SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 54- The War Room

"Thank you all for meeting me on such short notice." Roxie begins as she looks around the table at all of our faces. The entire family has gathered in the dining hall; Magnus and I, Aunt Nixi, Grandmother Nadia, Aunt Aurora, Uncle Eli and his son Jasper, Aunt Nanea and Brendan, Phoenix and Desire, and of course, my parents. We all know what's coming, and standing here like this, I can imagine what it must have been like the last time they all had to meet to discuss something like this. Not since before the gap years if I'm remembering correctly. As we get started, I feel a chill run down my spine.

    "As we all know, our ancestors have come back from the dead to try to do who knows what to our city." Roxie starts "While we use reincarnation techniques to come back to life, they have tapped into a despicable power to resurrect themselves using the bodies of the living. Right now, there are six that we know of, one of which has taken up residence inside of Veronika's mind." she explains.

    "I can confirm that her soul isn't tethered to Nika's soul, only her body." Aurora explains confidently "Now, we can try to go after her inside the Gate the way we did Gael, but with three of our most powerful members being useless against her fire, we might not be strong enough. No offense."

    "None taken," Desire says as she nudges her brother. "Mahina is right, with the way she can literally light herself on fire, we're basically powerless except for deflection."

    "That's more than nothing," Roxie sighs "But you're both right, we don't have enough manpower."

    "Maybe," Father begins "Eliana, Mahina, and Nika might be strong enough on their own, and if Scara goes in as protection, they might have a chance."

    "Four against one is good odds," Nanea adds.

    "Do you forget how she took us down in the sanctuary?" Aurora asks frustratedly.

    "I also remember coming in and kicking her ass," Nixi states confidently "Not to mention, you're forgetting someone here," she says as she gestures to me.

    "Really?" I ask nervously.

    "No," Mother begins "My daughter is not fighting her, not again. She's seen enough of these ancient freaks. We can do this on our own."

    "Nika," Nixi begins "You're daughter is stronger than you give her credit for. If she has a chance at helping save your life, I say you take it." she explains confidently, looking over and winking at me."

    "I'm not sure," Father sighs as he looks over at me.

    "Breeze," Jasper asks nervously "What do you think?"

    "I..." I try to start, but I can't find the words. Everyone is staring at me with anticipation, and I try my best to find the right answer "A strong wind can put out a fire, and I'm tired of sitting here doing nothing." I say confidently.

    "That's my girl." Roxie smiles as she nods.

    "You can't be serious." Mother states nervously as she looks around, hoping someone will agree with her reaction.

    "Veronika, Dante, she's not a little kid anymore." Desire says confidently as she looks between them.

    "Dez is right, she's more powerful than you give her credit for, and by the sound of it, you need all of the help you can get." Brendan explains, and I feel surprised at his agreement "This isn't like last time, Roxie can't blast her and Valentina isn't here."

    "Alright," Father sighs "But that begs another question; what is going to take priority? Killing Ember is going to be hard enough, but there are five others like her out there that are putting the entire city in danger," he explains worriedly.

    "My son is right," Nadia sighs nervously "So long as Artemis is here, we can protect her. We need to make our people the priority, their lives are far more valuable than ours. Gaia and the other Ancient Ones could be seeking out their next victims as we speak. We need to stop them before they sacrifice anyone else to get more powerful."

    "I agree, the city is the priority," Nanea states "We need to track down the Ancient Ones as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more dangerous they become."

    "We can send the guard to ask around," Roxie begins.

    "Too risky," Nixi cuts her off "My men are strong, but they would be in way over their heads with this. I think we would have more luck drawing them out."

    "And how do you suppose we do that?" Eli asks skeptically. Suddenly, the room falls silent as we all consider the answer. How do you lure someone like them out of hiding? After what feels like an eternity, my mother speaks up.

    "We use me as bait," she states, and suddenly, everyone turns their attention to her.

    "What?" my father asks, sounding dumbfounded by the suggestion.

    "It's simple really," my mother begins, making sure everyone is paying attention "They killed my daughter's friends to send a message that they wanted Ember back. We can make them believe we are going to kill her and they'll try to save her."

    "There's no 'making them believe it's shit, we are going to kill her." Roxie states bluntly "But that's not a bad idea, they'll want to protect her."

    "Won't they just believe that they can sacrifice someone else's body to bring her back again?" Eli asks nervously "If they think we're going to exercise her, or even just kill Artemis, they might just let it happen to get her back easier."

    "No," I state boldly "They know that we destroyed Gael's soul, they know that it's possible to kill a soul at the source."

    "How do they know that?" Nanea asks nervously.

    "They were friends with Gael," I begin confidently "They are the ones that corrupted him and taught him everything he knew. One of them was there when he died." I state, careful not to mention my brother.

    "If that's the case," Roxie says as she puts her hand on the table, leaning forward "Then this just might work." she smiles.

    "Tessa, we're going to know what the others are capable of if we're going to face them. What did you find out?" Nixi asks curiously.

    "Well, Ember is obviously the embodiment of fire. Gaia is the leader, and she seems to be just as skilled as Aurora when it comes to mind diving and rituals, so auras are her thing. Cleo's name is actually Tatia, and she controls lightning the way that Nixi does. Her husband Tex, Atlas, is strong and burly but doesn't seem to have any powers from what I could tell. Marissa, Aurelia, can manipulate water if what I was told is true. And then, Sterling, Lucius, has some control over blood and can control a person if he has access to theirs." I explain, painfully remembering how he fed off me.

    "Wait, did you just say Lucius?" My father asks, his face growing pale.

    "Yeah, why?" I ask worriedly. Suddenly, my mother looks mortified.

    "Your old friend, you don't think he..." my mother says worriedly as she looks at my father.

    "There's no way..." my father says in disbelief "But, by what you've told me, he sounds eerily similar," he explains.

    "Dante," my mother says, frozen in fear "Could he have been the same person that corrupted Embrose?"