Chapter 14: Luna

　　Just before nightfall, Luna was going to the Fourth Quadrant Barracks. She had planned to steal the registry tonight. And a few days ago, she and Caden had discussed a plan to get it for Elena.

　　Luna had sat across from him in a booth in Goran`s Tavern. Nobody else had been there, and even the bar was closed. The boy had been talking, but Luna was blissfully unaware of the words coming from his mouth.

　　"Are you even listening?" he had asked.

　　"Yes."

　　"What did I just say then?"

　　She clenched her jaw, "something important?"

　　"Can`t you care about this stuff for just a minute? It`s like every second you`re not killing someone; you`re bored or sleeping."

　　Luna cringed, but he was right. From his perspective, outside of their few fights, she had been fatigued or off thinking of something else.

　　The table in front of her was full of torn-out papers and notes. Caden would tear out an idea from his notebook that wouldn`t work and crinkle it into a small ball. Luna didn`t understand why he didn`t just speak his ideas out loud. He was just like Elena, obsessing over papers.

　　Why can`t we do something fun? Luna sighed.

　　"Question."

　　"What?"

　　"Can you read Belasy?"

　　Luna scoffed, "Can you not?"

　　"That isn`t the point, just answer."

　　"Sure."

　　"Can you read something for me?"

　　"Did Elena ask you to ask me this?"

　　"This has nothing to do with Elena."

　　"In that case, I`ll do it," Luna said, pointing a finger gun at him. "But why?"

　　Caden sighed, "To line up with the schedule, I have two months to not only be promoted to an Elite, which is impossible, but also defeat Vance in an honorable duel, which at this point is also impossible," he paused, "so, I want you to read a spell book for me whenever we find free time."

　　"Yeah, sure, whatever. Let`s, uh, get on with this plan then."

　　Caden grunted, "Maybe if you were listening. . ." he paused, "Okay, so here`s what I`ve got. We enter through the barracks, and you can take out the guard at the door."

　　"No," Luna said, "I`m not killing anyone for you." She channeled Renna, using her emotions to harden her resolve and refute this request.

　　"Haha, very funny." Caden stuck his tongue out.

　　"I`m serious," she snapped, raising her voice, "Do you honestly think I`m going to just walk into the barracks and kill a random Knight?" She had to admit she was speaking too loud. Renna`s influence bled into her personality a little too much. Perhaps she should have chosen Yelzar again.

　　Caden rolled his eyes. "Here comes the tantrum. Look, Luna, I cannot deal with you throwing a fit whenever something doesn`t go your way."

　　In other situations, with Caden, she would have exploded in rage at his words. However, he was sort of right. But he didn`t know everything that she did. He didn`t know.

　　Luna crossed her arms, "Look, I`m not the only one throwing tantrums. You Kindled in a hovel, attacked your people, betrayed them by attending a meeting full of thieves, and randomly attacked me when I wasn`t and never will be your enemy."

　　"You killed that squad? What`s the difference here?"

　　"I was ordered to by Elena. . ." she clenched her jaw.

　　Caden was silent, "So? Make your point."

　　Luna relaxed her shoulders, "My point is, I`ve been quiet all my life. I`ve been told to lay low, talk to no one, be silent, and every other goddamn action I must take is done through Elena. So yes, when I get the chance to get mad or feel any spec of emotion in my already dead heart, I will take it."

　　No words were spoken.

　　"Not to mention, Dimling, your power heightens your emotions. Mine erases it. So, if I have the chance to feel something. I take it. Deal with that, and control yourself."

　　Caden grimaced. "I still don`t like working with killers of innocent people," he paused, "there is no honor in that."

　　"And what about you? You just asked me to kill someone. And aren`t you prepared to replace me?"

　　Caden gasped, "That`s. . . different."

　　Selfish prick. Luna thought. "How so?"

