Chapter 37

“It would seem that we have much more of an issue than we realized,” Emelio commented, standing near Jekia. We had arrived back at the palace about ten minutes prior and were now sitting in the north parlor.

It was only me, Rayne, Lord Jekia, and Emelio at the time. Lord Jekia hadn’t wanted to involve anyone else yet, preferring to discuss what had happened between us first.

Of course, things appeared to be much worse now than what we had been dealing with originally, as Emelio had been saying.

“It seems that her father played a role in this, but unfortunately, his influence is too great for you to intervene. He managed to take her away without anyone noticing. We were quite lucky that she broke his spell and was able to run when she did,” Lord Jekia lamented.

Rayne held me a bit tighter as I sat on his lap with my eyes closed and leaning against him. I felt comforted and secure in his embrace, as if nothing could harm me.

“I knew I sensed something very dark at the Belgan House. It’s probable that he’s hiding there and exploiting Camille to carry out his plans involving Luna. Our priority should be to target them to put an end to this,” Rayne told them.

“I understand where you’re coming from, Rayne, but we need to be careful about this. We cannot simply go in there accusing them with no solid proof,” Lord Jekia reminded him.

“But I sensed it! Wouldn’t that be enough for us to at least call them in here to speak of the possibility?!” Rayne argued.

“It’s not that simple, Lord Rayne,” Emelio interjected. “Although it’s possible, this Fallen has demonstrated a great deal of cunning in their actions. Not only has he possibly been using Camille along with her daughter to spread rumors and create attacks against Luna, but he has also been slowly working on getting to her by himself. In addition to that, there’s also the concern of the lump beneath her skin. I believe that it is very possibly something he is trying to use to control her.”

“I don’t know what it is. It wasn’t there when we went to sleep, and I was wearing nothing,” I softly told them, running my fingers over the lump in my collar. It felt very firm under my skin, but there was no cold or heat from it. Rayne looked at it too.

“It looks the size and shape of that star stone she was given. I also know she wasn’t wearing it when she fell asleep, and I didn’t go to sleep until nearly an hour after her,” he added.

“Am I correct in recalling that the star crystal was a gift from Lucille?” Lord Jekia inquired.

“It was,” Rayne confirmed. “But there was never anything different about it, and even Sherry confirmed that it was a genuine star crystal. If any would’ve sensed a spell on it, it should’ve been her. Her family works with all types of different stones and crystals, and are some of the best at both identifying and purifying them, at least from what I’ve always known.”

Lord Jekia nodded. “Yes, you are correct in that assertion, and it is interesting that she’d give Luna that crystal in front of Sherry knowing that she’d be interested in it as well. I wonder…” His voice trailed off as he thought it over. Rayne stopped me as I tried to touch the lump again.

“It’s better if you don’t keep touching it,” he gently warned me. “Let’s not take any chances.”

“Lord Rayne is correct. We need to be extremely cautious with all of this. As much as I hate admitting it, I was outmatched tonight far more than I anticipated was possible, and there is the chance that accidentally activating that stone could bring even more trouble,” Emelio acknowledged.

“Then what can we do? If you can’t stop this Fallen from getting to Luna, then how can we protect her?” Rayne asked him.

“We have no choice but to contact the Higher Ones and request assistance,” Lord Jekia answered for him. He looked slightly defeated as he continued, “While it is the last thing I wish to do, I know when I am in over my head, and I will not risk my family for foolish pride.”

It was decided shortly after this that Emelio would contact the Higher Ones and we’d continue dealing with the issues later in the morning. It was already after three, and all of us were quite tired now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

Rayne carried me back to his room, making certain that we were locked in before lying down with me on the bed. He also made certain to keep me in a firm embrace against him, though I wasn’t about to fight it.

It felt safe lying in his arms, and eventually, the two of us ended up drifting off to sleep together. When I next awoke, I could see that the room was much lighter.

Relief swept through me as I realized that it was finally daybreak. I was still safe in this room with Rayne, and he was sleeping beside me.

I sat up slowly, doing my best to not disturb Rayne. I knew how tired he’d been the night before, though I couldn’t resist gently running my fingers over his hair and ear.

I did feel quite lucky despite everything that had been happening. Rayne loved me and wasn’t going to give up on me despite all of this trouble.

His family wasn’t blaming me either. They wanted to protect me, to have me as one of them. Yet the reality of everything was incredibly sobering.

I looked down at my collar, taking in the sight of the lump under my skin. It had to be that star crystal. But with that knowledge came a sense of dejection.

I had trusted Lucille. Had she been fooling me this entire time? Somehow I still had a hard time believing that.

