Randall and I sat side by side, my head resting on his shoulder. After Alyssa had left, the rest of us hadn't really spoken in full-length conversations. Other than a 'nice drink Hamish' or a simple 'How's everyone's day going', the second question was from Randall, of course. A couple of minutes passed, and the Knights got the familiar ringing sound. "Well, that was intense," Lilith said.
She walked over to the chair and plopped down, resting her feet on the ottoman. "That was probably Edward and Alyssa," Randall huffed, "Probably making sweet, sweet magic together somewhere." We all turned our heads to him, disgusted by his comment. He put his hands up, a little confused at our reaction. "That's gross. He's probably like forty," I said.
"I meant it in a literal sense," Randall downed the rest of his martini. He sighed and reached out his hand for Hamish to refill it. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay?" Jack said. He chugged his beer and crushed the can with his hands. "You know," he sighed, "I just don't understand why she can't see what a monster he is."
Jack stood up from the couch and threw his arms up in the air. Hamish sat on the stool, putting his drink down. "It's because he's her idol. You can't tear someone's idol down for them. They have to do that themselves," Hamish said. Randall pointed at him in agreement. "The Hamsters right," he said.
Hamish's face contorted from the sudden nickname. He shook his head again. "Don't call me that," he paused to take a drink. "I'm no fan of Coventry, but objectively he does have a high bang-ability," Lilith said. "And don't forget his ability to creep the hell out of people," I added. "You're talking about my girlfriend," Jack said.
He glanced between Lilith and me. I corrected him, saying 'ex-girlfriend' instead of 'girlfriend.' Jack leaned back in the chair with crossed arms. "And my dad," he stated. "He's not your dad. He's some guy who dumped his seed into your mom and took off," Lilith said, using her hands as she spoke. Now my face contorted in reaction.
"Okay, that's stepping over the line a little bit," I said. "You got a better way to describe it," she countered. I shrugged. Randall suggested biological father, which got no response from Jack. It was silent for a few more minutes until Hamish broke it. "Maybe Alyssa's right about you quitting The Order," Hamish thought.
Jack shook his head. "It's not that easy. Remember what happened to Lilith and her memory?" he said, pointing to our friend. "I don't," she said, sighing. "If I'm lucky. That's all they take," Jack said. Randall stood up from the couch, rubbing his hands together, stating that we all had a new project. "Find a way to restore Jack's memory. We can test it out at Lilith," Randall said.
She tilted back in her chair, shaking her head vigorously. "I don't want my memory back," she said. "Lil, it would be so cool. What if you found out you can shred the electric guitar?" Randall grinned. He listed a few more examples of what Lilith might find out. "We could start a band. Randall and the Werewolves," Randall continued.
"Why don't I get top billing?" Hamish said, disappointed. "If you have to ask," Randall took a swig of his drink, "That's why." Hamish rolled his eyes and stood up, crossing his arms. He leaned against the edge of the bar. "I can deal with shredding. I just don't want to live in any world where I was besties with Alyssa Drake," Lilith said.
The Knights groaned and craned their necks to the side in pain. They all stood there for a few seconds in pain. Randall hit his hand on the edge of the counter, coughing. "That was annoying," he huffed. "And longer than usual," Lilith commented. My friends spent a couple of minutes regaining themselves before our conversation continued.
"It's been a long night for all of us. Get some rest. Whatever it is, it can wait," Hamish said.
~~~~
(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.
Edward tells Kepler and my mother that he initiated the Vade Maecum Infernal as approved by the council. Both of their eyes widened when Edward said that. "You've restored the book?" Kepler said, looking between the book and the Grand Magus. "As it turns out, the Vade Maecum is all that I need to destroy these pests," Edward said, referring to the Knights.
"And until then?" my mother asked. "We need to do everything that we can to keep the werewolves away from the Temple," Edward said, "You were right, Kepler. The book attracts them. It's time for action, I want to build our new future. I trust I have the Council's support."