　　Caden opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

　　"Don`t scold me while preparing to do the same thing I do. The difference between us is I don`t like being a killer," she said, "while all you do is desperately crave it."

　　"You`re right," Caden said.

　　And that surprised Luna in the most profound way. The boy had finally broken, and she had won. She wanted to say something further, something to antagonize him more, but if they were going to get this job done, she`d have to sacrifice her pride.

　　* * *

　　Later that day, she arrived at the Fourth Quadrant Barracks. She was cloaked, and the pressure in her chest vanished as she slipped through the open door - following behind a dull Knight. She took a few turns and found Caden waiting for her in the hallway surrounding the heart of the barracks.

　　His arms were crossed, and he tapped his foot impatiently. His head flicked back and forth, and he jumped when Luna moved beside him.

　　"Did you find the book?"

　　"Yes."

　　"And?"

　　"It`s behind a locked steel door."

　　"Were you able to get the key?"

　　"Not exactly."

　　They mumbled to each other to not bring any attention to them.

　　"Gera has a keyring on his belt. Just snag it from him," Caden said. "And. . . there`s a small problem. We can`t exactly steal it. They have someone check on the registry quite often to update it. So, I came up with a backup plan. You showed me Isabel`s memories, and you said that`s how you train," he paused, putting a hand on his chin. "Are you able to view your own memories as well?"

　　She nodded in reply.

　　"Good, then the plan is still the same as before, but instead of stealing it, I need you to view it and replay the memory to me later. Okay?"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

　　Luna nodded a second time.

　　Caden took off down the hall, and Luna tailed him silently. They passed by guards and rooms and doors, turning hallway after hallway. Just how big was this place? Caden knew precisely where he was going, too, not missing a beat.

　　They arrived at a staircase. Luna didn`t even know there was a second floor to the barracks. After arriving at the top, she was met with a singular hallway, a metal door, and a dumb-looking guard standing next to it.

　　They must take the registry of knights very seriously to put it back behind that door. Luna thought.

　　Caden took the initiative in the plan before Luna could even spot the keyring on the knight`s belt. He rushed him from the staircase, looking agitated and afraid. He suddenly became someone else, as if the Caden she knew vanished and was replaced by the Caden he chose to be. She almost smiled at how good at acting he was.

　　"Gera! Right? Dude, we need to go, haven`t you heard?"

　　The knight almost jumped Caden. He held out his mace but relaxed when he saw the boy`s worried eyes.

　　"Wha- huh?"

　　"Kieran ordered us all to leave the premises due to an emergency at the Northern Wall. We need to leave now!" Caden grabbed the man`s arm and began to drag him down the staircase. He slid right past Luna. She reached out her fingers and touched the very tip of the keyring before the man tripped over himself and leaned on the left railing of the staircase for balance. The keys escaped her grasp, and soon, they were too far out of her reach.

　　Caden continued to pull him further down, all while shouting nonsense about some fake adversary he just made up to get this knight away.

　　Luna was surprised at how well this man listened to Caden, but she was more appalled at the fact she missed her chance at getting the keys and now had to unlock that door without an easy solution.

　　I could blast it open, she thought. But would that work? No, that would cause a scene and bring too much attention her way. Not a good idea. Luna had no time, so she decided to channel Kellin. He was no gladiator, but he was very skilled at using Moonlight to bind doors shut or break into vaults. This was similar to a vault, right?

　　Memories, emotions, and glimpses of every aspect of this man`s life were thrust forward into Luna`s mind in the time it took her to walk three steps toward the door. His past, how he got his abilities, his first heist, what he was good at, bad at, hated, and loved. Fragments of him poured into Luna until she couldn`t tell the difference between him and her. She was Kellin, and Kellin was her. No wonder Moonlight drained her own emotions. She was feeling everything simply by channeling Kellin`s past.