It felt like many of us were drawn into the web that my father was weaving from the shadows, including her, not to mention what she’d been saying to me and Selenia the day before.

I was certain that she’d been trying to warn us of something before her mother showed up. Rayne shifted slightly as I continued stroking his hair, and his eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times as he tried to completely wake up.

“Luna?” he whispered.

“It’s all right. I’m right here,” I reassured him.

Rayne sighed, turning onto his back and reaching up to touch my face. “This is a relief. I was a bit afraid when I began falling asleep that I may wake up without you again,” he confessed.

“I know, but rest assured that I am here to stay and will do everything in my power to ensure that. I don’t want to find myself in that same situation again either,” I responded.

“Do you remember anything of what happened before we found you?” Rayne continued.

I shook my head. “Nothing much. I thought I was dreaming when it registered that I was walking through the woods. I believed I heard a woman’s voice calling me, but I never saw her.”

Rayne sat up beside me. “You heard a woman calling to you?”

“I did, but as I said, I never saw her before I fully awoke and realized that it wasn’t a dream,” I answered.

I debated for a few seconds about telling him what else had happened, but decided that it would be best to do so. “It was all so odd though. It was like I was in that state until I heard a voice behind me. If Sionn had not shown up, then I fear I may have been lured right into my father’s arms.”

“Wait,” Rayne’s eyes widened as he held my shoulders. “You are saying that you saw Sionn there? He showed himself to you?”

“Yes.” I decided to be completely honest with him. I owed him that much. “I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to this to you, but I did see him once before, and it wasn’t that long ago. It was in a strange dream where I also saw an old woman who was speaking of fate. He appeared there and told her not to frighten me with it, although I can’t say that I understood what she was trying to tell me.”

Rayne looked shocked as he heard this, his ears going back as he let me go and looked down. “They were already involved in all of this for so long?” he muttered.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you right away. I just… I kept having this overwhelming feeling that I shouldn’t, that it may bring more trouble if I did,” I apologized.

“It’s okay, Luna.” Rayne pulled me into a comforting hug. “I already know enough of Sionn and the Fates to understand that you couldn’t. If they have been forced to intervene, then there must be quite a threat toward us and our family.”

He hugged me a bit tighter. “I’m sorry too. I’ve had too much bravado about all of this and keep putting you in danger.”

“I’d never blame you for anything. I am the one who has brought trouble with me in the form of my father, even if it was never my intention. Even though I don’t know how, I must somehow tear myself away from him for good. I don’t want to lose everything I have and all I am.” I stated.

“I know, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t,” Rayne promised me. He gave me a gentle kiss. “You don’t have to do any of this alone. We’ll make him let you be. You’ll never have to be anything like him.”

“You’re really not angry at me for not telling you the truth about seeing Sionn before?” I confirmed.

“No. I understand with all that’s happening, although I do wish that they’d let me in on it. I wonder if Father has been or not as well.” Rayne responded.

“He was aware that things were being looked at, although they’ve become a bit more dire than even they anticipated,” Emelio answered as he appeared beside the bed.

“You mean they did not anticipate my father taking so much control over me?” I guessed.

“Yes,” Emelio confirmed. “Last night’s events were unexpected and unsettling. The presence of a Fallen wandering in the Veil is always a cause for worry, especially if their target is someone close to a ruler.”

“So what is to be done about all of this? I’ll assume you’ve been speaking to them, so there must be a plan in place.” Rayne pressed.

“There are several ideas being discussed at this time, and the plan is to speak of them to your father. From what I have been told, Lumae will be coming here within the next hour to go over them with all of you,” Emelio answered.

“Lumae? Is she one of the Higher Ones you’ve been speaking of?” I inquired.

“She is.” Emelio nodded. “Lumae is one of the three Sumarian leaders, and they are tasked with watching over the Veil and its rulers. Since Sumarians are considered closest to angels, we often refer to them as Higher Ones.”

“It’s always been a tradition to do so, although we’ve also had some of the Nephilim come over to this side as well throughout the years. They’re considered even higher than the Sumarians, and they also are able to step in when it’s needed, although that rarely happens. The one who tends to do so the most would probably be the Eastern ruler Lyric’s beta.” Rayne added.

“Oh, yes. I do recall hearing that Lord Lyric’s beta is a Nephilim. Have you ever met her?” I asked him.

“I have, though it’s been a while since I’ve seen her. She typically stays in the Eastern Lands.” Rayne answered.

“True, but she’s also not the only Nephilim that’s been living on this side. I know that one of the suggestions that have been brought up is to speak to her about this incubus. She may be able to offer more insight for us to use against him.” Emelio admitted.

