The Legacy
Chapter nine

Kain sat on the windowsill breathing in the cool night air. There was a soft breeze rustling the loose strands of her hair. She looked around, searching for signs of movement. Once she was sure that there was no one walking around, she swung herself around the edge and started to scale the walls. It was a long climb, but it was better than getting caught by sneaking in through his door. She climbed swiftly and easily. Soon enough Kain reached Abbadon’s office window. It was always open which made her entry all that much easier. She swung herself through the window and landed silently on her feet. Kain scanned the office. There was an eerie atmosphere hanging in the air, one that had always made her feel uncomfortable even with Abbadon’s absence. There was a strange foreboding feel emanated from the closed drawers and cupboards.

Kain walked around Abbadon’s desk, looking at the door as she fiddled with the desk drawers. To her surprise neither of them was locked. Abbadon must feel confident in knowing that no one would bother with breaking into his office. No one else would dare. But she’s not someone else and she knew that she was risking a lot by breaking into Abbadon’s office. All this, just because of a feeling. Never would she have questioned Abbadon or suspected him. He had always been a private man and Kain respected that without question. So why is she now invading on his private space when she should be splitting on the fae hiding in her secret hide-out?

Kain opened the top drawer first. There she found a series of yellow files with little white tags on them with every student’s name. They were records of all their achievements and cases as well as back stories. Finding no interest in the files, Kain closed the drawer and opened the second one. It was empty except for a single bronze key and a small envelope. She was about to close the drawer, replaceing it odd that it was so empty when something white caught her eye. There was a corner of a paper wedged into the drawers’ base corner. Kain tugged at the corner but it wouldn’t budge. With a closer inspection she realized that there was a false bottom. Kain removed the key and small envelope then took her dagger which had a paper-thin blade and wedged it between the bottom of the drawer and its side. A thin board came loose, which she was able to lift up and take out. It held another yellow file in it of which its papers seem disorientated as if it was just thrown into the drawer with great haste. Kain picked the file up and found a small ID photo of her stapled next to the name tag. Besides the fact that the file was hidden below a false bottom instead of being kept with the other records, it wouldn’t have interested her much. Until her eye caught the name tag on the side.

There punched in black letters, stood the name Breezes had called her. Not Kain as she had always known but Kainun the fae name. With a frown, she opened the file and almost had to brace herself from falling, as she took an involuntary step backwards. It was a whole file on her and things she didn’t even know about herself. things she couldn’t remember and things Abbadon shouldn’t even know. In fact, they were things no one could ever know about her unless they were there the day she was born. Kain kept reading through the file until she came upon a letter that was no longer sealed. The letter was meant for her but Abbadon had gotten his hands on it first.

The letter was from her mother. Her mother must have left it with her the day she was left at the orphanage. But why did Abbadon have it and why keep it? Kain folded the letter neatly and tugged it into her pocket. Underneath the file where some other items. Strange and creepy looking items. She picked up a small golden ring with a golden eight-pointed star in the centre and a single orb embedded in the centre of the star. The ring wasn’t completely round. There was a small open space at the back of the ring the ends on either side had eight-pointed stars. Kain realized that it was a crown. It was big enough for the head of a seven-year-old. Kain felt a cold chill run down her spine. This crown must have belonged to her as well, just like the letter did.

The next item she fished out of the drawer was a little darker. It looked like a syringe, but instead of having a needle, it had two long, sharp pointy tubes stained by black fluid. Her heart began to beat faster. It was the weapon used to kill Collins. She was certain of it. She frowned at the object and wondered what it was Collins had found out that got him killed. She stared up at the door. Is that what she should be wondering? Or should she be wondering about what Abbadon is really hiding?

She rummaged through the drawer again, but the rest of the object are just things taken from the demon fae bodies and some strange black marbles. Kain shoved the golden ring and the two-pointed weapon into her cloak pocket. She grabbed three of the black marbles as well. Maybe Breezes would know what these items meant. She replaced the file back into the drawer and put the false bottom back on top. Searching the desk and some other small containers Kain was unable to replace the object she was really looking for. She walked back toward the window after closing the drawer she had been looking through. There was nowhere else she could look. Maybe she had been wrong. Abbadon is definitely hiding something but if he was the killer, there was no way of replaceing out.

