The Ancient looks solemn and conflicted when he reaches forward, letting his fingers softly brush against mine as he takes the whiskey. His golden eyes sparkle for just a small moment as we hold each other’s gazes, the full of the room silent before he breaks the contact and then turns with a heavy sigh.
“What’s going on?” I repeat softly.
The Ancient takes a step behind the settee to look at Keane, his golden eyes serious. “You are aware of the Council called a little over two hundred years ago, yes?”
Keane nods quietly, his brows furrowing at the Ancient’s question. I take a steep inhale of breath and move around the settee, sitting down on the far end and across from Keane’s stance. Hirovale scowls from behind the other side and eyes the whiskey in his hand.
“The human atrocities that McQuoid’s father caught word of the Leviathans doing, the reason for his call of the Council…” the Ancient continues, “it was the same ritual summoning that your men suspect to be happening now.”
My eyes land sharply on Hirovale as Keane lifts his shoulder off the wall, grimacing in response.
“We do suspect the similarities. Desmond’s men have brought back stories. But what we do not know is to what end? Your followers only told Alexis that the ritual was used to extend life.”
My eyes dart back to Keane, not much caring for his use of the termyour followerswhen he was so clearly referencing Holis and Mana. The brothers are our friends.
Hirovale’s lips form a small smile as he responds to Keane directly, “the ritual has always been used to prolong life, yes…” his voice turns cold, bringing the whiskey up to his lips, “but it can also be used to raise life.”
“I’m sorry,” I turn to the Ancient in open astonishment, “what did you just say?”
Hirovale’s golden eyes meet mine above the glass as he takes a small sip.
“Souls can be called back from my hold. It’s only been attempted once,” the Ancient scowls in memory and shakes his head hard, “but I did not allow that to happen.”
I glance quickly to Keane, the two of us catching each other’s gazes and confirming to the other that we both had no idea this could happen.
Raising life? After someone has passed and moved on?
Using summoning magic to bring them back to the Old World after death?
Why would anyone want that?
“That’s perverse,” I say to no one in particular as a shudder runs through me, “it’s unnatural.”
“Indeed,” the Ancient replies, peering at me in curiosity.
Keane folds his arms across the chest and frowns at the Ancient, “so the Kingdoms Council that took place two hundred years ago… they aimed not to stop the humans from being sacrificed to prolong life, but to stop a soul from being brought back to the Old World?”
“No,” the Ancient sighs and shakes his head, averting his gaze from mine to look back at Keane, “that single attempt was made thousands of years ago. We’ve kept it hidden from your history books.”
I’m openly confused.
“I don’t follow. How does that reference correlate to the Council called two hundred years ago?”
Hirovale grimaces, “because raising life can also mean raising those who are sleeping, those who are meant to remain asleep…”
Keane shifts in his stance as I look to the Ancient in question, “one of your brothers and sisters?”
Hirovale nods and looks down to the whiskey in his hand, resting it on the edge of the settee as his full body tenses. Stormfall caws loud from the balcony and glides swiftly into the room to land on the Ancient’s shoulder, Hiro giving his Bird of Ash a small smile while his features remain cold.
“When I tell you that she was not meant to wake up,” the Ancient replies quietly, his golden eyes moving to the fire next to Keane, “she was not supposed to wake up. Five of the remaining eight of my brothers and sisters provided our own magic to ensure her heavy sleep…”
My chest begins to constrict at his words. There’s only one Ancient in the Old World that is so revered by the Kingdom of Livyatan.
“Rivian,” Hirovale says the name with such malice, “the Leviathans attempted to wake her over two hundred years ago but their actions were stopped for some time by the Council. The Council, with all of their limited information, did not know of the true nature of their intentions. They assumed correctly that the human young were being sacrificed but didn’t know that it was for a completely different reason.”
My stomach churns as Stormfall spreads his wings across the Ancient’s back, the beast’s body filling with anger.
“What your brother reports back,” Hirovale eyes Keane, “are confirmations that the Leviathans have resumed their efforts. However, this time, they have succeeded.”
