—Sara let her eyes drift over the room, behind her Alexander shut the door with a bang that resounded through the thick stone walls. The room was so wide it would take over fifty steps to walk from a wall to the next, it didn't matter that she had been there countless times before, she still marvelled at how such a room could fit in the small hunting shop.

She slightly relaxed when she didn't see any of the brotherhood members, but didn't Alexander say they were waiting for her? She turned to ask him when-

"You sure took your time Sara."

Whirling around, she came to face with the last person she wanted to see. Was she there all along? Sara couldn't help but let her eyes roam over the older woman's body, dressed in a black tunic, and with only a few candles illuminating the room, it was no wonder Sara didn't notice her when she entered.

"Selene." Sara said in a curt, crisp voice, she didn't trust herself to say more than a few words without spouting insults at the woman, though she hated her guts, she knew she had to control herself.

"I must say Sara, you're the last person I'd like ask help from..." Selene paused appraising Sara with a superior look, her dark and cold eyes flicking over her, Sara rolled her eyes, if things went on like this she might forget about controlling herself.

"—But. I am practical, and I'd do anything to protect the interests of the brotherhood. Even if it means working with you." with a last condescending look at Sara, she pulled out the seat at the head of the round table and sat down gesturing for Sara to do the same, which she ignored.

"I was told the brotherhood would be waiting for me," Sara's eyes flicked over the room again, yes empty. "I don't see any of the members here."

"Darling, you do not need any other member, I make the brotherhood."

Sara couldn't help but chuckle incredulously, "Your arrogance Selene, is second to none." She pulled out the chair at the other end of the table, directly across Selene, and sat. Folding her hands on the table, she leaned forward, "remember you only seat as the leader because of my refusal to take over. Do not get ahead of yourself."

"You are just a child. A child who knows nothing."

The tension in the room was so thick, a knife could slice through it, as Sara and Selene glared at each other, none of them willing to back down. So much for controlling herself.

Alexander who had been quiet through the altercation, cleared his throat, Sara turned to look at him as he walked to the end of the room, grabbing a small chest from a shelve on the wall, he walked back to the table and dropped the chest with a bang.

"I know there's some unsolved rivalry here, but could we discuss the matter at hand." the glare Selene pinned him with was enough to make anyone cower, but definitely not Alexander, he ignored her heavy gaze and sat down.

"Selene and I decided it would be better if it was just us having this meeting." he then said to Sara, giving her a look that said they would talk about it later. Since when were he and Selene that close.

Are you jealous? No need to be, she's much older than Alexander.

Sara's only response was a raise of an eyebrow. She leaned back into the chair and crossed her arms below her breasts. Inwardly, she counted the number of items in the room~

—a table, yes ten chairs around it, shelves, was that a.... Yes it was a map of what she recognized to be Silva. There was really nothing else to count. She sighed then turned back to the duo who gave her odd looks.

"What?" she removed her cloak, the small opening on the room's roof didn't do for much ventilation as she felt hot.

You sure it's the poor ventilation?

The wicked voice at the back of her head spoke again.

"We were trying to get your attention, are you okay?"

Sara nodded to Alexander's question. "I'm fine, let's get this over with. Why is the royal family suspected of the murders?"

"Not the royal family. A member of the royal family." said Selene.

"Same difference." was Sara's only response.

Ignoring them, Alexander opened the chest with a key he brought out from the pocket of his tunic. Removing the contents of the box, Sara couldn't help but widen her eyes in disbelief, she had tried so hard to doubt the credibility of it, choosing to think Alexander was only bluffing, trying to get her to come back to Silva. How wrong she was.

She reached into her pocket and brought out the items Alexander had given her as proof of her supposed mother's connection to the murders.

Sara dropped the heirloom's replica on the table together with the other replicas that were in the chest. They all looked the same, exactly as..

"They all look like the original heirloom." Selene voiced out her thoughts, bringing out the heirloom around her neck. The original one that was meant for the brotherhood's leader.

Sara asked Alexander to pass the original to her, which he did, she grabbed one of the replicas and moved her eyes back and forth between the two, the silver pendant glittered in the thin stream of moonlight that passed through the small opening on the roof. She couldn't find any difference, not even one thing to suggest the rest were replicas, how?

"This was found on the body of every victim?" She questioned loudly, hurriedly returning the heirloom back to Selene. Touching that heirloom had brought feelings of nostalgia, she swallowed thickly—

Alexander nodded in answer to her question, this was really strange.

"Did Celestine perhaps tell anyone the secret of the heirloom?" asked Selene, as she put back the heirloom around her neck.

"Mother was very particular about that secret, she never even gave me a hint about it, said I wasn't ready." Sara paused, "there's no way anyone knows how to make it.... it's just not possible."

Celestine, Sara's mother was a hard woman, whose entire existence lied on the brotherhood and everything that concerned it, including the heirloom, revealing the secrets to just anyone was not something she would do, not even if she was faced with death. During those times, Sara had felt second to the brotherhood in her mother's life, and so she had trained hard, harder than any new recruits of the brotherhood, with the one goal of gaining her mother's favour and learning the secrets. Unfortunately it never happened, she di—

"Sara!"

Startled, Sara was broken from her thoughts, Alexander peered at her with concern in his eyes, silently asking if she was okay.

"I keep wondering if staying isolated at that forest has made you completely off." Selene turned to Alexander, "calling her back is turning to a big mistake." she concluded, her cold eyes resuming its glaring.

"What about the notes?" Sara asked cutting off what Alexander was going to say. She brought out a note from her pocket and dropped it on the table, the words still clear and confusing. "What do they mean?"