　　There`s a trick, Kellin spoke through her memory, to opening doors, you see. This power lets me lock them shut, but you can pull your energy in the opposite direction if a door is already locked. I pool Moonlight into the door and pop! The sound of a door swinging open filled Luna`s mind. She exited the memory. How much time had passed?

　　"Thank you, Kellin," Luna whispered to herself. She reached for the door and attempted to pool Moonlight into it.

　　"I don`t know what that kid was on about," a voice from behind her said. Two sets of footsteps began to chase Luna`s presence from down the corridor. She was running out of time. She had to be inside and fast.

　　Flame it! I wasted too much time in Kellin`s memories! Luna thought.

　　The door opened as she performed the spell, channeling Kellin`s emotions and memories. She immediately stopped doing this as the door opened and slid inside. She closed it shut just as the voices came into the hallway.

　　Did they hear me?

　　"Eh, that kid just Kindled, right?"

　　"Two weeks ago."

　　"Maybe it`s a bad case. He could still be kind of crazed."

　　"All Pyromancers are kind of crazed."

　　The two knights bellowed in laughter and stopped just outside of the door. Luna listened intently to their muffled movements and voices before offering silent footsteps to the dark room. She slithered through it; each move she made was exact.

　　This place was a small square room full of files. The walls were not stone. They were entirely made of cabinets, similar to those on a desk. It was like she had walked into a bank vault, but the treasure was information about the knights.

　　She approached the long desk in the back. The lighting was dark, but she could see perfectly with Moonlight and Caden`s presence somewhere nearby. Everything was clean; it was so different from Luna`s typical environment.

　　She pulled open some of the drawers on the desk, being extra careful not to make any noise. Nothing important was inside, so she bent down on one knee and opened the bottom drawer. Inside was a large spiral notebook with what looked to be thousands of pages.

　　This was the registry of the knights. Inside contained everyone in the order`s name, age, and rank. For what reason? Luna didn`t even care. She kept turning through the pages and hoped nobody would open the door.

　　As she turned each page, she kept reminding herself that Caden would replace her, and then she would get to be free. She could go to Talvira, set up a gown shop, join plays in her free time, maybe marry a nice man, settle down, and have her own life. Those thoughts got her through the long slog that was turning every page of this registry.

　　She reached the end, closed the book, and placed it back exactly where it was. She looked back into her memory of the room and ensured every detail was the same. There was now no evidence that she was ever even in there. With that, she approached the steel door and touched the handle.

　　I can`t just open it! Stupid! Think like a normal person! Luna thought. She began channeling again to see if Kellin perhaps had answers for her.

　　It wasn`t like unlocking new abilities. All she was doing was viewing memories of the predecessors and then utilizing previously learned abilities. Sometimes, they speak directly to her, but only with the memories they had while they were alive. Other times, they hide specific memories from her. She didn`t know how to fully utilize their power yet.

　　Did you try. . . knocking? Kellin`s voice echoed in her mind.

　　Luna wanted to slam her head into the door from that suggestion, but he did have a point. She was invisible, with infinite Moonlight, and the room looked untouched. She could get away with that.

　　Luna knocked one time.

　　"What was that?"

　　"It was coming from inside!"

　　"Open the damn door! Something must be in there!"

　　"What if it was just the wind?"

　　"Gera, we are inside! How could it be the wind!"

　　"Don`t ask me how the weather works!"

　　The door swung open a moment later, and Luna dashed around the guards. Her silent footsteps carried her out of the room and down the staircase. She took a few turns to find where Caden went. The task was done. The last step of the plan was to let him know she was successful. Was she looking to find him for more orders? No. No, she doesn`t have to listen to him.

　　Caden was in the mess hall, surrounded by three people Luna knew by name. Caden`s Squad. Elwin, Kaelea, and Mia. She recalled one from the meeting and the others she`d heard in passing or while watching Caden.

　　Were these his . . . friends? She thought as she approached their table. They were the only four in there this late at night, chatting and laughing. Caden didn`t look so happy, but the other three seemed to get along well.

