9 | House of Knowledge
LEAVE
Sveinn's POV
Felicia grabbed my arm tight, her nails digging against the sleeves of my shirt. Her cerulean blue eyes bore with intense worry. Her death grip wasn't helping the anxiety building up inside me, thinking about Krian and I's safety.
"You have to listen to me. You have to leave this place right now. Bella is a harmless witch, known for her protection spells on kids. If they are looking for you, this is not good." Her voice shook, her tears continuing to stream down her cheeks that had splatters of blood on it.
"I will. I promise... Where are you going after this?" I asked and the terror in her eyes was replaced with confusion then grief. She released her hold on me, her fingers fidgeting while trying to think of a way out of this problem.
"I... I don't know. I will have to check which property we have that can house these children. We have other branches but I don't think they can handle them." She looked at the confused and terrified kids on the sidewalk. Then, she snapped her attention back to me, eyes wide.
"Wait... What are you even doing here?!"
"I came to visit Bella. Things started to happen and I don't know where to go except here." She pushed the paramedic away, telling her to give us some privacy to which the aid respected. Once she was out of our sight, she pulled me away from the ambulance and to a more less-crowded area.
"What is it?"
"My wolf... it's back, ma'am." I told her and her eyes widened.
"Oh no... The spell. It must have worn off." She trailed off, her thoughts making her look distant with me.
"You think so? How is that even possible? I thought Bella sealed it with magic so I can't put Krian in trouble."
"Yes yes. I know but Bella told me a few years ago that the spell might wear off if Krian's powers are inevitably shown. Has she been showing signs? Is she trying to talk?"
"No. Not that I have noticed." She breathed out a sigh of relief and she began pacing in front of me.
"Bella mentioned that the only one that can repel her spell is the Moon Goddess herself...." She stopped pacing and looked at me, her face paling. "Do you think she needs her that's why she's removing the spells Bella has given to the two of you?"
"I don't know, Felicia... She's not showing signs and I'm the only one who almost shifted in the middle of the fucking road."
"Okay okay. Let me think." She began to pace again, muttering to herself.
"What if she has removed it because she has sensed that you two are in danger and the only one who can protect her is you?"
"That seems like a logical reason..." I thought about it. It would make sense but why now? Do they know about the saros cycle? The past 18 years we lived with peace and now they have killed Bella and I have started to shift again.
"Bella mentioned a book she's interested in reading before. She told me it contained a chapter about Krian's curse." My ears perked up at that. "It's in the New York Society Library though. She told me the book is being preserved and only members of that said Library can access such knowledge."
"Do you know what it is? What book is it?" I asked and she fished out her phone from the pocket of her long black skirt.
"It should be here somewhere." She spoke softly, scrolling through her phone. "There!" She gasped, showing me the screen. A photo that seemed to be recently taken was shown to me. Bella held a dark blue book, reading it with laser focus. She sat on the window side of her office, the sunlight illuminating the book she was reading.
"I took it while she wasn't look. She was... beautiful... at peace." Felicia trailed off.
"May I?" I asked for her phone and she willingly gave it to me. "Thank you." I zoomed in the book the gentle witch was reading.
"The Eons of Magna Luna..." I read the book title Bella was holding in the photo and the old lady nodded.
"She has been quiet about it but I know for sure she learned something from that book. She has started casting more spells after she read that and she would keep borrowing that book often, rereading it over and over again."
"Okay. I better go give that library a visit, Felicia. Thank you so much." I gave her phone back and she had a small smile on her face.
"I'm sorry I am not much of a help, sweetheart."
"What do you mean? Don't apologize, Felicia. Thank you for guiding me."
"Are you sure you can do this alone?" She clutched her phone nervously. The way her voice shook made me think she feared for my life.
"I do not want you to get hurt or worse... die." A tear streaked down her cheek again.
"I will be fine, Felicia. I will protect Krian with my life."
"Oh dear... what if the prophecy is true and we get killed?" I hugged her trembling body.
"Krian will not kill anyone. Have faith in her and the Moon Goddess." I reassured her and she hummed before hugging me back.
"Be safe, young man."
"You too. You need any financial assistance, call my secretary, okay?" I told her but she shook her head, pushing away from our embrace.
"It is best to cut off ties for now. We do not want your former pack to track you because of your donations to our orphanage. Even with a new name and a new identity, it is best to lay low for now." She explained.
"You're right. I guess this is a goodbye." My bond with them was created the moment I came here and I had an ache in my heart that's whispering in my conscience to not let Felicia and the kids go.
"A temporary one. We will see each other again, Taylor." She smiled, pinching my stubbled cheek.
"See you later, Felicia."
I drove back to the house, my home that's currently without any resident. My parents must have gone somewhere else. Taking a bath and removing the mixture of werewolf and other scents I have taken with me from the orphanage, I wept. Water trickled down my face and body, my tears mixing in. My bond broke with Bella and it hurts. She was a good witch; her dark hair the color of midnight and her skin pale as the moon, a figure that cannot be easily forgotten in her orphanage.
