The room quieted once more.
Mary looked at each of them before answering.
Then…
She smiled.
It wasn't warm.
It wasn't reassuring.
If anything, it looked grim.
"We have reasons to believe that this world holds the secret to defeating the Ancient One."
Liam frowned immediately.
"The Ancient One?"
He glanced between them.
"The old vampire?" he asked.
Irina nodded.
"Mary is referring to the first vampire."
"The one in slumber."
The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
Even Tatiana, who still didn't fully understand the scale of what they were discussing, felt goosebumps rise across her skin.
The first vampire.
The monster connected to every vampire in existence.
The creature Irina had described as the source from which all others flowed.
Mary slowly nodded.
"We've had visions."
Her voice dropped lower.
"The witches council has prophets."
"They have spent years peering into countless possible futures."
The confidence she'd shown earlier vanished.