Kain had just reached the windowpane when she heard a key being inserted into the office door. She was startled for a moment but recovered fast enough to slip through the window just as the door swung open. She threw herself to the side, pressing herself against the wall beside the open window. Her heart was hammering in her chest. “So, I take it, that the meeting went well?” she heard someone asked as two pairs of footsteps entered the room. She heard the door close. There was a soft hollow laughter, “they were nothing more than mere immatures,” Kain heard Abbadon say. She steadied her breathing as she frowned. She had thought Abbadon would return tomorrow evening, why was he back so early. She took a chance and leaned a little towards the window, just enough for her to see inside. She couldn’t see the whole room, but she was able to see Abbadon standing behind his desk. He was talking to a tall, skinny boy with untamed black curls and a dark look in his eyes. She had seen this boy, Greg, in the training room but she never really talked to him or looked his way. He wasn’t important to her but apparently, he was to Abbadon.

Greg walked towards the desk and made himself comfortable in one of the red velvet armchairs in front of it. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, “that Sophia wench woke up this morning. She claims that she doesn’t remember much but I have a sense she might be hiding something. Kain hadn’t found her near Collins’s body after all. Which begs the question, where had she gone?”

Abbadon sat down on his own chair, he leaned back as he folded his arms over his chest, his one hand rubbing his chin as he thought, “had she spoken to Kain?” he inquired. Greg shook his head, “Kain hasn’t been present recently, but the wench has spoken to Gavin. I know because I was with him,” Kain glared at Greg, how did he know she wasn’t present? Was he spying on her? and for what? To spill secrets to Abbadon?

Kain glared towards Abbadon who now leaned one elbow against the arm railing of the chair, “we should get rid of Sophia. Before she suddenly remembers what, that bastard Collins had found out,” Abbadon snarled. He was fiddling with the bottom drawer of his desk, frowning slightly. Kain felt her heart skip a beat. Could he tell that someone had rummaged in his office?

Greg smiled, “of course,” he leaned forward, folding his long arms around his knobby knee, “so what did our lovely queen of darkness say?” he asked quietly, his face serious and interested. Abbadon was looking around his office, his eyes searching the room, “she said that magic is slowly retuning back to the fae. She has been sensing magical energy pulses on more than one occasion,” Abbadon said sorrowfully. Kain’s heartbeat began picking up again, they are noticing the change too.

Greg was frowning, “so what does that mean?” he asked bewildered. Abbadon turned his face back towards Greg, looking at him as if the answer should be obvious. “It can only mean one thing,” Abbadon said putting his elbows on the table and pushing his fists beneath his chin. Kain caught the glimpse of the ring on Abbadon’s hand. She squinted to see better and felt cold ice take over her. She had been right. She did see the symbol before. It was the same one she had seen every time she looked at Abbadon’s hands instead of his face. Abbadon was Collins’s killer. There was her proof. Of course, she had already known it but seeing the ring confirmed it with a seal of evidence. But how was she going to prove it to the others?

Caught in her own referee, Kain almost didn’t catch Greg’s movement as he stood up and walked towards the window. She had just enough time to press herself against the wall again before Greg stood in front of the open window. He leaned on the windowsill and she could see his head leaning out of the window slightly. Kain held her breath and prayed that the wind wouldn’t suddenly rustle her cloak. If he turned his head to the side, he would see her, and she would be caught. He sighed, as he nodded slowly. Greg looked down at the ground before turning around and walked away again, “so Kain is regaining her consciousness. We had known this day would come but what is bringing it on so early?” Greg inquired.

Kain dared looking through the window again just as he sat back down on his chair. Abbadon rubbed his hands over his face before replacing them back beneath his chin. His eyes glimmering with thoughts running wild in his head, “the enchantment placed on her mind is breaking, she’s remembering. Something must have triggered her. Something she is hiding from us,” Abbadon said quietly. He leaned forward on his chair and folded his arms on top of the desk.

