“What?” Doya’s tone was scathing. “I did nothing! If I did, he would no longer exist.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” I said, cutting them off. “Let’s get down to business.”
Ivy was the first to speak. “What do you wanna discuss first, dickhead? How you lost the Divinity Keys we’ve been fighting for years to get, how you cost us the world, or how Ava finally had a chance to leave your sorry ass and you had to go and get her knocked up?”
“Give him a break, Ives,” Chancey snapped. “Charlie’s a dad now. I think we should be giving our congratulations.”
“Congratulate this, asshole,” Ivy said dryly, and I was certain they were flipping Chancey off.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve had enough of your pillow talk, baby.” Chancey let the insult roll off his back.
“I ain’t your baby,” Ivy muttered, but they shut up.
Chancey wrapped me in a hug, lowering his voice to say, “Congrats, man. Your son’s cute. I’m real proud.”
“Thanks.” I clung to him longer than normal, sinking into the embrace. Chancey and I were tough guys, and we didn’t let our feelings show often, but I really needed a fucking hug right now. This week had been filled with the worst lows and some extremely emotional highs, and I needed some kind of support. “I don’t know how to be a dad yet, but I’m going to try.”
He clapped me on the back before he drew away. “That’s rough, buddy. But we’re all here for you.”
Wails echoed throughout the room as Ez finally broke. He was a blubbering mess. I managed to hold it together, but it was hard as hell.
“You all right over there, Uncle Ez?” Chancey asked.
“F— fine,” Ez stammered. “I’m excited I’m an uncle, but I’m… I’m so sad for my sister.”
Silence followed. Everybody knew how Ava felt about this without having to see her. She’d made her feelings about kids very clear.
Danny’s voice was thick as he spoke, “Aye. It’s been one hell of a week.”
Kallie’s dry voice echoed across the room. “I’m only here because Takahashi said you had an idea to get us out of this mess. I need to get back to Ava, so hurry up and tell us the plan. By the gods, it better be a good one.”
“That’s adorable, Kallie. What, are you Ava’s new husband? Gonna stay at her bedside and nurse her back to health?” Ivy asked snidely. They were clearly in a foul mood and willing to pick a fight with anyone.
“And where have you been, Ivy? I can sure as hell be a better husband than he can,” Kallie spat back. She wouldn’t even use my name.
Ivy huffed. “That’s not a high bar.”
“Guys, we aren’t here to fight—” I started.
“Fuck you, Charlie. You pitted us up against each other in the first place, so why not?” Ivy demanded. “We aren’t here to hold hands and sing campfire songs just because you told us to jump when you say so.”
“Ives, you’re killing me, here,” Chancey groaned.
“Charlie and Ava have a child now,” Opal broke in. “We need to be there for the baby?—”
“Here for who? That thing’s gonna turn out just like him!” Ivy shouted.
I gritted my teeth, because this wasn’t how I’d intended this meeting to go. “We aren’t here to talk about Casey. We need to find a way to beat the Warden.”
Once I said that, the room exploded. Dozens of people started shouting, screaming a million things at once. I wanted to quiet the crowd, but I wasn’t sure how to get the situation under control, because it had already erupted.
The floor shook as a spell blasted throughout the room, and the massive round table snapped as magic cracked it apart. Several people fell to the ground, and bits of stone rained down from the ceiling. The magical signature unmistakably came from Queen Emmaline, Kallie’s mom.
“Enough!” she bellowed. “Do any of you want to solve this problem, or do you want to continue to bicker?”
Nobody dared to say a damn thing. Queen Emmaline slammed her fist onto the remnants of the council table. “If there’s any solution to what the Warden has done, I want his head on a platter by the end of it! Now, are the rest of you with me? Because if not, then get the hell out of the way!”
The queen was out for blood, and I couldn’t blame her. The room remained quiet until Marcus was brave enough to speak.
