Seren POV

With Cyan and Arline gone, that leaves Lore and I alone. I take his hand, offering what I hope to be a reassuring smile.

"It will take some time, but they'll come to understand," I say, squeezing his hand.

"Right." Sighing, Lore rises to head for his desk. He falls into the chair, flipping through some papers that I doubt he registers.

"I'm going to work on those maps that Ristain requested of me," I explain, getting up as well. Lore looks like he needs some space. Everyone probably does, so I take my leave. The library will probably be my best bet, somewhere quiet that others likely won't find me. However, after scrounging up some paper and ink, I discover Arline seated on one of the couches in the library. Her legs are curled up on the cushion, eyes distant until they drift to me. I figured she'd head back to the school house, but in her state it is probably best that she not tend to the children. She needs rest too.

"Uh, sorry for disturbing you," I say, gesturing over my shoulder. "I'll go somewhere else."

"Why did you agree with him?" she asks, preventing me from leaving. She stares me down, brows deeply furrowed. "You've fought against the Red Moon. You know what they're like and they must hate you, so why are you working with them?"

I shut the library doors and head towards her, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch. I sit everything down on the table in front of us. She watches me with curious and frustrated eyes.

"I've only met with some of the members once," I admit. "Ristain has made it very clear that we're to work together and if anyone has a problem, they're welcome to leave."

Arline looks away when I mention Ristain.

"I don't fully trust them either. Trust takes time to build. Considering what we hope to do, I'm sure that trust will be built overtime. For now, we have to work together to, as Lore said it, get this job done. You do realize we can't fight the church and the monarchies without more help, don't you?"

"We could find help from almost anyone else that would be better," she says, grinding her teeth.

"Why?" I ask. She squirms, one hand tensing against the arm of the couch. "When I met with the Red Moon, Ristain asked about you."

She rolls her shoulders.

"He wanted to know how you were doing. Obviously you have a past with them, what is it?"

Arline abruptly stands, approaching a nearby window to gaze at the quiet yard. She crosses her arms, almost hugging herself, remaining silent for a few long moments.

"My parents were both once part of the Red Moon," she explains, her voice softer than a whisper. "They ceased their missions upon learning that they were expecting. They settled down to raise me, but they still did what they could for the Red Moon by being a safe house. I never knew about the hidden rooms under the house, a place where members could rest, heal, or hide weapons. When I was nine, members of the Holy Church raided our home after having acquired information from another member."

She spat out the word acquired as if the very word threatened to taint her tongue. Her eyes flash violent red, fingers digging into her arms to break skin.

"They tortured my parents for more information, but my mom was always a fighter. She distracted them while I ran, only to see a champion ride into town a few hours later with my mother's head on a spike." She glances at me, hatred in her eyes. I can't say I blame her. At the end of the day, we both know I've done terrible things. That I've tortured vampires for information, that I've relieved many of their heads. Regardless, she continues her story and that makes me believe that she trusts me, at least more than she once did.

"Ristain grabbed me before I did something stupid. For a while, I worked with them and prepared to take the fight to the church, but the more I was among them the more I realized how pathetic they were. We never achieved anything. We'd take the life of a priest or a holy knight, but how many of us died? How many children like me lost their parents, only to be recruited by the same group that they died for? In my eyes, they weren't much different than the church. They didn't try to heal us. They just weaponized our rage." She looks at me again, like she hopes that I'll agree and I do. It was wrong of the Holy Church to use my rage as a means to train me and it was wrong of the Red Moon to do the same.

"We were so powerless that we couldn't save many of our members," she continues, walking back to the couch to take her previous seat. She wrings her hands together in front of her. "They were left to die, like my parents, and if they were incapable of fighting they were left behind to fend for themselves. We didn't have the means to care for people who couldn't fight for the cause. That's why I'm telling you that they will abandon you. If you become a risk, if you can't fight, they won't care for you. There's no loyalty among them."

"There's loyalty among us though, isn't there?" I ask. "You, Draven, Cyan, Lore and me. We're going to take care of each other, no matter what."

"Isn't that a bit naive? You said we need their numbers. The five of us can't stand against the church, let alone the monarchies too."

