Chapter 19 (T) - The Records Room

“So, umm… What should we do now?”

…What DO I do now? I feel like Zach hit me in the face with a brick wall of info, and I can’t tell what’s important to me and what’s not. Is Jay really some sorta one man army, fighting the forces of evil on his own, or something? I mean, he did seem sorta superhuman, with that giant jump he made. But that dragon thing took him out in one hit, still. It doesn’t really feel like the pieces fit together too well.

“Umm… Tessa…?” Xander waves a hand in front of my face.

“Huh?! Wha- “

“You zoned out for a second there. Are you okay?” I look over at Xander, sitting next to me on the couch. He’s staring at me, looking really concerned.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I’m fine. Just… A bit overwhelmed, I think.”

“Oh… Do you think you should get some more sleep? I can walk you home, if you want…” His heartbeat quickens again. I smile at his sweet offer, but before I have a chance to accept it, a loud crash comes from the kitchen, followed by a streak of orange that runs up the stairs and out of sight.

“I, uh… I think you’d better clean up whatever Cana just broke in there. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Xander looks a little sad, but nods. “Alright, then. I’ll see you later?”

“You got it! Or at least tomorrow, if I get into something.”

He smiles again. “Alright, see you then!”

As I leave, my mind goes back to what Zach talked about. Zach and that princess got a bit careless when they were talking. They said Jay attacked some place on the same night that dragon thing showed up. That can’t just be some coincidence, right? And they also said Dad was going there to investigate, or something. If Dad’s off to investigate that place, maybe that’s where he went earlier with Greta?

I stop in my tracks as a thought occurs to me. Could these Daedalus people be why Mom disappeared? It’d explain why Dad’s leading the fight against them… And Dad never wants to talk about what happened when Mom vanished either, he always just changes the subject. All this Daedalus stuff is supposed to be a secret, so maybe that’s why! Hadn’t they been going after some sort of crime ring when Mom vanished? In that case, maybe there’s some files in his office at the Knights’ Tower that’ll give me some kind of clue!

I realize some people are giving me a weird look, probably ‘cus I’m randomly standing in the middle of the street, staring into space. Well, I know where to go next, so I head off to the Knights’ Tower.

The area around the tower is packed with people. Looks like repairs have already been started. I’m kinda glad I’m not a knight yet, now. I’d probably have been roped into helping out with repairs, and wouldn’t have time to look into all this stuff about Mom. A few knights recognize me and wave as I walk into the giant stone tower, so I wave back as I keep walking. If I remember right, the records room is on the lowest floor of the tower’s basement, so I head down the stairs.

I step into the records room and stop, taking it all in. Reading’s kinda boring when it’s not some cool story, so I don’t think I’ve actually ever gone in here before. This place is massive! You could fit a whole house in here, with room to spare! And there’s so many shelves, from floor to ceiling, I don’t think I can even imagine how many files are stored here. I take a few tentative steps forward as I try and take it all in. It dawns on me that I have no idea how these files are sorted, let alone how to find the ones I’m looking for. A chill creeps down my spine.

“So, we meet again,” a low voice behind me says. Quickly I spin around. On the floor with a stack of files next to her sits Gaela’s princess, still in her full crimson armor. I stumble back in surprise. I must not have heard her over the noise of the repairs outside.

“Generally,” she says, rising to her feet, “meeting the same person three times in succession isn’t a coincidence. Especially not in a place like this.” She stares into my soul again. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I- Well, I, um… I’m looking for some files!”

“...That’s obvious, given this room’s purpose. What file are you looking for, exactly?”

“W-well, a few years ago… My mom went missing, and-”

She glares down at me. “And you thought you’d find information here you haven’t found anywhere else. Is that right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“You won’t find it. That case has been deemed confidential. Files like those are stored in some other, less-accessible location.”

“Oh…” …Wait a second, what? How’s she-

The princess crouches down to pick up her stack of files. “I’ve found about everything I think there is to find here. If you’ll excuse me…” She walks away.

“W-wait!”

She pauses just before the door, and turns slightly to glare back at me. “...What?”

“Well, uh- How’d you know what file I meant? It’s so secret you don’t even know where it is! But how could you know that?!” She stares at me for a few moments, as if deciding if she wanted to answer, or kill me, or something like that.

“...You’re the daughter of Councillor Aranae. Logically, your mother must have been Felicia Lynx, who disappeared while tracking down a crime ring in a joint investigation between Marilla and Gaela.”

“...A joint investigation…?”

“Yes. This crime ring was causing significant issues for both countries, so my father and the Knights’ Council negotiated a secret joint investigation.”

“But how do you- “

“I know about this because I was investigated alongside your parents. …Furthermore, I may be the last person to have seen your mother alive.”

It… takes a moment to process that. “W-wait, you were the last- Please! Tell me what happened!”

“If you want to know the details, ask your father. Everything I know was in the report I gave him.”

“He won’t talk to me about it. Ever.”

She stares at me some more. “...Fine. I have time before my next engagement. And I despise being kept in the dark about… matters like this. I can’t in good conscience do the same to another. …You wish to know what happened? I’ll tell you what I know.”