Twisted Blood -
The Knowledge
"Master Axel," she greeted then stepped aside for him to come in.
"I see someone isn't letting their night watch get to them," he sneered sourly. Behind him, Clarke cradled Ryan - who was snorring lightly - in his arms. "How can you expect that one to be a good hunter if she can't stay awake?"
"She's been awake for the past seventy-two hours," Clarke argued. "This's her first Duty Drainer."
Richard coldly turned to his youngest granddaughter. "Make something of yourself," he hissed then slapped her on the cheek. Ryan moaned before her eyes fluttered open. Before Clarke could react, Richard went on, "daddy won't always be on your side."
Richard sighed then stripped off his black button up shirt. His torso was unnatrually toned for a seventy-four year old and also covered in gradus. Richard Axel was a name that has struck fear into anyone who went against the peace since he was ten years old, when he made hunt. Such seemed impossible but it was true.
Richard Bryan Nguyen killed for the first time at the tender age of ten years old. He was still a novice (in mental training; the first stage) when he was in a horrific car accident that killed his mother. The driver of the other vehicle was a non-ampyra man who was being chased by police for fleeing a crime scene.
The man pulled out a gun and killed Richard's father and would've killed Richard too had the man not been surrounded by police. His early education in martial arts came in handy, to say the least. In quick motions - freeing himself, disarming his assailant and retrieving the gun - Richard mercilessly shot the man who killed his parents.
Since the man was linked to hate crimes against ampyras, Richard was freed of the charges laid against him. He was sent to live with the Axel family to continue his training as a hunter. He was immediately welcomed since he had his hunter gradus. The Axel family - James, his wife Hildegard and their two children, Ian and Barbara - along with their other wards, Leslie Holmes and Erik Ziegler, became Richard's new family.
The gradus only accumulated from then for Richard Nguyen-Axel. His torso was drenched in the little circles with the symbols from different series of gradus. The rippling muscle lines he had were also evidence of his accolades and gave some support to why he was such a cold man.
His back too had just as many series as his front. However the one hunter tattoo that immortalised the name Richard Axel was one nobody else in the world would ever possess simply because it didn't exist anymore. Presently the tattoo wasn't visible.
The overachiever of a hunter took his shirt and used it to clean the blood off his sword. Once the silvery blade was thoroughly cleaned, Richard took it by the dark blue hilt and sheathed it into his back. In place of bleeding or experiencing any normal reaction, the majestic sword merely appeared as a tattoo down the length of the retiree's spine.
That was a conjy - short for conjuration - a remnant of the Mastery series' signature skill long forgotten. Hunters that had the Mastery series were sworn to secrecy about what being a master entailed. They were once called 'modern mages' which implied the use of magic, or more accurately; eldritch.
The Warrior series was the second highest ranking a hunter could attain. The highest was the Heir series. The Mastery series was impossible to attain! Nobody knew how it came to be and it left certified hunter tattooists to scratch their heads. In all recorded history, there have only been three Mastery hunters and Richard was one of them.
Ryan trudged off to get ready for school while Ridley nonchalantly left the mansion. She suppressed a yawn and coolly walking towards the school buildings while haphazardly eating her apple. A chilled autumn breeze brushed through the hallowed halls and the students, ever oblivious to the threats of Dunon, were wrapped in their bubbles of trivialities.
While unassumingly buried in her locker, Ridley could feel the two third year boys behind her whispering uneasily. She coldly turned to face them and they both went pallid from her heartlessness. The blond shoved his accomplice forward fearfully towards her and hurried away from the scene to a safe distance.
The accomplice, Randall Emerson, swallowed hard while scratching his Justin Bieber bangs aside. He swallowed hard while Ridley slammed her locker shut with her biology books in her arms. Randall took small steps backwards then cleared his throat.
He couldn't look straight at Ridley and he shifted his weight around from how he was swaying about. "Um... hi," he began but she said nothing. "So, like, er, d'you know anything about where Oliver is? Oliver Morgan? He's a hunter."
"Transferred to Lanasia," was all Ridley said before walking away.
"When's he coming back," Randall asked as she walked away. "Weirdo," he jeered to himself when she was out of earshot. Ridley glared at him over her shoulder and Randall went even more pale. He looked away while a bead of sweat formed near his eyebrow.