　　Three friends, laughing, joking. . . smiling. Luna wondered if one day she could have that, too. What would it be like to have friends like them?

　　"So, what was with that prank earlier, huh, Nuff?" Elwin asked, "You scared the heck out of Gera!"

　　"Oh, that?" Caden glanced away and shuffled his hands together. "Well, that was just a misunderstanding, nothing really, just like, uh, Kaelea, you know, you heard the thing too, right?"

　　The girl raised an eyebrow.

　　"Like the uh," Caden stuttered, "I just, someone else told me about the emergency. I didn`t know it was fake until I`d dragged him away. He wasn`t the only one I told, and uh, he wasn`t the only one I uh. . . Kae, you heard about it, right?"

　　Kaelea was silent for a long time before saying, "Yeah, it wasn`t Caden who started that. Someone else must have. I heard about it too, not sure what it was, though."

　　Elwin groaned, "Oh, well, that sucks, would have been cool for Nuff to pull a joke on everyone like that."

　　"If I had to guess, I`d say you were the one who started it, huh, Elwin, cmon, don`t lie," she poked the lanky boy`s shoulder.

　　"No! It wasn`t me, I swear!"

　　"Very well," Kaelea pulled away, crossing her arms, "If it truly wasn`t you, I guess I won`t have to check and see what you were up to during the false alarm. If you weren`t working, maybe it would be enough evidence."

　　The boy paled, "Hey now! Come on! That`s not fair, Kae! Just! I`ll go get my stuff done right now; don`t even worry about it!" The man sprinted for the door, "Come on, squire, you get to help," he pointed at Mia. The girl scurried to follow him. "See Kae, I`m leaving? All good! I`m going! Bye!" He slipped out the door and sprinted away.

　　Kaelea bellowed in laughter, "What a guy! It`s funnier because they`d actually believe he started that rumor, huh? So, Caden, tell me, who did you hear that call of alarm from? Was it actually Elwin? Or someone else?"

　　Caden gave a puzzled stare, "What? No, that was to get the book."

　　"The book?"

　　"The one I was tasked with getting. . ." Caden spoke slowly, overpronouncing his words.

　　"You don`t have to lie on top of your first lie," Kaelea laughed.

　　"The meeting last week in the tavern, you showed up with Lady Felisha. Were you just not paying attention that whole time?"

　　Kaelea`s face contorted and wrinkled into an odd expression. "What are you talking about? That never happened."

　　Luna paled. Fear clawed at her belly.

　　Caden said nothing.

　　"Felisha doesn`t leave the Palace without supervision, and I was with her all last week. We never went to any tavern. What do you mean? Are you lying on top of your first lie again? Look, I can cover for you because we`re friends, but you gotta tell me what`s happening."

　　Caden`s mouth was wide open, and no words came to him.

　　"N-nothing," Caden said, "I made it up, must have been Kindling nonsense or something. . . m-maybe my Pyromancy is making me paranoid."

　　Kaelea squinted at him, "Are you sure that`s what it is?"

　　He nodded.

　　"Okay, man, I`ll cut you some slack since you`re still mad at us. I told you Elwin would come around, though. I`ll get him to stop calling you Nuff one day since it`s not true." She got up from her seat and tapped him on the shoulder on her way out. "See you later!"

　　The door shut closed. Caden stood motionless in his seat, staring off into oblivion.

　　"I got the -"

　　He was gone. He got up and made a beeline for the door, leaving Luna completely alone.

　　I guess Elena`s plan was to have someone manipulate Kaelea`s memory, Luna thought. Although, the girl could be faking it, too. Perhaps she was offered some kind of impossible gem like the others. She exited the barracks, as she couldn`t stay in stealth too long without Caden around.

　　Luna was annoyed; now, she would have to write down the registry from memory alone, just like everything else she does. Then again, she didn`t need to ask for help ever again. Nobody would want to either way.