"I know Maya and you are elves, that's why I came specifically to you" Mary continued.
Cedric sighed and looked at Mary.
"Her soul has been captured. But don't worry, i know someone who can help"
"Wait? Her soul?" Mary asked puzzled.
"Yes, her soul has been captured by someone powerful. Don't worry. I know someone who can help her. Excuse me, I'd be back with help in no time" Cedric said and left the room.
****
Theodore held Cindy's hand in his as he locked the door to their room. Cindy couldn't stop grinning and Theodore noticed it.
"You look so happy" Theodore said looking at his wife.
"You want me to be sad?" Cindy asked
"No, don't get me wrong. I mean you're happy about something I'm sure i don't know about" Theodore replied
"Liar" Cindy scoffed.
"I'm not a liar" Theodore said, pushed her towards him and kissed her passionately. When they're lips parted, Cindy smiled and said;
"It seems we're both in a good mood" and giggled.
"You look cute when you giggle like that" Theodore said as he smiled at Cindy. "Cindy, go on ahead without me. I'll join you in a few minutes"
"What?" Cindy asked looking puzzlingly at him. "Aren't you the one who said we'd be late?"
"Yeah, something just came up. I'll join you in a few minutes. I promise"
Cindy looked questionably at him, and he pecked her cheek.
"Go on. I'll be there" Theodore said and Cindy started to go walk towards the venue for the meeting. When she was out of sight, Theodore sighed and said;
"You can come out now"
Cedric walked out of his hiding place and approached Theodore.
"Your Highness" Cedric greeted with a bow.
"Save the formalities for another time" Theodore chuckled.
"Hey, Theo! At least act like you're happy to see me!" Cedric barked
"Like i care. Why are you here? And what's with that disguise? You look pitifully old in that disguise" Theodore said as he looked calmly at Cedric who only kept smiling.
"Is that how to greet an old friend? You haven't changed one bit. Still savage as always" Cedric retorted
"Why are you here?" Theodore asked, ignoring his earlier remarks.
"An elf's soul has been captured" Cedric answered seriously this time. "I don't know for how long, but it seems the captor is very powerful because I couldn't bring her back when i tried"
"Her? Who is she? And who else knows about this?" Theodore asked.
"Maya. Mary, Raymond's mother is the only one apart from me who knows" Cedric replied
"Maya? Elfreda's guard?" Theodore asked.
"Yeah" Cedric replied
"I see. Take me to her. Let's see if I can be of some help" Theodore said and followed Cedric.
****
"Well, time is up. Let's start the meeting" Caleb said.
Just then Edith and Cindy walked in.
"Where's Theodore?" Raymond asked Cindy after she had taken a seat.
"He'll be here soon" Cindy replied courteously.
"Alright, let's go ahead and start this meeting" Caleb began. "The powerhouse is on the move. They have 'graced' the Michaels and Brown Wilsons, with their visits recently and we are expecting to be continuous recipients of their 'grace' until they have achieved their goal, which we all know very little about. Is there anyone among us who has an idea or even ideas on why they're after these two families?"
"Aren't we missing something here?" Edith asked cautiously.
"What do you think we're missing?" Samuel asked looking perplexed.
"If my memory serves me right, i heard, Mary had an encounter with Anthony, and Aida with Raven. These are two high ranking members of the powerhouse. Don't you think we need Mary and Aida here? For all we know, they might have some information which could be of great importance" Edith retorted.
"I agree with her" Kelly nodded
"When Raven met Aida, I was there. I witnessed everything. Aida isn't necessarily needed here. But for Mary, I couldn't agree less" Vanessa replied.
"No, having Aida here is necessary. You being with Aida doesn't guarantee you saw everything. You might have missed details, and she might have picked some details" Arnold replied.
"Alright, if you say so. I'll have them informed to join us as soon as possible" Vanessa replied.
"Not yet" Ciara said shaking her head and Samuel shrugged. "I'm not saying this because I'm trying to boycott y'all's feeling of urgency. But the room in which Raven appeared used to be Vanessa's room. I think Raven's encounter with Aida was coincidental since I'm sure he wasn't after her. It's so obvious he was after Vanessa, but happened to meet Aida too"
"I don't think that's the case. I just remembered, throughout our encounter with Raven that night, most of his attention was on Aida, not me" Vanessa replied.
"Let's not forget about Mary" Cindy chimed in awkwardly. "I think we need them both here"
"And so do I"