The Reaper's Wicked Obsession
Chapter 271: The Council

Chapter 271: The Council

"Excuse me?" Nyssa said and faced Ekko like he had sprouted three heads.

"Lady Raven calls for your presence in the meeting. She summons the ruling council."

"You mean Lord Raven? Is Kraven finally ready to address us? Is he done with his rest?" she asked in worry.

She hadn’t seen him, and the seven gods knew she didn’t sleep in that house at the first sound of moans. She couldn’t bear to hear such, and now Ekko said this to her face? Who does Isadora think she is?

She couldn’t believe they were mated too, and that thought alone gave her the strong urge to scream. Fishing was a way to calm herself down but it did nothing!

"Lady Raven," Ekko corrected firmly. "Walk east." He vanished.

Nyssa scoffed, tossing the stick she used to fish. Chest heaving as rage burned her blood, but she told herself to calm down, after all, she needed to put up a front that she was no longer hostile toward Isadora.

Kraven hadn’t taken her head, which meant Rav hadn’t said anything... yet.

’I can’t ruin this, I’ll not be abandoned,’ she thought desperately, already making her way toward the east.

~♧~

It didn’t take much time to get to her destination. There was a table made of tree bark that had been cut off, round and perfectly shaped to accommodate them all, and they were all seated on the wooden chairs.

"Welcome, Nyssa," Isadora said, smirking, arms folded on her chest. "We’ve been expecting you."

Nyssa gulped, pressured by the authority she displayed, she looked nothing like the uncertain little girl who couldn’t run the Spine.

"What is this?" Nyssa questioned with a forced smile on her lips. "Lord Raven is not yet out of rest, and a meeting is called." She looked to her left and saw Vanya. "And there is a mistake."

"Lord Raven gives his blessings, and what mistake?" Isadora asked.

"There is a fifth member in the council."

"Yes, Vanya is now the fifth."

"Under whose orders?!"

"Watch your tongue, Nyssara, you’re speaking to your Lady Raven," Ekko said in an icy tone.

Nyssa stiffened at his abrupt words.

"Mine orders. She has earned that seat and I’m sure everyone agrees." Isadora replied. "Have a seat, Nyssa, we have much to discuss."

Nyssa hesitated, but she swallowed any rebellious action as she sat, trying to avoid the heated glares from all of them.

Isadora’s hand fell to her side. "The Raven court has fallen," she began. "But it’s not the end. Let us not see it as the end time but the beginning. It’s time to make our move against the Five Courts."

"With what numbers?" Nyssa countered. "We may have survived, but we’ve reduced drastically. There’s no one on our side."

Isadora knew her words were true, so she said. "We can create allies."

"Interesting..." Logi amused.

"What allies will help?" Nyssa questioned, determined to drag her down. "There’s none, we all know that. That is why for two hundred winters we tried to build the perfect army, the perfect warriors. Kraven was a dead prince, and he had no one but us. No one knew about his existence until now, and now they do. Who would fight for an exiled prince?"

"You’re right, Nyssa," Isadora said sternly. "No one would."

Nyssa smirked in accomplishment. It may have been a play of truth, but she just showed how Isadora isn’t fit to rule this council.

However, Isadora’s next words stopped her in her tracks. "Not if he gives them a reason to."

"And what reason would that be?" Logi asked, grinning ear to ear.

Isadora took a deep breath and said. "Kraven’s the one true heir to the throne, and there’s a prophecy. I’ve discussed it with the Witch, and she has carefully worked on getting the word out. It might take winters, but thanks to her methods, she can make it work in two moons’ time."

"What prophecy?" Rav asked, perplexed.

The rest of them were curious too, except Logi.

"The prophecy made on Kraven’s birth. It speaks of light and darkness being born. The light born of the kiss of Lifara and the darkness reborn from Daudi’s hand, and these two gifts of the gods will take on the evil of the world."

Shock expressions morphed on their faces, and they pinned their wide eyes on Isadora.

"That blinding light came from you," Nyssa said under her breath.

Rav swallowed hard as it sank deeply into his head. "I heard of a prophecy when I was Lord heir to the Summer Court, but the words were never read to the people. The Five Courts claimed it was tainted and was against the gods’ verdict. They lied."

"They are the evil of the world, and to plunge that darkness we need both light and darkness," Ekko said.

Vanya gave a soft smile to Isadora, a proud look in her eyes.

’This can’t be,’ Nyssa thought, still overcome by the revelation, but she refused to let it dull her hate for Isadora. She was still a pest.

"Nyssa."

She tensed when her name was mentioned by Isadora. ’Why am I shaking?’ she thought, but shook the feelings away.

"Yes?"

"You asked what allies will follow Kraven to claim his birthright," Isadora said. "I’ll be honest with you, I’m not fully convinced anyone will stand up against the Lords of the Court after the prophecy is revealed, which is why we must create our own hope."

"Hope?" Nyssa said scornfully. "There is no hope in this world."

"I’d like to believe there can be," Isadora undid her bracer and let the leather fall on the table. She rolled her sleeves and revealed her pirate rune.

"We shall see if hope lies in the seas too."

"You want to make the pirates our allies? They’re selfish and only serve their Pirate lord."

"I hate to say this, but those sea devils are called devils for a reason. You remember what they did?" Rav reasoned.

"I know," Isadora replied.

"It’s a lost cause."

"Not with this. As long as I bear this rune, I can meet with the pirate Lord."