The Vaga by S. A. Carter

woods as a diversion?’ I ask.
    He looks in my direction. ‘Now that you mention it, I think it might have. I heard what sounded like a child’s cry, and Magi and I followed it to the edge of the woods. When we got there we were met with a deathly silence. We searched for the noise but found nothing. That’s when we headed back.’
    I look at Julian and give a slight nod, letting him know he was right.
    Aunt Lily says, ‘So, now what?’
    All eyes fall to me. ‘Uh…maybe we need to find out what exactly we’re dealing with here. I mean, what the hell was that thing?’ I look at Julian, hoping that he’ll enlighten us seeing as he seems to be the only one among us who has any knowledge on the Vaga.
    Something in Julian’s face shifts, moving from a nervous uninvited guest to a warrior briefing us on the enemy.
    Is it wrong to think it’s kinda hot? Probably, although Isis’ essence doesn’t think so. It’s trembling with excitement within me.
    Uncle Jo crosses his arms and waits for Julian to respond.
    Julian leans forward in his chair, his arms resting on his knees, the blood still lightly oozing from his wound. He should have let me heal that. ‘I assume Elena told you about the Vaga?’
    Uncle Jo nods. ‘The little she knew of them.’
    ‘Well then you know that what we’re dealing with here is unlike anything you’ve probably had to come up against before.’ His voice holds warning.
    ‘Well that would be a matter of opinion,’ Uncle Jo says.
    Aunt Lily rolls her eyes. ‘Please, Jo. Can we just hear Julian out?’
    I smirk as Uncle Jo grumbles something under his breath.
    Julian continues, his accent growing thicker as his emotions fuel the conversation. ‘The creature that attacked Elena could probably only be described as a minion—a creature loyal to the Vaga. At this point we can assume that it is under the command of Erebus.’
    What accent is that? Welsh perhaps?
Focus
,
Ellie
!
    Uncle Jo sits up straighter. ‘Erebus? Ellie mentioned him briefly, but I’ve never heard of him before. How do you know all this?’
    Julian shifts uncomfortably. ‘I have access to…some of this information.’
    He isn’t telling Uncle Jo about the fact that a Dominus is passing along certain little facts, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by me.
    Uncle Jo frowns and Aunt Lily interrupts. ‘I’m sorry, I understand you’re all used to this sort of lingo when talking about the supernatural world, but can you just slow it down for me please. Who is Erebus?’
    ‘Erebus is an Immortal, a powerful sorcerer of ancient times,’ Julian responds.
    ‘Immortal? You mean like a vampire?’ she asks.
    He shakes his head. ‘No, that term is too frequently confused with the Strix. An Immortal is more like a god. At least to our people. Erebus is known as a primordial deity, one of the first beings to exist.’
    Aunt Lily swallows the lump in her throat. ‘And this…this
deity
is after Ellie? Why?’
    Julian casts his eyes downwards. ‘We can’t be sure, but we think it’s because someone in our order refused to believe she was dead. It seems they may have hired the help of the Vaga to track her down in an attempt to confirm their suspicions.’
    Magi comes plodding back in, takes a look at Julian, and then walks over to sit by my feet. I rhythmically stoke her fur.
    Uncle Jo’s energy surges. ‘
We
?’
    ‘I’m not the only one concerned with Elena’s safety.’ Julian meets his glare. ‘Contrary to popular belief, we are not
all
evil.’
    Uncle Jo scowls. ‘Forgive me for thinking that you have her best interests at heart.’ Sarcasm oozes out of his words. ‘But it’s a little hard to forget that you tried to kill my niece.’
    The tension in the room electrifies.
    ‘This isn’t helping us,’ I say, throwing them both a look. ‘Right now we need to find a way to work together.’
    ‘She’s right, Jo. This isn’t helping us,’ Aunt Lily agrees.
    He puts his hands up and redirects the conversation.