74 | A FAILING PLAN

“Nikki,” I sigh by way of greeting as I reluctantly sit up. The woman in white offers me a small tilt of her head.

“I apologize for interrupting again, however, this could not wait.” She replies in her usual calm voice. It helps soothe me a little as worry begins to trickle into my slightly hazy mind. The fear’s enough to wake me up fully and leaves no doubt that this isn’t a dream or nightmare. Blue shifts behind me, moving to sit up along with me, but remains silent.

“The King’s gone Revenant.” I say, knowing the Ancient’s probably aware of this, but state it anyway. Nikki nods somberly, her eyes gold and green today, the colors glittering separately as she glances out the small window behind me.

“That is why I have come. His transformation was an event.” Nikki’s words are concise today, shocking the hell out of me. I already knew about the event revolving around the Court, but in realizing that the very thing I’d been avoiding dealing with personally could have made this event come to pass… Dread stirs in my chest, strong enough that even Blue’s hand at my back doesn’t even manage to quell the rising acid in my stomach. “Because of this, several other events have become closer and more solid. I came to speak with you the moment I was able to clearly see them.” She tells me gravely.

“Right.” I manage to choke out, guilt making the word come out a little strangled-sounding. I clear my throat and take a breath. *Stop thinking of the what ifs. This is the here and now. There’s nothing you can do about it now*. I mentally scold myself. “Okay, so what’ve you got?” I force the question out in a lighter tone.

“The Hunter should be arriving in Port Green by the fourteenth. Tell your cousin to be ready, and monitoring her lands carefully. As I mentioned before, his life must be saved in order to bypass his event.” Nikki tells me, and I quickly grab my phone from the beside table to send Paris a text. The sooner I can let her know about this, the better, that way the Reiniers can prepare and be ready. “The Darklight event is still on the same course. The responsibilities of-”

“I’ll try to talk to Dr. Chambers.” I nod to her, giving her a grim smile I know doesn’t reach my eyes.

“And since the Revenant has been set loose, another Event has been set into motion. I surmise by stopping the King at this time will stop the progression of any fallout already set into motion. The Event will take place in a town a few miles away from Colton. Perhaps you can convince the Queen to have her Guardian patrol the town at that time?”

“I’ll try, but I don’t know if she’ll agree. I don’t know how many vamps are left in her Court. And I know she wouldn’t want to leave her people unprotected in case the King tries to kill the rest of them.” I tell Nikki honestly. I haven’t spoken to Mina about the night the King went Revenant, but know her personal Guardian - Fang - was still around when Ry video chatted with me yesterday.

“Very well,” The Ancient replies and continues. “How is the situation in the West?”

“Craven, my cousin, is still out there. He’s been sending me video reports when he can, but the reception is spotty. He seemed to think that something was going on near the mountains, though.” I relay to Nikki. She tilts her head, a slight frown on her lips.

“I see.” She mutters softly, eyes going distant again before she nods. “Please let me know what he discovers.” I agree, recalling the stone she gave me to summon her is still at my office at the Coven. I make a mental note to go get it later.

“Two other Events have just been solidified,” Nikki tells me after a moment, her words making fear grip my chest once more. “Something will occur in the spring. January.” I stare at her with my mouth open. A month. Two events in one month? “It is clear these events will be the direct cause of unrest for a long time after. The exact extent of that damage is unclear at this time. However, I may be able to direct my own people to assist in stopping the Events.”

“Okay…so what can we do to help?” I ask slowly, not sure if she’s just telling us this to share the new information or because she wants us to do something.

“You can monitor the humans and weaker supernaturals in this area.” Nikki tells me, then looks to Blue. “If you notice anyone acting strangely, contact me immediately.” I frown at her.

“Strangely how?” Blue brings up the burning question for me.

“Anyone behaving out of character. Acting particularly cruel or having homicidal tendencies where there were none previously.” Nikki states, as if we’re talking about local wildlife behavior. I stare at her.

“Thats…kind of weirdly specific.” I mutter slowly.

“It is the best way I can describe the changes of behavior that would indicate possession.” The Ancient explains. *Wait…did she just say-?* “Also, there are now a few demons walking the Earth.”

