“I can guess where this is leading, but I’ve come willing to hear your side of the tale,” I said, sliding my hands into the front pockets of my leather jacket. The air in the tunnels was several degrees colder than the air outside, and the thick leather added an extra layer of protection should this meeting come to blows.
“Since the doors were opened around the world in the fall,” Cynnia began, “allowing the naturi people to return to Earth, Aurora has been building an army. While some have flocked to my banner, I know that my numbers are not as great as hers. It is only a matter of time before she decides it is time to finally wipe out not only me but my sister Nyx as well.”
Beside me, Knox shifted from one foot to the other, betraying a surprising lack of patience. “If you’ll forgive me, why do we care? The naturi have done nothing but slaughter both the shifters and the nightwalkers.”
“Because the world faces one of two futures, depending on who lives and who dies in the battle that is coming,” Cynnia said, unmoved by his gruff comment. “Should Aurora win, she will continue her campaign to wipe out mankind in an effort to ‘save’ the Earth from the destruction man is causing the Great Mother. Along the way, she will destroy every nightwalker she runs across and turn every shifter she finds into her slave.”
“Lovely picture,” I murmured sarcastically.
“Indeed,” Cynnia sighed with a shake of her head. “One of the reasons for the falling out between me and Aurora was due to my vision for our return to Earth. I wanted peace.” She paused for a minute, balling her small hands into fists at her side as she searched for the right words. “I wanted peace not only with the humans, but with all the races. If I can take Aurora’s place as queen, I will take the remaining naturi deep into the wilds that are left around the world and we will exist there in secret. We will find ways to secretly strengthen the earth despite the interference of mankind. We will coexist.”
“That’s an interesting promise,” I said when the others remained silent. “Considering the centuries of war that were waged with the naturi before they were finally caged, I find it hard to believe they would agree to coexistence with their enemies, particularly with the humans.”
“I will admit that many will resist this idea at first, but I fully believe that once Aurora is defeated they will come to realize how truly dire the situation is,” Cynnia said.
“And what is that?” Cooper prodded.
“The naturi are nearing extinction,” Cynnia admitted.
Surprisingly, those words did not bring the smile to my lips as I would have expected. If those words had been uttered by Rowe or Aurora, I would have hooted with joy while promising to wipe out the last of them. But as they were whispered from a heartbroken Cynnia, standing before me with the weight of an entire race on her shoulders, I could only feel . . . sympathy.
The young naturi princess continued. “During the final centuries in our cage, the naturi had trouble producing children, and many died due to a growing weakness we can only guess was caused by a weak connection to the earth. Furthermore, Aurora directed those loyal to her to cleanse the ranks of anyone who might not agree with her rule. Our numbers have been decimated, and I fear with the war that will inevitably be waged between Aurora and me, our numbers will be cut even further.”
Barrett pushed off the car door he had been leaning against and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index fingers before he finally spoke. “Why should we care? You’ve spent centuries subjugating and slaughtering us. Why shouldn’t we let you have your civil war? Wipe as many of each other out in war and then let nature take its course with the rest of your dwindled race.”
Barrett had voiced the thought running through the mind of everyone there. While Cynnia was seen as more of a neutral entity because of her stance toward coexistence, she was far from a welcome sight. Just being naturi still made her the enemy of all those who had come to meet her in the abandoned tunnels.
“The Great Awakening,” Danaus proclaimed, drawing all eyes over to him. “Aurora plans to wage war on the humans anyway; she’s not going to care about who sees the battle that is looming on the horizon. Should there be a great battle between Aurora’s army and Cynnia’s army, there will be not only witnesses, but also innocent victims. She will force the Great Awakening upon the world despite the plans of the coven, lycanthropes, and the magic users.”
I frowned. Danaus was right. The Great Awakening was something we had been planning for during the past several centuries, the day when we let humanity know of our existence. It was our hope that if we controlled the release of the information, we had a better chance of easing them through what was going to be a rough transition period. With the exception of Our Liege, who wanted the Great Awakening to happen this year, it wasn’t supposed to occur for at least another fifty years at the earliest. The human race wasn’t prepared to know about our existence just yet.
“He’s right,” Knox conceded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he stared down at the rough dirt floor.
“Is that part of your goal?” I inquired, pinning Cynnia with my narrowed gaze. “Will you keep this war quiet and hidden from the humans?”
“We have to.” She took a tentative step toward me. “We won’t be able to slide quietly and secretly into this world if the humans have discovered our existence.”
“So if we leave you alone, not only do we risk Aurora winning this war, but we also risk the coming of the Great Awakening in the worst possible way,” Barrett summarized. “And if we side with you, what? Peace and harmony.”
“As much as I can manage among my own people,” she quickly countered. “However, that’s not to say people will not die. We are fighting a war with Aurora against some powerful clan members. There will be casualties, but sometimes we must take these risks for the greater good.”
“Casualties come with war,” Danaus agreed.
“The Savannah pack has already sustained more than our share of casualties when it comes to the naturi,” Cooper snarled, taking an aggressive step toward Cynnia. The young princess didn’t move when faced with the virulent hatred rolling off the lycanthrope, but I have to admit I was more than a little pleased to see Barrett place a restraining hand on his brother’s shoulder. While I’m sure he agreed with Cooper, he still had not walked out of the meeting.
“I’m not sure what the Savannah pack can offer you in the way of assistance,” Barrett said neutrally as Cooper took a step back so he was standing next to his brother again. “As you well know, we can be easily controlled by the animal clan. We would be nothing more than mindless pawns in battle, and I will not allow that to happen to my people again.”
“I understand your concerns, and at the moment my sister Nyx is negotiating an alliance that would ensure that would not happen to your people. If the shifters of Savannah will join our fight, it will be of their own free will and it will remain that way until the end.”
Barrett nodded thoughtfully and then turned his questioning gaze on me. In fact, I could feel everyone staring at me. With nightwalkers easily outnumbering lycanthropes in the city, I had at my disposal the largest army. In addition, I was the Fire Starter. Whether I wanted it or not, I was the leader of Savannah, and Barrett was waiting to see which way I was going to fall on this issue before he was willing to make any final decisions for his own people.
“What are you bringing to the table, Cynnia?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest again.
The naturi princess looked at me, confused for a moment, and then glanced over her shoulder questioningly at Shelly, who frowned. “The army,” the earth witch said. “She wants to know what you’re offering besides the nightwalkers and shifters you’re trying to recruit.”