Kepler looked at my mother than me. It didn't take long till she and my mother both agreed to Edward's statement. "The incantation will be our crowning achievement," my mother said. "I know," Edward smirked. He and Kepler left the room, leaving the two of us inside. I waited a second until the doors closed.
I listened to their footsteps and looked back at my mother, who was leaning back in her seat. "Mom, you can't possibly go through with this," I said. "And why should I listen to a nineteen-year-old girl?" she remarked. "Maybe because this 'nineteen-year-old' girl is your daughter?" I said, putting my hands on my hips.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed a book from the desk drawer. I stood there, half-expecting her to apologize or continue the conversation. "Don't you have friends to hang out with?" she said. "Yeah. I'll just leave you to deal with the shithole of The Order," I turned around, leaving the office.
~~~~
(Later That Day)
Jack and I walked side by side, making our towards the Werewolf den. Hamish and Randall sat on the porch. "I thought you were working on recovered memory spells," Jack stood in front of them, holding his backpack straps. "We did," Randall nodded. He extended his legs and rested them on top of the kiddie pool. "Now we're relaxing," he added.
"A previous Tundra, the most brilliant of the Knights, wrote about it in one of the journals, and Tundra found it," Hamish said. Randall gestured to him and nodded. He looked back at the two of us with a wide smile on his face. "So, now Jack can quit," Randall said. "Um, yeah, I didn't end up quitting," I sighed.
The boys' heads turned to me at the sound of my response. I smiled shly, again, and shoved my hands into my jacket's pockets. "My mom and Kepler were having a very lengthy conversation," I said. Randall noticed my expression and decided to drop it. "Alrighty, then Jack. Get wiped, and then we can reboot you," Randall took a sip of his drink.
It seemed that all of the Knights just drank all of the time, which is something I should've caught on. A piece of furniture flew out of the window, breaking the glass. Jack pulled me to the side before it fell on me. "We told each other everything!" Lilith yelled. "She's particularly enjoying the Alyssa memories," Hamish said, pointing to the broken window. "I'm going to do it," Jack nodded.
Randall sat up in his chair. He took off his sunglasses, resting them on the top of his head. "You're kicking magic to the curb?" he grinned. "I'm quitting the Order!" Jack shouted, putting his arms on either side of him. "It's about time," Randall cheered. He stood up from his chair, almost slipping into the kiddie pool.
He grabbed onto my shoulder, trying to gain his balance. I laughed and helped him out of the pool. Lilith screamed again and launched another chair out of the now-broken window. "I told her everything! We braided each other's hair!" Lilith exclaimed. Jack sighed heavily, shaking his head.
~~~~
(Later That Day)
Here we were, back at the hidden quarters of The Order. Me, Jack, and Randall walked up to the metal fence that prevented people from coming in. "It's funny. I always thought the Temple was under the reference library. Instead of the haunted house. Which makes more sense, you know, metaphorically," Randall said, using his hands as he spoke.
"I remember when getting into The Order was all I ever wanted," Jack said. We stopped in front of the abandoned building. "Now I'm just walking away from it," he added, sighing. "Hey," I said, "At least you have the guts to quit." Jack nodded, chuckling nervously. "Now get it in there and lose your mind," Randall pushed him closer to the gate.
I gave him a thumbs up, encouraging him. He waved his hand and lifted the side of the gate. "We got your back!" Randall and I cheered. Jack smiled and weaved through the bushes and into the front door. The two of us watched him carefully. "What do you think he's going to say when he comes out?" I said, sitting down on the ground.
"I have no clue," Randall sat down, "Have you told your mom?" I shook my head in response, putting my head on his shoulder. Randall smiled and set his head on top of mine. It was quiet for a few moments. I couldn't stop the smile from reaching my face at our little moment. "Y/N, Randall!" Alyssa yelled.
We turned around and saw Jack hunching over with his hand clutching his chest. "Oh my god," I mumbled. The two of us ran over to them, checking on our friend. "Did you wipe too much of his memory? Does he think he's a baby?" Randall set a hand on Jack's back. "Jack, what happened to you?" I asked. He grunted and shook his head.
