Chapter Thirty-Nine – The library

The library at the Northern Moon wasn’t much to be excited about. It was a dark and gloomy room at the far back of the house, hidden away from prying eyes, with only two small windows providing natural light. On a sunny day it wasn’t that bad, but the rain had started pouring down not long after breakfast.

So, when a swirling blue and light appeared it had blinded them all. Making Lilith stop mid-sentence, just watching as two figured emerged from the liquid light. Xavier and Nadine, back from France with what looked like a bundle of old leatherbound books.

“Are you sure this is vise?” Xavier asked Nadine as they looked over the room. Portals were a handy way of traveling but could also be tracked. And the last thing he wanted to do was lead those hooded witches right to them.

“Don’t worry – they can’t track us” Nadine said confident as she strode over to where the others were sitting, plopping herself down on a chair while the other just looked at them in bewilderment.

“Sorry – did we crash a part or something?” Nadine asked carefree.

“No, I just didn’t expect to see a portal in the middle of my library at this hour” Adam answered drily.

“But you have to admit, I have good timing” Her face turned into a wide grin as she leaned forward to look at all the books they were hunched over.

“You do” Adam agreed with a short not. If it hadn’t been for her and her portal last night, he would most likely have gotten an arrow through his head and no longer been with them.

“Care to tell me what that is?” Lilith pointed to the books in Xavier’s hands, waking him to life.

“Right. This is journals that grandma handed me right after we were attacked by some hooded figures” Xavier started.
“Witches” Nadine chipped in.

“Yes, witches. And she said something about Chaos. She’s Chaos” His eyes locked with Talia, unsure if he should brace himself for a new attack or not. But she looked calm, almost relieved to see him. Maybe spending a few days away getting answers for her had been a good help for their relationship.

“What did she mean by that?” Adam asked, looking between Nadine and Xavier for answers.

“From the sound of it, she spoke of Chaos like a creature. Something that had been created” Xavier gave a quick glance over at Adam before his eyes settled on Talia again. “I’m sorry – but I didn’t get a good answer as to why. She claimed she was trying to help find a way to restore power to those who had lost it”

The look on Talia’s face was unreadable. At first she looked surprised, then a flash of anger, before some kind of wondering flashed before her face turned into a blank stare. Her lips a thin line as her hands clenched into fists before releasing again.

“Chaos is a creature made, not a creature born. And it can be created from any type of being with magic in their veins. Typical a child born with witchcraft, but I can see how a fae could also be used” Nadine said from her seat, all eyes focusing on her. It made her sit up straighter.

“What? I like to read up on the lore’s concerning my people. And Chaos was my favorite topic. She, or he in some cases, has to be created, and it takes time. You can’t just birth a child, cast some spells and ta-da! No, it takes time. Time and careful planning. And it has to be a match. You can’t just take one part here, one part there, mix and match. No, that way you create the Frankenstein Monster, and we all know what happened to them”

“So, it’s like a transplant of sorts?” Lilith asked.

“In medical terms, which I’m in no way familiar with, I’m sure you could compare it like that. It’s not an easy task to create Chaos, and you can’t just use anyone. It has to be someone special, someone who are already capable of more than what’s expected”

“But how could my grandma believe that was the way to help someone who lost their element and powers” Xavier was confused. That just sounded way off.

“Manipulations. Fae’s don’t create Chaos. You know that and I know that. You’re too proud of your bloodline to start meddling with is, which is also why it makes no sense to pick a fae for the project, unless the fae is not just a fae”

Everyone looked at Talia. Everything she had ever believed had already come crashing down on her once, and now it was happening again. Her breath caught in her throat. Her lungs felt like they couldn’t expand. Like her own ribs were crushing her.

“I can’t breathe” She panicked.

“I can’t…” Adam’s arms surrounded her, held her up.

“I…” She tried to, but her chest just wouldn’t expand.

“Talia!” She heard Adam’s voice call out for her as everything turned black around her.

“Oh, for heavens…” Xavier rushed to Adams side and helped him lay Talia down on the ground.

“Nadine, can you… Thank you” She had reached him a bottle of water before he’d even finished the question.

With one hand of Talia’s head and the bottle in the other he used his teeth to unscrew the cap, setting the bottle down and twirling his wrist around, making the water swirl out of the bottle and around his hand.

While one hand was soaking up the water the other moved gently back and forth over Talia’s head as his eyes closed. Adam looked at him with worry, while Lilith had a shocked expression on her face.

Xavier kept moving his hand back and forth over Talia’s head and down her neck until the water was all gone.

“She’ll be fine” He sat back, and a few seconds later she opened her eyes.

“Never do that again” She glared at him.

“Thank you for helping my body relax and recover from passing out. You’re most welcome” Xavier answered her before standing on his two feet, moving over so Adam could take a seat next to Talia, slowly helping her into an upright position.

“How are you feeling?” Adam asked worried.

“Cold” Talia answered, sending a glare in her cousins’ direction.

“See, all good then” Xavier said before seating himself at the table, looking over at the journals he had dumped there as Talia passed out.

“These are all my grandma’s journals; I recognize her handwriting. She gave them to me, which means they have important information in them. Maybe they tell the story of how she created Chaos, and with help from who”

“My bet is on the hooded figures. I wish I could tell you where they are from, but I can’t. But in general, hooded figures means bad luck. We’ve all seen that movie where the guy or girl in the hood is the villain” Nadine offered her insight to the best of her ability, but even she came up short at occasions.

“So. I’m Chaos. Some legendary, mythical being that is created in one way or another. Great. That sounds fantastic. I’m guessing it’s not named Chaos just for fun” Talia said from her spot on the floor.

“No. I’ve said it before. You can create chaos. I didn’t know then that it was because you were legit Chaos, but you can’t expect me to know everything” Xavier answered her, earning himself another glare from the cousin. Though, this time it wouldn’t have killed him.
“Okay. So, what exactly can I do?” Talia turned to Nadine, who were the only one out of the five of them who seemed to have any clue.

“My question is rather, what can you not do? Think about the things that create chaos, that are not linked to human actions but the actual nature itself. You’re that” Nadine explained rather bluntly.

“Sounds like fun” Xavier added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m sure we can find another window to throw you out of” Talia warned, but Xavier just rolled his eyes. “We’re below ground, I’ll take my chances”

“If you two can stop bickering for a moment – can you give me one of those journals?” Lilith looked over to Xavier, who tossed her a random journal.

“Everyone else should also start reading. We won’t get any answers from just sitting around here and staring at the books. We know what you are now, and that’s a start. But we don’t know why, or how, or even if there is something we need to worry about” Lilith continued, her being the only voice of reason within the crazy team made up of supernatural beings.

“Lilith – can you find out what I was originally?” Talia looked over at the doctor. “I don’t think we have that kind of technology. But I can match your DNA to find out if your family is who they say they are” Lilith offered.

“Even if my grandma tampered with my blood?” Talia asked lowly. She had to know the truth, even if it would hurt her all over again.

“Fae’s don’t tamper with blood” Xavier growled.

“If not with blood, how else is Chaos created?” Talia looked over at Nadine, who had a somber expression on her face. Like no one were going to like what she had to say.

“With different elixirs. Magic. And trauma”

“What kind of trauma?” Adam asked.

“The really bad kind” Nadine answered.