Page 123 of Deck of Scarlets

“What does this have to do with my grandmother’s note?”

“After reading it, I can fully confirm she found it and has it hidden.”

I slumped back in the chair, unsure how everything had become so complicated. From the death of Asher to Heather’s possible kidnapping, the urge to hide under my bed for the rest of my life seemed tempting.

“So, we need this Accane Blade?” I clarified.

“If what Abraham and Asher said is true, then yes, we need it.” Father Benedict opened some type of black journal on his desk, skimming through the pages. “There is a meeting in November. All the Aces gather across the world to attend.” He paused, finding the page. I watched him dog-ear it for future reference, “I’m assuming you looked up the coordinates your grandmother left you?”

I nodded. “Edinburgh, Scotland.”

“I think your grandmother hid the Accane Blade there. I’m allowed to bring someone along, and Collin might have to sit this one out. I’m going to choose you.” Father placed the dog-eared page in front of me, showing a long sword with yellow stones on the handle. And as I took it in, my essence seemed to reach out to it, recognizing the blade from the vision of Josh and me going to war. Of Josh dying in my arms. A nightmare that had felt too real and left me gutted.

“But why hide it in a place everyone gathers? Wouldn’t that make it more obvious?” I questioned as I shoved the memory of the dream aside to focus on the here and now.

A rough knock came at the door, disrupting our conversation. “Father, I need to talk to you—” Josh froze just before breaching the threshold, a pain-stricken expression contorting his face as we locked eyes. His uniform looked ironed to perfection, the scarlet S glaring red upon his breast.

“I’m sorry, Josh, I’m currently in the middle of discussing—”

“This can’t wait. A civilian was taken.”

Father stood up, knocking his chair back from the force. “Who?”

I watched Josh swallow, avoiding eye contact with me altogether. Something stirred inside my gut, a feeling of dread taking over as I sat on the edge of my seat, waiting to hear the terrible news.

“Nickie—”

All I saw was red when I stood, swinging a perfect right hook to Josh’s face. The satisfaction of connecting my knuckles to his cheek let out a primal reaction, a sound of agony and pain releasing in a mangled scream, all my anger, fear, and loss going into that blow before I collapsed to the floor, sobs wracking my body.

“Remi!”

I didn’t care if I hurt Josh, and I didn’t care who saw the assault, all that mattered in that moment was my best friend, who got caught in the crossfire, something that should have never happened. Strong arms circled me, holding my uncontrollable rocking back and forth, and by the familiar smell of sea salt and cedar that came over me like a cloud, almost suffocating me, I knew who held me in their grasp. I wanted to pull away. I even tried, but the whispers of okays and gentle strokes on my back rooted me in place, even though my mouth retaliated with unfiltered protests that sounded like gibberish. Every ounce of sorrow poured out of me until my eyes couldn’t produce any more tears. My throat was raw from the screams of anguish, my joints stiff from being held in a crouched position for too long. When I finally hushed my whimpers and let the ache settle in my chest, I took notice of the absence of Father Benedict and broke from Josh’s embrace, resting my back on the solid oak desk. Josh knelt in front of me, but I barely noticed the bruise forming on his right cheek, just below his eye.

“Remi?” Concern laced his words as he reached for my face in an attempt to comfort me.

Now that the loss had taken up residency, rage rippled like waves while I breathed aggressively through my nose. “Get away from me.”

His hand froze in mid-air. “Remi, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“You promised me,” I uttered.

“Remi, I left her in the safety of—”

“YOU PROMISED ME!” I shrilled, and my voice bounced off the four walls, the sound mirroring my fury.

“I’M SORRY. You think I fucking wanted this?” He got to his feet, staring down at me, “Remi, I escorted Nickie home, I saw her walk inside, and I made sure I waited ten minutes before I left. We are being watched, and the fact that they were able to grab her goes to show how dangerous our new enemy is.”

I found the strength to stand, and pushed him with all my might back, watching him stagger a bit before he got his footing. “It’s because you work for this fucked up society.”

“Newsflash, Remi, so do you. How do you know you’re not being targeted?”

“Me? What have I done? I’ve only been here for a month. If anyone had enough time to make enemies, it’s you and the rest of this fucked-up society.”

Josh gripped my shoulders, desperate for me to listen. “Think about it, Heather was your roommate. Nickie is your best friend. Don’t you find it suspicious that they were the ones taken? Don’t you think the Aces should’ve spoken to you about this by now?”

I struggled against his hold, but he wouldn’t budge. “I don’t care what you think. You’re the piece of shit who brought her into this world.”

“Who’s to say that you wouldn’t either?” he sneered. I’d never seen him so pissed before, and truthfully, I didn’t care. The bruise I gave him became more noticeable, spreading near his nose, and I had the sudden urge to strike him again, just to prove my goddamn point. Tired eyes and ruffled brown hair fanned his forehead, a look of possible defeat tainting his face.

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