Alyssa and Randall brought Jack over on the side, making sure he was alright. It took Jack a second to regain himself. "It's Silverback. Something's wrong. He's fighting me," he groaned, craning his neck to the side. "You need to get him out of here," Alyssa stood up. She shouted at us to hurry up. Me and Randall each grabbed Jack's arms, hoisting him up from the sidewalk.
It took us a little bit to get back to the Knights's den. I pushed open the front door while Randall helped Jack. "My skin. It's on fire," Jack said. We led him into the house and to the living room. Jack fell on top of the beanbag, wincing in pain. "That's Silverback," Randall said. "Who did this to him? Was it that bitch, Alyssa?" Lilith said.
"Whom I loved, once," Lilith muttered. Hamish and Randall each gave her a weird look. "Like a sister, you perverts," she said. I looked down at Jack as he continued to groan, continuing to reach for his chest. "What were they doing at the temple?" Hamish asked. "They're preparing for something called the..." Jack trailed, speaking slowly.
"The Vade Maecum," I finished, "my mother, Edward, and Kepler were talking about it." Lilith's face turned pale. Her eyes widened when I mentioned the book. She tucked her hair away from her face as she looked down at Jack. "Fuck. I really wish you hadn't returned my memory," she said. As on cue, our friend screamed, gripping onto the sides of the beanbag.
~~~~
(The Next Day)
Jack leaned into the towel as I dabbed his forehead. Randall lifted the side of Jack's shirt, checking on the wound. "You've been mixing that stuff all night. Isn't it ready yet?" Randall said, looking back at Hamish and Lilith. "Do you want it made fast? Or made right?" Lilith remarked. She mixed in different things. Not sure what, but all I knew was that it stunk. "You sure you know what you're doing?" Hamish asked.
"You're the one who found the stupid memories. So, shut up and let me use them," Lilith said, softly pushing him aside. I handed Randall the cloth. He took it from me, wiping Jack's forehead. "This 'potion' can cure him, right?" I stood up from the floor. "Nope, but it should buy us time to figure out what's happening," Lilith responded.
I looked back at Jack, worrying about his position. He continued to squirm around in the beanbag. Randall held his shoulder until Jack stopped moving. "Pour this into that," Lilith handed a container to Hamish. I knelt down beside the green beanbag, worried about Jack. I had only known him for a couple of months, but he was the first friend I met on campus.
Randall put a hand on my shoulder, running his thumb along the side of my arm. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Just worried," I answered. Randall smiled softly but kept his hand on my arm. "I think we're all a little worried," he said. I chuckled and nodded my head, looking back at Jack. He suggested that I take a break and try to get some rest. "I'm okay. Jack needs us to help him," I said.
He slowly nodded his head and took his hand off my shoulder. "So, how could this spell book do this to him?" Randall asked. "I already told you. The Vade Maecum isn't just a spell book. It gives you absolute control over magic. No sacrifices, no potions, no spells. It's just literally becomes magic," Lilith said, looking at the bowl as she mixed everything together.
"Then why doesn't everyone do it?" Hamish put the cocktail shaker down. "One book, one person. That's the deal," Lilith said. She put up her pointer finger. Randall sat back and leaned against the side of the couch. I set a hand on his kneel, smiling encouragingly. He turned to me and smiled, laying his hand on top of mine.
Lilith walked over to the bowl in her hands. She walked over to Randall and me, telling us to 'sit him up'. She poured the drink into Jack's mouth (GIF Above). We waited a few seconds. "Is it working?" Randall asked. Soon enough, the potion began to do its magic. The wound on Jack's chest slowly disappeared. He groaned in pain again. Well, maybe the potion wasn't working after all.
"Guys, I hate to sound too pre-med, but that looks like tissue rejection," I said. Randall pointed at me and nodded. "We might have to remove Silverback," he sighed. "Won't that kill him?" I stood up from the ground, putting my hands into my pockets. "The only way to get a hide off a Knight is by death. That's the rule," Hamish informed.
