Chapter 56: Hidden

Brandon and Edgar searched through every nook and cranny if the room Rachael was living in, they searched for clues but none of them seemed to give off where she must have hidden the page of the book that was missing.

“What’s this?” Brandon said holding a handkerchief in his hands, he inhaled the smell by bringing it closer to his nose and few moments later he fell to the ground unconscious.

“Brandon!! Brandon!!!” Edgar called out but he was deep asleep.

“This is what was used to knock Elaine out” Edgar said as he held the cloth far away from himself and Brandon that just woke up from his deep sleep.

“Why would a witch need this to knock someone out?” Edgar said.

“Maybe her magical powers do not entail knocking out skills” Brandon said mockingly.

“Next time be careful, you shouldn’t be too quick to smell something that closely, use your enhanced senses you’re a werewolf” Edgar said as he took the cloth into the bathroom and soaked it in the bucket of water that was left in there.

“Back to looking for the torn piece of paper” Edgar said as they continued searching all over the place.

“What if we’re really wasting our time?” Brandon said pausing for a moment.

“What if she carries it around to avoid situations like this?” Brandon said thinking that if he were the one, he would take it anywhere he was going.

“That’s so risky for her, that’s like carrying her identity she’s trying so hard to cover around for everyone to see once she’s caught off guard” Edgar replied.

“Or maybe it’s hidden in here with a spell or something” Brandon said still looking around even though he had searched all over and all over again.

“I think so too” Edgar said standing and placing his hand on his waist as he exhaled sharply.

“Either way, we’re not going to find it in here because where haven’t we checked?” Brandon said.

“Then we need to ask someone who have been around long enough to know what was on the page of that book before it was torn out” Edgar replied and he faced Brandon.

“Are we both thinking of the same person or am I thinking that we’re thinking of the same person” Brandon said as he looked at Edgar closely.

“We are thinking of the same person Bran” Edgar said and walked out the room while Brandon followed him behind as he just heard him call him Bran once again after claiming not to be the real Edgar.

“What if Claudia doesn’t know the answer to this questions we have for her?”Bran said with a tinge tone of fear in his voice.

“What is it Bran? Why are you scared?” Edgar said as they walked hastily towards the throne room.

“What if we’re running out of time?” Brandon said with his tone still sounding scared.

“We’re not running out of time because we’re doing our best” Edgar said as they both walked at their fastest pace to get closer to the truth.

They hastened towards the throne room where they knew she would be at that time of the day, planning in how to feed a citadel times two it’s original size.

“Your majesty, a word?” Edgar said as he barged into the room leaving the door wide open.

“I apologize for the barging in but this is a matter that cannot wait or the life of everyone in this room will be threatened” Edgar said and there was some murmuring in the room.

“Gentlemen this meeting is dismissed till whenever I call for another” Claudia said and no one question her, they all just did exactly what she said.

The men seated around the table all walked out and left Claudia and Edgar both standing facing each other and looking intensely into each other's eye balls.

“Could you tell me what is so urgent that you had me cancel my meeting with my men as I planned the life of all my people?” Claudia said adjusting herself where she sat as she tried to get comfortable.

“You have been harboring someone that has been a great threat to the life of every werewolf with a stone in her heart” Edgar said as he stared at Claudia intensely.

“And what do you mean by that?” Claudia said trying to get a picture the whole story.

“Apparently, the witch that you harbored within your walls, Rachael is not only a rogue but she is a person from the the old days that was denied the right to be a guardian, Ezekiel Knight’s wife” Edgar said looking at her straight in the eye.

“That’s not possible, I found her as a young girl and I helped her when she had no one, I hid her because if Skylar knew that there was someone like that in my pack house he would sentence me to death and my people would suffer” Claudia said with so much authority.

“The young little girl you brought home was gone long ago, way before you rescued her, her soul was out of her body that belonged to someone else” Edgar said.

“But I know one thing for sure, you knew that the soul in her body wasn’t hers” Edgar continued not giving Claudia any room to think about what she was going to say to defend herself.

“I cannot say for sure but I suspected it to be, so are you here to know why I did what I did or you’re here for something else” Claudia said defensively as she felt they were questioning her too much.

“Your majesty, a page from the book of lineages has been torn out, the page that entails what happened to Ezekiel’s wife after her death, can you help us out” Brandon said taking the conversation up himself and he realized that Edgar was getting worked up.

“Rachaela Rachel Darius died while trying to save her brother-in-law from an arrow that nearly cost him his life” Claudia said when Brandon caught her short.

“Her name’s Rachaela Rachel Darius? Isn’t that the first line of guardians?” Brandon said looking very skeptical.

“She was buried in the crypt below the red stone pack house where her under descendants were buried over the centuries” Claudia replied gently.

“That’s where she must have taken Elaine to” Edgar.

“What if that isn’t her plan? What if there was something bigger and she’s just using all this to blind you all?” Claudia said.

“What do you mean by that your majesty?” Brandon said wanting to head what she had to say.

“Back in the old days, people say that Rachaela caused the plague that killed almost all the werewolves and she did this because she wanted there to be a riot and then, an act of killing the king and after she saves him, she can never be forgotten in the pages of history” Claudia said trying to make it clear to them.

“She went that far just to make sure she is remembered by generations to come?” Brandon said looking very astonished at how far people can go for recognition.

“She wanted to be remembered as the greatest leader the world has ever seen but that wasn't working out well so she went with something else but after her burial and she raised herself from the day, she went away from everything and I’m so sure she regretted all of it” Claudia said staring into a blank space as she too imagined how it would’ve been for her to fail so woefully.

“And you know all this because Rachaela, Rachel Darius has been living here with you all this while in your pack house and that was why since we spoke of Elaine being missing you haven’t moved a limb in attempt to help find her. You’re in an alliance with her and if anything at all harm Elaine, I will kill you both without batting an eyelid or feeling a shred of regret” Edgar said in a low, hoarse and vexed voice that made the atmosphere of the room very heavy.

“I’ve told you all I know what more do you want from me?” Claudia replied not feeling threatened at all.

“I want to know the truth about what happened the day Elaine disappeared” Edgar said drawing out a chair and sitting opposite her with his eyes her making sure he didn’t miss any facial expressions that may come up on her face, because that was the only he would know if she was lying.