The huntress rested her blazer over her arm then looked down at her biology books coldly. Lying came with the territory. If the student population got word that one of their own was dead, all hell would break lose. It wasn't as easy as being sad and having a pretty funeral then heading to English. He died on campus which would create an uneasiness for student safety. He was killed in action, which made the reality of what hunters did a lot more real and gruesome. Not to mention parents would feel their children are constantly at risk.
Biology was one of few classes Ridley shared with Ryan. Still, when the bell rang, Ryan hadn't showed up yet. People must have, at best, hoped that Ridley was Ryan - and at worse, assumed. When she stepped into Ms Delfino's classroom, Carson and Moonbeam lit up. They were gossiping with some of the other senior girls and sniggering endlessly.
"Hey, Rye," Carson greeted with a grin. "So Danielle and I were talking about crossbreeding and then we realised something."
"TBH, I thought it was confusing at first," Moonbeam interjected with chuckle, "but, like, it makes total sense."
"Here's what we were thinking," Danielle went on, "if Ridley and Dane got together and had a baby, would it be a blackblood or a redblood?" Ridley flared a single eyebrow at them. "Just listen! You guys are blackblood non-ampyra and Dane is a blackblood ampyra so does the combination give you a blackblood or a redblood?"
"The answer is a redblood," Carson stated. "Here's why: even though they're both blackblood, Dane is an ampyra and Ridley isn't. It's more likely that the baby will inherit more non-ampyra genes."
"And don't forget that the baby wouldn't be directly related to a goldblood," Danielle added. "But, um, not even a sex-deprived blind man would get groovy with that wicked witch."
Moonbeam nodded with a hum towards Carson while Carson added, "honestly, I don't think Dane really likes her. If anything, he pities her because have you seen her ridiculous excuse of social skills? She held a knife to Simon-Paul's throat at the Barnyard!"
"What," Danielle replied awed.
"That's not even the best part," Carson went on. She gestured to Ridley, still under the impression it was Ryan, "according to the Hunter of Artemis, overhere, Scary Axel doesn't call her parents 'mom' and 'dad'. She calls them 'Axel' and 'Mrs Axel'!"
"What does she call your grandfather," Danielle inquired to Ridley while Alex wrapped his arms around her stiff body. Ryan's other friends were also eager to know the answer to that.
Moonbeam gasped her surprise then turned to Ridley expectantly. "Does she call him 'Sir Axel'?"
Ridley chiselled Alex off of her then combed her her to neaten it. She took in each of them blandly before continuing to the back of the class wordlessly. "Oh shit," Carson yelled and Ms Delfino huffed at her in annoyance. "Sorry. Faux pas."
Alex's eyes went wide in embarrassment while he watched her settle at the back table. "Do you think she's going to do something," Moonbeam whispered to Carson, who could only shrug fearfully.
Alex felt shivers run down his spine from her soulless eyes glowering straight ahead. Instead of settling next to Carson with the bare space for Ryan, he bravely trekked to her table. Ridley made nothing of his presence. Ms Delfino dusted off her hands from the chalk dust she accumulated.
"Alright," she bellowed to order her strident students. "Today we're starting with mitosis. In cell biology, mitosis is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two nuclei. Cell division gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maintained. Therefore, mitosis is also known as equational division," she began.
Ridley's black hair fell over the front of her shoulder from her leaning on her elbow. The straight strands shielded Alex from her sights. Carson and Moonbeam along with Danielle were more focused on Alex at Ridley's side. Sibyl, Danielle's roommate, also got involved in the events that were unfolding.
Whenever Ms Delfino turned her back to her class, the conversation was revived and only grew more worrying without Ryan's presence. Ridley didn't bother with them and went on with her notes while Alex would turn to Ridley to see her completely unfazed by him. Her handwriting was different from Ryan's. While Ryan's was big and chaotic, Ridley's was small and structured.
Thunder sounded faintly in the distance while Ryan let out another yawn. Three consecutive days without sleep was showing. Near the end of the west garden - the side closest to the school - was a rose bush. The last of the white roses' beauty was diminished by the flames that engulfed the shrub.
Nothing was burning and nothing smelled like it was burning. It was just an unnatural fire not doing anything. It that wasn't strange enough, the fire was faintly green. Ryan paused to pick out the largest rose she saw and felt the intense heat from the green flames. The white rose was still fragrant and its leaves cool to the touch.
