Remember

Chapter 23: The Codex

As I made my way away from the pack house my thoughts were in turmoil. It was easy to say that you were going to summon the Council, but doing so was an entirely different story. In order to do so you had to establish a telepathic connection with every Alpha, worldwide. Only a handful had ever done it successfully, and even then you had to keep the connection through the entire conversation

Additionally, I had to have a very good reason for summoning the Council. Otherwise they would attempt to force an end to the connection, and doing so would be like ripping apart your mind.

Before I tried to establish a connection I needed to come up with the reason that I was summoning them, and it had better be a good one.

A few hours later I found myself sitting on the floor of the library with a severe cramp in my left leg, two very weary eyes, and about a thousand papercuts. 

I let out a groan before flopping onto my back. There was nothing in any of these books that could help me reason with the Council. It was at times like these that I wished that I had my memory back. I had a faint inkling that there was something that could help me, I just didn't know what.

I had never tried to force myself to remember something, but if I needed to remember something, now was the time. I let out a breath, focusing myself on my mind. I let the smell of books fade away, the dirt speckled sunlight became black, the sound of turning pages ceased, I was alone in my mind.

I then turned my thoughts to the Council, categorizing and organizing all of my memories of it. Unfortunately they were few and far between, with innumerable gaps.

Once my knowledge was organized, I focused my thoughts on the gaps, on remembering that which I had forgotten. My mind began to hurt as I forced the entirety of my will against those blanks.

Two words permeated my consciousness, causing me to sit up in shock and let out a gasp. "The Codex." I whispered as I mentally slapped myself for not remembering that vital piece of information earlier.

"What about it?" A gravely voice snapped me out of musings and had me standing up in surprise.

"What are you doing here Lewis?" I asked, giving myself another mental slap for not noticing him sooner.

An unreadable expression crossed his face at my use of his surname but he covered it a second later, smoothing it back into his usual unreadable mask, much like my own. "I was looking for you." He answered, daring me to challenge him.

"And what made you look here?" I asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of my voice as I matched his casual pose, my chin raised at his challenge.

He laughed. "Anyone who knows you knows that the library is your thinking place. Anytime you have one of your crazy plans you come here to research it out and think things through." He shook his head before continuing, "For someone who comes up with the most outrageous plans you sure think them through."

I filed Lewis's information away in my mind before asking my true question. "Why were you looking for me?"

He shrugged before answering coolly. "A little birdy told me that you planned on summoning the Council." His eyes betrayed his unshakable outward mask, he was terrified that I was actually going to do it

After mentally cursing out Noah I turned back to Lewis, my mask firmly in place. "And, hypothetically speaking, if I were to plan on summoning the Council, what would you have to say about it?"

Lewis's mask finally fell at the lack of concern in my words. "Let me spell this out for you Black. Summoning the Council of the Alpha's is suicide! It was only been done successfully by three alphas. No one has done it in the last three hundred years! As for those who were not successful, they either died or went mad! I hope that helped refresh you, since nobody with their memories intact would even consider summoning the Council!"

"I know the odds." I matched the intensity of Lewis's glare with an inferno of my own. "Yet at the same time if there is an alliance between the Hunters and the rogues then every single Alpha needs to be aware and preparing for it. If we continue to stay divided and spread thinly around the world then we are sitting ducks for them."

He let out a deep breath, his inner turmoil was evident by the worry lines that crisscrossed his face. Eventually he nodded at me, "If that's what you want..."

"It's what needs done." I said, no one wanted to summon every alpha worldwide, but they all needed to be warned.

He nodded once more. "What can I do to help?" He asked me. Since I had made my decision he was going to back me, after all it might be the last thing that I do.

"What do you know about the Codex?" I asked. I had a live alpha heir, with all of his memories, standing right in front of me. I might as well use it to my advantage.

"The Codex of the Alpha, better known as the Codex. It contains the limits on an alpha's power, how one must act, the line of succession, and everything else that an alpha needs to know to run their pack. Why do you ask?"

"Would the Codex contain the circumstances in which an Alpha may summon the Council?"

His eyes lit up. "That it would. Follow me." He turned quickly and weaved his way through the various bookshelves with a practiced ease.

"And where are we going?" I asked, my curiosity brimming.

He smirked. "You'll see soon enough."

I shook my head in exasperation. "I knew I wasn't going to like your answer."

After a bit more veering around book shelves we came to a halt. At a wall.

For a few minutes he just walked up and down the length of the wall in deep thought, as if looking for something.

"Problem?" I asked as I leaned back against one of the shelves casually, a smirk on my face.

Lewis ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated groan before replying. "The building is six feet too short, there is a hidden room here. The Codex is one of the most important documents in our history, you don't exactly leave it lying around for anyone. You put in a safe place, like a hidden room."

He hesitated before he plowed on. "The issue is that I cannot find my way into it. It was never my job to find a way into secret places."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I take it that it was my job?"

He looked surprised at how easily I heard what went unspoken. "It's a long story." He deflected, turning back to the wall.

"Why do I get the impression that everything with you is a long story?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Because it is." He answered, not turning away from the wall for an instant.

I finally decided to put him out of his misery. I pushed myself away from the bookshelf and glided over to the wall.

I had noticed the slight difference in the molding of the wood earlier. Now as I ran my fingers over the top of it I felt them catch on a switch. My lips twitched into a millimeter smile.

As I flipped the switch, I turned to Lewis. "Just because I don't remember doing something does not mean that I do not know how to do it."

A gobsmacked Lewis watched as the wall rotated, opening up into another room.

I motioned to him with a flourish. "After you."

Hello everyone, hopefully you have all had a great weekend so far! I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please vote and comment to let me know what you think! Don't be a silent reader! I need constructive criticism to improve!