, although his unease might’ve been less from the prohiberis and more because he’d had to part with his wife outside the Hub.
Brynleigh hadn’t been allowed inside, even though she’d shadowed Ryker here.
The guards had been clear: authorized personnel were the only ones permitted through the doors.
For her part, Brynleigh hadn’t seemed too upset.
She’d kissed Ryker on the cheek, and after a few murmured goodbyes, she’d departed in a flurry of shadows.
Ryker and Nikhail had entered the Hub together.
If Nikhail’s best friend noticed that he was without his suit jacket, he hadn’t said anything. There hadn’t been any time.
They’d been herded to a checkpoint where security guards had scanned them for weapons.
After that, they’d walked through three metal detectors before making it to the Hub’s central room.
The conference room was an architectural feat, and it housed a giant oval table that could easily seat two hundred people.
Every chair, save one, was occupied. There was an equal mix of Representatives and military officers present.
Even Tertia Waterborn was here, glaring daggers at the Fortune Elf who had convened this emergency meeting.
The Waterborn matriarch had made her displeasure at being summoned in the middle of her party known the moment she’d arrived.
The empty chair belonged to Representative Grave Blackwing, and he was the reason the emergency meeting had been convened.
Representative Blackwing was a crow shifter from the Northern Region, and his bloody, mutilated body had been discovered a few hours ago. The murder scene had been particularly brutal, and even though the pictures were no longer projected on the wall, Nikhail would never forget them.
The shifter’s black wings had been severed from his crow form before he’d shifted back. He’d been brutally tortured before succumbing to his injuries, and his killers had arranged his body in a bloody, macabre display of death.
A message had been written in Grave’s blood on the snow.
We will not be silenced .
As if that wasn’t bad enough, a note had been pinned to the shifter’s torso .
Death to the Representatives .
A military team had done a preliminary sweep of the crime scene before transporting the Representative’s body for autopsy. Judging by the boot prints in the crimson snow, at least three people had participated in the attack.
According to Nalon, the murder was a trigger. The first in a series of events that would lead to a massive shift in the country’s stability, Blackwing’s death was a canary in the coal mine.
If no action were taken, hundreds of thousands would perish.
A folder snapped shut, a clap of thunder in the otherwise silent room. Every head in the room turned towards the Chancellor.
Ignatia Rose, a fire fae, was the fourth of her family line to hold the Chancellorship. She leaned back in her chair, rested her chin on her fist, and studied the room. She’d taken the time to change out of her formal gown into a tailored dusty rose business suit before the meeting began.
Nikhail supposed that when one was presiding over the entire country, one could be late to one’s own meeting.
“Thank you, Nalon,” said the Chancellor. Even without her magic, she was a picture of power. Of course, the five armed guards fanned out behind her helped with that, as well. “We heard you the first four times.”
The Fortune Elf pounded the table, water sloshing from his glass from the impact.
“Then why the fuck are we still here, Ignatia?” Winterthread growled.
If he had access to his magic, silver would’ve flashed through his eyes.
“What exactly would you have me do, Nalon?” Even though the Chancellor hadn’t changed her position, her authoritative voice sharpened. “We’re investigating the murder, but there’s nothing else we can do right now. It’s the middle of the night.”
Nalon snarled. “Chancellor?—”
“You said it yourself, Representative, your visions are unclear. You cannot See the Black Night or where they’re hiding.” Chancellor Rose sat up and rested her elbows on the table, steepling her fingers. “The information you provided is weak at best. How do you expect me to act on it?”
“I expect you to fucking care!” Nalon shoved away from the table, his chair scratching the floor.
He ran a hand through his white locks, a feral look passing across his eyes.
“I told you, death is coming . The paths of the future are dark, and the Black Night is on the move. They won’t be easily stopped this time. ”
Most people wouldn’t get away with speaking to the Chancellor in such a tone, but the Fortune Elf was nearly as old as her. Not only that, but it was an open secret that Ignatia and Nalon had been involved with each other ever since the Chancellor’s husband died in a tragic accident years ago.
Murmurs spread through the room as Nalon continued muttering. His words became a jumble of phrases, cryptic and incomprehensible.
It wasn’t abnormal for Fortune Elves to become more enigmatic over time—walking the silver planes day and night, watching the future and all its possible paths, took its toll on them. The more powerful they were, the more their minds were in danger of slipping.
Several minutes passed as Winterthread’s murmurs grew louder and more frantic. Eventually, the Chancellor shoved back her chair and stood.
“We are not discounting your visions, Nalon,” she said patiently .
His pacing paused, and he looked over to the Chancellor. “It sounds like you are.”
“We just need to be certain. Why don’t you walk the silver planes once more?” she said placatingly. “Tell us what you See. From there, we’ll make a plan.”
Nikhail wasn’t sure if it was the Chancellor’s calming tone or the offer to Look ahead that appeased the Fortune Elf, but either way, relief passed over Nalon’s face, and he dipped his chin. “Of course, Ignatia. I can do that. I will return as quickly as I can.”
He turned, walking out of the conference room. The prohiberis would prevent him from walking the silver planes inside the Hub, so he had to leave. As the door was about to shut, Chancellor Rose lifted two fingers. A pair of guards peeled off the wall, following the Fortune Elf outside.
Protection? Insurance so that he didn’t leave? Nikhail wasn’t sure, but tension rose as the doors shut behind them.
Thick, heavy silence blanketed the room.
The Chancellor pulled out her tablet, moving her stylus rapidly across the screen.
Taking their cue from their leader, many others took out their own devices.
It was well-known that Fortune Elves could walk the silver planes for minutes or even hours.
There was no telling how long they’d have to wait for Nalon to return.
Nikhail glanced to his right, where Ryker was texting his wife. Averting his eyes to give his friend privacy, he slid out his own phone and unlocked the device. He’d set it to silent when he first arrived—a requirement of the Hub.
He had over a dozen notifications, but only one had his heart squeezing in his chest. He clicked on River’s name and, on a whim, changed her name.
Princess
Thank you for tonight, Nik. For the necklace… and for everything else.
His lips lifted, despite the heavy air in the room.
It was my greatest pleasure.
There is nowhere else I would’ve wanted to be, no one else I would’ve wanted to spend time with.
Table of Contents
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- Page 34 (Reading here)
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