“I want you to keep an eye on her. Follow where she goes and see what she does at all times! But keep it discreet, I don’t want to make her suspicious. She’s a smart girl, she’ll know if she’s being watched and she’ll be extra careful. I want to know what it is that is making her remember so soon!” Abbadon warned. Greg stood up and bowed his head, “I’ll report back as soon as I see or hear something, master.” Then he turned and left the office.

Abbadon leaned back in his chair as he breathed heavily, “it’ll be a pity if she has to die,” he murmured to himself fiddling with his drawer again. Abbadon then turned his face towards the window as if suspecting that he was being watched. Without a single thought, Kain pushed herself from the window and fell down the tower until she was able to grab onto another window sill and pulled herself inside. She was not stupid enough to see if Abbadon was watching or not. She could only hope that she hid fast enough for him not to see her.

Waiting for a long while, Kain took a moment before poking her head out the window to see if the coast was clear. Kain could just make out the curtains of Abbadon’s office drawn shut. Taking a deep breath, Kain pushed herself out the window again and began scaling the walls once more. Instead of climbing back towards her chambers, Kain climbed towards the tower above the training arena. By the time she knocked on Master Edrick’s window, she found herself being out of breath. Edrick opened his window, his sleepiness fading instantly, when he caught sight of Kain outside on his windowsill. “What are you doing?” he hissed at her groggily but stepped aside non the less, so she could slip through.

She never liked Edrick much and she didn’t exactly trust him but right now he was the only one who could explain to her what was going on. Kain sized Edrick up, being only a head taller than him. She was trying to intimidate him but his face didn’t betray his emotions. “I need answers! I need to know what you know!” she ordered in a hushed tone. Edrick faked confusion but gave up on the attempt in the same notion, knowing it’s no use. He motioned towards a wooden chair before closing the window and drawing the curtains. He left the room dark except for a single burning candle.

Edrick studied her for a moment before giving a deep and long sigh. “What do you know about Collins’s death?” he inquired, wiping a wrinkled hand over his face. Kain leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees, “I know that he found something which Abbadon wanted to keep quiet,” she recited, remembering what Sophia had said to her in the infirmary. Kain frowned at Edrick, unsure about what that had to do with what she wanted to know. His eyes kept switching between window and the doors of his chamber, his hands kept on kneading into each other.

“You know something. I know you do!” she scooted to the edge of her chair, “why else would you warn me?” she added, her eyes sharp upon Edrick’s face. After a while of aching silence, Edrick sighed heavily before nodding, “it is true. I do know a few things. Things I’m not meant to know. I’m going to level with you Kain. The reason I don’t like you that much is because I know something, I’m not supposed to. Something about you. If Abbadon knew I knew these things, I’d probably end up like Collins,” Edrick said, his hand running over his face once again.

Kain took in every word carefully, “so you think Abbadon was involved with Collins’s death?” she asked, confirming her own suspicions. Perhaps she doesn’t need proof if someone else suspects the same thing. Edrick stared at her sternly, “I don’t know what I think but I do know it is somehow connected,” he said. Kain watched his face for a while, searching for any sign of trickery but she only saw a tired old man who has too many secrets hidden between his wrinkles.

“So, what did you replace?” she asked, directing the conversation back on track. Edrick began kneading his fingers again, “I know who and what you are Kain. I have since the day you entered the doors of the Academy.”

“You know I’m…” she broke off, her eyes wide as they studied Edrick. She realized that she was threading on dangerous grounds. What if she misinterpreted? What if he was talking about something else? What would Edrick be talking about if not talking about what she thinks he’s talking about? Edrick’s slight nod of his head, confirmed that they were on the same page. He stared at her, his aged eyes gleamed with an unnatural gloss within the candlelight. “It wasn’t by accident you know,” he began, then noticed Kain’s frown. “When Abbadon found you, it wasn’t by accident. He knew about you beforehand. He gets the details from some unknown source. I didn’t think much of it until I accidentally saw your file. I asked no questions. Abbadon doesn’t like questions as you well know. I was safer that way,” he explained, all the while keeping his eyes on the candle and his hands kneading harder.

