Hellfire • L.A.

Trust

The letter sat heavy in my hand. It had been three entire days since I moved into this office, five days since Perry's death, and I still had yet to open the envelope Chief Zackly gave me. It was bulky at the bottom like something had been folded many times and shoved in there, and the envelope itself looked a little yellow like it had aged a bit.

I traced my finger lightly over the wax seal of the capital 'P' in blue wax on the front. It was neat and circular. One of Perry's many talents had been always pouring hot wax evenly so that when he pressed the mold on top of it, it would always come out clean. I grab the letter opener sitting next to me and pry the wax seal off of the yellowing envelope, and pull the folded letter out. I smile while unfolding it, seeing Perry's perfect handwriting scrawled out all over the page.

               Lux,

If you have received this letter it means that I have passed on. Don't weep for me any longer than you already have. You're a commander now, you need to be strong and put Phoenix first. I'm going to get right into this without stopping for sentiment, because at this moment that I am writing, my main goal is to notify you of the dangers in the coming years.

Over the last five years you have entrusted me with information about your family, your bloodline, and yourself. I can't be sure of it, but there is someone that wants you dead. There is a history within these walls that people want forgotten, and your bloodline is one of the few that hold the rest of the secrets.

I'm telling you this because I am promising to protect you until the day I die. Know that if I pass before you, my wife in Wall Sina has guaranteed you a  safe house once you leave Phoenix.

Burn this letter after reading it.

13 September, Year 846

I drop the letter in astonishment. It wasn't exactly the heartfelt memoir I was expecting.

There were things about my family that I had been told before both of my parents left this world. Most of them were just stories, or so I thought. There is life beyond the walls, life beyond the titans. But it's not something that I hold the secret to. I'm simply a byproduct of a bloodline ruined by science, curiosity, and greed.

The more astonishing part though, wasn't that this letter was written four years ago. When he finally pieced all of it together, the clues I had left him, did he know his life was endangered? Did Perry Hawthorne know he was going to die because of my secrets?

With shaky hands I grab the candle next to me and pull it closer. I hold the parchment to the flame, and watch the corner of the paper light up in flames. The ashes curl and fall to my desk as the embers travel up the rest of the letter.

"Commander, are you trying to start a fire?" Bran's voice cuts through the silence.

Without looking away from the letter in my hands, i shake my head. "Just taking care of some trash. How long have you been standing there?"

His footsteps are louder as he gets closer to my desk. "Just a few seconds. I needed to talk yo you about something, actually."

The rest of the paper gets eaten by the flames and I drop it quickly so that I don't burn myself. I watch in awe as it shrivels in on itself and the flames turn into barely glowing embers. "What do you need?"

"I want to know our next move." He says firmly.

I look up to see him standing in front of my desk, his head held high and his uniform still on despite it being nine in the evening.

"That's something I can't tell you." I shake my head and begin to brush the ashes into a bin next to my desk.

"Why not?"