The First King
Chapter 20

Prew sat at the head of the large table in the council room. Her eyes glanced down to the empty seat beside her. Last night, upon her return to the castle, she had sought out Konrad, but he had already retired to his chambers. At first, she was relieved, thinking she would finally get to sleep by herself. But then, upon laying in bed, she found that she missed his warmth.

Two nights… She shared a bed with him for two nights. How could she have become infatuated with the man so quickly? Sure, he had become more gentle, more caring towards her. But that didn't mean he loved her; she had to keep reminding herself that. Their marriage was just a contract, one of convenience.

With a sigh, she looked at the Alphas that sat on the left side of the council table. There were four new faces, which confused her. Alder had refused a seat on the council, which meant there should have been only three new wolves. She wondered if one of the original Alphas brought in another pack.

On the right side of the table were the human kings. Of the new ones, only the kings from Rovia and Etiba were able to join. Unfortunately, the meeting had been called prior to Pedarus joining the fold. As Prew listened in on some of the conversations, the door to the council room opened. In walked Konrad, followed closely by the witches and Rowan.

Konrad's gaze found Prew as he entered the room. For a moment, it seemed as if her face lit up when their eyes met, but it soon faded away. As he walked around to the empty seat beside her, he ran his hands through the ends of her silky black hair. Once Konrad was seated, Rowan took the witches, placing them at the other end of the table.

As everyone looked at the new guests, Konrad's heart began to race. Sitting beside Julius was Callum, the Alpha from the Wildfang pack. This was the man who had refused to bend the knee to Konrad because of Lorelei. But, here he was. As soon as Julius turned to face him, Konrad knew. His mentor was the reason Callum was there, and as such, Julius knew the stunt that Konrad had tried to pull.

"Our King of Kings," Porter called out to Konrad. "Why don't you introduce our guests?"

"Ah, right," Konrad mumbled as he looked away from Julius. "On the way back from Pedarus, Prew and I were encountered by these two individuals—witches from the Coven of the Lode star."

Those around the table began to respond in anger and fear. Witches were dangerous, no matter what coven they belonged to. After a minute of incoherent yelling, Konrad stood to his feet, raising his hands for silence.

"Everyone! These two witches sought us out to offer aid, support, and able-bodied warriors," Konrad explained to the room. "I brought them here so we, as a group, could decide if we accepted their help."

"How can you trust them!?" One man interrupted.

"I don't trust them," Konrad growled. "But trust can be earned. The female witch has already earned my thanks by healing my wife from wounds she sustained from a fight. She could have used it as an opportunity to kill Prew or to hurt her further, but she didn't. All I am asking is that we hear them out. Can you do that?"

"What fight?" Porter questioned as he looked worryingly at Prew. "Why am I just now hearing about it?!"

"Because it wasn't a fight against witches or vampires," she scowled as she looked at her father. "Alder challenged me to a fight. If I won, he would bend the knee. And I wasn't hurt much, just two bruises."

"Wait, you fought against Alder one-on-one and won?!" An Alpha interjected.

"It was a good fight," Rowan chuckled from across the room.

"Indeed it was," Konrad agreed as he watched Callum and Julius whisper to one another. "But that is beside the point. Jude, why don't you explain to everyone why you wish to fight alongside us."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Jude stated as he sat forward in his chair. "To get to the point, my coven doesn't align with the Coven of Stardust. And it isn't just the Lode Star; the Earthen Circle and the Witches of the Sacred Mountain feel the same."

"Can you elaborate on what you mean by not aligning with the dark magic witches?"

"For thousands of years, witches have believed in enlightenment and free will," Jude explained as he looked around at everyone in the room. "We seek to learn and better the world around us. Even if you don't see it, we work to help everyone prosper. The same used to be said for the Coven of Stardust, but something changed when the second meteor landed."

"Second Meteor?"

"It fell near Lucent Depths," Callum murmured as he placed his hands on the table. "I remember that night. We saw a ball of fire falling from the sky, but it was too dark to hunt for it. And then, by morning, the only thing we could find was an empty hole."

"The Coven of Stardust was quick to fetch it," Sofia commented as she sighed.

"How do you know it was them?"

"Several of their members were exiled a few months after the meteor crashed," she answered. "We allowed for some of them to join our coven. It was through them that we learned of the meteor."

"So, all this time, you've known what they planned to do?!"

"Not entirely," Jude replied quickly. "They exiled their own members before any of the sacrifices and devastation occurred. They did not know what the darkness would command the coven to do."

"What was in that meteor?" Porter questioned as he furrowed his brows. "The last meteor was a God. What was in this one that it caused the witches to suddenly turn against everyone?"

