Taste of Secrets

Chapter Ten

(The Next Day)

I walked into the Temple, preparing myself to talk with my mother. After talking with my friends, it took a little bit to convince me. My heart raced as I prepped myself to quit the Order. I needed to know why my mother did the incantation, or what it'll do to me. I mean, will it kill me? Could I kill someone else? The last thing I wanted was to kill someone innocent accidentally. 

While walking towards the temple doors, I heard my mother speaking with Keplr. I stood by the side to see if I could understand. "Hemmings is dead," she said. I leaned in to hear better. "There was a fire at his lab," she added. Kepler let out a heavy sigh. "At least he died doing what he loved," Kepler said. "The fire was magical and used to cover up the fact that he was murdered by Werewolves," my mother replied. 

My eyes widened at my mother's explanation. This meant that the Order knew about the Knights, or at least knew they existed. I just hoped she wouldn't figure me out. "It also," my mother paused, "Destroyed several manuscripts and artifacts from this reliquary. Items Hemmings took without my permission, and there's only one way he could've done that."

Kepler finished her sentence with, "Magic." There was another short pause. "Or Edward granted him access," my mother said. I stepped to the side slightly and pushed the door slightly, looking between the two doors. My mother sat down in her chair with her hands resting on the armrests. "Hemmings was working for the Grand Magus?" Kepler questioned, surprised. 

I could hear footsteps coming from outside of the temple. I quickly ran to a pillar and hit behind it, keeping my arms to my chest. "Ms. Stone," Edward cleared his throat, "Care to tell me why you are hiding behind the pillar?" I slowly stepped out from the pillar with my hands behind my back. He smiled at me and tilted his head to the left. "Admiring the carvings, Grand Magus," I answered. 

He chuckled and stepped towards me. He set a hand on my shoulder. "Please, call me Edward," Edward said. I smiled shyly. Edward lifted his hand, waving it. "Come with me. I'm sure your mother would love to see you," he said. I followed him inside the office where Kepler and my mother were talking. She looked up from her desk and spotted me standing beside Edward. 

"Y/N," she muttered. "Hemmings was trying to protect the temple," Edward said. He completely ignored my mother when she said my name. "And it's disciples," he added. She opened her mouth to speak, but the Grand Magus interrupted her. "And yes. I empowered him without consulting the Gnostic Council. Time was of the essence," Edward set a book down. 

My mother shifted her eyes from the book up to Edward. "It's a phone call," she said. Edward stepped closer to the desk, making Kepler step aside. "It's a conference line. And someone's always late," he said. I stayed beside the door, my arms still at my sides. "He's not wrong," Kepler agreed, chuckling slightly. My mother looked up at Kepler and glared at her. 

The three of them continued to speak about how the Order had a werewolf problem that wouldn't go away. I covered my shock with a cough. They glanced at me before continuing the conversation. I bowed my head and ignored their gaze. "So, you admit that you knew about it," my mother said, brows raised. "Well, you make it seem like I have something to answer for," Edward spoke. 

He stepped back and crossed his arms. "You weren't capable of dealing with the situation. So, I asked Hemmings to find a way," Edward said. "She's trying her best," I stepped over to the desk. "Y/N, sweetie. The adults are talking," my mother put out a hand. Kepler glanced at me and rolled her eyes. "That doesn't sound reasonable, Vera," she remarked. 

His comment about Hemmings made me think about if he had known that I was taken. It would explain the sudden comments about my so-called abilities. Yet, maybe Hemmings had taken me just cause I was with Randall.