"Is this your way of rubbing the lantern to summon me," Ryan asked nonchalantly.
"You're not as dumb as you come across," Renee replied. She stood in the tree nearby, leaning into the trunk. "Good. It means I won't get too bored with you too quickly." The eldritch goldblood stepped out of the tree and her full length black skirt flared from the force. "You're running on empty," Renee stated.
She started unbuttoning her black blouse and revealed her unnaturally bleak skin beneath. Her veins were yellow but greening. She was also wrinkling and stretch marks were growing out from her bra. "Are you naturally this... blemished? I thought goldbloods were biologically immune to bodily impurities."
Renee narrowed her eyes on her daughter. "Don't agitate me," she ordered.
Ryan smirked in realisation. "You're aging," she pointed out. "How old are you physically? Like, eighteen?" Renee growled coldly. "Fine." Ryan leaned into her mother's neck to drink her blood. "How is it that Ridley had a tablespoon of your blood and she could slice clean through a rifle and I can't even lift more weights than I usually do?"
"Really," Renee replied. "Interesting."
"'Interesting'? No, not 'interesting'. You said I would be stronger! Unless..." Ryan pouted as her cheeks flushed red. "Did you give her more of your blood!"
"Of course I did. Unlike you, you pathetic spineless worm, your sister has value to me," the goldblood admitted. "I don't want to age and Ridley is the only person alive who can stop my aging."
Ryan gasped then reached for the gun in her inner pocket. Before she could reach for it, her mother grabbed her at the jaw. The goldblood's blue eyes tinted black as she starred mercilessly into her daughter's eyes.
"Now, now. No need to get hostile. Forget I said that." Bubbly Axel's stiffness faltered and her hand fell back to her side. "Now where would you get such an absurd idea from," Renee purred. "How would I even reach your sister?"
"Then why isn't it working!"
"Your focus is misplaced," Renee lied. "She focuses on her physical and mental skills while you focus on why everyone appreciates her more. My blood is only amplifying you hatred because you're letting it. Focus on something else," she concluded as she stepped passed her daughter. "Now go before someone sees us."
Ryan sighed defeatedly before turning back to Renee as she stated, "but how...?" She only saw the way she came. "That's really annoying me," she bellowed to the nothingness. "Like you actually care."
Ryan continued for biology and stunned the class to silence from her appearance. She was much more stunned to see her secret boyfriend cozying up to her sister. Ms Delfino cleared her throat with her arms folded and a raised eyebrow.
The younger Axel let out another yawn while handing her teacher her letter. "Sorry," was all she said before trudging to her seat.
"What the hell, man," Moonbeam jeered.
"Where were you," Carson hissed softly.
"Why is that happening," Ryan jeered back and pointed subtly to her sister.
Ridley made nothing of her sister and continued making notes. Ryan turned to Alex and facially asked him what he was doing. Alex shook his head lightly and turned to Ridley. Ms Delfino went on with mitosis while her class was haphazardly listening.
When the bell rang Ridley coolly packed her belongings. "Your homework is to summarise the entire unit and to finish the diagram on page 27 to page 29," the biology teacher concluded. "Don't forget, you are doing microscope work later in the week! Lab coats are mandatory and if you forget yours, it is an automatic -5%!"
In the hallway, Ryan blocked Alex from walking away while Ridley was briskly on her way. "What the hell, Alex," she hissed. "We had a deal."
"That's what the hell! She's your sister and that's how you want people to treat her," he replied. "Did Moonie and Carson even tell you what happened before class started? It's one thing to make conversation and it's another thing to straight up badmouth your own sister."
"She's treated me like shit all our lives and it's only a problem if I want to get even? I just want her to know what it felt like to constantly be judged by the people around you."
Alex shook his head in disagreement. "Don't be that person," he pleaded. "You saw what happened between Sasuke and Itachi in Naruto. Itachi was a selfish dick but all he wanted was for his little brother to live. Honestly, I think Ridley just wants what's best for you and you're hurting her with the gossip."
"Pussy," Moonbeam commented.
"Agreed," Carson sang.
Alex shook off the two girls as they walked passed him. "Please don't do this," he pleaded with Ryan. "Please."
"I'm going to be late," Ryan stated then brushed passed him. She joined Moonbeam in the stroll to Maths while Alex groaned before following Carson and Ridley to English.
