"You think you are smart just because you caught and framed me catching me off guard?" she asked him. 

He, in turn, said, "Don't you think it was brilliant? I thought you would be better than this but who knew that you were this easy to be caught and put behind in the cell in here. I don't know why but I feel this strange feeling as if I achieved something that the others couldn't," one side of his lips pulled up into a smile. 

"Don't get ahead of yourself boy. Just because of one mistake-"

Damien tched at her, "One? Give me some credit, councilwoman Ava. You forgot to pick up your perfumed handkerchief but you also killed a white witch thinking n.o.body would have caught you in the act? We are no more playing with the p.a.w.ns of chess because it is a checkmate to you. You do know you will be executed by the end of today. For the sins and rules you have broken do you think you have the time to be speaking instead of saying the last few words before you die."

"You won't kill me. None of you will. You need me to find the witches or anyone else who is involved. What you discovered in Valeria was by chance."

Damien shook his head at her words, "Nothing happens just like that. Don't you think the universe has some part to play in it?"

"The universe does nothing."

"Is that so?" Damien questioned her. He looked at the walls that covered the cell, swiping his finger to feel the dust that had acc.u.mulated without being cleaned for G.o.d only knows how long. The cells were never cleaned that often and it being located in a place that rained day and night, it was a surprise how fungus had not formed on the walls. Not bothering to lean against the wall, he said, "If you really didn't believe in the universe you wouldn't have harbored plans on bringing the switchers in these lands to corrupt some of our families. Am I wrong?" 

The woman didn't respond to any of his statements. 

"Staying quiet is a good option but I don't need to know from your own mouth what you have been doing over the past years. Though let's speak about the year back from today. Do you want me to jog your memory? I will be happy to do that," he said to her, "Initially I thought how Creed would be the only one doing all these things. From the council exam to the switchers, not to forget about the corruption. The man didn't have much contact when it came to the witches unless it came through from someone and that someone being you."

"You have no proof over me," Councilwoman Ava replied to him. 

"Sometimes the proof is not needed. Let me tell you a short story that is popular amongst humans. There was a king who was arrogant and prideful. He was considered to be stupid and cruel, taking in everything and anything from his subjects. One day the subjects got tired and they killed him. Now the question was raised as to who murdered the king but no one came forth because everyone was responsible for the King's death. Do you get what I am saying? I wonder if your old rusted brain can understand it," he taunted her. 

The woman folded her hands, "You're telling me the council people together are trying to throw me off."

Damien shook his head, "In your case we have proof. I don't have to go too far to question why because I am barely interested in it. You were the one who has been pulling the strings in the council. Though it was the black witches who found the alignment of stars who would hinder your plans, you were the one who located the families and decided to kill them off." 

"The alignment of stars doesn't exist anymore. The corruption killed them," there was arrogance in the way the old woman replied back to him. 

So that was what it was, thought Damien to himself. After they had sent the people to poison the ones in the house they had come to believe that the stars had changed when in truth it didn't. He wondered what made them think it to be so. 

"The people have been killed and they don't exist anymore," by her words, he questioned what the black witches had seen and deciphered to think they had died when in reality they were very much alive. At least Penelope was still there right in front of his eyes since this morning.

It was probable that after the first attack, the black witches had taken that the alignment of stars had been disturbed. 

"Who knew your butler would have turned out to be an alignment of stars," she commented. 

Giving her the benefit of doubt, he asked her, "Why was it important to kill the alignment of stars?"

Ava didn't bother herself in keeping the information anymore within herself because all in good time the black witches would prevail on these lands they were standing on along with the other lands and she would be out and free,

"The stars were told to create a domino effect in stopping the unbinding of the magic. It was a prophecy which was drawn years ago and the black witches have been checking it but then they stopped believing the people didn't exist but when they ran the ritual for it again last year after a break they found that the people existed. So we got them killed."

It seemed like the information the black witches had were all wrong. Penny was alive and so was Belle, he wasn't sure about Vivian Carmichael who was a former councilwoman here because he had someone find more information about the couple as they had disappeared suddenly to go on their vacation. 

"Interesting," Damien commented, scratching the back of his neck he asked, "What about the witch hunters?" 

"What about them?" the woman stared back at him. 

Damien couldn't hear the spike in her heart rate because the woman had attained a level of being able to control her heart rate without letting a vampire hear the jerk and give doubt to them. 

"You weren't with just the black witch but you have a witch hunter. Not to forget, that the girl who Creed took in, what was her name again," Damien gave out a thoughtful look, "You must be knowing her."

"Mila," the woman gave him the name even though he already knew what the witch hunter's name was. 

"Yes, her. You were the one who was in charge of the witch hunters list, weren't you. I heard you sent her and some of the witch hunters to Mythweald. There were too many migrations."

"Why do you think?"

"You shouldn't be hiding anymore, Ava. Soon you will be leaving this place and it would be right for you to share your thoughts on it. I mean a woman carries so much of burden, especially a woman like you who had been killing and getting people killed. I think it is time to confess."