Page 85 of Cerulean Truth
"At least we now understand why they targeted this place—they came for her," Maria added, her tone firm.
"But why? And what's the purpose behind extracting her blood?" Maurice pondered aloud.
A sizable lump lodged in my throat, and I struggled to find my voice. The weight of the night's events was only beginning to settle in.
"They know..." I spoke in a hoarse whisper.
The Maumars exchanged quizzical glances, waiting for an explanation.
"They're aware her translation is untraceable in the Human World... why else would they be after her blood?" I clarified.
"How is that possible? We are the only ones who know," Maurice whispered in disbelief.
"Us and the Council," Maria added, her expression grave.
I nodded, my concern deepening. "We might have a mole."
"In the Council?" Maurice almost shrieked. "Impossible! I know everyone on the Council, most of them since they were kids. There's no way!" I had rarely heard him speak with such vigor.
Maria offered a consoling pat on his arm. "Then how do they know?"
"We don't even know if that's what happened tonight," Maurice retorted through gritted teeth.
“We’ve got Radicals breaching our Layers, bleeding out the one maga whose translation is untraceable in the Human World, which at least suggests, the Radicals got wind of it… What other reason forherblood could there be? To prove she’s different. To prove humans have reason not to trust us and to prove to allthe exposure is a bad idea?” I clenched my hands into tight fists, frustration boiling within me.
"Whatever we think we know, or don't know, one thing is certain—they came for Emma. Whatever the reason, she must be protected at all costs," Maria declared, her tone resolute.
I couldn't agree more.
"Any progress on identifying the Radicals responsible for the human's death?" I inquired.
Maurice shook his head. "No, we've maintained constant communication with the team you established, but they haven't uncovered anything specific yet. Why? Do you suspect a connection to the three we currently have in custody?"
I nodded thoughtfully. "Possibly. I'd like to conduct the interrogations myself."
And kill them without anyone knowing.
"Of course, you do whatever you feel is necessary," Maria replied graciously.
Oh I will.
I glanced at her, appreciating her resilience. Thank fuck Maria had bubbled us in. If she hadn’t…
"James," she addressed me, interrupting my thoughts, "we can't keep Emma in Scola; she needs proper training. Tonight happened because she was entirely defenseless against their translation..."
“You can’t send her to the Academy without the basics? She’ll die within the first week!” Maurice exclaimed.
I flinched at his words.
While the Maumars started bickering about Emma’s education, my mind drifted to dark places. Places where tonight could have ended if we hadn't reached Emma in time.
"I'll train her myself," I heard myself say, commitment settling in my tone. “I’ll train her as an Offensive, and I’ll teach her the basics of the Scola.”
It was a ridiculous notion to put her in a classroom full of seven-year-olds anyway.
"I can keep an eye on her while I do. As an Offensive, no one's better equipped to protect her until she can do it herself."
The Maumars exchanged glances, then Maurice spoke softly. "That might not be a small undertaking, James. It's very admirable of you to offer, but you're being groomed as our Leader. Surely someone else could take it on."
