Free Web NovelChapter 294: We are At War
Isabella was the last to enter, exchanging a brief kiss with Ethan before going to sit beside Ishtar, while Ethan moved toward the midpoint of the living room.
The room settled as everyone had taken their place.
Right before Ethan, he turned his head towards Elizabeth and asked, "Bettie, have you casted the spell?"
Bettie gave a nod. "Yeah."
What Ethan was referring to was the cloaking spell.
Bettie had earlier confirmed that since a cloaking spell could hide things, even entire buildings and those within, from outside eyes, it could effectively serve as an alternative to a secret concealing spell.
So if anyone out there had tricks like Merlin’s, or Merlin himself, they wouldn’t be able to hear or pry into anything happening here.
Ethan then nodded back. When it came to the logic of magic and spells, he trusted her more than anymore.
Then he turned to everyone else. "Alright, I’ll get straight into it."
No one interrupted.
"It’s not a hidden fact anymore that a war is coming to this country."
There was a brief pause before he added, "And I’ll be fighting in it. But, I’m not here to force anyone into this"
"There’s a good chance that if you stay quiet and out of it, you may not be affected; no matter who comes out on top."
"So if any of you want to step away from this now, it’s totally okay."
Silence followed, but it wasn’t born of uncertainty or deliberation. They simply stared back at him with determined expressions, even Lucy.
Ethan studied their faces for a moment, smiled and gave a nod. "Very well then, let’s proceed."
His tone changed after that and became more serious. "Up until now, we’ve been on the defensive," he said. "And if we keep playing like that, we’re just giving them time to recalculate on their methods and come back with another attempt."
He shook his head. "This meeting isn’t just about revenge, It’s also about taking the fight to them."
There was a pause.
"Now I must say, the one behind it all, is Lady Audrey Desdemona. And from what we’ve gathered, she’s got the rest of the King’s children hidden somewhere."
He exhaled lightly.
"Problem is, we don’t know where exactly...At first, we found out about a hidden portal passage at a cemetery, but when we got there, we saw nothing. Even the attendants were gone."
"For now, we can’t do anything about that"
During the time Andrea had been held in the basement, Valerie had used a mind unsealing spell to pry into her thoughts and extract the information they were now working with.
Ethan continued, "So that leaves us with the real focus; the family leaders, and some of the members of the main families with significant influence."
"They’re the strongest allies of the Desdemona family, in this city"
The Arcorys siblings suddenly looked more interested. Wilson, on the other hand looked a bit more tense.
Ethan then turned to him. "Wilson. Your aunt, Loretta is a target too."
There was no softness in how he said it, but Wilson nodded, "I understand, but also know that she left the family compound the same night of the attack."
"Oh, we know," Ethan replied quickly. Then he continued, "A few days ago, while working with the king on this, we found out that a number of family leaders left the city within hours after the attack that night."
"Most likely because of Eduardo, since they all fear he would come for them next."
"Unfortunately for them, they all use Arcphones that are easily tracked by the Arc Company," Ethan said, gesturing toward Percival with an amused smile as he spoke.
"Some of them are still in the compounds," Ethan added. "Possibly thinking they are more protected in their homes."
At this point, the fact that Eduardo was Mikael was no longer hidden to the persons in this room.
Bettie looked a bit thoughtful and concerned. "But... they’re family leaders," she said. "How do you intend to go after them in their own homes?"
Ethan grinned. "Bettie, that’s the fun part."
He then broke it down piece by piece; how they would move, who would handle what, how the strikes would be timed, and how they would avoid giving the others any time to react.
By the time he was done, everyone in the room knew their role.
And more importantly, when it would begin; which was Tonight.
The meeting eventually reached a conclusion, and not long after, Francesca stepped in carrying a tray.
"Who wants pancakes?" she asked with a bright smile.
Someone gave a short laugh, and just like that people stood and reached for the tray, as casual conversations picked up again, giving the atmosphere the feel of a normal gathering.
—
Some minutes later...
As the room settled into smaller pockets of conversation, Ethan called out, "Percival. Wilson."
They turned.
"Can I speak to you both for a moment?" he asked, motioning his head toward the exit.
The moment the door shut behind them, Ethan lifted his hand, and two small vials appeared above his palm. He had just pulled them from his inventory.
They were tiny, cylindrical, and contained a yellowish liquid.
Both Percival and Wilson looked at it with some level of surprise.
"What’s that?" Percival asked.
Ethan lowered his hand. "It’s a serum made from Andrea’s DNA."
"You both know something was done to her body," he continued. "Something that let her carry traits from all fourteen families. And this is my attempt at recreating that."
"I’m not saying it’ll be on the same level she had," he added. "But it should still be effective... for a wolf or a vampire."
Wilson’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Ethan continued. "I extracted only three of these, and tested the first one this morning on Eduardo."
"It failed unfortunately.... I thought being both a werewolf and a vampire would make him the perfect subject," Ethan went on. "But his body rejected it."
He shook his head. "I don’t fully understand why yet."
Percival’s gaze stayed on the vials. "I’m not sure I like where this is going."
Ethan exhaled, turning towards Percival. Yeah... I know, I know. At first, I didn’t even want to ask you cause I know how strongly you feel about vampires."
Then he glanced toward Wilson. "No offense."
Wilson gave nod. "None taken."
Ethan returned his attention to Percival. "And after what happened a few days ago, I can’t think of a worse time to bring this up." freewebnovel.cσ๓
"But, we’re at war. And we need to prepare for any situation."
He lifted the serum slightly. "This could make you more. It could even out the playing field."
Percival stared at the vials for a second... then shook his head.
"Bruh," he muttered. "The last thing I want is to start smelling like used blood bags."
He waved a hand dismissively. "I’m good, man. I’ve got my gauntlets. I’m better off without all that."
He pointed briefly at the serum, then raised both hands in surrender, already backing off. "Yeah... nah."
