14. Callum #2
“You speak on matters you shouldn’t know, which begs the question, how do you know about Elion? The Guild?” I bit out, wariness lurking in my tone as I eyed the male. He was far older than I’d first expected, his skin weathered with time, silvered scars lining his arms.
“That matters not. What matters is that right now, we are on the same side. What matters is that you are not alone—there are those of us in Solis Quarter who still remember the light. Those who know the truth of the Eternal and are fighting to fend off the darkness threatening to swallow us all.”
“I know you’re a Remnant,” I said then.
His lip curled in a smile as he nodded in confirmation. “One of the very last still in Solis. We’ve ensured all those whose faith remained in Aeternus once The Wall went up have escaped Solis Quarter. And now, the final few of faith remaining await Elion’s instructions.”
I stared in disbelief at the male across from me. Whatever I’d been expecting him to say, this was not it.
“Why are you tampering with results on Marking Day?” I questioned, taking a different direction.
“Tampering?” He scoffed as he shifted against the table, regarding me with a cold gaze. “I’m not tampering with the results.”
“Then what are you doing?” My voice fell flat as I leveled my stare.
“Ensuring that the next generation is protected.”
The breath caught in my lungs briefly, my mind reeling, but I kept my cool. “Explain.” One word . . . one demand.
“You’ve seen the disgrace King Lucanus calls Marking Day here in Solis Quarter. The markings that appear . . . they are wrong, shrouded in darkness.”
I nodded my agreement as he continued.
“Lately, those with aetherial affinities have been far and few between. He’s begun searching out those who mark with certain affinities.
A select few of us have sought to protect those we can before he identifies their marks.
The few angels we’ve managed to aid—we’ve helped to hide their gold markings so they aren’t a target for their faith until we can get them out of the Quarter.
And a few . . . a few we’ve helped cover due to requests that came in from blood lineage from those who believed in Aeternus long before The Wall went up, before Aurelia was divided. ”
“By changing the database?” I questioned.
“In a manner,” he replied. “We alter the results in the Astra Tech database so that only one mark is visible on the records.”
“That wouldn’t stop their affinity from surfacing, though,” I stated, picking up on the blatantly obvious issue with his system—should he be telling the truth.
“No,” he replied. “It doesn’t.”
I leaned against the door, hand resting casually on my holster as I simply waited for the male to give me the answer I needed.
“We’ve found . . . other ways around that.”
“I’m going to need more of an explanation than that,” I deadpanned as I regarded the male cautiously.
“Long ago, the Guild helped to create a serum. When injected, it helps to cover the gold inking until it can be revealed.”
My mind reeled at the revelation—at knowledge that Elion had kept hidden from us, even while we scouted Solis. “This serum . . . how long does it last? Are there side effects?”
A heavy silence filled the air as he stared back at me. “By our records, nearly everyone injected has been safely removed from Solis.”
“And if they aren’t?” I inquired, my thoughts drifting toward Raelyna and her sisters, whose results I knew were tampered with.
“We may be on the same side,” he stated in a lethal tone, “but that doesn’t mean I will share everything with you, Shade of the Aurelian Guild.”
“Then what exactly were you hoping to get from this impromptu meeting with me?” I replied, my tone dark as my eyes narrowed on him.
“As I said, I have information Elion requires.”
“And . . . what?” I questioned. “I’m not a pack mule to be used to simply relay information. The Remnant has long since had ways of communicating with the Guild should they need to. Why would this be any different?”
I watched his eyes narrow, jaw ticking in frustration, but held my ground, waiting for something more.
The seconds stretched on, and I leaned my head against the metal wall, feeling the cool material sinking into my skin as I waited him out.
“Things have taken a turn for the worse in the past decade,” he stated.
“Our methods of communicating have been restricted since Lucanus ascended to the throne. We’ve managed to save those we can, shielding them from the darkness for now, but the corruption .
. . the darkness has spread far too wide in this Quarter. It needs to end.”
He began to move toward me, and I shifted upright, eyes tracking each step as he approached me and extended his hand, a thin device resting in his palm.
“Give this to Elion, but before you do, make sure you discover what happens on the fourth floor of the court. He will need all the facts before he makes his next move.”
I extended my own hand, grabbing the device he offered, before watching the male walk past me, exiting the room we stood in.
My phone buzzed, the screen flashing with Axel’s name. I quickly pocketed the device he’d given me before I slid my finger across the screen, answering with a frustrated, “What?” as I began to leave the room.