Councilman Aldren looked down at the card again and then raised his eyes to Kael. "I was told there is only one witch in Stormhold. Dorothy Green. And she is a white witch. So how did this appear?"
Kael didn’t look away but Aldren noticed his expression tighten just slightly followed by a strange protectiveness. It had him narrow his eyes as he realised that there was someone else in the Stormhold Pack who knew magic as well.
Councilman Aldren’s face tightened. He needed to find out who this was. Because the traces of magic in that writing was not so simple. It belonged to the kind of magic his mate liked to use. Dark and memorable but not harmful. It was what had summoned him here.
When Kael said nothing, Councilman Aldren continued, "I see. Anyway, even if this involves dark magic, it has nothing to do with my reason for being here."
Kael spoke then. "Then why bring up the witch at all?"
Aldren rested the card on the table. "My revenge is not against Stormhold. It is against those who practice the dark arts. Because those who practice the dark arts support the Dark Master. He is my real enemy. The one responsible for the death of my mate and my daughter."
"So you came here because of him?" Kael asked, slowly.
"Yes," Aldren said. "I came because the signs of his return are increasing. I had to confirm it myself."
Kael leaned forward slightly. "His return is near? Explain."
Aldren did not hesitate. "The barrier between realms where he was bound by the white witches and this place is thinning. The number of rogue and corrupted beasts has gone up in the outer regions. And the approaching golden moon is one of the most powerful nights to return. Added to that... his bride has already appeared, has she not?"
Even though the words were said as a question, Aldren’s tone already told him that he knew the answer. Yes. They’d reached the conclusion that the dark master’s bride was indeed Emira. Just like she was also their fated mate. And this was the connection that had brought about the first war in the past.
Kael let out a slow breath. "According to the lore, he should not be able to return. Then why is he....
He should not be able to return because the White witches believed that they had finished off the entire dark line of dark withces. But they had not... And so, as long as someone with Dark blood calls upon him and uses dark magic, he grows stronger. Piece by piece."
Aldren looked at him directly. "You felt the difference in the air these past months. It is now time for my revenge."
Kael did not say anything more. Instead, he leaned forward, picked up the invitation and stood up," I’ll go and investigate it."
He noticed Councilman Aldren’s hands tighten for a moment, as if he wanted to take the invitation back, but Kael had already walked away.
Once outside, Kael closed his eyes as he spoke to Zen," We need to figure out a few more things, Zen. Meet me at Lance’s."
***
The three brothers sat in silence, their eyes closed. To anyone watching, it looked like they were simply meditating or even possibly asleep. In reality, their voices were echoing inside each other’s minds. They had often used this method to communicate with each other, but ever since Zen had returned from the magical forest, they’d had to use this method to communicate with each other.
"We need to talk to Emira." Kael’s voice echoed in both the Prince’s head even as his eyes remained close.
Zen’s expression tightened minutely as he refused it ouright, "No. Any conversation we have with her can become a direct glimpse into the future. If she reacts emotionally or says something she should not, it may push events forward faster. It is too dangerous."
"Zen, we are not dealing with something small. What you have seen in your visions is not complete. What we know from the Grandwitch and the scrolls is even less. Look at the invitation. Emira wrote that. The script carries traces of dark magic. You also said that the binding we have with her is also the dark magic. It means that she is quite good at using it. We cannot wait any longer, Zen."
"That much is clear. Whether she knows the full truth or not, she still knows more than us. We cannot fight the Dark Master without knowing what she remembers or knows. If only I could read Emira clearly. But you know I cannot. At first I thought that it was a coincidence, but now, after trying and failing to read Councilman Aldren, I am all the more certain..."
Zen let out a growl then and even as he glared at Kael, he spoke in his mind,"Kael! We cannot ask her because we cannot trust her. We have slowly accepted that she is our mate. But she doesn’t know that. Also, we know nothing about who she might be fated to. If the dark master believes that she is his bride then things are not as simple! And my vision clearly shows that she will reject us as mates! What then? We cannot have that!"
At this point, both Kael and Zen let out loud growls, until Lance’s cold voice echoed in their heads," Let us revisit all the things that Zen has told us after returning from the Magical forest and what we have discovered after that. Once the puzzle pieces are in place, we will see if we need to talk to Emira or not.
Kael and Zen both nodded and closed their eyes, thinking back to the time when Zen had just returned from the Magic forest after visiting the Grand Witch and Zen had announced, "Our mate bond is tampered with. And the person behind that is Emira."
Kael sighed... "Fine. Lets do this."