Chapter 6: Chapter Six

Sol, Jenn and I gathered in Bernard’s office.

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, Miss Whitmore,” he said, surprising me with his concern. “It means we can move forward with what needs to be done much more quickly than I anticipated. When Lettie awakens, I’d like for her to run some more tests to see what your health levels are currently, and once we hear back from her, we can move forward.”

Oh. Right. Figures he’s only concerned with my health in relation to his plan.

“So you’ve found someone who can unbind my latent abilities?” I asked. I had so much more I wanted to say to Bernard but I bit my tongue. Not only because I didn’t want to risk him kicking me out without my abilities being unlocked, but also for Sol and Jenn’s sake, too. I wanted to say they worked for Bernard, but was that entirely accurate? Either way, he meant something to them, and Sol and Jenn had been good to me. I wouldn’t cause drama that might affect them.

Bernard steepled his hands in front of himself. “Actually, I have a possible location for Morgan.”

I glanced at Sol and Jenn; both their eyes were wide. Jenn’s skin paled and she pursed her lips, while Sol cocked his head to the side.

“You know where he is?” Jenn asked, the muscles in her jaw taut. “Why haven’t you ever mentioned this before?”

“I’ve never felt it necessary,” Bernard answered simply.

“Not necessary?” Jenn’s nostrils flared and her voice sounded shrill. The pictures on the right wall beside Bernard’s desk wobbled precariously, and I remembered what Jenn had said about being able to break every window in the building if she tried.

Was shit about to get real?

“You know what Morgan meant to both of us. He was like a brother to me,” Sol said. He didn’t seem quite as irate as Jenn, but still, I could see a vein pulsing in his temple.

“Which is exactly why I never mentioned it before. Morgan made his stance clear the day he walked out of this building. He has no loyalty to the Order. Or its members.”

Jenn bowed her head and glanced away.

“I can’t make a person stay if they don’t want to, and you know I’ve never intervened in personal relations between Order members,” Bernard went on.

“So, what changed?” Sol challenged.

Every time we spoke with Bernard, Sol always stared at him with admiration and respect, but right now, I could see some of that reverence fading away.

“Miss Whitmore here,” Bernard said, gesturing towards me. “We all know what will happen if your abilities remain bound, and like it or not Morgan is the only person associated with the Order that might be powerful enough to do what needs to be done.”

“Lettie said there are other headquarters in the country, surely there’s got to be someone there?” I asked. While ideally, I wanted my powers unbound, and the dangers of them consuming me, dealt with as quickly as possible, every time Morgan’s name was mentioned, it caused tension.

Bernard shook his head. “Believe me, if there were, I’d have already contacted them. But you, Miss Whitmore, are descended from Celestials. The power inside you is greater than most, and to unlock it, we need the most powerful arcanist there is. That’s Morgan Jackson.”

“How about someone not associated with the Order?” Sol suggested. “The Underground is a huge place, after all.”

A small smile creeped over Bernard’s lips. “Funny you should mention the Underground, because there’s where I believe Morgan is.”

Jenn’s focus snapped back to Bernard. “How do you even know this?”

Bernard shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m afraid that information is classified, sharable only to the most senior members of the Order.”

“Don’t give me that crap!” Jenn shouted, and the glass in one of the picture frames to the right of Bernard shattered.

I glanced at the picture to see it was a group photo, and quickly recognized two of its subjects as Sol and Jenn in their teens. The third person posing with them could only be the elusive Morgan.

I don’t know what I was expecting the ‘most powerful arcanist there is,’ to look like, but it certainly wasn’t the scrawny teen in the picture with Sol and Jenn. He was the shortest of the three, and even as a teen Sol had been muscular and athletic. Jenn had stood with the same calm poise she possessed now; her demeanour was almost regal.

And then there was Morgan. He looked one step away from an anti-social behaviour order or something. His clothes were scruffy and unkept, like he hadn’t cleaned them in months, and his auburn hair was a mop on his head.

But the thing that stood out most about Morgan was his eyes. They were bright green and glowed with an unnatural fire.

