Page 16 of Living Legend

She only looked straight ahead, undeterred by the situation. I was getting annoyed. This trip would be pointless if she didn’t tell us something.

I lifted my hand and closed it into a fist. Her breaths came heavier as the cords pushed into her chest. “Speak.”

“Yes.” One word.

“Yes?” Reese repeated.

She nodded, looking at me in a silent plea to stop the pressure. I unclenched my fist, watching the cords relax but still keep their hold. She adjusted herself in the chair, her hair falling against her chest . “Yes, I made your portals.”

“Impenetrable?” Nicholas questioned.

She nodded again. “Yes, that’s what Jonah asked of me.”

“Impenetrable means nothing can get in or out. Are you sure that’s what you did?” Elise asked from the doorway, casually picking at her nails.

“I will not be questioned about the strength of my power.”

“Then explain how a fucking demon got through one, huh?” Reese exclaimed, squeezing his bow in his hand.

The Enchanter opened her mouth, but closed it without speaking. Her eyes moved back and forth, as if replaying something in her head. “A demon? Through the portal?”

“Just showed up out of the blue,” Reese confirmed.

“I don’t understand how that could have happened.” She sounded sincerely confused.

“You’re telling me you didn’t happen to leave a door open for something like this to happen?” Reese pressed, waiting for her to say exactly what he wanted to hear.

“I would never betray Jonah like that. He has been nothing but kind to us, to me. Years after the attack, he has been a good soul.” She let out a long breath.

“This is truly shocking to you, isn’t it?” Nicholas asked, his voice quiet, an eyebrow quirked. The female bit her bottom lip, looking down at her feet.

“Attack?” I inquired. “Attacked by who?”

She leaned back in the chair as best as she could. “Years ago, Enchanters befriended angels and demons, and we worked together in harmony. They called on us for the magic they could not produce. Somewhere along the way, that friendship was lost, and the war for power ensued. My mother, Moira, fought in those wars, tried to keep the peace between both sides.

“Then, that she-devil got involved and led our kind into the darkness. Angels, the allies we once had, began to call us heretics and traitors. Oculus was once a land of peace and prosperity, much like your Heaven's Gate, but sentries came, hoping to eliminate us from existence, wanted us to relinquish the powers they deemed dangerous, the powers they once sought us for.” Her voice broke, her eyes glassy, but she carried on. “When Jonah was appointed High Executive, he made it a point to come speak to my mother. When she was no longer of this world, he spoke to me. He faced skepticism and backlash, but he earned our respect. I would not have developed a mediocre portal for him.”

I stepped forward, watching as she squared her shoulders. “How do you know who I am?”

“Everyone knows who you are, Soul Seether. I wasn’t sure when I first saw you, but your power speaks volumes. The she-devils’ little pet.” She pressed her lips into a hard line.

“I am no one's pet,” I spat, clenching my fist again, the cords tightening around her chest. Her eyes widened at the force against her chest.

“Dani, simmer down,” Nicholas ordered.

I released her, but I didn’t remove myself from my position in front of her.

“She-devil? You mean Lilith?” Reese asked. Elise looked up from her spot, her ears perked up.

“We do not speak her name here.” The Enchanter looked into my eyes, challenging me. “She must be quite upset you aren’t where you belong.”

Nicholas spoke before the tension could get any worse. “Your mother’s name was Moira? As in High Priestess Moira?”

She nodded a yes.

I’d overheard a few Enchanters Lilith kept speak about Moira, their words always ones of respect. High Priestesses were practically equal to Lilith, which I knew she hated. Their power ranged from shifting their appearance, to being in two places at once, to shaping reality. The list went on. If the timeline was correct, Moira would have been one of the last ever seen.

“Well, well, well, looks like we’re in the presence of royalty.” Elise clapped loudly, walking into the room. “Royalty with no hold on her powers if a demon can just walk through one of her portals. Good job fucking that one up. I’m sure you made your mother very proud.”

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