The expression of deeply disturbed incredulity that crosses the burly ginger’s face is a fantastic edition to my day as I walk away with my quintet members.
Old dining room tables and chairs have been moved to line the perimeter of the room, facing inward so everyone can see each other. As Reformists file to take their seats, Baelfire takes my hand and guides me through the chaos while Crypt glowers at anyone who gets close so they’ll give us space.
Soon, I sit on the same end of the room as Brigid Decimus and several other higher-ranked leaders. Everett sits on my left and takes my hand. Baelfire is on his other side, and Silas takes the chair to my right.
Crypt ignores his empty chair altogether and leans against a nearby wall to light areveriumcigarette.
No smoking inside,Everett says through the bond.
Crypt flips him off and exhales smoke.
Silas’s telepathic voice is distracted as he observes the room with careful calculation.Let him. The injection didn’t work as well as I wanted.
I take it the injection is whatever he was working on for Crypt. The idea that it barely helped my incubus makes my heart throb unpleasantly in my chest, but I try to focus as Brigid Decimus finally stands and addresses the room.
For such a petite legacy, her presence is powerful. She has no problem commanding everyone’s attention.
“Reformists. We are entering the next, and hopefully thefinal, stage of defending the mortal realm from the Entity’s advances. Whether or not you fully appreciate everything my daughter-in-law has done for the Nether humans and the rest of the world, no one here can possibly argue with her abilities. Her very presence here was all it took for so many people to rally to the front lines. Now that she’s here, the rumors aboutwhyshe has returned can end.”
She glances at me, offering the tiniest bit of a smile for encouragement. “Maven. The floor is yours.”
Dozens of pairs of eyes shift to me. I nod and stand, but pause.
Oh, gods.
What the fuck is happening in my chest? My heart is going berserk.
My heart might be broken,I inform my quintet.
You’re just nervous,Baelfire says, smiling reassuringly at me.It’s normal because public speaking is a bag of ass. But you’ve got this, Raincloud.
I’m starting to really regret getting my heart put back since it won’t fucking calm down as I stand to look over the room. Everyone is expectant, fascinated, reverent, or even frightened as they watch me. A few look disgusted, like Amelia Lykoudis.Several ghosts watch on, including the blue-haired ghost who is shaking her invisible ass at one of the good-looking ex bounty hunters in here.
My psychotic pulse slows ever so slightly when I see Kenzie waving at me from one of the chairs on the other end of the room. Her quintet is seated beside her, but so are a handful of legacies I don’t recognize.
She points at them and mouths,My parents love you! Go Monk!
Someone clears their throat impatiently. Ignoring them, I finally address the room.
42
MAVEN
“You know why you’re here,”I tell the Reformists. “I’m not going to waste your time or lie to you. I came back to reunite with my quintet, but now it’s time to end Amadeus and remove his hold over the Nether.”
Reformists exchange whispered murmurs.
I go on. “You’re here because you want to help defend the mortal world. I’m not asking for anything more than that. Instead of just defending yourselves, we’ll launch an attack into the bounds of what used to be the Nether. It will be as bloody and death-filled as any other battle you’ve seen, but no worse than the future of the mortal world will be if we don’t stop Amadeus’s advances. And after everything this plane of existence has been through, it deserves peace.”
“Hasn’t the mortal world gone through so much because ofyou?”one of the legacies sitting near Amelia Lykoudis points out.
Baelfire growls quietly, as irritated as I’m sure the rest of my quintet is by that statement.
“Yeah—the reason we have to make a stand against the Entity at all is because you’re his scourge!” another one scoffs, shaking their head at me.
The blue-haired girl ghost flips them off, but I can’t help snorting. Their claim is fucking ironic now that I know I was literally designed to fix the problem they’re blaming me for.
“She thinks being the cause of all our problems is funny,” Amelia Lykoudis scowls.