Just like Lettie and Catherine did, something about Morgan made me feel uneasy.

I tore my gaze away from the shattered picture frame to focus on Sol and Jenn. She still looked like she was about to murder Bernard or something, and only Sol’s presence, his hands gently resting on her shoulders, seemed to have any calming effect.

“Jenn, please. Think about this carefully. I know you loved Morgan, but he left us. Is he really worth risking your whole life with the Order over?”

Jenn stiffened. “It isn’t just about Morgan. Bernard has been keeping information from us. How does he know where Morgan even is without some sort of tracking?”

I’d been so caught up by Jenn’s explosive reaction that I never fully realized the implications of Bernard’s words. How did he know where Morgan was?

My eyes narrowed. “What are you telling us?”

“There is no us Miss Whitmore,” Bernard ground out.

“With all due respect, Sir, Roxie is part of this now. And I too would like to know how you know where Morgan is,” Sol said, in a firm voice that left no room for argument.

Bernard raked his hands through his salt-and-pepper hair and sighed. I’d never seen him cowed before.

“What I’m about to tell you must never leave this room, do you understand?” he demanded.

“We understand,” Sol, Jenn and I said in unison. Only, I crossed my fingers behind my back. I still didn’t trust Bernard, and even if he was willing to unbind my abilities and share Order secrets with me, I felt no loyalty to him.

“For a number of reasons, mostly their safety, when someone joins the Order, a small amount of their blood is taken, and incantations are used so that senior members of the Order may track anyone whose blood we have on record. You can understand why, with people as powerful as Morgan is, these measures are deemed necessary.”

One the one hand, it made sense the Order wanted a way to track dangerous paranormal beings and magic users. I wondered how much easier the mission to eliminate Catherine would be if we had some of her blood? On the other hand, ew. Secretly taking someone’s blood and using it to track them was a huge breach of privacy.

Apparently, Sol and Jenn felt the same way that I did, because Sol’s hands dropped from Jenn’s shoulders, and they both took a step towards Bernard, their eyes glowing dangerously.

The air rippled around me, and the golden aura returned, as my heartrate speed up and my body became hotter.

“Stop it!” I cried out. “You’re triggering my abilities.”

Sol’s expression instantly returned to natural, and he turned to me. “Roxie, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

I gasped for air. “I will be, if you three cut this out.”

My words calmed Jenn too, and she dropped back into her chair with a sheepish shrug. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I get it, you’re pissed off at Bernard – if I was in your position I would be too.” I turned to the man in question, my eyes narrowing. “You not telling Sol and Jenn you knew where Morgan is was bad enough, but hiding the fact you can track members of the Order? That’s some serious shady shit. You claim to be the good guys, then start acting like it.”

Bernard stared at me steadily from across the table and spoke in a calm and collected voice. “Miss Whitmore, you may be descended from Celestials, and have the potential for great power, but do not forget your place. You’re not even an official member of the Order, and I am the leader of these headquarters. You’d do well to remember that.”

I glared back at Bernard, but knew I had no more room to push my luck. While I seriously doubted Bernard might withdraw his agreement to have my powers unbound, there was that miniscule shred on uncertainty in the back of my mind that told me to play nice.

“Point taken.”

Bernard looked pleased that I’d backed down and his gaze moved between all three of us.

“As I was saying, I have reason to believe Morgan is in the Underground. Sol, you will begin your search there.”

“I’m coming too,” Jenn and I said at the same time.

“Jennifer, given your history with Morgan and what happens when your emotions get out of control,” he glanced pointedly at the shattered picture frame. “I advise you to stay here. It’s paramount that Morgan return to unbind Miss Whitmore’s abilities, so you will have your chance to tell him exactly how you feel in due course.”

Jenn glanced to Sol who nodded his head. “I’ll make sure to find him and bring him home, Jenn. Don’t worry.”

Jenn huffed out a breath. “Fine. I will stay here.”

I expected Bernard to say I had to stay here too, and possibly argue that we hadn’t had Lettie check my health levels yet, but instead, he said, “You’re all free to go.”