Mrs Hues continued on with the 'Picture of Dorian Gray' with Moonbeam and Carson awed again when Alex settled next to Ridley. "Hi," he greeted nervously but Ridley said nothing. Alex lifted his copy of the novel to hide his talking. "So what's it like being a hunter?"
Ridley mutely read along with Mrs Hues, completely ignoring Alex. She flipped the page to continue reading while Alex was adamant to give up. The huntress used her hair, yet again, to block out her classmate. At some point, she started making notes while reading.
"Do you have a favourite weapon," Alex pressed but Ridley still ignored him. "Or a favourite martial art." Stealthly Ridley ripped out her karambit knife and lightly pressed it into his bulge. She didn't look away from her book and Alex swallowed hard from the feel of the sharp blade pressing into his manhood. "Okay, okay. Okay," he stated nervously. "If you tell me your favourite colour I'll shut up. I promise."
Ridley sheathed her karambit without looking away from the novel. "Charcoal," she admitted faintly annoyed.
"Okay," Alex stated sneakily pulled out his phone to Google 'charcoal colour'. Once satisfied that that was an actual colour he nodded again. "Okay," he repeated. "Good to know." Ridley shifted more away from him. "Mine's red, if you were wondering." Ridley let out a deep breath while Alex watched her. "Right. I'm supposed be quiet," he whispered. "Sorry."
After English, Alex caught up with her lightning speed but only barely. He was heading in the wrong direction; he had art and Ridley had Mathematics. She could feel he was nearby and his persistence was annoying. Despite her violent tendencies, Ridley did nothing.
He grabbed by the shoulder and she glowered as she looked between his face and her shoulder. "Sorry," he blurted then let go of her. "Look," he sighed, "what happened in bio shouldn't have happened. I want to make it up to you." She continued walking off. "Okay, fine," he persisted endlessly. "But I could use your help. I don't know what to get Ryan for her birthday. Who better to ask then her twin sister, right? I mean you guys came from the same fused cells so you're actually the same person in two bodies."
"Do you value your life," was all Ridley said before continuing to Maths.
At lunch, most of the students were in or around the dining hall with their lunch. Ridley ducked out of the classroom and hurried to the library, itching to get her hands on the eldritch information. Ms Ross just sat down from refilling her cup at the coffee machine. The Unit 3 grey wolf was still partially hidden by the table.
The librarian halted from reading her newspaper then raised an eyebrow at the non-ampyra. Ms Ross was a goldblood and the scar across her face showed that she lived through the Gold Scourge. It was a single slash that ran clean over her left eye. She had no resentment towards The Hunt or any non-ampyra; she even had a gradus on her shoulder. The amity gradus; awarded to ampyra during the Scourges in their fight for peace and equality. Morien Grey - the tattooist - had one, as did Renee.
"What can I do for you, Axel," she asked expectantly. A burst of thunderous laughter sounded from the fireplace that was shielded by a gargantuan bookshelf. "Dotson, I swear this is your final warning," Ms Ross roared.
Simon-Paul poked his head out from the shelf. "Sorry, Ms Ross," he began. "We're almost finished. We're just-- well, well, well, if it isn't Scary Axel and her glorious glowering mugshot of gloom." He smirked menacingly at her before disappearing to where he and his friends were.
"You were saying, Axel," Ms Ross went on.
Ridley cleared her throat lightly. "Eldritch. Hunter's section," was all she said.
Ms Ross' eyes went wide but still she typed on her computer. "You're going to need a hunter to sign in," the librarian stated. "Guardians and the rest of the lower classes aren't allowed up there alone." Ridley huffed to herself then shook her head. "I think the Danish one is with those airheads. Ask him, otherwise you're going to have to find another hunter."
After starting for the fireplace, Ridley rolled her eyes. True to Ms Ross' word, Dane was there with Simon-Paul, along with Marcus and Kenneth. Whatever they were talking about had Marcus turning red and his eyes wide. Simon-Paul high-fived Kenneth while Dane was howling with laughter that he muffled into his hands to stop from angering the librarian.
The goldblood among the blackbloods made cut throat gestures then cleared his throat. "I will never understand these times," was all Marcus said. His hair trailed down to his shoulder blades when it was let down. He clearly had enough of it and tied it back into its white bow. "Which was it," he went on while tying up his hair.