“I’m sorry…did you just say-”

“Demons.” Nikki repeats, face as impassive as ever, though I really wish she’d smile and say ‘just kidding!’. She doesn’t.

“Demons are real?” Blue asks beside me, tensing up at the mention of something I’d never even considered. I can sense his doubt through the bond, echoing mine.

“Yes. And so are celestial beings.” The Ancient states. And suddenly, I feel like a grain of sand in the desert. Tiny and insignificant.

“Huh.” Blue breathes, his emotions swirling like mine. What else can either of us say to this kind of news? Wolven, vampires, witches…sure, no big deal. But now I’m learning not only are things like Leviathan-Class creatures real, there are also demons and…angels? *How is this my life? Where’s the normal I’ve craved for so long?*

“The fabric of this reality, as I mentioned before, is frail.” Nikki reminds me, her voice sounding a little distant until I blink and try to focus. “There seem to be disturbances arising in part of the country as a result of that. Since the balance of life has been thrown, my kind have noticed tears between this plane and another.”

“And what plane is that?” Blue asks for me when I don’t say anything. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that demons and angels are real.

“Hell.” That gets my attention.

“Hell?” I echo, not bothering to hide my horror.

“Yes, it is the closest plane of existence that has not already tapped into this reality. For good reason, the Gates of Hell have been closely monitored to prevent the corporeal forms of demons from escaping. However, there are always cases in which demons possess hosts here on Earth, though that is also monitored. When this all began last year, we noticed an uptick in the amount of possessions, along with the Count being off.” Nikki explains, sharing more information than I thought she ever would. “Recently, a team of mine has discovered a few of the Gates have popped up around the tears in the fabric of this reality. They have not opened fully, but at least two have severe damage.”

“What does this mean - for us?” Blue asks, his voice going into the business-like tone he uses when dealing with difficult situations.

“As I said, monitor the people in this territory. My resources have been stretched thin because of this new issue and I do not have the means to monitor this side of the country at the moment.”

“Are there any preventative measures we can take?” I ask slowly, not sure what to make of her words. *Monitor people for behavioral changes that are closer to them loosing their minds and going on killing sprees or kicking puppies? Seriously?*

“I suggest warding the town.” Nikki says nonchalantly.

“Warding it with what?” I wrinkle my nose at the term.

“Wards from witches. You do know an experienced Dark Magic practitioner.” She reminds me and I feel myself frown before I realize she’s right.

“We do?” Blue asks. I turn to him in surprise and blink a few times. “Oh, you mean Mari?” He names Mom’s witch friend from Texas, the one who made her potion-brew and the herbs she uses in her tea. I grimace as the memory of the strong aura and scents of the with flicker through my head and set off phantom receptors, my nose twitching on reflex. “I guess we can call her, but I don’t think she’ll be able to maintain that kind of magic from Texas. She has a life there, and I know she won’t stay here for longer than necessary.” Blue surprises me by telling Nikki all of this with confidence. “We tried to get her to stay here for your mom.” Blue explains to me quietly, the hand at my back gently tracing patterns into my shirt. My chest warms and I can’t help but feel grateful and relieved he’d thought to try to get Mari to relocate for my mom in her sickness.

“I would send you one of my Reapers, but they are dealing with other issues at the moment.” Nikki nods to us, her eyes going a little distant for a moment before refocusing on us. “See if the witch can help you within the week, thereafter, I may be able to reassign a team to redo the warding.”

“Reapers?” I ask hesitantly, a chill racing down my spine as the word conjures up images of dark-cloaked figures with long-handled scythes who come for souls on the verge of death.

“Yes,” Nikki replies, just as calm. “They are not what you think, Scarlett.” She adds gently. “They only harvest the souls they are meant to, no more and no less. Your mother is not on the List as of yet.” Some part of me relaxes and I suck in a breath of relief, leaning back into Blue’s side for comfort.

“Okay,” I mutter, not sure how much more of these new revelations I can take.

“Very well, I will be in touch.” Nikki nods to us. “And do contact me the moment you hear anything from your cousin in the West.” She adds to me a moment before her form disappears. I stare after her, wholly stunned as everything we just talked about washes over me anew. I have a feeling things are only going to get weirder from here on out, and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to escape the knowledge that the things Nikki just mentioned really exist. So much for ‘normal’.