"It's not like us to ever break a rule," Randall said. "It's not our call," I shook my head, taking my hands out. He huffed and sat beside the beanbag, putting an arm around the side. "Jack, buddy? You want us to save your life?" he asked. Jack moaned. "I'm taking that as a yes," Randall looked up at us.
I reached into Jack's pocket and grabbed his phone. His grandfather's contact was at the top of the list. "What're you doing?" Hamish asked. "Calling his grandfather," I replied, clicking on the contact before calling Pete. He sighed and looked down at his fellow Knight. "He deserves to know what's happened," I put the phone up to my ear.
Once I had called Pete, he told me that he'd be there soon. Just a few minutes went by, and we heard a banging from the front door, stopping the silence. Randall rushed over to the door and opened it. Pete Morton ran over to his grandson. "Mr. Morton, I'm Hamish Duke," Hamish introduced himself.
However, Jack's grandfather didn't respond. He took Jack's hand and held it tightly. "What's wrong with him?" he asked. "I don't know what you know, but you're gonna need to brace yourself," Hamish said. "He's a werewolf! He's been fucked by magic!" Pete shouted, preventing any of us from speaking any further.
"I'd say he knows quite a bit," Randall said, standing beside me. Pete turned to us, telling us to explain everything. "Jack went to the Temple to quit the Order. They were preparing for a spell. Somehow it infected him," I explained. Pete glanced at me and then at Jack. "When he came back, he was like this," Lilith added.
Jack's grandfather shook his head and went back to Jack, holding his hand again. "We think his hide is trying to separate from him. That's all we know," I said. It broke my heart to see Jack's grandfather cry, seeing his only family left struggle before him. Pete sighed and nodded his head. "We need to take him to the hospital," Pete said. Lilith put a hand on his shoulder. "Doctors can't help him," she said.
"Look, Jack's grandpa," Randall sighed, "Jack's body is under attack by his hide. He'll never heal as long as it keeps pulling off and reattaching." That made Pete even more confused than before. "It's what makes them werewolves," I answered. "Are you not a werewolf?" Pete asked, slightly stuttering. I cleared my throat and shook my head. "No, uh, I'm just me," I said, "We may be able to save him. If we can remove the hide.
Pete looked at me, then to Jack, and then to me again. "So, if we pull it off, that's good, right? I mean, he won't be a Werewolf anymore?" Pete said. The Knights never answered his question. They avoided eye contact with the man. His shoulders dropped at the realization. "You don't know," he sighed heavily.
"We do know that doing nothing is killing him," Hamish said. There was a long pause before Pete spoke. "Do it," Pete said, looking up from Jack.
~~~~
(Later)
Randall, Pete, and Hamish lifted Jack from the beanbag. They carried him over to the beer pong table. I lifted the back of Jack's shirt, revealing a massive cut along his back. "Okay, now what?" Pete said. "We wait," Randall stepped away from the table. I swiftly wiped away a tear, trying not to reveal that I was crying. Our friend grunted as his wound slightly moved. "Next time it breaks through, we grab it," Randall said.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, my breath getting shakier by the second. Pete held down Jack's arms while I held down his legs. "Now!" Randall ordered. Randall, Hamish, and Lilith grabbed the hide as it tried to move underneath Jack's wound. I turned my head to the side as he screamed. "I take it back! This is more like a birth than tissue rejection!" Randall shouted.
"On what planet is this like a birth?" Lilith retorted. Jack grunted as they continued to pull the hide out of him. I noticed that there was something on the inside of the hide. "Guys, there's something written inside of it," I said. Randall successfully pulled it fully out. Jack's screams came to a halt. Jack was too quiet once the hide was successfully out.
"Is he okay? Why the fuck isn't he breathing?" I asked, trying to control my emotions. Pete fell to his knees and held Jack. I brought my hand up to my mouth in shock. "Bring him back," the grandfather said. Lilith glanced at Hamish, then me. "We can't," Lilith shook her head, "We can't resurrect the dead."
Lilith's voice wavered as she spoke. "First, my Chloe," Pete mumbled, "and now Jack." Pete walked past me, his shoulder hitting mine. The front door opened, then slammed shut.