"That's right, but if the time comes that we realize we can't achieve this, the five of us will have each other. We'll do what we must to take care of the children. I imagine Lore could find us a new place to live on another continent, maybe somewhere by the ocean."

Arline snorts. "Doubtful. He'd have a panic attack thinking about the children going in on their own."

Oh, now I'm worrying about that. Have any of the children had swimming lessons?

"You're right, that'd be a terrible decision. We'll live in the woods, far from deep water," I say, making her release a rigid giggle.

The tense atmosphere has lessened, though Arline's shoulders remain stiff. One can easily see the anguish in her eyes, that this is about more than her. She has her doubts about the Red Moon. If we're working with them, she sees that as a risk upon all our lives and the safety of the children. That much is obvious based on what she said to Lore, that he's a fool to put them in danger. That hurt him, though I know he must have considered this time and time again. Maybe it's the bigger reason he never worked with the Red Moon, the realization of what it may cause for the children. In the end, we're making a better world for them though. A place where they can all feel safe. Taking a chance, I move closer to Arline. She glances at me, confused when I rest my hand on hers. She lets me though and that's another good sign.

"You know Lore would never force you to work with them if you do not want to," I say, smiling when she immediately nods. "And I wouldn't either. In fact, Lore didn't want to tell you because he knew it would upset you, that you're happy here protecting the children, and he knew you'd continue to do so if something happened to us. I'm the one who convinced him to tell you because I think you should know the truth, that you should be prepared, not because either of us expect you to suddenly work alongside the Red Moon."

"I know that we all care very much for the children," I add. "I know that this is dangerous, but the world is dangerous for them too. We might be able to change that, to help make a world that's more accepting of all of them."

She sighs, never replying. This is a lot for everyone, so I pat her hand and tell her that I'll go check on the kids. I'll work on the maps later. She can stay here and rest. Arline gives me a soft smile, one that she has never shown before. So much progress has been made. Feels like I've crossed the finish line, but that moment of triumph is ruined by a deafening blast; one that shakes the very foundation beneath our feet, causing the mansion to creak and groan as if it's in pain. Arline and I shout, both overcome by the loud noise that makes our ears ring, though it must be far worse for her. She stumbles from the couch, hands slapped over her ears.

What was that?

"Find the children!" I order even if Arline's already on it. When we burst out of the library doors, smoke fills the halls, not just debris from the explosion but from a fire. Coughing, I cast a swift spell on both of us, shielding us with golden light.

Arline runs in the opposite direction towards the school house while I follow the smoke. My heart hammers in my chest when I realize where it's coming from, where I see flames licking the walls, threatening to consume our home.

"Lore!" I scream, staring down the blazing hall leading to his office. I want to search for him, but I have to tend to these flames first. They may reach the schoolhouse. Holding out my hands, I prevent the flames from going any further. That's when Cyan and Draven appear behind me.

"What's going on?! Where are the kids?!" Cyan shouts.

"In the schoolhouse. Arline has gone to them. Lore, I think... there was an explosion. It might have come from his office. I don't know where he is. He might still be in there," I speak so quickly that it's a miracle any of them heard me. "Draven, I need you to turn on every damn faucet in this house."

Draven rushes towards the kitchens. Cyan knows what to do without my having to help him. As I hold back the flames, he summons the water that flows out of the rooms in giant streams. The water forms a hovering ball behind us. When he has enough, he throws the water down the hall. The flames hiss and he forces open the doors so I can push the smoke out.

I hurry through the debris, crumbled walls scattered about. Almost the entirety of the wall has fallen, revealing the front of the manor. I can't breathe and it has nothing to do with the taste of ash. I search everywhere among the rubble, pushing through rock to get to Lore's office, but when I arrive the office doesn't exist anymore. The room has completely caved in, nothing more than broken glass, wood, and stone.

"Lore!" I scream, stumbling through the debris when, through the settling dust, I spot him lying bloody and broken.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Hello, hello friends! I'll have a new free to read novel coming out tomorrow, Out of the Office Romance, so keep your eyes open for the notification (if Wattpad sends it,) or check in to see when it's posted! Anywho, we learned a bit about Arline's past and how she's tied to the Red Moon, but now there has been an explosion and Lore is hurt! What's going to happen next?