Kain took in every word carefully, acting like a sponge that soaked up the information like water. “If you knew then why come to me now? Why come to me at all?” she asked pointedly. Surely the strict trainer of the Academy’s hunters, who strives just as Abbadon to kill fae, would rather see her dead. Edrick breathed deeply, his hands going still. Somehow, he looked much older in that instant than what he looked like a second ago. “Because I think Abbadon is on the wrong side. Things are happening around here and even out there,” he said looking towards his window and Kain knew he meant the woods, “strange things. Abbadon disappears to god knows where most of the time and fae are seen coming out more and more by the day. Not to mention the demon fae making themselves comfortable and getting bolder by the night.” Edrick breathed, running both hands over his face, “I’m not a superstitious man but I feel a storm coming, and it is you who is in the centre of it all.” Kain kept her face flat. Did Edrick realize how right he was? Surely, he had no idea how much Kain was a part of it all.

Edrick stood up from his chair, looking down at Kain, “I’m warning you to watch your back because I have this deep gut feeling that you are on the right side, no matter where your true identity lies,” he finished solemnly.

Kain made her way back across the wall and through her window. She closed it tightly and drew her curtains before striding over to her doors and locked them. Breathing hard, Kain leaned her head against the door and closed her eyes. At least she had the upper hand, if you could even call it that. There was one thing she knew for certain. Neither she nor Sophia or Breezes was safe. She had to warn both Breezes and Sophia. If what Edrick said was true then she doesn’t have long, neither did the others. She knew that they wouldn’t just kill her, they would need it to look like an accident. Sophia would be out of the infirmary by morning which means her next night watch would be the next day. Kain turned around and slid down against the door until she was sitting on the cool floor. She leaned her head back against the smooth wooden door. There were so many things she had discovered tonight and so many she wished wasn’t true. And too many things at stake. If she dared make one wrong move then everything would collapse and more than one life will be lost.

Kain wished that there was someone she could talk to. It was times like these she wished that she had a mother to confide in. Eyes still closed, Kain’s brows began to furrow. Remembering the letter, she took from Abbadon’s office, Kain fished through her pockets until she found it. She hesitated before unfolding the letter again. The words written on the page wasn’t written in any of the human languages. She recognized the swirling words as the neat alphabet of the fae language. Just like before, Kian was able to decipher the meaning of the words easily.

My dear Kainun.

If you read this then it means you have started to remember again. I am so sorry that you had to live this life without me and that you must experience the pain you are feeling now. The last of my enchantment will be very painful as you break through it but once it is completely broken you will know exactly what to do. My Kainun, you have a great responsibility that lays in front of you and it is a great honour to accept this responsibility.

There is nothing left of the blood circle! She had destroyed it all! It is up to you to restore the circle and fast. You will discover that you have great power and you’ll need to learn how to control it before it completely consumes you.

I love you my dearest and I know that you will do great things. You are the only hope fae kind has and I am truly sorry that it falls on your shoulders. You are the only one who can stop Zorzia once and for all. It is your burden to carry and yours alone.

I wish you only the best,

Love mom!

Kain folded the letter again, tears running down her cheeks. She had to get to Breezes. If there would be anyone who knew what her mother’s words meant, it would be a fae. This enchantment her mother spoke of was the reason she didn’t remember her past. Not because of some traumatic accident or a result of a head injury but because of magic. If it was possible to break the enchantment faster, Breezes would know of a way. Kain wanted to remember her mother again, it was a desire stronger than she could ever explain. Kain stood up and placed the unfolded letter inside of her journal which she shoved back underneath the mattress. There was nothing she wanted to write on this night. She just wanted to curl up on her bed and cry until sleep would come.

That night Kain didn’t sleep as peacefully as she usually did. She was haunted by dreams of burning buildings and people screaming in terror. The voice of her mother murmuring her enchantment echoed in her dreams. The conversation of Abbadon and Greg replayed repeatedly. Then she was falling. Her hand had slipped from the wall and she fell into a never-ending void of darkness.