The Timekeeper (32 page)

Darius thought about my proposal for several minutes before making his decision.

“Sounds alright, if you and Azazel can come to some type of agreement. We shall play their game but how do you intend to speed up the start of the war? Wars take time, do they not?” I chuckled and sat back down on the couch.

“Things only take as long as I want them to, Darius. I’m the Timekeeper. If I deem it so, then it shall be. I know just the person to help me, but this plan will take a bit to line out
.
Shadows are pulling strings as we speak, secrets I tell no one, not even you. Something’s are better kept to myself. If you know what’s going to happen, you won’t react appropriately, it will be obvious the incident was orchestrated.” He nodded, I knew he understood, but he wasn’t happy.

“I am a simply servant, Princess.”

I laughed for the first time all day, “You are far from a mere minion. I wish only to protect our interests. If the Chairman tried to stop the prophecy, kill my husband before he even gets through the ceremony, and attempt to manipulate me, then he’ll find out how cozy pit vipers can be. Does he honestly think I won’t notice the plotting against me? If that’s the case, Nicki and the Council can both take a long walk off of an extremely short pier. I refuse to be a stepping stone to my sister’s ambitions.”

Darius sat next to me and placed his hand on my leg. “I’ll wait to follow your lead, Ella.” He chuckled, he’d been waiting for me to flex my power over the Portlandian government and Noire family
,
and we hadn’t been in a good fight in ages.

The Dragon in him loved to play with the Chairman. He cherished the chase and deception
.
He reveled in the surprise on our opponent’s face when they figured out they’d been screwed. My husband was wise, and as a battle strategist
,
he was invaluable. The catch was you had to make sure he looked at the big picture. On several occasions, he missed the finer points, causing problems in the end result. My task was to come up with a plan and the Dragon’s place to ensure I ended up at the finish line unscathed.

“Right after we leave the meeting with the Council, we need to see Azazel. Then we’re going to make a pit stop at Dante’s
,
and remind him of how important the safety of Miss Kwan is. He has his own reasons to protect her, but I fear he’s forgotten my feelings for the young lady. We also need to visit with Maleficent
,
Simone and Malachi. Simone might be able to locate him with little problem. Neal should be informed I’m going to be back in Belt ta `Demm, he’ll be required to make arrangements with Ariannona. The list is endless.”

Darius gave me a quizzical look, expecting an explanation of exactly what I’d planned. I had no intention of cluing him in, so he’d have to wait for everything to unfold. The chain of events that would cause the Veil to fall quite a bit quicker than anticipated was extremely complicated.

The ins and outs, the overlaps of manipulating the strands of fate made a three-dimensional puzzle look like nothing but a simple toy. Not only would I need to orchestrate everyone around me, I’d have to pull strings all over the world to make everything fall into place. Lives are interconnected. Change one person’s path and you affect every dimension in existence
.

“I wasn’t kidding, Darius. We will be well on our way to the beginning of a war within the couple of weeks. I plan to be permanently in Aliis by the end of the month. I’m debating on finishing this life before or after the honeymoon.

“If I destroy my relationship with the Council before my wedding, they might try and send someone after me, which doesn’t make for a wild celebration. On the other hand, screwing them directly after will save me a lot of grief.” I glanced at him, hoping he’d decide for me.

“Wait until afterward. It’s bad enough they’re already plotting with Nicolette. You don’t want to worry about being attacked on your honeymoon. The goal is a special time to remember and I don’t see the point in stressing Dex out. Hold off for a couple of weeks and when everything settles down, a day or two after we get back to the mortal world, and then a car in some freak accident can hit you.

“Tie up loose ends on this side, and ensure the incident enforces your legal right according to your contract. They can’t come after you for a terrible tragedy that takes your life. You wrote in the suicide clause, but better safe than sorry.” I agreed
.

The Council had no chance of winning this fight. I’d prayed for so long I might catch a break, things could change and resolve themselves. In a very short amount of time it became apparent my hope would never come to fruition. Today wasn’t the day, nor was tomorrow. This was only the beginning. The dawn of the end of the world, and I was one in control
.

Jordana Barber is currently writing the next book in the Aliis Mundi series. She is happily married and is the proud mother of four boys. When she’s not trying to pull the children out of the dog pile in the living room, she’s wandering around the mountains of Colorado.