The Heart of Shadow and Gold

Chapter 34

Leylas POV

I sat in my desk twiddling around a pen, looking at the security monitors while trying to come up with an excuse to get to the temple. The temple was a beacon of light in the eyes of Etherial Citizens, especially Ashley, how ironic it is that her bright shining personality and beauty came from literal shadows. I picked up a picture that sat by my desk, and I allowed a single tear to drop on my mothers face, blurring her as it did so.

My mother wouldn't want me sitting here awaiting punishment, she would want me to get my ass to that temple. And that is what I did.

I walked through the entrance of the temple, I walked towards a fountain sitting in the midst of the room, its waters glittering from the sunlight peeking in through the clear glass roof. I picked up a coin from its cold watery and ran my finger aong the design.

"worth millions." A voice spoke, I stood with my back to him, with no intent to raise suspicion. After all, why behave now of all times? "emperor," I spoke facing him, "i am simply investigating on some history and I got distracted." Ashley would have been proud of that lie, I could almost see the surprise at how quickly and smoothly it came out.

"ah, I see. Well the files are in the room, that way," he pointed in the opposite direction, a suspicious glint in his eyes. I gulped.

"I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the walls of this temple." Ok that was a stupid lie, I basically grew up here as I walked with my mom to deliver stuff here. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice and let me walk away as he walked to his throne room.

I sighed and walked into the room where they kept information and files on people or events. There were two walls with cupboards that opened to release 3 racks of files. I scanned through the numbers, one to sixteen were on the right side and on the other side was eighteen to thirty-four on the left side.

I reread the cupboards numbers over, and over, and over again.

There was no 17.

While the cupboard was missing I did find a key lying behind one of the weird decoration. There wasn't a lock in the room but it was purposely placed there, then I realized why, the key was engraved "Miller". My mom placed this key here, she knew she was going to die, she wanted me to find whatever cupboard 17 was hiding.

I left the temple thinking, Chen was scared of whatever my mother had found. So scared she killed her with no remorse or regret in his eyes. After everything she had done for him.

That could be you if your not careful.

My steps echoed in the hallways, and I stopped as I saw stained blood on the floor, my mothers. I looked to my right where Chen would have standed in that moment, I looked at the locked door on the left of where he stood. I gripped the key in my hand. On the corner of my eye I noticed the camera pointed directly at the door, and another one in the other corner. I walked away. I walked until I reached the dormsI walked until I reached the dorms, surprisingly empty of girls, except for one, Callie.

"Leyla? What are you doing here?" she seemed startled as she was writing in a journal.

"Nothing, I just needed something." I though about what I wanted, no, needed to do.

"what do you think about Ashley?" I asked. She looked surprised, "what?" "why do you think Ashley left? Why did Ashley leave her home for a figure she knew was an enemy of her? Shes never been the mischievous kind, not the lying one, so why did she do it?" I spoke quietly.

"I don't know." She said. "what did you think of my mother? Did you think she was the backstabbing kind? The one to risk leaving her only daughter for the enemy??"