A Fall of Secrets (A Shade of Vampire #15)(20)

“But how?” Zinnia said, her face deathly pale.

I looked toward Mona. “You know more about these black witches than any of us.”

Mona chewed on her lower lip, looking around the room. “I don’t know exactly what all this blood is for—”

“Blood?” Sofia interrupted, horror in her eyes.

Mona raised a brow. “Yes, blood. What else would they be taking these humans for? I don’t know exactly what they need them for, but it’s for some kind of ritual. I suspect this has to do with Lilith, the one Ancient who remains clinging to life by a thread. Whatever this ritual is, we need to stop it.”

“This Lilith seems to be the cause of most of our problems,” Kiev muttered. “We need to end the bitch.”

Mona scoffed. “Easier said than done. I don’t even know where she resides. I’ve visited her island before with Rhys, but he made sure I didn’t know the actual location.”

I looked toward Caleb. “You know, don’t you? You and Rose were on that island.”

“I have no idea where it is within the supernatural realm, but we do know that there is a gate leading to it deep in the Amazon jungle.”

“Do you remember exactly where the gate is?” I asked. “Could you locate it in the jungle?”

Caleb looked doubtful. “That night we arrived there, I was so bent on getting as far away from that gate with Rose as I could, I’m honestly not sure if I could remember its location now. I could try, but God knows how long it would take me to find it again. The nearest city is Manaus, but that hardly helps us.”

Mona shook her head. “I can’t believe that Rhys would’ve allowed that gate to remain open if you and Rose had escaped through it. Even if you manage to find the location, I’m sure he would have closed it. Lilith is far too precious to them.”

“I don’t understand the logic of going after Lilith,” Gavin said. “Maybe I’m just missing something, but surely we would have to end all of the black witches?”

“I doubt they’d be left with much steam if they lost Lilith,” Mona said. “They want to take over The Sanctuary and revive the lost way of the Ancients. They want to reinstate black magic that today’s witches have mostly shunned. Much of the power that they have, they gained from Lilith. If we managed to take her down, I don’t know if they would be successful without her. They might even lose some of their powers. Heck, I might too. Most of the power I possess came as a result of a meeting with Lilith.”

“And while we are contemplating this impossible task,” Sofia said, “more people could be being abducted as we speak.”

“Mona,” I said, “you really believe that Lilith is the key here?”

Mona nodded slowly. “I just don’t know how we could—”

“If you can’t figure out how to end her, then nobody will be able to. Please, go now and take some time. Think back to all those years you spent with the black witches. Think back to your meeting with Lilith. Try to figure it out. The rest of us wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Mona’s eyes fell on her husband as she gulped. Then she nodded, and although there was no confidence in her expression, that nod alone gave me some hope. She stood up from her chair and left the Great Dome.

I looked now at Sofia, her forehead creased with worry.

“In the meantime,” I continued, “we must try to prevent more kidnappings. It’s impossible to know exactly where they will strike next. But I think we can all be confident that they will strike again. And they will not travel far when they can find what they need nearby. It seems they are targeting younger people. We need to make it more difficult for these witches to get access to them.” I paused, steeling myself for what I was about to say. “We need to do what we have never done before in the history of this island. We need to make contact with the police.”

“What?” a chorus of voices gasped.

“We need to make contact with the police,” I repeated steadily, “of all our neighboring shorelines, and call for a closing of schools. Children and teenagers alike should be kept inside and people should avoid going out. Each household should be equipped with guns, with instructions of what to do if a black witch shows up—”

“Gun or not, a human family wouldn’t stand a chance in hell if a witch showed up in their living room,” Landis said.

“I’m not saying they would,” I replied. “None of these measures will stop them. We can only attempt to slow them down. You all heard what Mona said. These witches are on a blood hunt unlike any before. We can’t let them perform whatever ritual they’re trying for. Because if it’s successful, I suspect that the white witches of The Sanctuary will only be the first among many to feel their wrath…”

Ashley looked at me, disbelieving. “What, so we’re just going to show up randomly at a police department and tell them that all the schools need to be closed? Why would they even listen to us in the first place? What if they ask for ID? What if they ask where we’re from—?”

“There is no need to reveal The Shade, and there is no need to reveal our identity. After this violent introduction to the existence of supernaturals, not only by the black witches but also by Ben, I believe that they will be open to talking with us. I suggest that a human and a vampire go.” I looked at Sofia and she nodded, as if reading my mind. She stood up next to me, placing her hand over mine on the table. “My wife and I will go. We will also need a witch so that we can travel quickly.” My eyes rested on Corrine, who nodded. Next I turned to Xavier and Vivienne. “My sister and brother-in-law will take over ruling the island during our absence. You have the dragons here now helping to protect us. While we’re gone, I don’t think anyone needs to be worried about our safety. It’s the world around us that is in jeopardy now.”