"I think it was the brunette," Kenneth replied. "It had to be."
"What about you, Van Helsing? Or are boys of this century really afraid of sex," Simon-Paul stated. Dane shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, so it's true. You've got eyes for Scary Axel."
"What? No, no. I've known the twins since we were, like, ten. They're practically family," Dane countered. "They're like my sisters. Sister who I have to kill with for the rest of my life."
"So if Scary Axel let me tap, would you mind," Kenneth asked.
Ridley had a knack for showing up when the topic turned to her. It was her superpower. She shook off what she heard then nonchalantly stepped passed the bookshelf. Kenneth spluttered out his mouthful of coffee while Marcus shifted uncomfortably.
"It's passed moon curfew," she stated.
"Yeah, well we've got permission from Mr Wu. We're doing late studying," Simon-Paul replied. "Deal with it." Her cold eyes darted to Dane and she beckoned him to follow her. Blindly he obeyed her. "So much of tapping in," Simon-Paul directed to Kenneth.
Dane cleared his throat uncomfortably from that comment, hoping Ridley didn't know what it was about. "What's up," he asked curiously.
"Upstairs."
"Um... okay." He turned back to the fireplace. "Er, go on. I'll be back." He followed Ridley back to Ms Ross.
Ms Ross started typing on her computer then wrote down the information. As the librarian, she had the only code to verify that the hunter's section could be in use. Without her code, the entire library went into lockdown. "Verification," she directed to Dane.
"Dane Sorensen."
Ms Ross continued typing then shook her head. "No Dane Sorensen in the network," she replied.
Ridley turned to him slowly while the Danish ampyra exhaled defeatedly. "Try, Viggo Elliott Wolfensøn," he suggested ruefully. "Viggo Elliott Wolfensøn III." Ms Ross nodded then handed Ridley the neon PostIt note. "My Crown of Thorns," Dane sneered under his breath as he followed Ridley up the stairs.
The hunter's section of library was cornered off by a gate that relied on a thumb print to be unlocked. The gate let out a hissing creak when Dane pushed it open for his crush. The smell of dust was heavy in the air. Tattered, worn out books neatly lined the shelves while the scrolls were neatly piled in pyramids in the the available spaces.
The carpet was a faded dark blue and parts of it were burnt from the Dunon Siege during the Red Scourge when Dunon was a fortified haven for non-ampyra. The hunter's section was hallowed ground and was left untouched as much as possible. In certain parts of the fourth floor, the smell of the three hundred year old fire was still heavy in the air.
Some of the wooden furniture had scorch marks on them, the walls and wiring were the only thing that were new. The candle chandeliers had no more use other than decoration and even the stained glass window murals were irrelevant. Ridley skimmed the shelves' labels on her search, with Dane tagging behind.
She took a hard left and scanned each book tentatively until she found it. The most slender book on the shelf, bound in black leather that was lightly charred on the surface. The huntress looked back down at the PostIt note; there was only one book in the whole library about eldritches. Ridley slid into the nearest seat at a table with a map of the town carved into it. She hesitated before opening it. The reason was simple:
Answers are dangerous.
There were two possible outcomes from reading the tattered tome. Either, Ridley would regret reading it because the answers were damning and there was no hope for them. Or, it would be useful and offer a solution to the Renee problem.
Dane sat beside her eagerly awaiting to find out what she was so eager to know. The huntress braced herself for either outcome before reading. The unexpected thing about this time was that it didn't start with eldritch goldbloods or anything immediately tied to them. It started with something a lot more worrisome. The ajar.
'The name ajar came from its second meaning; out of harmony. An ajar is any animal that has a psychic link to an eldritch and also have a link to each other. They were called ajar because they were out of harmony with their true nature. Their masters can turn them from docile to rabid, visa versa and even keep them the same. They can stalk, manoeuvre and corner their prey but won't attack unless compelled to by their master.
Most of their heightened senses are inherited by their master, which means that they are only as strong as their master. Essentially, ajar are ampyra animals. Regardless of what sort of animal it was before the link was established, ajar live off of blood. Their diet is supposedly altered because of the link they share with eldritches. Ajar feed off of their master's emotions and other mental aspects. They too come with their own set of unique skills:
Psychic sense: they can sense when they are close to each other and they can also sense when a different pack of ajar are around (a different pack is restricted to ajar created by a different eldritch). They can sense whenever a psionic ability is used within range of themselves or their master, regardless of the distance between them. They can also recognise different psychic senses of their pack, their master, other packs and other masters.