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I remained silent as Sol, Jenn and I rose from our seats.

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The moment we left Bernard’s office, Sol turned to me, his brows drawn together. “You should stay here too. It could be dangerous in the Underground.”

If it had been anyone else saying these words to me, I would have rolled my eyes, but with Sol, I softened my expression. “I appreciate your concern for me, I really do, but I’m going crazy cooped up in here—” When Sol opened his mouth to argue, I held up my hands to indicate I hadn’t finished speaking, and then went on. “So, why don’t we compromise? I’ll get checked over by Lettie first, and if she thinks I’m not up to leaving, I’ll stay here. But if she gives me the all clear, I can come with you?”

Sol sighed. “Sure. If Lettie gives you the all clear, you can come.”

“Yes!” I said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, because Sol frowned and Jenn giggled.

“I’ll leave you both to it,” Jenn said, as we reached the doorway that led to Lettie’s lab. “I need some space.”

“Are you okay?” Sol asked, with the same soft concern he used when checking on me. It warmed me to know he considered me in the same way he did Jenn, despite having known her for so much longer.

“No,” Jenn answered honestly, and even though we barely knew each other, I felt compelled to hug her. I held back though, knowing unexpected hugs unnerved some people, and instead reached for her hand.

“If there’s anything we can do—” I trailed off, not knowing exactly what it was I was offering. I wanted to do something though. She’d shown me such kindness, and I felt bad for causing her unnecessary pain.

To my surprise, Jenn squeezed my hand back and said, “Just take care of yourself, okay?” She lifted her gaze to Sol, who was stood just behind me. “That goes for you too. The Underground is unpredictable, and Morgan is, well, Morgan.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take every precaution,” Sol said, and that seemed to ease the tense in Jenn’s body.

She let go of my hand and stepped forwards to embrace Sol. The two wrapped their arms around each other tightly, and for the first time since arriving – Bernard’s treatment of me not included – I felt like an outsider.

I glanced into the lab, seeing if Lettie had woken yet.

When Sol stepped up beside me, Jenn was gone, and he had a morose expression on his face. He held up his hand to signal for us to stop walking, and said, “Thank you. Back there, with both Bernard and Jenn. I know none of this can be easy for you, but I can see you’re trying.”

I tilted my face up to gaze into his stormy grey eyes, unable to keep the smile off my face. “I’m still figuring out how I fit in around here, but both you and Jenn have been good to me. I don’t want to do anything to cause trouble for you. In fact, I’d like it if we could be friends.”

Sol smiled too and offered me his hands. “Friends,” he affirmed, and then led me through the lab to the medical area.

No doubt hearing us coming with her supernatural senses, Lettie appeared from a store closet towards the back of the room, and I noticed a small trickle of blood on her chin. She wiped it away quickly.

“Sorry, I was just having dinner,” she said, as casually as if we’d caught her eating a slice of pizza or something.

Curiosity got the better of me, and before my mind could tell my mouth to stop, I blurted, “Do you have someone you feed from back there?”

Lettie’s luminescent violet eyes widened. “Oh gods no. I haven’t drunk from a live doner in years. These days the Order gets supplies from medical facilities, but I’m working on a formula to create synthetic blood.”

“Oh, wow, that’s pretty awesome. And I suppose if you’re successful you could share the results with hospitals and stuff, right? To help combat the lack of blood doners.”

Lettie grinned, her fangs catching the light. “That’s the plan. I want to be able to help not only my species, but humans, too. We all have to live on this planet together, there has to be some way we can achieve that harmoniously.”

“You know, I think people got it wrong about vampires. If they’re all like you, then there’s nothing to be afraid of,” I told her. Lettie bowed her head, and I realized I’d said the wrong thing. “I’m sorry, what I meant was—”

“It’s okay, Roxie. Just please don’t let my behaviour ever trick you into thinking most vampires aren’t dangerous. Yes, there are some good ones, like me, who want to live peacefully. But there are many who’d sooner band together and wipe out humans entirely.”

