Lady Midnight

Chapter 24

Julian's P.O.V.

Something wasn't right. That's for sure. Julian shrugged away the uneasy feeling he was having. He was walking quietly to Mark's room. He wanted an answer now. He wasn't going to wait any longer.

It was early in the morning and everyone in the Institute was in their beds. Julian tip-toed silently over the floor. He had to be extra quiet when he neared Mark's door. He could see the light coming through the crack at the bottom of the door.

Jules turned the knob of the door and pushed it open. Mark sat there, on his bed, untying the laces of his boots. He was fully dressed. He looked like a deer caught in headlights," Jules. You're suppose to be asleep."

Julian crossed his arms," so are you." His brother shrugged," I couldn't fall asleep, so I'm going out for a walk." "Likely story," Jules said sarcastically. He plopped himself down into a chair facing the bed and looked at him expectantly," well? I would like an answer. Your excuses don't work on me."

Mark said," You make it sound like you're my older brother instead of the other way around." Jules shook his head," stop trying to change the subject." Mark frowned," I can't tell you." "What do you mean 'I can't tell you'? Of course you can tell me, I'm your brother," said Jules.

Mark leaned his head into his hand," it's not like that. I'm physically unable to. Once you're tied to the Wild Hunt, they control you. I would die if I didn't follow orders. I was told that I couldn't speak any word about the matter to anyone outside of the Wild Hunt."

Jules thought for a second," they said you couldn't speak about it. They never said you couldn't write about it. It's like how faeries can't tell lies, but they always find a way around the situation." A genuine smile appeared on Mark's face.

He went to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper with a pen. He sat at his desk writing furiously. His brow scrunched up in concentration. As soon as he finished the last word, he thrust the paper towards Jules. He plucked the paper from his brother's fingertips and started reading the explanation.

The leader of the Wild Hunt, Gwyn ap Nudd, is the one who commands us. He is the person who ordered me to come back here by the request of the Seelie Queen. He only did that to keep her trust, so that she wouldn't suspect him of being the one who was killing off her people. He was the one who took Emma, Taylor, and Livvy. He's been putting the demonic runes on their bodies. At night, I'm suppose to meet with him and keep him up to date on what you guys are doing and where you guys are at periods of the day. I'm the one who told him where the girls were investigating that day.

Julian had been angry before, but it was nothing compared to this. If he ever saw Gwyn, he would kill him slowly for so many reasons. The pain he caused the girls, for taking them, for controlling his brother against his will... "Jules?" Mark asked. That snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay? You're crumpling the paper," Mark pointed to the paper. Julian handed it back to his brother. "Is there anything else that I need to know?" Mark took the sheet back and started writing again.

He's holding them in an underground bunker in Griffith Park. There is no path that leads to it. You must know exactly where it is. I know where it is located. You cannot open it from the outside without Gwyn's key. Not even an unlocking rune or opening rune would open it. Gwyn's men only open it when they are expecting someone. Never any other time will they open the door.

"We need a plan. I'm going to Uncle Arthur. I'm not wasting another second. Every minute we sit here is another minute that they could be tortured by that sadistic maniac," Julian started walking towards the door. He didn't hear his brother's foot steps behind him. He turned around.