Chapter 18 Harvey's Warning
She didn't think twice about meeting Harvey here since she knew his warning was too essential to disregard. She was so close to figuring out the curse that she couldn't let it go. The journal, which had been used a lot and had faded with time, was in front of her. She had never known that it had belonged to her mother until today.
She had never seen it before, and the thought of it made her feel both scared and excited. A faint knock broke the calm and made her lose her train of thought. Sienna's heart skipped a beat. She hastily put the diary in front of her and tried to be calm as the door creaked open. The faint light in the corridor made Harvey's shadow stand out. He was an elderly man with gray hair and deep creases on his face, yet his eyes were sharper than ever.
"Is everything okay, Sienna?" He spoke in a low, rough voice. She nodded, but her mind was racing. "I discovered it." Harvey looked at the journal and then at her again. He didn't need to ask what she meant. His eyes got darker, and he moved closer, lowering his voice even more. "You've uncovered the truth, haven't you?" Sienna opened the book. The pages were full of her mother's tidy and clear writing. The notes were all over the place and talked about old stories, the Wolf Gods, and a mysterious person known only as "The First Queen." Her heart raced as she read the strange phrases. "Harvey..." Her voice shook.
"What is this?" What does it all mean? Harvey's face got tight. He didn't answer immediately away. Instead, he walked up to the window and looked out at the deserted street. There was a long silence between them. She could sense how heavy his hesitancy was. He spoke cautiously, with his back still turned, "You need to understand something, Sienna." "Your mother... she wasn't only a scholar. She was a part of something far bigger than herself.
She was trying to find out things that the Council would murder to keep secret. Sienna's eyes got bigger. "The Council?" She had thought they could be involved, but hearing it confirmed made her shiver. They had always been keeping an eye on her. Always hiding in the shadows and controlling everything she did. Harvey turned to look at her, and his eyes were serious. "Yes. Your mom was trying to show how they were lying. For hundreds of years, the Wolf Gods have been messing with this Earth.
And your bloodline is connected to all of it. Sienna's mind raced as she tried to make sense of what he had said. She gripped the journal tightly. "My bloodline?" He nodded sadly. "You are the last child of your mother's family, Sienna." She sought to keep you safe and out of the Council's sight. But you're not just any person; your link to the curse and the Wolf Gods is stronger than you think. And I've seen it before. Sienna, your strength is expanding. You can't do anything about it. Not yet. Sienna felt the weight of his words in her chest. She knew that being with Ryder was risky, but this was different.
"What do you mean by 'I can't control it'?" Harvey moved closer and spoke in a whisper. "The power you are using is not only the curse that is impacting you. It's something from the past. Your mom dubbed it "The Mark of the First Queen." Sienna, it's a curse that runs in your blood. It was supposed to be locked up, but it's come out in you. And now, the Council will find out you're alive soon, and they will come for you. A frigid wave hit Sienna. She couldn't breathe. "What will happen when they find me?"
At first, Harvey didn't say anything. His eyes become softer with pity. "They'll want you dead." Or even worse. They will want to utilize you. Sienna shook her head, and the room started to whirl. "No." I'm not... I'm not going to let them take advantage of me.
"I'll fight back." Harvey looked at her seriously. "Don't try to battle them alone, Sienna." You need help. There are those who can help you and keep you safe from the Council. She glanced at him and felt a fire start inside her. "Who?" Tell me who. Harvey stopped for a moment, then moved back, his face showing that he didn't know what to do. "I can't say yet. Not until you're ready. But a bigger fight is on the way. The Council wants to be in charge of everything, including the curse. If they succeed, they will enslave you and everyone else forever. Sienna's fists were tight, and her mouth was set in resolve. "I'm not scared of them." Harvey looked at her with suspicion. "You should be."
And one more thing. He moved closer again, and his speech was hard to hear. "Your mom left something more behind. A warning. She knew this day would come. Sienna lifted her eyebrow. "What warning?" Harvey's eyes moved across the room quickly, as if he were looking for something or someone. Finally, he looked at her with a serious look on his face. "You're not only the last of your family. You are the one who can put an end to all of this. The curse, the Wolf Gods, everything can be fixed. But it won't be simple. You need to make a decision. And it will cost you everything. Sienna's throat was dry, and she had to swallow hard.
She couldn't say anything. The heaviness of his words made her feel like she couldn't breathe. Harvey moved back and fixed his jacket collar. "I'm sending you this journal so you know what you're up against." But Sienna, be careful. Every page you open and every secret you learn pulls you deeper into this realm. "You can't go back after you've passed that line." The sound of the clock on the wall chimed, breaking the tension in the room. "You'll have to make a decision soon," Harvey said.
"The Council isn't the only one keeping an eye on you." Sienna stood there with the journal in her hands, her head spinning with what he had spoken.
The stakes were larger than she had thought. The curse wasn't the only thing that mattered anymore. It was about her bloodline and a conflict that had been going on for hundreds of years, one that she was now a part of. Harvey was about to leave, when he stopped at the door. He turned around and looked back. "I'll get in touch with you when the moment is appropriate." But keep in mind that you shouldn't trust anyone. Not even me. The door clicked shut behind him, and Sienna was left alone in the quiet. Danger, betrayal, power, and a rising feeling of duty raced through her consciousness. She opened the journal again and turned to the last few pages. The way her mother's handwriting was now, with the words flying across the pages, made it seem like she was in a hurry.
The last entry made her blood run cold. "The First Queen is not what they think. Yes, she was a vessel, but she was also the key to breaking the curse. If they find her blood, they will unleash a power that no one can control. And Sienna, you are her successor. Her pulse beat as she realized how heavy the words were. She wasn't only linked to the curse; she was the solution to it. She held the world's fate in her hands. And that idea scared her more than anything else.