I scoffed. I wouldn’t choose to help out the dark gods. No fucking way.
“Why would the gods, ancestors, or anyone else choose Ava and put such a huge responsibility on her shoulders?” Daddy demanded. “This is a choice for a god to make, not a young girl.”
“We don’t know why, only that she was chosen,” Takahashi said. “All of you sitting here have prophecies made about you that you fulfilled, and you did not understand the reasons you were picked until you completed your tasks. There’s no reason to assume it’ll be different for Ava, or for Charlie. All will unveil itself with the passage of time.”
“And what does the Warden have to do with all of this?” Nadine asked. “Surely he has some idea this is all going on, and has a plan to work it to his advantage.”
“That, we are unsure of,” Takahashi replied. “But whatever he has in mind, we can be certain it isn’t good, and that he needs a demigod to do it. He wouldn’t be interested in your children otherwise.”
“But he knows Ava is the key. That’s why he’s obsessed with her,” Mama said.
“He most likely suspects, due to the wording of her prophecy, which he acquired through her phone conversations with her aunt. He knows she’ll make the final decision on who wins, which is why he’s so keen on bringing her under his control, if he can’t sway her to his side,” Takahashi confirmed.
There was a terrible bout of silence below us, one that was broken by the sound of Charlie’s thoughts rattling inside my mind.
This is why your prophecy says that I’m meant to stop you, Charlie realized.If you side with the Warden, you’ll stop the Elves from going to the Blessed Haven.
I would never do that, I insisted.There isn’t a force in heaven or hell that’ll make me join him. You know how much I hate him.
It didn’t make any sense. The Warden was my worst enemy. I’dneverhelp him. Why was it even a concern?
The quiet was shattered when Daddy said, “Well, to hell with the rest of you. I’m getting my daughter out of here, one way or another.”
“I beg your pardon, butyourchild is the most dangerous out of all of them,” Queen Emmaline spat. “She’s the one who will choose what will happen to our magic, and forgive me when I say her track record isn’t the best when it comes to making good decisions.”
Daddy gave a cruel laugh. “Ava’s never killed anyone. Your child is anassassin. She deserves to be here, and in my opinion, so do the boys. If they’re such a danger to society, they should have life sentences at the adult penitentiary, not be allowed to roam free after graduation!”
“Don’t talk about my son that way,” Nadine threatened.
“Liam, that’s enough. This is embarrassing,” Mama hissed.
But his comments had gotten to Kallie’s dad, because he shot to his feet. “Do you thinkyoucan make decisions aboutmydaughter’s future?” King Ethan roared. “I am a king!”
“And I am a chief!” Daddy’s chair tipped backward onto the floor as he rapidly got to his feet.
King Ethan exploded into a massive white wolf with huge wings. He snarled and displayed his teeth, swinging his head back and forth as he pounced over the table and flew toward my dad. I gasped, but Daddy uncapped the water canister at his side. He fashioned it into a whip, which he smacked across the king’s face. King Ethan went flying backward, and his massive weight broke the table as he landed on it. The wolf rolled back onto his feet, charging at Daddy once more.
Next thing I knew, water balls were flying everywhere. King Ethan prowled around my dad in a circle, snarling and swiping out his paws in order to knock my dad off his feet while Daddy kept him at bay with Water magic. They hadn’t hurt each other yet, but they would.
I was ready to step in, but Charlie grabbed my shoulder firmly, to tell me to hold back.
“Gentlemen, please!” Hemlock shrieked, covering her head from a jet of icicles that cut off a chunk of her bun.
I couldn’t believe our fathers were fighting like this. It was nuts. I nearly let out a scream when King Ethan reared on his back paws, preparing to crush Daddy underneath him, but a great magical shield welled up between the two of them and pushed them apart. The explosion sent Daddy flying against the wall, while King Ethan went rolling in the other direction.
I looked to the side. Lucas had cast the shield to split them apart. I could see the remnants of magic flickering at the end of his wand, which he’d pulled out of his jacket at the last moment.
“Break it up,” Lucas said roughly, stomping toward them. His wand was at the ready, if either of them made another move.
The shield had hit the king so hard that it’d forced him back into his human body. He staggered to his feet and balled his hands into fists so he could duke it out with my dad hand-to-hand, but Lucas put a hand on his shoulder and held him back.
“You still owe me. Back down,” Lucas said firmly. “Now’s not the time to let our emotions get in the way.”
The king backed off. Hm. Must’ve been one big favor the king owed Lucas.
Queen Emmaline stomped between my dad and King Ethan like a raging bull. “Would you two stop comparing dick sizes fortwoseconds so we can figure out how the hell we can help our children?”
“Go Mom,” Kallie whispered beside me. Below us, her father scowled.
