Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes Pt. 2 [Book 3]

Chapter 21: Summer

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the hospital with Raven. I was laying on my back looking up at a ceiling. I sat up and looked around, realizing that I was back at the house we were renting. Qrow was sitting nearby, gazing intently towards me.

"Qrow... why am I back here?" I asked.

"You don't remember what happened?" he asked.

I sat quietly and thought about it for a moment. The last thing I remember was Raven fighting off Felice. And then Felice throwing her dagger toward my face...

I gasped and touched the right side of my face, hoping to find that it was all my imagination.

But it wasn't. My eye wasn't there anymore. It was covered by some sort of gauze or patch. All because of Felice and her throwing dagger.

"My... my eye," I whispered.

Qrow looked at me sadly. "I'm so sorry, Summer. Maybe if I had gotten to you and Raven faster, I might've been able to help. I took you back here where it was safe, like Raven asked. Your eye was still bleeding when we got here, so I did my best to bandage you up. I hope you don't mind the eye patch."

I did my best to smile. "It's fine. You did what you could. And I appreciate that."

He nodded, but didn't say anything.

"So... where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Heather is looking after Yang and Ruby. And Erin went with William to get some food for tonight. I suppose they're just trying to give us some privacy."

I was about to respond when my scroll started to ring. I grabbed it and saw Raven was calling me. Pressing the button, I placed the scroll to my ear and answered.

"Raven! I'm so happy you called! Are you okay? Is there anything—"

"I'm fine," she said, cutting me off. "But we might have a huge problem."

"What is it?" I asked.

"So I tried to find Watts, and it turns out that he was quicker than I thought. Ironwood had already gone through the operation by the time I got there. He was a bit out of it, but I did manage to get some information out of him. Apparently, the Winter Maiden is guarding the vault. And as far as I know, Watts hasn't left Atlas yet. So he might be headed straight for the maiden herself. If that happens, they'll get the relic and hand it over to Salem most likely."

I was a bit overwhelmed by what I was hearing, but I did my best to sound calm.

"Okay. We can all get together and try to stop them from—"

"No," Raven said, interrupting me. "You're not fit to fight right now, Summer. Facing three of Salem's followers would be too difficult for you. Just... stay at the house for now. I'll figure something out."

She hung up before I could say anything else. I slowly placed my scroll down and looked over at Qrow.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well... it appears that Arthur Watts is more elusive than we expected. He managed to complete Ironwood's operation before Raven could reach him. And to make matters worse, Watts might be going after the maiden and the relic. If he does get a hold of it, that wouldn't be good for any of us. Raven told me not to go and fight them, but I don't know what else I can do. I want to help in any way I can. And the only way I know how to do that is to try and fight Salem's forces off."

Qrow sighed and said, "You can help by getting some rest, Summer. You've been through enough already. And we don't even know where the relic is located. So we might not make it in time anyway."

I glared at him. "Don't say things like that, Qrow! Maybe Tyler knows where the relic is. He is in the military after all. I could call him and ask."

Qrow shrugged. "Have at it. But I can't guarantee you'll get your answer."

I picked up my scroll and found Tyler's number. I put my scroll on speaker and waited as it rang a few times. On the third ring, I finally got an answer.

"Hey, Summer," Tyler greeted me. "Do you need anything?"

"I do actually," I told him. "First, I'd like to make sure that you're alone."

"Uh... I'm in my room at the moment. My roommate left to do some training a little while ago. What's this all about, Summer?"

"The relic. Do you have any idea where it is?"

Tyler went silent for a few moments.

"You know... normally we wouldn't know about such classified information. But with the General assassinated and Ironwood in the hospital, we kinda have to be on high alert. I don't know where the relic itself is located, but I can say that's it's hidden underground below one of the Atlesian Military Bases. There are three in total. The largest one is located near where I am actually. So maybe start there?"

"Got it. Thanks for the information. I'll contact you if I have any more questions. Stay safe, okay?"

"I'll try. You stay safe, too."

I hung up and smiled at Qrow.
"Well, there's one question answered."

He nodded, but he didn't look too hopeful.

"What if we get lured into a trap?" he asked. "Or what if the relic is already gone by the time we get there? This isn't good, Summer. Watts, Felice, and Icarus could already be on their way as we speak. We might not even make it on time..."

I sighed. "You're ever the optimist, aren't you?"

He opened his mouth to respond, when the door opened behind us.

I stood to my feet and saw that both William and Erin had returned, holding groceries in their hands.

"We got some fresh ingredients for tonight," Erin said, walking towards the kitchen.

"I'm glad you're up, Summer," William told me. "How are you feeling?"

I nodded and smiled. "I'm okay. Actually, there's some things that I need to discuss with you and the rest of the team. But I think I'll wait until Raven and Tai come back."

"Okay. This sounds pretty important. Could you at least give me some details about what you want to discuss? I hate going into meetings completely blind," he said.

"Yes, of course. I can't say much, but I can tell you that it's about Salem. And... the Relic of Creation."

I placed my hand on the handle of the Relic of Destruction. The feeling of it touching my skin filled me with determination. And yet... I still felt a strong sense of dread. I couldn't help but feel that what Qrow had said to me was right. And that going after the maiden and the relic was futile. ...But I had to press on.