Superior sense of smell: their noses are acutely tuned to the same frequency as that of their master and by any tracking animal in their pack. Ergo, they can track scent trails that are up to 5 days old, provided that they haven't been washed away or tampered with.
Sense of hearing: also inherited from their masters and can also be increased by animals in their pack that have stronger hearing.
Eyesight: limited to that of their master. If their master is blind, so is the entire pack'.
That may have explained how Renee gathered an army of Eurasian lynx but that only made the lynxes a bigger threat than anticipated. Not only were they obeying her but they could obey her without her having to voice her orders out loud. The lynxes could also smell like Renee could, their sight was just as good as hers and they had her temper by the sounds of the book.
What the huntress was reading was unsettling and she made notes on what she read. Dane hovered closer to her to read along while Ridley made her notes and observations. Things were looking grim for the hunters because as long as Renee was in peak condition, so was her army.
'Eldritch is derived from the life force of the user and can only be used through mental capabilities. However since it is known that continual use of this energy will deplete the life source, the eldritch goldbloods must learn to harness external energy to prevent exhaustion and preserve their lives.
Most users of eldritch have honed their willpower and mental resilience to better protect themselves from their own capabilities. This has been known to also better their physical capabilities to varying degrees. Goldbloods without adequate training or knowledge of their eldritch rely on incantatory keywords or phrasing.
Alternatively, seasoned eldritches were solely reliant on movement or concentration. Eldritch is a great power but it also has its limits. These powers include: abjuration; evocation; conjuration and mind control; transmutation; teleportation; and psychosomatic illusions.
Abjuration: they create physical or mental barriers, negated mental or physical abilities, harm trespassers.
Evocation: spells can range from a hunter's manipulation of the elements, sourced from the Warrior series or can be solely limited by a goldblood's imagination and knowledge.
Conjuration and mind control: summoning ajar creatures as well turning ordinary animals into ajar. Not only does conjuration extent to ajar but also to non-ajar animals that are within the psychic range of the goldblood.
Transmutation: some eldritch have been known to mimic other people and even recall having telepathic links to them. However a great degree of knowledge, skill and concentration is needed.
Teleportation: the rarest of skills among eldritch goldbloods. This ability can manifest in an array of ways from mist to bursts of feathers or even insects.
Psychosis illusions: creating illusions that are real. Surprisingly a very common eldritch skill however it is usually limited to an eldritch's skill'
Ridley frantically scribbled down what she wrote and Dane only watched her. "Do you plan on re-writing the entire book," he asked. "That's going to take a while and I think that's not really time we have."
Ridley set her note pad aside with the words 'SHUT UP!' directed to her accomplice. She knew he was right and a sigh escaped her because of that. She took in the cameras that surrounded them before nodding conclusively. She collected the note pad and the book titled 'Gold Menagerie' with no author given.
Unassumingly the guardian hunter returned to the bookshelf. Instead of putting the book back, she slid it into her tote, with her note pad. She ventured to the stairs and Dane was blinded by his feelings for her to see the truth. The truth was that Ridley was harbouring information, a cardinal sin in The Hunt Association. In most cases, harbouring information was punishable by death!
Ridley hurried out of the library while Dane was eager to see what she was up to. The huntress made straight for the school office. The information was useful but one thing stuck out to her. Under evocation, the first part was 'spells can range from a hunter's manipulation of the elements, sourced from the Warrior series'. Clarke had the entire Warrior series.
Esmeralda was sitting at her desk with the other school administrators when Ridley barged into their space. "Ridley? What's wrong?" The senior ignored her stepmother then continued to her father's office. "He's busy," Esmeralda protested then hurried after her. "Don't go in-- he's busy!"
Ridley ignored her still and shoved the door open. On the other side, Richard held Clarke by the throat above the ground. The principal was turning purple and losing his strength to resist his father's hold. Esmeralda gasped then pulled out her handgun from her boot. Ridley blocked the gun's line of fire with her retractable staff.
Richard freed his son, who plummeted to the ground gasping for air. Esmeralda bolted to his side, shoving her father-in-law aside angrily. "What is it, my harbinger," the old man asked.
