Gladiator Wars

Chapter 21: The Family Tree Conspiracy

Victoria's Point of View

I ran as best I could in my sandals, but it was still a bit of a challenge. I turned into the next corridor at high speeds and ended up running straight into a boy clad in armor and a helmet. Due to how fast I was running, we were sent tumbling to the ground.

"What's the rush?" Asked the boy still wearing his helmet obscuring his face, but I automatically knew who it was after hearing his voice.

It was Daniell.

He got up first and then helped me to my feet since I was still recovering from the spill I had taken.

"I think I found an important lead." I was about to start running down the corridors again when he grabbed my arm.

"Not so fast." He said. "I'm coming with you."

"Fine, but hurry." I replied. He let go off my arm and we half jogged half walked to Sebastian's tower.

The door was locked as it always was, but thankfully I knew where Sebastian always hid a spare key just in case he forgot his. I walked to the side of the tower and grabbed the stone brick that looked out of place with the rest. I pulled it out of its spot and grabbed the key hidden inside.

The lock to the door was enchanted a long time ago to keep anyone who didn't have a key out and the longer a spell stays the stronger it gets. Spells kind of follow Newton's first law of physics. An object, or spell in this case, in motion stays in motion until some outside force, a very powerful spell-removing incantation, stops it. I'm getting off track, but honestly it would take more time to explain everything about how my dimension's magic works.

I slide the brick back into its spot and walked back over to Daniell.

"You look like a zombie." Daniell noticed. Trust guys to be so blunt.

"Gee, I didn't notice." I replied letting sarcasm drip from my words like venom.

"Didn't mean to offend you, but honestly you look like you're about to keel over or eat someone's brain." I was about to give Daniell a grade-A glare, but instead I sighed softly and let it go.

The tower was dimly lit and gave off a creepy vibe. I don't do creepy and especially not after watching a few horror movies at Morgan's house. I clapped my hands and the torches flickered to life and bathing the tower in a warm light.

Daniell and I walked up the stairs leading to Sebastian's study. I was quickly filling with dread with every step I took. I reached the top of the stairs and reluctantly opened the door.

Sebastian's study was a chaotic mess and that was concerning. While I was easily the least organized person I knew, Sebastian was the epitome of OCD. I gaped at his disorganized workshop.

His precious charms supplies were scattered all over the floor, instead of their usual spot on his table. The table was over flowing with parchment paper and old books giving it a look that reminded me of the ocean with its waves and islands.

I crossed the distance between the doorway and the table in 5 long strides. I scanned the entire table for a place to start reading. I grabbed a book that had the most amount of writing scribbled and paper protruding from it. I read one of the notes and on that particular note was a message that greatly confused me.

What Bale told me was true.

"What did Bale tell him and how did it contribute to him leaving?" Said a voice startling me.

I turned and whacked him faster than he could react. Only after I whacked the person with my book in the arm, I realized it was Daniell and I had simply forgotten he was there.

"Ow?" He asked. It would've been a painful-ish hit, but he was still wearing his armor.

"You startled me." I said with a glare.

"I was behind you the entire time." He countered. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes. It's unbecoming for a princess." Daniell said in response to eye roll.

"Did my mom pay you to say that?" I asked. I knew I was getting off track, but I loved winning arguments.

"She asked me to." Daniell responded. "Now what did that note say?" Before I could answer his question, he snatched the note from my hand. He pulled his reading glasses out of his satchel and read the note.

"What does that mean?"

"Don't know. That was what I was trying to find out when you snatched it from me." I said returned back to the books.

I grabbed one of the scrolls and pulled it from the pile, but instead of it being small like I had originally thought, other scrolls came with it. The scrolls where attached to each other with what looked like tape.

I turned the scrolls around so I could read what they contained. Daniell was too busy reading some passage in one of the books to notice what I had discovered. The one I had originally intended to grab, turned out to be a current family tree of my family.

I saw my name at the very bottom alongside Sebastian's. I traced the path to the very top where my ancestors were documented. My ancestors that had survived the great flood thanks to the moon colonies they vacationed at. Connected to the scroll at the very top was another scroll with a different last name, a last name I hated. It was the Bauron family.