Circle Quartet: 42

Chapter 42

This is disastrous. Everything is a total mess, like a hurricane just passed by.

This is where our proud Night Café was. Everybody loved to hang out here after the night class or training. The back door will be opened so that we could have some fresh night air and also moon-bathing; vampires and werewolves love it very much because it will gain our strength. There were stalls here and there, selling most delicious foods and mid-night snacks.

I loved hanging out here after training, especially. No matter how exhausted I was, it was compulsory for me to grab chocolate ice-cream stuffed in a bun or fresh lemon shake. There’s also a garlic bread stall which sold the most sumptuous garlic bread in the whole world. I always grabbed more than 5 sticks per night.

But now, no more Night Café. No more students hang out here, laughing and chatting in excitement. Everything was destroyed in one blink.

Suddenly, we hear someone’s groan not very far from here. There are still wounded people around here. We search for the sound but carefully step on the debris and broken tables and chairs for we don’t want to step on the injured people.

“Guys, over here!” shouts Ace as he found one of them. Three people are injured and one of them is Jeff’s best friend.

“Joseph!” I gasp. He’s lying on the ground helplessly with deep wounds on his chest and stomach.

“Alice…,” he calls me weakly. “You came.”

“Did Alse attack you?” I ask furiously.

Joseph slowly shakes his head. “Monsters…,” then he groans in pain.

“We need to take these wounded guys to the Healing Chamber,” says Stefan and carefully lifts Joseph wounded body by slipping his arms under Joseph’s shoulder.

“Let me do the teleportation. You need to save your energy, Alice,” says Ace and cast a teleportation spell.

As we arrive at the Healing Chamber, I shout for Aiden. There are lots of wounded people in here and the doctors and nurses are rushing here and there to treat them. Aiden comes within no time and asks Stefan to carry Joseph in the Emergency Room for his injuries are far worse than the other two.

My Mini beeps as I’m waiting at the Waiting Hall with Ace and Stefan. It’s from Dad.

“Dad,” I call him as I push the blue button.

“Alice, where are you, honey?” Asks Dad worryingly.

“I’m at the Healing Chamber with Stefan and Ace,” I reply.

“What? Are you guys hurt?” Now Dad is super worry.

“No…not at all. We found three wounded people as we entered the back door; one vampire and two shape-shifters. We quickly sent them here,” I explain. Dad lets out a sigh of relief.

“I’ve just got rid of several monsters with your uncles. We’re now at the Elders’ Chamber.”

“You want us to go there?”

“It’s okay. I’ll meet you guys there. Bye.”

Dad hangs up the phone and few second later, he appears in front of us. Ace squeals in surprise as Dad appeared. Dad laughs out loud and I shush him. I point to the sign ‘Silent Please’. Dad clears his throat but still wants to laugh.

We tell him about Joseph and the other two. Dad tells us that Alse sent her underlings and monsters from the underground. She wants to lure me to her trap because she thought that I was here in the first place. Those monsters and the underlings have been defeated but Alse may send more and we need to get ready for that.

“By the way, your grandmother has contacted them. They will arrive soon,” informs Dad with a smile. “Oh, I need to go to your Mom. Make sure you guys drop by to the Elders’ Chamber. Everybody is waiting for you.” Dad ruffles my hair. I roll my eyes irritatingly and Dad chuckles then disappears.

Aiden comes out from the Emergency Room just about Dad has gone. He tells us that Joseph is quite stable but he needs to rest for he lost too much blood. I thank him and tell him that I’ll be visiting Joseph soon.

Everyone is so delighted to see the three of us unharmed. Mom and Aunt Amethyst hug me and Stefan tightly. I know they’re very worried. Ace gets a little jealous because no one hugs him. Then Mom pinches his cheek and everybody laughs. Ace doesn’t like his cheeks getting pinched.

There are foods served on the dining table. I’m starving right now so I gobble the food up, as well as Ace. Stefan is hungry too, I guess, but he doesn’t gobble up his food. I know this one has manners. Mom scolds me and Ace for gobbling up the food like hungry wolves. I drink two bottles of double-purify blood. Dad says that the blood is enough for me to stay awake for two weeks.

“Now that reminds me, did Alse’s stupid monsters destroy the Underground Chamber and Blood Supply Room?” I ask as I lick my fingers heartily. Ace lets out a loud burp and Mom threatens him to turn into cockroach if he did that again.

“They appears around the compound before destroys the four main doors,” replies Grandma Zelda.

“Then the blood supplies are safe?” I ask excitedly.

Grandma Zelda smiles and nods. I cheer in delight.

“But you don’t need to drink that kind of blood anymore, Alice,” Grandma Maegan cuts in. “I’ve made a special drink for you and this is for the upcoming war. We need your strength,” Grandma Maegan turns to Stefan who is wiping his mouth with the kerchief as he finished his meal, “and you too, Stefan. Only the two of you can destroy Alse.”

Two of us? I look at Stefan and he looks at me too. Now there’s something fishy is going on here. It likes the Elders know something that we don’t.

“What do you mean, Grandma Maegan?” I ask.

“The answer is in the library,” says Grandma Maegan without averting her eyes on me.

My heart crumbles when I see my favourite spot is nearly destroyed. Half of the books were burned. The shelves crushed on the floor. My favourite reading place is also turn into dust. I think I’m going to cry but Stefan slowly pats my shoulder and points to the librarians who are busy re-building the broken shelves and walls.

I approach them and they greet me with pleasure. One of them, Mr. Dun, whom I close the most, tells me everything. He, too, is sad to see this library being destroyed and he couldn’t protect all the books here.

“And they stole some of the books too,” says Mr. Dun.

The monsters stole the book? What for? Can they read? Are they trying to…wait a minute!

“Mr. Dun, where are the old inscriptions were kept?” I ask as I realize something.

“Now that you mention it, we keep them in the secret room. Only we, the librarians know the code word. Come, let me show you,” says Mr. Dun and we follow him behind. He stops at the old grey shelf with full of dust. Then, he taps his wand on the shelf and says the code word. The shelf opens like a door and Mr. Dun asks us to come inside with him. And lo and behold, bundles of old inscriptions neatly arranged in the box like pigeons hole.

“Wow…this is amazing!” I look around with an amuse expression. Stefan, on the other hand, whistles amusingly.

“Not all people from all the clan can enter this secret room. The Elders told me once that when the time come, I have to give this to both of you,” Mr. Dun hands us two old golden inscriptions, wrapped in leather folders. Our names were carved on the folders.

“Thanks, Mr. Dun,” Stefan and I say in unison.

Mr. Dun nods and smiles. “All the answers that you seek are in there.”