Shit. I didn’t realize it was that bad. I guessed the Ancile were doing something about it though, and who knew, if Lettie was successful in making synthetic blood, perhaps that would change vampire disposition.

“Bernard wants you to check Roxie’s vitals,” Sol said, brining the conversation around to the reason we were actually here for. “And Roxie wants to accompany me on a mission to the Underground, but I won’t allow it unless we get the all clear from you, first.”

Lettie nodded and turned to the counter where she kept the vials for blood storage, and other medical equipment. “You should know the drill by now Roxie.”

I did indeed. I’d been poked at and prodded enough in the last few days that this was becoming second nature to me. I rolled up my right sleeve and presented my arm to Lettie.

She drew three vials of my blood, and put them in the analysis machine, and then turned to me with a thermometer and stethoscope.

Lettie checked everything from my pulse to my hearing, and when the blood analysis machine finally beeped to indicate it was done testing my blood, she turned away to check the results.

“Well, all looks good here. The effects of being in proximity to a feeding lich are finally wearing away, and for now, your latent ability is under control. This doesn’t mean you should waste any time though. The longer your abilities remain bound, the more danger your life is in.”

“But I’m well enough to go to the Underground with Sol?” I asked.

“Yes. I see no medical reason why not. Just be careful. Dark and dangerous beings frequent the Underground and being in such close proximity to so many supernatural beings may trigger your abilities.”

“I’ll ensure no harm comes to her,” Sol said in a serious tone, and I smiled up at him.

“I’ll be on my best behaviour. I swear.”

I got up from the chair and righted my sleeve, and we were about to leave the lab when Lettie called out, “Can I ask you for a favour?”

“Absolutely. Anything you need,” I replied before Sol could respond.

Lettie smiled. “Thank you, Roxie, but I will need Sol’s approval too.”

She gazed at him expectantly.

“It depends on what the favour is,” Sol replied.

“I’ve told you about Marguerite, haven’t I?” she asked.

“Your blood-sister, right?” Sol said, and I listened with interest.

I didn’t know the hierarchy of vampires but assumed blood-siblings were two people turned by the same vampire.

“Yes. I’ve asked her again and again to join the Order, but she won’t listen. I was hoping you’d take some blood to her, so then at least she doesn’t have to kill to sustain herself.”

I shuddered all over thinking of what vampires not affiliated with the Ancile had to do to stay alive.

“Of course. Just package everything properly, and I will make sure she gets it,” Sol replied, his response indicating he’d possibly done something like this for Lettie in the past.

“Thank you. I’ll just be a moment.” Lettie disappeared into her storeroom, and returned a moment later carrying one of those insulated medical containers hospitals and such used for transporting blood.

Sol easily picked up the medical container, and then he and I left the lab. We stopped in the corridor, and he said, “I’ll need you to carry this once we get there, as I’ll have my sword.”

My eyes lit up at the mention of the weapon. “I can’t wait to see it.”

Sol blushed deep red, and I suddenly realized the implications of my words, and hurriedly glanced away.

“Change into something warm and durable,” Sol said, breezing over the awkward moment. “Jenn brought a leather jacket and some combat boots back from your apartment, wear those.”

“Got it,” I said and then headed off to my room.

I felt a little nervous as a plaited my hair into a long braid, then changed into some jeans, a long-sleeved sweatshirt, and my combat boots.

When Bernard had first mentioned the Underground, I’d been full of curiosity, but now we were actually going there, that inquisitiveness turned to fear. I remembered what Lettie had said about not all vampires being good like she was, and the other dark and dangerous beings that resided there.

My mind was assaulted by images of Catherine feeding, and a cold shiver passed through my body.

What was I about to come into contact with?

Then I remembered the picture of Morgan Jackson that Jenn had shattered. While he hadn’t looked scary, he’d certainly looked menacing, like the unruly teenagers who hung around on street corners. And that was years ago, before the powerful arcanist had betrayed those closest to him and abandoned the Order.

Even if we did manage to avoid hungry vampires, and other beings who might do us harm, we were seeking out a very dangerous man, who by all accounts didn’t want to be found.

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