~~~~
(Later)
Jack was still lying on the table, unconscious. Randall stepped over to me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it in reassurance. He brought me close and kissed me on the forehead. I softly smiled, resting my head against his arm. "Hey, we can't help him anymore," Lilith stepped over to us. Randall continued to hold my hand as we looked at the hide and then to Jack. "I think this writing is a part of the Vade Maecum you were talking about, Y/N," Hamish said.
He pointed to the words on the back of the hide. "You found something?" Randall let go of my hand, stepping over to Hamish. "This is the journal of Grafton Davis. Also known as Alpha," Hamish informed. He pointed at the words and looked back at Randall, seeing if he understood what he was saying. "Alpha? There was another Knight?" Lilith said.
I remembered a part from the book I stole. Some of the Hide's names had been smudged, one of which must've been Alpha. "Apparently, the journal only goes up to the late fifties, and then it stops," Hamish said. "That's around the last time Silverback was in action," I said. The three of them turned to look at me. "I read it in the book from The Temple," I answered.
Hamish slowly nodded his head and brought his attention back to the hide. "Does he explain why Jack's hide was acting like the carpet in Aladdin?" Lilith commented. "I think so," Hamish said. He squinted his eyes and tried reading the words. According to the script, Grafton had recruited Jurgen Sawyer.
The hide rumbled, blowing around like it had been moved by the wind. Thankfully, Lilith and I had held the hide against the wall with knives. "At first, Sawyer was a perfect Knight. Then he learned about the Vade Maecum Infernal. And get this, it's our responsibility to keep the thing in pieces," Hamish hit the hide.
It responded with a growl. "We are doing a bang-up job," Randall said, rolling his eyes. Sawyer had become obsessed with the Vade Maecium. Because of his position as a Knight, he had the ability to track down all of the pieces. Sawyer was the first person in centuries to restore the book. "Let me guess, Sawyer was Silverback," Randall nodded his head to the side.
"Grafton and the Knights tracked him down and tore the Vade Maecum apart. Just as he was about to complete the final incantation and become one with the book..." Hamish trailed. "Sawyer was bound to the book, which means that the book was bound to Silverback," I said. Hamish nodded. "That's why the page got stuck to the side," he finished.
"Silverback wasn't hibernating for the last 50-odd years," Randall spoke, "He was in a time-out. We were supposed to keep Silverback from bonding with anyone. Instead, I let him escape." He rubbed his face with his hands in regret. He groaned.
"We all fucked up. We had one job to do, and we failed," Hamish said. Lilith stepped over to the hide to get a closer look. She squinted her eyes. "Et a quattuor angulis terrae," she cited. "Atgue quattuor plagis maris.." I finished reading, stepping over to the hide. "Maybe we shouldn't recite the evil words from the demon book?" Randall said.
Lilith and I decided to take the Silverback down to put him away. The two of us took the knives out from the corners. We each grabbed one side of it, holding it tightly as it shook. "Are you sure?" Randall said. "Pretty sure we can lock a wolf in a box," Lilith rolled her eyes. I reassured Randall. He hesitated at first but soon nodded his head in agreement.
The two of us walked down the stairs and into the basement. We walked into where the hide lockers were, but to our surprise, we entered the temple instead. "Oh shit. How the hell did we get here?" Lilith looked down at the Hide page, "You furry bitch, you did this." I shook my head. "I don't think Silverback did this, Lil," I said.
She grabbed my hand and turned us around. We went to walk out, but we were stopped by a large group of Order members. The door shut with a loud slam. "Lilith Bathory and Y/N Stone," Edward's loud voice boomed, "Do you believe in Destiny?"
Lilith and I exchanged a nervous glance. She looked at me, using her facial expression to tell me, 'don't turn around'. I gulped and kept my eyes ahead of me. "You memory-stealing son of a bitch!" Lilith shouted. She whipped around and revealed her silver eyes. I held Lilith's arm to try and hold her back. But, before I could prevent her, both our feet were rooted to the floor.