Lily
We circled together beneath the dim glow of the ritual fire in my cabin, the smoke spiraling into the predawn sky as if carrying our thoughts to the gods themselves. Elis lay miles away, trapped in the heart of Marlick's palace, a fortress now laced with Zal's dark enchantments. Time was not on our side.
Eva spoke first, her voice sharp as the steel daggers she always carried. "The palace gates are warded. Even if we move in shadow, the curse woven into those walls will alert Zal the moment we step inside. We need a distraction strong enough to fracture his focus."
Imo leaned forward, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Then let me craft illusions; phantoms storming the eastern watchtowers. Zal's minions will waste their strength chasing shadows."
Ita shook her head, her tone patient but firm. "Illusions alone won't suffice. The wards around Elis are blood-bound. To move him, we must break the anchor first." She turned to me. "Lily, you hold the key. Only the Grand Witch can unravel what Zal has tied."
I felt their faith pressing against me, heavy and humbling. "Then I will. But to breach his chamber, I need more than my power. I need a path cleared."
That was when Nakoa spoke. Though human, his voice carried the quiet steel of devotion. "My brothers and I will go ahead. We know the palace corridors. We will mark the way, carve sigils of silence so your steps do not echo." He placed his palm to his chest, bowing low. "Our lives are yours, Grand Witch. We serve until the last breath."
Eva nodded slowly, eyes narrowing in thought. "So, illusions to scatter his guard, silence sigils to mask our movement, and Lily to sever the anchor. But once Elis is freed, the curse may still cling to him."
Ita's lips pressed tight. "Then we carry him to the old Grove, beyond the reach of Zal's influence. The Grove was sanctified before his rise; its roots drink from purer waters."
At last, I raised my hand, silencing the murmurs. The fire hissed, sparks rising like stars. "We have one chance. We strike today. If we falter, Zal will bind Elis's spirit forever. If we succeed…" My voice caught, but I forced the words out. "Then hope will rise with him."
Around me, my sisters and the diviners bowed their heads, not just in obedience, but in shared conviction. For the first time since the curse fell, I felt the faintest tremor of victory stir in my chest.
After what felt like hours of weighing every risk, it was finally agreed; I wouldn't go to the palace myself. The thought cut deeper than any blade. Douglas and the other Alphas would never understand what I had become. To them, I was no longer Lily the healer, no longer the King's mate they once knew. That Lily had burned away in fire and shadows, and in her place stood something… other. My aura, my very skin, carried the weight of the Grand Witch.
I longed to be at his side, to take Elis into my own arms and fight for him as both mate and healer but I could not. Not when my presence might do more harm than good. Not when my face, my voice, would only summon suspicion and fear.
And deep down, I knew Zal was waiting for me. His snares would be set, his eyes fixed on the palace walls. If I stepped there, I might fall straight into his hands. No, I could not risk it, not for myself, not for Elis.
The battlefield must be chosen on our terms, on neutral ground where the tides of fate could shift in our favor. Even if it meant watching from afar, even if my heart broke with every step I did not take beside him.
We finally agreed on a plan, one that was as dangerous as it was necessary. Nakoa and his two colleagues, the three devoted human men who revered me almost like a goddess, would make the journey to the palace. Ita, my strongest sister in the Craft, would go with them. She alone had the strength to secretly disarm the invisible wards laced around the palace walls, wards that would otherwise expose and destroy them the moment they stepped too close.
Nakoa would be our voice. His calm authority carried weight, and his gift of conviction could bend even the most doubtful heart. He would stand before Douglas, the Alpha King's loyal assistant, and deliver the message we had crafted: that his god had sent him to heal Elis, but the healing required Elis to be moved. Away from the palace, Away from under Zal's choking influence, to a Grove—the sacred ground where the living and the spirit world intertwined, a place strong enough to fight back the curse.
It would be the duty of the human men to carry the Alpha King's unconscious body once Ita broke through the wards. Every step of that journey would be perilous, with Zal's dark eyes and ears everywhere. Yet, it was the only option left to us.
Imo, Eva, and I would remain behind, anchoring the circle from here, watching, praying, lending our strength from afar. My heart twisted at the thought of sending them out into danger, of asking so much of Nakoa and his companions. But desperation had stripped us of choice.
This was it. Our last hope.