A week later and it was finally time for the meeting of the kings and I wish that I could say that it was a relaxing and uneventful week, but that would be a lie. Truth is, it has been anything but.
Two days after I got out of the hospital, I stumbled on a maid's head in my garden near the marigolds. There was a rose stabbed through her left that had a note tied to the stem. The note had, "Watch your back," written in blood. Everyone in the castle has been on edge ever since. I think that Ares is taking it the hardest out of everyone, though.
I still haven't told him all of the details of the vision, yet, but ever since I stumbled on that gruesome scene during one of our strolls, he has all but say he refuses to leave my side. It's as if he's afraid that if he takes his eyes off of me, my head will be the next one that is found in the flowers.
I have actually considered telling him more about my vision on multiple occasions. Well, at least enough to make him realize that he won't be finding my head out in the gardens. At least, not any time soon, that is.
Ares elbowed me in the side and my dad cleared his throat in an attempt to drag me out of my thoughts and into the present situation. When I looked up with a curious look that said, "What? I was just thinking," they both gave me a pitying look that told me that they obviously misunderstood my look or thought the I was worrying about something.
"Look, Serenity, if I'd too much for you to tell a whole room of strangers about your vision, you could always just stay in your room during the meeting and me and Ares could just tell them about the threats both of our realms have received," my dad offered.
"No!" both me and Ares protested at the same time causing us to look at each other and my dad to look at both of us with a knowing smirk.
Ares nodded his head to let me know that I should go first so I took a deep breath and said, "Dad, it's not the fact that the room will be filled with people that I don't know or the fact that I will have to tell them about my vision that has me worried. It's the fact that one of those strangers may very well be the one from my vision and with me forgetting most of the details of the vision, I may not even recognize him that has me worried. If he thinks that we know exactly what may happen, he may act before we can fully prepare. Either way, it would be smarter for me to be there and for us to tell everyone exactly what my sisters' and my gifts are while we watch everyone's reactions. Maybe we can get lucky and someone's reaction could point us to the one behind all of this and we can stop all of this before it gets any worse than it already is."
"I already suggested that me and her stay out of the meeting," Ares began, "but, you know how stubborn your daughter is. She insists that I am needed and with everything that is going on, I am not comfortable leaving her alone. Besides, she has a point. If all of us are watching the others in the room, we are more likely to catch any subtle changes in peoples' moods or demeanor then if only one or two are in the room watching."
My dad smiled before schooling his expression into a serious and authoritative one. With a nod of his head, the guards opened the door and stood aside to allow us into the meeting room that was full of men arguing. My sisters was already there glaring at them.
As soon as my father entered the room, it quieted down as everyone stood up in respected as we walked in. I picked up a few whispers from the strangers. Mostly, "I've never seen her here before," "Why is she here?", and "I thought this was for leaders, so why is there so many that haven't started ruling?", but I chose to ignore them as I sat down with Ares and my family at the head of the table.
"Thank-you all for coming," my dad began, "I assume you're all wondering why I have gathered you all here," he finished then paused to see their reactions when the door opened again and a hispanic looking man dressed in all black walked in.
Val suddenly went stiff and began staring at the newcomer as if he was the most interesting thing in the room and my heart sank.
"I'm sorry, I'm late," the newcomer said while my dad cleared his throat.
"It's alright, Joshua. Just take a seat so we can continue," Ares said and my dad nodded.
Joshua smiled while he scanned the room and walked up to the only empty seat. When his eyes landed on Val, his demeanor went from joyful and playful to angry and closed off causing the hair on the nape of my neck to bristle. I must have stiffened up, too, because Ares grabbed my hand under the table and started rubbing circles on my thumb
I gave him a soft smile, to let him know that I was fine, then turned and whispered in Val's ear, "Remember my warning and the man that was in my vision?" When she nodded her acknowledgment, I said, "Joshua was the man."
Val gave me a shocked look before looking up at my dad, who was giving us both a concerned look and nodding. My dad then turned and looked at Aurora, whose unseeing eyes was focused on Joshua.
"I'm sorry everyone. I know we have barely begun this meeting but I must converse with my daughters and Ares in private. Please feel free to go to the dining room, where we have an assortment of food and drinks prepared for everyone, your quarters for relaxation and peace, the gardens, or anywhere else in the castle. We'll reconvene in one hour," my dad said.
Everyone besides my family, Ares, and Joshua began to file out quickly while talking amongst themselves. Ares was watching everyone intently as they left and when he noticed that Joshua didn't move or look like he was going to leave, Ares said, "You was included in the list of people who need to step out, Josh, so please join the others. Unless, there's a reason you're wanting to stay."
Josh looked between Ares, Val, and my dad with a questioning look for a few moments before finally getting up to leave. Before he could make it to the door, my dad stopped him in his tracks.
"Val's your mate, isn't she?" my dad asked even though he knew the answer.
Josh nodded and said,"I understand, Grim, that this matter must be important and private, however, I don't get how Ares is involved or why I can't be there when I'm your daughter's mate."
"Simple, he knows what's going on but you don't know, yet," my dad answered then when Joshua cocked his eyebrows, he continued, "Don't worry, you'll all be brought up to pace when we reconvene. I promise."
With that, Joshua finally left without another word and Ares as well as Dad turned to my sisters and I with strict, no nonsense expressions on their faces and asked, no it was more like ordered us to explain what was going on in the meeting. After sitting for what seemed like an eternity in an uncomfortable silence with none of us sisters wanting to be the first to speak, finally Val broke the silence.
"Serenity believes that my mate may be the man in her vision and that we are in danger by his presence here."
Both Ares and my father's eyes darkened with anger before my dad turned to Aurora for confirmation. "I know you cannot see how the man looks but what exactly did you see?"
"His intentions are dark and his Aura is marred by death," Aurora answered as she turned her unnervingly pale eyes to me, "I don't blame you for bristling at him, sister."
My father then turned an apologetic look to Val and said, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know he's your mate but with a threat looming over the realms to this extent, if there is even a slight possibility that he is the one responsible for it all, we can't really afford to ignore it."
"I understand, father," Val said not showing any signs of the pain I imagined she would be in. "The safety of the realms and all that's in them should come first. Especially over someone who may very well be threatening our family."
With that, we all left the meeting room and went to my dads office to begin talking with each other and planning what would be our next move since it was a sound proof room. By the time that we was scheduled to reconvene in the meeting room with the others, we had decided that it was best not to give him a chance to sneak out or try to trick everyone into thinking he was completely innocent and brought the guards in with us.