"I wish I could tell you," Jude sighed as he looked down at his hands. "We witches have a way to briefly go into the astral realm, the place of the Gods. So far, there have been no reports of a new deity, but they have said that Nyx, the Goddess of Darkness, has been less present. Even the witches that are blessed by her cannot seem to reach her."

"But, we want to stress that we did not know what the Coven of Stardust was doing until it was too late," Sofia added as she took one of Jude's hands in hers. There was a bracelet around her wrist that shined as it clinked against an identical one that Jude wore. "And I know it may seem like we don't care, but we did try to make them stop. At first, we tried the diplomatic way. At the Gathering of the Wicca, we formally requested that they cease the blood spilling. But they laughed in our faces. Then, after another year of watching them slaughter more and more innocents, our coven tried to go to Thresnora to force them to stop. It ultimately ended with us losing several of our members. And even today, we are still being hunted and sacrificed."

"Why should we let you help us if you cannot help yourselves?"

"For the same reason you all are here," Jude stated firmly. "Alone, we cannot even make a dent in the darkness. But together, we can stand a chance. We have fighters in our coven, but you also have fighters. What we offer that none of you have are healers. Healers like my partner who can help with most injuries. We can help to extend the lives of your men."

"They will essentially make it so our army of 400 is really 1000 or more soldiers," Konrad commented with a hopeful smile.

"Will it just be your coven?" Julius questioned Jude. "Or will the other two help as well?"

"Unfortunately, the Earthen Circle will not fight," Jude scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "They are not fighters, never have been. It does not bother them if their own are sacrificed or tortured. Now, the Witches of the Sacred Mountain will send a few of their healers to aid in the fight, but that is it. Most of them would rather hide in their magical mist. But I can assure you that you have the support of the entirety of the Coven of the Lode Star, should you accept it, of course."

"Shall we put it to a vote?" Konrad asked as he looked around the room. Several of the men were still skeptical, while others still seemed fearful. But none spoke up. Konrad leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Prew reached out, taking his hand in hers.

"I know that putting faith in witches is scary," she commented softly. "If Konrad thought these two truly dangerous, he would have killed them on the spot. In fact, he tried to, even after they surrendered. But I'd like to think that not every witch wants to end our existence or to cover this world in everlasting darkness. I'd like to hope that Jude and Sofia are on our side."

Prew then turned to look at her father. Her eyes were almost pleading to him as she stared at him. They needed help; the men in the room needed a little nudge, a bit of reassurance to get them comfortable enough to agree.

"I think before we vote, we should do a trial run," Porter suggested. "The dark magic witches are heading toward Huthwaite. King Jenson is requesting our aid. Konrad, why do you not take one of these witches, along with 50 men, to help? And then, upon your return, you tell me if you would still have faith in them. After fighting alongside the witch, if you say we should accept their support, then I shall back you. As will every other man in this room."

The once quiet room was now filled with soft murmurs as many of the men agreed with Porter. The witches needed to prove themselves, to prove that they could be of use. Not only that, but everyone needed to know that these witches would not turn against them. This trial run was a compromise that, should it succeed, would ease the minds of the Leader Council.

"Then we leave tomorrow," Konrad stated as he looked at the witches. "I will take Sofia. I want to see her healing magic in action during an active battle."

"I could help, too," Jude insisted.

"We would be more comfortable if one of you stayed," Porter asserted. "Should your intentions be malicious, keeping one of you here would help to ensure the safety of the other."

"Fine," Jude sighed as he looked at Konrad. "I shall stay here."

"Good, it's settled then. We leave by midmorning. Rowan, gather up 50 men, half wolf, and half human." Konrad instructed his cousin. "Then I leave you in charge of rounding up the supplies."

"I'll get it done."

"Alright," Konrad said with a heavy exhale. "Unless there is anything else, I say let's call it a day."

As everyone began to leave the room, Julius approached Konrad and Prew.

"I need to speak with you two, alone," he demanded in a hushed tone.

"Of course," Prew replied with an innocent smile. Konrad, though, froze at the sound of Julius' voice. He recognized the disappointed tone that his mentor used. As he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, he knew that all of the choices that he made regarding Lorelei and Prew were about to come crumbling down around him.

The first song of the book! Masterpiece by Motionless in White is a good representation of what Konrad is feeling. All of his choices and mistakes have hurt both Prew and Lorelei, but he is so deep in his lies that he doesn't know how to get out. And even if he tries to apologize, it is going to hurt someone, whether it be Prew or Lorelei.

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