"That, we're yet to discover. some of the members think it possesses some clue to finding the murderer. But whatever clues it might hold, we don't know." Alexander brought out the other fifteen notes, Sara took a look at them, they all said the same thing and still in her mother's handwriting.

"Under the full moon, with bleeding hearts, the dark will rise, dot, dot, dot?" Sara read aloud, cryptic and short, she couldn't think of what clues the note could possess, surely there was a reason the note was dropped, but what for? And how was it in her mother's writing? Did the dots mean a continuation?

"Look here, can you see?" Alexander beckoned her over, she stood up and moved closer to him, his scent wafted around her almost making her breathless, she shook her head—

Not now Sara, not now.

Refocusing her attention, she saw he held a magnifying glass over the notes, "There's no note of your mother to compare with, but if you look closely, the handwriting is quite conspicuous and the lines don't seem dragged or forced like an imitation—"

He turned to look at her, "—almost like your mother wrote these herself."

"But as we all know, that's, that's not possible." said Selene in a pensive tone.

Of course it's not, Sara thought.

"How's the royal family connected to this?" Sara asked for the second time.

An annoyed look crossed over Selene's face. "No one in the whole of Silva has the most to gain from the murders than the royals."

Wait, what?

"Don't tell me, you suspect the royal family because of a mere speculation?" Sara's face displayed shock, "that's ridiculous, I wouldn't expect this from the brotherhood."

"Call it what you may, but you have to know I'm right."

Sara shook her head, she couldn't believe her ears, she looked at Alexander but he was glaring at Selene, anger shining in his eyes, odd, her voice increased despite her efforts to tune it down "There are so many other people who could have motives for–"

"Sara! We normally wouldn't involve you in this, considering the fact that your mother was the king's cousin, your sentiments could cloud your judgement and reasoning. But none of our spies in the palace can find anything, whoever this person is, they are skilled, knowledgeable and most of all good at hiding in plain sight."

Selene paused, standing up, she walked round the table till she stood directly in front of Sara, "this is not a mere serial case, everything screams a political move, who plays politics better than the royals? Who in the whole of Silva has so much power that even the brotherhood, with an insane number of spies everywhere can't find them? Who? If not the royals!"

"That doesn't mean anything, you're just blinded by rage because of the acts of the king against the brotherhood, but we can come out in the open, work with the royal family to find this killer." Sara argued, she refused to believe someone in the royal family was responsible. The royal family and the brotherhood had always been at each other's throat, which she found odd since it was the former queen, her great grand mother who started the brotherhood.

"And then what? The killer wins? I will not let them toy with us"

"You have no proof of the royal family's involvement, this is just a mere speculation."

"It's–"

"There's no speculation here, it's true hard fact." Selene said interrupting what Alexander was going to say, Sara turned to look at him, he had his fists clenched tightly by his side, his cold glare at Selene, if possible, intensified. What's wrong with him?

"The people of Silva do not like the royal family, you were their last hope, the only member of the royal family that cared for the people." Selene continued, "but you let grief cloud your reasoning and you left Silva." Sara stiffened, her fists clenched, she got the message clear, you were foolish.

"The people lost hope, the brotherhood though not known were praised for our help in Silva, someone in the royal family feels threatened by us and would do anything even if it means killing people to get rid of us. The people are angry with the decisions of the royal family, their dynasty is shaking, anyone can use this to usurp the throne."

Selene paused, sighing she went back to sitting down, folding her arms on the table, she leaned forward, "Think clearly, and tell me someone in the royal family is not involved in this."

Sara's emotions were in disarray, this was just too much for her, she craved her peaceful life back at the forest, but somehow she knew she may probably never have that again.

"You are the only spy we can use, the king adores you, he trusts you. You're the only one who can get as close to the king without anyone batting an eye. That is why I swallow my pride to ask for your help. And you and I both know it's the only way to figure out your mother's connection." She concluded, her eyes shone with silent triumph, she knew Sara would do it, her mother or rather her mother's death was her weakness.

"I'm going out." With that said, Sara whirled around and stalked out of the room. She was confused, more than she had ever been.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

Alexander was livid, he looked at the door that Sara just stalked out of. She was upset and rightly so, everything Selene had said made no sense, especially to someone who held her family, though extended in high regards, he would have to find her, Sara being upset was not something he liked. He turned back to glare at Selene, with the way his fists were clenched tightly, it would probably draw blood soon.

"Speak your mind boy." Selene cocked her head, peering at Alexander with her cold eyes.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth. Of why we suspect the royal family."

"Why didn't you?" She retorted.

Alexander clamped his mouth shut, he was going to tell her, truly, but how does he tell her that–

"You couldn't tell her, could you? You know very well what her reaction would be. You of all people should know her and her temper." Selene rolled her eyes, true it wasn't right that she hid such a thing from Sara, but it was best she didn't know. Was it? Yes, that was the best thing.

"But still we should have–" Alexander tried to push further.

"Enough Alexander! I made my decision, do not question me." Selene concluded, raising her hand to shun him.

"Selene, I—"

"Selene! Selene!" An urgent voice could be heard from the door, they both turned to the door, Alexander sighed, it couldn't have happened again?

"Another one?" Selene quickly rose to her feet, noticing the urgency of the messenger's voice.

The messenger quickly nodded, fear shone in his eyes. Selene and Alexander shared a look, it was going to be a long night.

----------------------------------------------------

That's it for this chapter.

What do you think Selene and Alexander are hiding? Guess if you can. Would love to hear from you. And what do you think of Sara's meeting with the brotherhood or rather the leader?

Till the next chapter.....