Into The Unown

Secret

Underneath the facade of aloofness and strong will, Delia had a big secret.

"We made more items from James's designs," Charlus said, "It's a bummer only Ash and Gary can use them, but I talked with Joanne and we're thinking of adding some other fuel source. Something which can be sourced fast, preferably locally. I went through the texts in the library to look for such thing and get this... the material this castle is made of is one of a kind. Maybe we can use this instead in order to mass produce for the army."

Delia sat across him, her eyes carefully watching Charlus's every moment. She'd never been close with the brunet, despite him being James's brother. Since the moment she laid eyes on him, Delia thought of him as nothing more than a fool, a spoiled child who always had one bread roll extra at the dinner table. She wouldn't say she hated him—Delia had no opinion. Which was in a way worse.

It was after James's death that she grew close with him, perhaps it was because he was the only person who could understand her pain, truly understand her pain. Charlus had gone from a fool with no opinion to a brother who always stood tall when she needed a shoulder to lean on.

There used to be four of them, but now, there were only two left.

Delia pursed her lip, her chair creaked as she leaned back. "We're not mass producing anything, Charlus. We don't have any manpower."

Flabbergasted, he raised his eyes, "We do have manpower, Delia. We have more than—"

"I let them go, Charlus."

The brunet stood up, knocking his chair to the ground. "What do you mean you let them go?"

Back when she first joined the Consortium, she hadn't been sure about the inner workings of the organization. Where she stood today was the result of her hard work and countless hours of dedication—she was a woman with nothing to call her own but her intellect. It was this that earned Ailsa's respect and brought her to where she was now.

You were married into this family, Ailsa had told her, treat it like your own.

And so, that's exactly what she planned to do. The Consortium didn't have an army—what it had were individuals loosely tied to the organization, sticking around solely because of the hefty payments they received. There was loyalty, yes, but when loyalty came with a price, it could easily be bought—or at least, that's what she told herself.

"I didn't want to risk it," she said, "It's just us, Charlus. You, me, Joanne, Ash, Serena, Dawn, Gary, Samuel, Spencer and Calem. It's just us ten. There is no one else."

Charlus ran his finger through his hair, "Are you crazy, Delia?"

She was, but that's not why she'd done what she did. "I have my reasons,"

"What if there is an all-out war? Who's going to protect us?" Charlus asked, his voice trembled.

"If there is an all-out war, we'll die," Delia replied, her tone calm. "Whether or not they are with us won't make any difference. And I will not let innocent people die for the sins of our ancestors."

"Our ancestors?" Charlus raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a part of this, Charlus. James's responsibilities are my responsibilities."

"The Apocalypse wants an all-out war," Charlus said, pacing back and forth. "How do we even stand a chance? They're stronger, bigger, and they're not afraid to kill." He came to a sudden hault, "Maybe we can buy mercenaries like them."