"I have information," she stated. And Dane gasped from the sight of the book that came out of her tote.
"You took initiative? Good," Richard replied. "Unlike the children of today. They don't use their intuition because nobody told them to. What did you find?"
Clarke exhaled heavily then combed stray hairs out of his face. Ridley brushed passed her grandfather and handed the principal the book. "What is this," he asked.
"Everything Dunon Town knows about eldritches," Ridley stated. She pointed to the part that bugged her and narrowed her eyes on Clarke boldly accusing him without words.
He nodded understandingly. "I'm okay," he directed to Esmeralda. The secretary scowled at Richard as they left. "You two did an excellent job at recon," he admitted. "Jakob will be proud," he directed to Dane.
"This was all her," he confessed ruefully. "All I did was unlock the gate."
"Still, it was good of you to help a fellow hunter," Clarke went on. "Not many hunters do that. Especially not male hunters helping females. Dismiss."
"Wait," Ridley cut in while fishing for her phone. "Marcus Sinclair is an eldritch."
"What," Dane roared in outrage. Ridley handed him her phone with the extract of Marcus' father's diary. "What... h-how? No! He can't be! Even if he is, he hasn't done anything," Dane argued. "Clarke, he's my roommate and he's my friend."
Clarke exhaled then leaned his fists into his desk. "Let me tell you something, Dane. People think being a hunter is this badass job with no pay and looking cool in black. The truth is that it will cause at least 90% of the misery in your life. It's hard when a suspect is someone you know and it's worse when it's someone you're close to. At the end of the day, our duty is to the peace. If Marcus is infringing on the peace, great. We will take him down the way we would any other threat. If Marcus is innocent, great. We will leave him be and make amends, if need be. If you're compromised on this lead, I'm taking you off the investigation. You know the rules just as well as everyone else. Yes?"
Dane looked down at his sneakers ruefully with a weak nod. "Yes, sir," he replied.
"I need both of you," Clarke went on. "You two are the best of the Guardian Program. Without you two, all I have is a trigger happy first year and my daughter who got lucky. I need both of you just as much as the school needs you." Again Dane nodded weakly and Ridley did nothing. "Okay. And, Ridley, if you ever steal from the hunter's library again, I won't save your ass. Dismiss." Dane left but Ridley stayed put. "Ridley, I said 'dismiss'. You have class in a few minutes."
The huntress picked up the tome and folded her arms. "You have eldritch," she stated. Clarke's eyes went wide at the accusation. "The Warrior series."
Clarke exhaled defeatedly then nodded mutely. "Secrets are an integral part of what we do. You know that," he replied. Ridley said nothing but kept her eyes on her father. "You know, I couldn't help but think about the first few attacks. You were at two of them and you could easily have made hunt. A Class E came straight for you and you did nothing. Why is that," he asked with concern.
She reached for the pile of PostIt notes on his desk and the pen nearby. After roughly sketching, she handed the PostIt notes back to Clarke. "This is why," she admitted.
Clarke looked down at the note then back at his daughter. "Ridley, we both know you're not a conversationalist but your dialect of Sign Language is one I'm not fluent in and your art skills could use some work. Use your words."
"Barbara Axel. Third of May. Thirteen years ago." Clarke sighed heavily as he relived that moment. "That's what I saw. What I see."
Clarke combed his fingers through her black hair with a heavy exhale before cupping her cheek. "Oh no," he sigh. "And we didn't talk about it, did we?" Ridley shook her head and her father pressed her into her chest. She huffed her annoyance and rolled her eyes while he held her. "I'm so sorry."
The principal smothered her crown in kisses while the huntress stood unmoving in his embrace. She was more stiff than usual from the physical contact. She raised an eyebrow at Clarke, who nestled her into his chest. The principal kissed her crown a final time before letting her go.
"Do you want to talk to Dr Sullivan, or anyone, about it?" Ridley straightened out her hair then turned on her heel mutely. "Bottling things up is going to catch up to you." She ignored him. "Ridley Dominique Axel, I am talking to you!"
Still she left his office and Richard was on the other side of the door with his arms folded and smirking. "You're much more self-assured than your namesake uncle. Don't lose that. It doesn't matter what Clarke thinks. Yes?" She gave him a small nod while the bell rang beyond them. "We have a meeting tonight, at 19:30."
"Yes, master Axel."
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