It was William’s Lamiae that had been the problem and the whole reason for Thomas asking Xander to hold the Courts’ meeting early. William’s most recent newborns had ignored the peace treaty between the Courts. They had reportedly captured several Lupi and made them fight to the death for sport. Xander had made it clear from the beginning, if any of them were to turn anyone, they would be responsible for them and any generations descending onwards. Yet William had done nothing about it.
Xander wasn’t even sure if he would have known about the underground Lupus fights if it hadn’t been for Thomas warninghim that Robert, one of the original Lupi, was adamant on declaring war against Lamiae. It was a coincidence that one of Robert’s nephews had been caught by William’s problematic descendants, and was killed in a fight.
Xander sent Nicolai, his third in command, to find William and request he put a stop to it. But when he returned to inform them that William had not only allowed his descendents to continue these barbaric fights, but had been the one to host them, he knew it was too late to mend what had been done.
William had always been an outsider in their squad, even as mortals. While the others found solace in their shared struggles, a silent understanding forged in hardship, William remained an enigma. His attempts at connection often felt clumsy and ungenuine, and his appreciation for chaos was a stark contrast to Xander’s unwavering commitment to order.
The chasm between William and the others wasn’t just created from his behaviour, but Xander had no doubt it was rooted in their fundamental values. Xander and Nicolai’s bond, forged in the terrible orphanage they had grown up in, instilled them with a fierce protectiveness over the vulnerable, as did Deion and Kadeem’s experience of living within marginalised communities. Edward, Norman, and Ieuwan understood that too. From their experiences of their families being torn apart by war and having nothing left to call home, they understood that need for belonging, even despite Norman’s growing taste for power. But William had always carried the gilded weight of his past poorly. He came from wealth and luxury, and his reasoning for joining the army as a mortal was but a mere hollow attempt to appease a demanding father.
The glimpses Xander had seen over the years from William’s memories painted a disturbing picture beneath his privilege. Growing up in an environment where manipulation and control were the norm, he saw the similarities in William’s behaviouras a Lamia—the unsettling echoes of his past spreading into his present. It was why Nicolai’s revelation that William had been actively facilitating the Lupus fights and treating his own descendents as slaves wasn’t a surprise to him at all. But it meant Xander had failed William, had failed to save his brother from walking down a path of chaos and destruction, just as Lilith wanted.
Without another option, Xander had agreed to hold the meeting early. He knew the extent of damage that conflict between Daemonium could have upon the world, and the power it could provide the Intermundum. They could not fall back on their treaty, not now, especially with the recent attacks on mortals from creatures belonging to the Intermundum who were drawn to Daemon chaos. With all the recent reported attacks from these abominations, it was clear Lilith was planning something, and they were waiting for her to make her move. They could not afford to have inter-Court conflict on top of that.
Divina had offered the use of her manor in Cornwall that sat across the lake from Thomas and Striga’s home. There were fifteen seats prepared around a large table for the leaders of the Daemonium Courts. Eight for the Pureblood Lamiae, five for the original Lupi, and two for Striga and Divina, who represented the Incantrices.
Deion and Edward had arrived with Xander, their three children taking their places sat around the edges of the room so they could spectate the meeting. Striga and Thomas waited with Divina in the entrance hall to greet the four other Lupi leaders; Allen, Akinyi, Rhys and Robert, along with their families before they joined. Iewan and Norman, as always, arrived at the last minute. William was nowhere to be seen.
As everyone took their seats, Xander took his time to listen to their racing mind. He paid particular attention to Robert and his son, Michael, who sat behind him. He didn’t even need hisManipuli ability to sense the tension from them, and so, he took his seat at the head of the table and began the meeting.
“Welcome, everyone, to the eighth meeting of the Courts. I would firstly like to thank you all for attending on such short notice. I know you all have other responsibilities, families and as many of you grow older, it is not easy to travel far. I know we were not due to meet for another six years, and some of you may be wondering why that is.”
Before Xander could continue, he was interrupted by the crashing of Robert’s chair falling back as he abruptly stood and slammed his hands on the table.
“It is because your bastard brother killed my nephew!” Robert spat out, glaring down at Xander who remained relaxed in his seat. “Him and his disgusting descendents have been hunting our kind for months. They capture us and make us fight to the death like rabid dogs!”
“Is that not what you are, old man?” Norman sniggered under his breath, his Irish accent thick with teasing. Iewan laughed along with him, but quickly stopped upon feeling Xander’s glare.
Robert’s son, Michael, stepped forward, his anger matching his father’s. “You dare joke about my cousin’s death? You dare speak to my father in such a manner?”
Xander let out a weary sigh as Norman rose from his seat and strode towards Michael. The red markings that wrapped around his pale forearms flared as he used his Igni ability and summoned a small flame in his hand. “Careful little mutt, you don’t speak here at this table. Not until your father finally stops barking.”
Michael and Robert began to advance round the table to Norman, who held his hands at his sides ready to aim his fire at anyone who approached him. Thomas shouted at Robert to stand down, but his voice was drowned out by the arguing that broke out across the room. Divina, who had wisely chosen not toinvite the Incantrices in her family, looked to Striga, urging her to do something.
Before Striga could even stand, a wave of trembling power washed across them all and the room was filled with darkness.
“Enough.”
Xander’s deep and commanding voice rang out through the pitch black room, his words spoken aloud and within each of their minds simultaneously. No one moved, no one spoke. It was not often Xander would use his powers, especially during the Courts’ meetings.
He brought his shadows back to him, his hands slowly absorbing the darkness he had unleashed, creeping towards him like wisps of dark smoke. Some of the shadows remained dancing around his shoulders, whilst others stayed by Robert and Norman; a silent threat that if they continued to fight, they would be reprimanded.
Eventually, everyone took their seats again. No one said a word as all eyes were on their leader.
“This is exactly what she wants,” Xander spoke calmly. “We cannot fight amongst ourselves, not when there is so much more going on out there. We have all heard about the recent attacks on mortals, the shadow creatures that wreak chaos upon the land. And now, this. This cannot go on, or it will be the end of us. If you choose to take that path, then I advise you to speak now and take your leave so you will not waste my time in the future.”
Xander looked round the table, staring each leader in the eye, waiting to see if anyone would challenge him. No one spoke, everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, still in shock at his display of his Nocte abilities.
“No? Good. Then we are in agreement. Whilst it is terrible what happened to your nephew, Robert, I must insist we revert our attention back to the real enemy.”
Robert said nothing, only lowered his gaze in a slight nod of submission. Xander knew Robert was no match for him. The entire Lupus Court could rally against him and he could dispose of them with a single look. But Michael was younger, and angrier, with clearly little respect for Lamiae.
“No, that’s not fucking good enough. My cousin was murdered, countless other Lupi have been slaughtered by your brother’s monsters. You cannot expect us to do nothing in retaliation!”
“What I expect, Michael, is for you to sit and learn when to pick your battles and with whom you will be fighting.” Xander sat back down again, a clear sign that he did not see Michael’s outrage as a threat.
He looked over to Thomas, sensing his old friend’s discomfort at the way the situation had been handled. Drifting his gaze to Striga, he found her watching him with pleading eyes, silently conveying to him in her mind that he needed to make a difficult decision here. As much as he didn’t want to see his brothers fall apart, it seemed William had already decided his fate. There was no other choice.
Xander sighed, running a hand through his hair as he often did when he was stressed. “William will be punished,” he announced to the room. The Lamia Court said nothing, only nodding in solemn agreement. “His actions, whether they be the actions of an ignorant man or not, are dangerous. He shall be punished accordingly and removed from my Court.”