She's dead...
Changing clothes, my skin began to itch again.
"No no no! Not now!" I growled, struggling to control my wolf from showing. I closed my eyes tight, praying to the Goddess to stop giving me a hard time while I try to figure out what's happening around me. Then, my whole body was suddenly washed with relief and I slumped over the cushioned chair. I wiped the sweat off my forehead, trying to control my breathing. It felt like cool air suddenly swept me off my feet but no windows were open and nothing would make me feel like this except for a miracle from the heavens.
Thank you... I prayed to the Goddess once more before I continued changing.
"Son? Where are you going?" I heard mom ask just as she came into the house. Her personal assistant squeaked before hiding behind her and I found it weird that she would always hide from me.
"I'm going to the library, mom. You want anything when I get back?"
"The library? Oh are you going to meet your friends there?"
"No mom. I wanna find a book I wanna read." She let out a small laugh before approaching me.
"Okay okay. It's so strange having a son at your age spending time in a library unlike the sons of my friends who constantly parties. Be safe, okay?" She spoke with a gentle tone, her hand patting my cheek lightly.
"Yes mom. I'll take Krian home later."
"Oh good! I'm busy preparing for her 18th birthday. You distract her, sweetie." She grinned. Kissing her cheek, I bid goodbye, switched to my own car and left for the library.
The New York Society Library was located on the Upper East Side of New York. The oldest library in New York screamed of the history of the world written pages upon pages on books, sculpted in marble and painted in canvases.
"Ah! Mr. O'Connell! Welcome back." Mr. Lancaster recognized me by the door. He was the director and the head librarian of the distinguished library. He wore his usual black suit paired with a silky blue tie. The corner of his eyes wrinkled and his eyeglasses hung low on his nose as he approached me, a hand reaching for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lancaster." I controlled my voice, not wanting to disturb the ambience of the building. I shook hands with him as we entered the building full of books, paintings and sculptures. A couple of readers can be seen, quietly divulging through the wonders of stories.
"Are you here for leisure reading or are you going to browse through our vast collection of books?" He asked, guiding me to the private chambers where I usually read.
"You know me too well. I am looking for a specific book."
"Oh? What is it?" His brow arched in curiosity.
"The Eons of Magna Luna." I said and his eyes widened like he's surprised I wanted to read that book.
"That's a peculiar choice, Taylor. Please go to your private study room while I go look for it. I remember someone else looking for it. She wanted to borrow it and take it home but that's a limited edition book, a one in a million book in our collection that I forbid anyone to take home."
"Is that so? No one ever brought it home?"
"Not even a special member such as yourself, no can do." He grinned proudly.
"Alright. I'll read it here." I chuckled. I knew Mr. Lancaster took great care of the collections in his library and I was impressed that Bella had to use her powers just to get that book home. It must really be important. He left me to go to the fifth floor where the individual study rooms where located. A few minutes passed before someone knocked on my door and came Mr. Lancaster with the same thick blue book Bella has been reading in the photo.
"Here it is, Mr. O'Connell. Please take care of this book. You know the rules." He smiled, giving me the worn book like it has been read multiple times over the years.
"Thank you. I will take good care of it."
For hours, I have read and it looked like it was a record of the history of Mṏna Empire and the Moon Goddess herself. However, the book was written in a way that it looked like my previous culture and my previous life was a fairytale. Someone who came from the empire must have written this. I checked the date of publishing. 1521.
"Well, I'll be damned. That's a long time. Maybe the writer is alive or dead..." I huffed out my frustration as I continued reading the thick book. I was almost at the end of the book when the hair at the back of my neck stood. I straightened from my seat at what I read.
The Pillars of Divinity
An oracle from the Empire has seen a vision of light. Eleven pillars stood on Earth with a woman of pure white light glowing in the middle. Surrounded by the light, rotting black fluid flowing. A catastrophic event will make gods kneel. The world will turn dark if not for the saving grace of a speaking angel. She will come on Earth in the middle of a blood moon and she will end the graces of those who rule when the sun, moon and the earth meet.
Nothing of this catastrophe has happened in the world where the Children of the Night walk. How soon will it be for those who fear the unknown?
RIIIIIING!!!
"Fuckery fuck!" I jumped out of my seat from the ringing sound of my phone. I was so engrossed reading the book that I dissociated from the real world. Taking my phone out of pocket, I checked who my caller was.
"Oh shit!" It was Krian. I answered the call.
"Sorry Kree. I will be there before you know it." I apologized to her and I could only here her hum before she ended the call. In a rush, I took photos of the next 10 remaining pages I haven't read before I put the book on the coffee table where Mr. Lancaster will be collecting when I leave.
"Enjoyed reading?" The head librarian followed me to the exit.
"Yes. I enjoyed that fantasy book." I replied to which he beamed.
