Page 134 of Stargazer

“I’ll do what I see fit.”

“Of course you will. You always do.”

The general raised a greyed brow at his grandson, his face grave with warning. But then he turned, engaging in a quieter conversation with Louis and the other Carrington Knights down that side of the table instead.

A clear dismissal of his heir.

When things were still a bit quiet among everyone, and the tension seemed to be bubbling within Griffin, I desperately wanted to create a distraction. To change the mood.

Learning more about the Knights had been a goal of mine since I’d found out about everything, and I always ate up the stories Griffin shared with me, but I wondered if there was more to learn. And what better place to do that than where it all began.

Turning my attention back to the general, I smiled brightly at him.

“How long have you had this place, General?”

He assessed me again, looking pleased at the intrigue he must have seen on my face.

“Aconite Hall has been in my family for generations. I, of course, had it renovated when I started the Knights, but this land has been used by supernatural hunters for centuries. My ancestors made quite a fortune and remained in the good graces of the monarch for their services, earning us this land as a token of good measure. Those same ancestors built the manor following that, but I made the necessary changes to bring it up to scratch for our operation.”

Griffin looked at his grandfather like he was speaking in another language. All the Knights at the table had tuned in now, particularly the New York ones, clearly not privy to this information. The Carrington Knights, in complete contrast, all wore various expressions of pride and honour, while we just looked utterly confused.

My brows furrowed as I mulled over what he said.

“I thought you founded the hunters?” I asked, probing further and letting my curiosity win once again.

“I’m glad to see someone so interested in our history. I did not create hunters. I just established The Gray Knights: the largest living organisation of hunters. It was my mission to bring us together. Create a purpose while enhancing and training hunters to be more than just hired assassins with knowledge of the supernatural. I wanted more for us.” He gave us a conspirator’s grin, like he was waiting for one of us to question him further.

Kitana plopped her hand on her chin as she leaned forward to hear more. “I’m confused. So, hunters were always around?”

Before Theo could answer her question, Griffin interrupted, impatient and clearly wanting to interrogate his grandfather to get to the bottom of the stories he’d been fed his whole life. “Why don’t you have any gifts then? I was always told it was because you founded us?” There was accusation in his tone.

“Let me give you a history lesson, son.” Again, Griffin seemed to recoil slightly beside me at the use of that word, choosing to lean back in his chair like he didn’t care rather than show his hand.

I knew him enough to know he’d devour every word that was spoken anyway. Despite his impassive image of the uninterested heir, he cared. And being out on the ground, dealing with the rogues firsthand and away from his family, that part of him really started to shine through.

With all of us around the large table, the fireplace crackling in the background, we settled in to hear more.

“I let the rumours spread how they wanted.” The general placed his elbows on the table, looking at all of us over clasped hands with an excited glint in his eye that reminded me of the look Griffin got when he was in a similar mood.

“There’s power in secrecy and the unknown, so the less people who know the specifics, the better. Stories and whispers changing hands always lead to different variations of those stories circulating. Our family are descendants from the original hunters and there’s many around the world who might not even know their true calling but are also the descendants of people that hunted the magical beings of our world for millennia—since the start of the human race. The supernatural hunters of those days were the ones you’d hear of in fairy tales: the Huntsman. Usually the people in the villages brave enough to fight the big bad wolf, that hid in the forest, with their pitchforks, axes and crossbows. They were the people that the humans turned to when they needed saving from the wolves and creatures of the night that terrorised their villages.” His voice went low as spoke the last part, like he was telling us a scary bedtime story. With our current setting, it did feel ominous.

“It is true that nature needed a balance, and these people slowly began to have enhanced abilities to cope and stand a chance against the supernatural that they fought. But those powers in recent times often skipped generations for reasons beyond our knowledge. Perhaps something to do with nature’s perception of the current threats, or maybe it’s just plain and simply the luck of the draw. My guess however, and what my team has been working on studying, is that before I founded the Knights, the hunters were not undertaking the roles they were intended to. They had forgotten their purpose and got distracted with life, leaving their bloodlines to dilute and their abilities to slowly vanish. We will never know for sure why there was a visible decrease in powers, but since The Gray Knights has been established, our younger generations—like you lot—have been powerful and strong in ways that our people hardly remember. Nevertheless, this is the reason many of your parents might not have these abilities.” He scanned the others around the table. “It is true that I myself do not have any special gifts or enhanced powers, but it was not because I founded the hunters as a people.”

He took another long sip of his wine, like he needed the liquid to soothe his husky, strained voice with all the talking he was doing.

“Lacking these powers, I joined the British army instead as a young boy. And when I had acquired the technical and physical skills I needed, I used my knowledge to start the Knights. Others that find themselves drawn to my operation generally have the gene too and will develop powers quickly if they open themselves up to it. Some find themselves with abilities that are more potent than others. That part I believe to be a mix of luck of the draw and genes. The Grays and the Stones were original huntsmen from back in old times. Some of the first lines to develop said powers,” His grey eyes passed over Griffin and me, before moving on.

“This one for example,” he gestured to Carter, “I know for a fact his bloodline is descended from known hunters that my parents fought alongside. However, his grandparents and parents were stubborn and chose money and status over the cause because their powers were not significant, opting to leave the Knights. Although, their ventures have helped fund us over the years, so at least they have helped in those ways. But young Carter here found his rightful place again among his people.”

Carter’s brows rose comically high. “Bloody hell,” he breathed out, clearly surprised by the revelation. His accent sounded so normal here surrounded by his fellow Brits.

With the way they spoke, and all the décor and grandeur of this building with its chandeliers and candelabras, I truly felt like I was transported back in time to some mediaeval fantasy book or movie. Except our modern clothes, tattoos and piercings were so out of place that the juxtaposition of the image in my mind was kind of hilarious. But also super cool.

The leader of our operation let out an amused, deep chuckle at Carter’s response. Then he stood.

“I’m going to retire for the night. Make yourselves comfortable. Use the facilities at your disposal and make the most of this opportunity you have over your peers to forge you into a better Knight. I look forward to getting to know you fine young warriors better in the week to come.” His gaze dropped down to Griffin momentarily, who, with crossed arms and emotionless eyes, returned the look with a saccharine, tight-lipped smile.

I, on the other hand, gave him a grateful nod as he stood, honoured that he’d shared those secrets, but also wanting to keep the peace.

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