Spirits and Sorrows
SEVENTEEN

Hannah and Peter sat in the leader’s tent as they prepared for the meeting. Everyone was there except for Alison and they waited for her to join.

It still felt surreal, being back in the Eternal, being around these magical people. A day had passed since she and Peter arrived and saw Laura and Ruben again. She didn’t think she’d ever see them or this place again and here they were.

She tried not to think of her family, Heather, and Odette who probably realized her absence by now. Her parents had frozen her out for years but they still might notice she was gone. Carrie would notice she wasn’t returning her calls or texts. Heather and Odette would wonder why she hadn’t shown up for work and weren’t answering any calls or texts either. She’d done it again. Left without a word to go to another world for who knows how long. Of course, she didn’t have time to say her goodbyes but she still felt an enormous wave of guilt for doing the same thing she’d done four years ago.

She studied Laura and Ruben. Both had changed since she last saw them which was completely understandable. Laura remained as gorgeous as always but had steely eyes now when four years ago they had been filled with joy and light. Now they held coldness and steel determination. Somehow, Ruben had grown even taller and had more muscles, his hair growing past his shoulders and a full beard covering the lower half of his face, his humorous brown eyes filled with coldness like Laura’s.

She knew she hadn’t known them half as long as Peter had but had grown to be great friends with them in the short time she’d been in the Eternal World before. She could tell that this war and the losses they’d suffered had weighed on them and changed them forever. She knew Laura had lost her parents and brother and felt terrible for her. She was impressed with both her and Ruben, despite everything they’d endured and lost since everything started, they’d stepped up and helped the community and were finding a way to stop Kane Moonblood once and for all.

She sensed Peter casting concerned glances her way. She knew he was worried about her since she found out about Mary passing away. He’d insisted that she sit the meeting out and try to process Mary’s death but she refused. She couldn’t stand to sit there and think about it anymore or she’d fall apart. She needed something to keep her mind occupied. She knew time was of the essence and they couldn’t wait one more second. They had to find the Iron Arrow now.

Hendrix laid out the map for everyone to see. She’d met Hendrix, Sebastian, and Nathaniel earlier when she and Peter arrived. The three faeries were leaders alongside Ruben, Laura, and Alison. They were polite but reserved. Ruben, Laura, and Alison had grown close to them and if they trusted the faeries, then Hannah knew she had to trust them as well.

“While we wait for Alison, we need to go over the way to Ocean Falls,” said Hendrix as he laid out a map on a wooden table. The table seemed to have been carved out of tree bark. “This map shows us secret passageways through the tombs that are located underneath Ocean Falls’ territory. No one else knows about them and I’m taking a stab in the dark to say Kane Moonblood might not know either. It’s less riskier than going through the territory itself.”

Hannah peered at the map of the Eternal World. It showed the Ocean Falls territory and the path to the Eternal World Ocean. They would travel through Ocean Falls and get to the Eternal World Ocean which was on the shoreline of Ocean Falls. Their main focus was to get there. When they arrived, they were going to get on a ship and sail across the Ocean to find the Iron Arrow. A lot of ships and boats were used for people to travel throughout the Ocean and they were going to find one that was still intact.

She noticed a symbol on the lower right corner of the map. It was a star symbol with a Q in the middle of it and was silver. She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s that symbol for?” as she pointed at it.

Hendrix hesitated for a second. “I got this from the Queen’s Council Chambers.”

Peter gave him a sharp look. “How did you get this?”

“I was a part of the Queen’s Council before all of this began.”

Peter’s eyes widened and Hannah gasped. She remembered learning about the Queen’s Council four years ago. The Queen’s Council worked alongside Queen Lilith and was the second authority of the Eternal World.

They could’ve prevented this from happening. Mary would’ve never died if they hadn’t done something to stop this. Rage started to course through her.

“What happened to the Queen and the rest of the Council?” Peter asked.

“I was in the Council’s Chambers when it all began. I was the only member who got out of there alive and I don’t know what happened to the Queen.”

Her anger grew to the point she was trembling. No one noticed.

“Do you think the Queen is alive?” Peter asked.

Hendrix shrugged and the nonchalant gesture fueled Hannah’s rage. “I’m not sure. I have no clue what could’ve happened to her. The last time I saw her was a few hours before I had a meeting with the rest of the Council and -”

“Where the hell were you all when all of this started?!” Hannah exploded, unable to subdue her anger anymore.

Everyone turned their bewildered gazes on her.

“Hannah!” Peter hissed but she ignored him.

A voice whispered inside of her to stop talking but she couldn’t stop the furious words from tumbling out of her lips. “You all had the power to stop this! Because of you, Mary and everyone else have been killed!”

“Hannah stop!” Peter growled and tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she shoved him away, causing him to stumble back a few steps.

“You all sat on your asses while everyone else suffered and fought in a war you could’ve stopped from the very beginning! You -”

She suddenly found herself outside. Peter had dragged her out by her arm and Laura and Ruben were right behind them. The three of them looked furious.

She snatched her arm out of his grim, her face red with anger. “What?”

“You can’t do that!” Peter exploded, his fair face flushed with anger. “Hendrix is a part of the Queen’s Council! He deserves respect and with everything going on -”

“Respect?” Hannah spat. “Respect?! Respect for what? For letting everyone get killed? For -”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Peter bellowed. “The Council has protected us for centuries! They were doing everything in their power to stop this!”

Ruben stepped in between them, a frustrated expression on his face. “This is not the time, both of you need to calm down!”

Hannah turned her furious gaze on him. “How the hell can I calm down when I’ve face-to-face with someone who could’ve stopped this?! And how can you be calm? You -”

“Hannah!” Laura snapped, her voice cracking the air like a whip, startling Hannah into silence. “You need to calm down! I know you’re upset and you have every right to be, but we can’t do this right now. We need to focus on the mission and cooperate with everyone regardless of our feelings because the fate of the Eternal World is in our hands. If we fail, everything will be destroyed. If you can’t handle this, then let us deal with it because we can’t deal with outbursts and fighting. All of us need to be on the same page.”

Laura’s harsh yet sensible words broke through. Hannah took a deep, calming breath and tried to cool down the rage burning inside of her. She knew Peter and Laura were right. She shouldn’t have come to this meeting with her emotions so out of control. She knew she shouldn’t have blown up at Hendrix like that, knowing she had no idea what he and the other members of the Council had gone through and what they did to try to stop Kane.

Ruben placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. Just breathe.”

Tears burned in her eyes and she blinked them away. She lowered her head, her hair covering her face. She was mortified by her outburst and unable to meet anyone’s gaze.

The tension in the air subsided and everyone calmed down.

She opened her mouth to apologize when an ear-splitting scream pierced the air. They looked up as members of Kane’s army invaded.

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