Rayne agreed. “Maybe. It’s at least a start, but for now, we’ll hold off on speculating about anything until we speak to Lumae.”

“Agreed.” Emelio took a step back. “I am going to rejoin Lord Jekia, and I’d imagine he expects all of you to do the same if you are able.”

“We will. Let him know that we’re up and will be there shortly.” Rayne requested.

“I will.” Emelio nodded before disappearing.

I sat on the side of the bed, thinking about all I’d just heard. One of the Higher Ones was coming here to discuss all of this.

Would Sionn be with her? Somehow, I doubted it. But even more interesting was the thought of the Nephilim possibly becoming involved.

I had never met any of them, though I had heard stories about them off and on since I was a child. It was always interesting to me because of how I felt like them.

They also had Fallen fathers. I bet some were even incubi. If any would know how to fight back against one, it would more than likely be them.

Rayne moved beside me, putting an arm around me and kissing my temple. “It’ll be all right. We’ll handle whatever comes, and I won’t leave your side,” he promised me.

“I know you won’t.” I smiled as I leaned against him and squeezed his hand. “And I won’t give up either. I’ll fight back until I can’t anymore.”

We sat together in silence for a few minutes before finally forcing ourselves to rise. After freshening up in the nearby washroom, we dressed and made our way to the dining room.

As we approached the main hall, however, we both halted at the sound of voices. It seemed that Lord Jekia was in conversation with someone, and the responding female voice was familiar.

“Is that Hailia?” I whispered to Rayne.

“Sounds like it. Why would she be here? She couldn’t have found out about last night so quickly,” Rayne whispered back.

“You don’t think they sent her here, do you?” I ventured to ask.

“I doubt it. Hailia’s always been mostly estranged from her father’s family,” Rayne said, taking my hand. “Let’s see what this is about.”

We moved as quietly as we could, stopping at the doorway to the hall. We could see Lord Jekia standing about ten feet away with Lana, and Hailia was about three feet in front of them.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, and her eyes held a pensive look.

“You do realize that it is difficult for me to believe that, given all that’s been happening and your own history with her. You know as well as anyone that she is not that innocent in such matters,” Lord Jekia was saying.

“I know, and I will fully acknowledge her faults, but I do not believe that she is acting of her own free will now. Lucille has changed a lot in the last few years since my return, and she has done so much for me since I came back without her mother knowing. I simply cannot believe that she would intentionally try to harm Luna,” Hailia insisted.

“Are you even aware of what has occurred in the last twenty-four hours?” Lord Jekia asked her.

“I had heard that Luna and Lady Selenia had gone to visit them. Lucille told me that she had invited Luna. She said that she needed to speak to her about something important, but she couldn’t elaborate to me. I swear, she was frightened to even be speaking to me.” Hailia looked down.

“She whispered to me that she was certain she was being watched, and she couldn’t say much or we could all be in danger,” she continued. “I don’t know what’s happening, but it worries me for all of us. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt so dark when I sensed it too.”

Lana turned to Lord Jekia. “It sounds much like what Rayne described,” she quietly noted.

“If I may interrupt, when did you see Lucille and sense this?” Rayne asked Hailia as we stepped into the room.

“Two days ago. She met me as I was going out to pick up a few things I needed in town and insisted on speaking to me,” Hailia answered.

“It sounds the same as when we visited her. She was trying to say something more to me and Selenia, but she stopped when Madame Camille came in,” I added.

“You saw Camille?” Hailia asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. “And she was moving about on her own?”

Her shock didn’t escape Lord Jekia. “You speak as though that shouldn’t have been possible.”

“N-no, my lord. It should not,” Hailia said, wringing her hands in front of her. “There is no way that Camille could have been moving about that house at all, nor could she have gone out on her own. She has not been able to do anything on her own for the last year, though Lucille kept it as quiet as she could at her request.”

“Wait. Are you saying that Camille is bedridden? When did that happen?” Lana pressed her.

“It has been nearly a year now,” Hailia confessed. “I saw it for myself. She had a terrible illness that progressed very quickly, and she can no longer walk and had become so weak that she could not even feed herself. The doctors told Lucille that she will never recover and would be lucky to live another year, so it should not be possible for her to suddenly recover, unless…”

She didn’t need to finish for us to understand the implications of this.

My heart sank as the truth set in. Lucille was trying to give us a warning when she’d invited me there, and perhaps she’d even been forced to.

The Belgan House was indeed the epicenter of the troubles concerning me.

And my father was more than likely in control of it through Camille.