The Arcane Rebellion- The Arcane Series #1

Chapter 42

Layla

"Here's what we're going to do.", I started the meeting by saying. We were in the common room, coming up with a plan for the King's ball. "Once they let us in, Xavi and I will go get the artifact while Uriah and Amir go to the designated meeting place where you will take all our folks from the Sanctuary to the ballroom. Once you've escorted them in, you'll come to where Xavi and I are so that all four of us can witness getting the artifact.", I explained and they were all smiling with pride.

"Now, the room is probably going to be heavily guarded, but we can't attract any attention to ourselves, so we can't use our guns or swords. Amir, Xavi, can you make some sedative, something that'll knock out the guards long enough?", I asked them and they shared a look before nodding. "Wonderful. After we get the artifact, we waltz into the ballroom and return the magic to everyone while the King just helplessly watches. Once that's done, we slit his throat and have some fun.", I spoke and they all cheered once I'd finished.

Sometimes I wondered if we were crazy.

Once the meeting was over, Xavi and Amir immediately went down to Amir's office so they could start making the sedatives for the guards. They had decided on making them as smoke bombs. But before they got to work, they needed to go out to get some ingredients. Uriah and I told them to be careful and they left, saying they would be.

"Is there anything else I can do, boss?", Uriah questioned. I thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Is there any way you can find out how many guards will be guarding the Artifact? And how many there will be in the ballroom?", I questioned and he eagerly nodded, a smile plastered on his face.

"Anything else?", he said, excitement lacing his voice. I shook my head and he left the room, presumably to go get ready for whatever he was about to do.

I was left alone once again and I knew what I had to do- research about the Artifact. We needed to know how to get everyone's magic back without them having to cut themselves open. There must have been a way.

I found the note that we found in the Artifact's decoy, reading it to try and figure out... well, anything that I could. One thing caught my eye. "...I can only hope that for now, that only I and ... will know of the real one..."

I had to figure out who's name the smudged word was. It had to be someone close to Morticia Dover and I knew someone who could potentially know who it was.

***

Martha smiled at me as I sat down in the office. "Dear, it is so good to see you again. How are you? What are you kids planning now?", she questioned as she placed a cup of tea before me.

"I'm very good, Martha, thank you. Well, I want you to be surprised when you hear what we'd done, so I'm not going to tell you yet, but I do have a question for you.", I told her and she nodded happily, sitting down at her chair.

"What can I do for you?", she questioned.

"You knew Morticia Dover, didn't you?", I asked her and her brows furrowed in confusion but she nodded regardless. "Do you know anyone who she was particularly close with? Someone who could know how the Artifact works, if not as well as Morticia herself?", I asked and she thought about it for a moment.

"Well, there were a few people. Her colleagues, for one. There was this girl she was always with. Young, bubbly. Her mentee, if I recall correctly.", she spoke, nostalgia visible on her face.

"What was her name?", I asked.

"Cordelia Everthorn. But that was her maiden name, I think she goes by Blackrose now.", Martha said and I nodded thoughtfully.