"Great! I hope to see you again, Mr. O'Connell!"
"Yes. Thank you, Sir." I shook hands with him one last time before leaving. Pushing through the New York speed limit, I reached Krian in no time. A friend of hers was beside her, casually chatting.
"Oh! Your brother is here!" The brunette girl pointed as I parked beside them at the school driveway. Rolling the window to the passenger's seat, I waved a hand at them.
"Sorry Kree. I got caught up in the library." I explained and she smiled, shaking her head before she signed.
"Again?"
"Yeah yeah. Get in." I motioned for her and she bade goodbye to her friend before she slid in the passenger's seat. She threw her back at the back seat before she buckled her seatbelt.
"Who's your friend?" I asked, driving back home.
"My new friend. Jenny. She knows how to sign." She happily smiled, giddy to tell me a good news.
"That's great! Invite her to your party."
"Already did, T." She proudly replied with her sassy signing.
Once we were home, mom doted on her like she always did when she saw her. She fuzzed over her, checking her if she has been harmed by her bullies and asking how she was in school.
"Go change, sweetie. I will bring you food in your room." She told her and Krian hugged her lovingly before kissing her cheek.
"Taylor! How was your day?" She hugged me next.
"Everything went well, mom." I replied, hugging her back.
"That's good to know. How's Mr. Lancaster?" We ended our embrace, replaced by her giving me a hot cup of chocolates with marshmallows in it.
"Still obsessed with books." She laughed at my reply, throwing her head before covering her mouth with her hands.
"Thank you for this, mom. I'll go to my room." I kissed her cheek and left with the hot drink in my hand. Once I was inside my room, pain swiftly overtook my body and I trembled.
"Fuck!" I fell to my knees, making me break the drink my mother has made for me. It shattered on the wooden rich floor, its pieces scattering and piercing my skin as I slumped on the floor. My stomach burned and my skin stung. My bones began to break pushing a mix of a growl and a scream from me.
"Taylor? Taylor! Open the door!" I could hear my mother banging on my door adding to the pounding ache of my ears.
"Go away! I'll be fine!" I growled again. My room shook as my wolf emerged from my soul, splitting my human and werewolf into two different identities in my body.
"Noooo!" My claws ripped through my floor, scratching everything I tried to touch. I could hear more banging sounds on my door and the rattling of my door knob.
"Son! What's going on?!" My eyes became clearer and I knew my werewolf is pushing to come out more. My own father has come. I do not want them to see me like this.
"Please! Go away!" I began to beg and weep, torn apart from shifting and keeping the secret from my family.
"Where are the keys?! Hurry!" I could hear my father demand and I growled once again as fur came out of me. Bending in all fours, I cried.
"No no no! Moon Goddess! No! Not like this! AAAAAH!" I screamed in pain. My bones broke where it shouldn't break, the pain of shifting causing my vision to black out. I tried to breathe, trying not to drown from the torture of having my wolf back. I could sense it push in my soul. It wanted to be let out. With one last growl, I howled in pain. My clothes were ripped away from my shift, my wolf coming out finally after 18 years being imprisoned by the spell of the good witch.
"Taylor!" My door opened the moment I shifted, my senses sharper as ever and my height towering over the fearful humans barged into my room. My mother fell on the floor, her whole body shaking before she screamed in fright. My father dropped on his knees, his eyes wide with horror and fear. As I shook and growled, the maids and my butler fainted from the sight of my gray wolf looking down on them.
I wanted to tell them I will never hurt them but I could only growl and snap at them, my wolf angry to be caged for years while being ripped away from his own race. I have kept him for too long, my human soul dominating my wolf for years and it didn't like it one bit. My growling halted the moment I picked up the light footsteps of the girl I have come to protect all these years. My wolf could recognize her. He had bonded with her before he was concealed by the spell. I wanted to push my wolf to change, not wanting Krian to see me like this while our parents looked like ghosts that went pale to the sight of Hades.
Then, she arrived breathlessly. Her footsteps faltered as she saw the sight of our maids and the butler unconscious on the ground. She didn't look up to me but her hands trembled. She's scared of me. In my wolf form, I took a step back, my neck showing towards her in submission. I could sense her power dominating against mine without her knowledge. It gave off in harsh waves and even an unwilling leader would submit to her power. I gazed upon her small form, my wolf in her level now that I bowed to her but she yelped and fell on her butt. I slowly approached her.
Please no. Do not be scared of me. I wanted to tell her but my wolf refused to make me shift back to my human form. Her whole face paled, her eyes widening in shock and her mouth covered by both of her hands in fear. Her breathing changed from slow to frantic and I wanted to close our distance together but before she could process everything, her eyes fluttered shut. My wolf's resolve came as swift as the wind as I jumped to her aid. Crossing the couple of unconscious staff, I cushioned her fall with my body, her head hitting my stomach as she fainted at the sight of me.
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