The Fourteen

Chapter 20: His Book

I had to get the journal hidden somewhere. A gamble its care, was too a great risk. As I evaluated each and every option, my heart quickened. Where would I hide it?

After a moment of shifting through all my options, my eyes lit up. The Glass Room. My only hope was to keep it well hidden enough, as to not have it discovered.

Once I made it back to the Ligno Matre, I paused to check for any pursuers. Thank Lady Luna; there weren't any rebels around at this early hour.

By this point, after my feet had traversed the same route countless times, I knew the way to the Glass Room. Re-tracing my steps, occasionally looking over my shoulder for any tails, I came to the hallway that lead to the elevator.

At the doors to the elevator, I was forced to stop. A mob of black cloaked mercenaries stood in my way. Upon seeing me, they were instantly alert. Some took a few steps in my direction. Fear begged me to run. There was not a doubt in my mind, that Danver had given orders to seize Brooke, Boe, and I on sight. How could I get the journal past them?

Then, I searched the crowd for one figure in particular. I could tell him apart from the others; he leaned against the wall, at the head of the group. There was a fleeting smile playing about his lips, as my eyes conveyed a silent plea. Grunting, he waved the mercenaries off. They backed away, heads bowed. Was he their leader?

"You're coming with us. Downstairs," his husky voice commanded.

I projected to him, trusting only my mind with these words. "Please, I have something I need to get it past the guard. It's extremely important."

There was a hesitation; my heart skipped a beat. He responded. "Fine. But you owe me."

"I know. Thank you."

My mercenary ally pretended to frisk me. When his hand found the journal under my coat, he gave me a look of confirmation. I subtly nodded.

I addressed the mercenaries, "Look. It wasn't my idea to go running out of the room like that. I'm coming back, peacefully."

Instead of acknowledging the surrender, my ally spoke into an earpiece. "I've got Mae, she's giving herself up. We're at the front of the doors to the captivity room. Orders?"

I didn't hear the other line. But the mercenary leader signed off of the earpiece and began directing me through the sea of black cloaks. We entered alone in the elevator.

A key card was drawn out from under his cloak, "The password's changed daily, but it's a pattern. Your two friends found out yesterday. Today's password is 5683. It goes up by one each day. Tomorrow, it'll be 5684."

I repeated the number over and over again in my head. Once the doors opened, I had the number memorized. The mercenary escorted me to the Glass Room; the guards asked no questions. As soon as I entered, my eyes found a group of concerned Imperials.

"Thank the Earth Mother you're okay," Astrid hugged me. "Where are Brooke and Boe?"

"It's a long story. Let me change first. I'll be right back." I promised.

When I came into the quarters, I panicked. Where could I hide the journal? Luckily, there were no cameras in the sleeping area. I knew I was taking too much time to decide, so climbed on top of the night table I shared with Brooke. Standing on my tippy toes, I reached for the air vent above our beds. It was loose, but with a little werewolf strength, the nails holding it to the wall fell apart on one side. Quickly, I stuffed the journal inside and snapped the vent shut.

Like lightning, I quickly changed clothes. Back inside the main room, I joined the Imperials, wearing an inconspicuous expression. Boe was back; he carried a victorious aura.