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Trinity
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When I left the interrogation room, I saw that all of the others were waiting on me. Had I really taken the longest? I didn't think that it had taken me all that long to talk to Claud. I mean, I had learned some things, but it seemed like it had all gone by really quick to me.
“You all finished early.” I said as I walked over to the group.
“You just took longer.” Shane smiled, but I saw that it wasn't filled with the same level of amusement as he usually had.
“I take it that your interview didn't go very well?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
.....
“I didn't learn much.” He shrugged. “I am sorry, Trinity.” He looked so dejected. I hadn't seen him look this down since Shawn was injured in battle. He was always joking and messing around, but he was losing that mirth of his right before my eyes.
“It's fine. I got some information out of Claud. Let's go to my office to discuss it all.” I turned to look at the guards that had placed themselves all around the hall. They weren't slacking on their duties at all. That made me proud of them all. “Get water and some food for them. We will be hospitable toward them. They will see that we do not mean them any harm.”
“Yes, Queen Trinity.” Garret saluted me with a stiff posture and a loud voice.
“Thank you.” I nodded at him, but that was all. It was time for me and the others to head up to my office and talk about all of this.
It took us no more than five minutes to get to my office. And that was because it was a big castle, and because we didn't want to rush there. This night was already long and hard enough, this was just going to make it even worse.
I was first in my office, flipping the lights on and moving to sit at the chair behind my desk. Reece ran ahead of me though. Instead of me sitting in my chair, he scooped me up in his arms, sat in my seat, and then placed me on his lap. This wasn't actually a dignified look for a queen, but I guess the others here wouldn't care. We needed to get this all done and over with as soon as possible, arguing with Reece would just take more time.
“Well, you all know why we're here. What have you all learned from the people that you interviewed?” I was letting them start the discussion for us. I would go last.
“Well, they are definitely adamant that we are lying to them.” Shane sighed as he sank into a chair. “That is pretty much all that I got. We are liars, they are helping the world, we are monsters. He was willing to talk, but either he didn't know anything, or he just didn't want to share it with the rest of the class.”
“I agree with him.” Shawn nodded. “I didn't get anything out of the one that I spoke with.”
“The same with me.” David crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He tended to do this when he was upset about something.
“All I learned was that these people think that Alaric was the one that started this. He thinks that the grannies, which is to say the nannies that raised them, had been tasked by Alaric to pass down his message. I don't know who these nannies really were, but I don't think they were human. And they seem to have had an intense dislike for those that aren't human. So perhaps they were cast out from their own people and forced to live as humans, or they were just insane and genocidal. Whatever it was though, they were the ones that were behind this.” Dietrich's words were somber. I knew how hard this had to be on him. He had been so close to Alaric all those years ago. For this to be the way that his family turned out, that must be painful for Dietrich. Still, something that he said struck a chord with me. It was the talk about the grannies. That term had been used in my interrogation. Well, sort of.
“It is funny that you should mention them, Dietrich.” I lounged on Reece as I looked at him. “Claud mentioned something about someone named Gran Gran. I can't help but think that this is one of those Grannies that you heard about. And if it is one of them, then they would be very old by now. As in, hundreds of years old. There is no way that a human could have lived for that long.”
“Agreed.” Dietrich seemed to be deep in thought as he contemplated something. “What was it that Claud said about this Gran Gran person?”
“Well, he was a lot more open to talking after I changed his runes. And I asked him some questions that I thought would be helpful. The current leaders of the family are Reginald and Gran Gran. What she has to do with it, I don't know. However, when Rayk was killed all those years ago, Reginald was the one that took over. So, he would be getting older as well. And Claud said he is powerful. I do not know what he considers to be powerful though.”
“I think we need to assume that the ones that are in charge are not human. This all just seems a little too fishy to me. And it would explain that smell that they all give off. If there is something about them that isn't quite human anymore.” Reece was the one to suggest this. I heard him, but since he was behind me and I didn't feel like turning to see his face, I didn't get the chance to see what he thought of these words, since his tone was so bland. Then again, his face might not have given it away either.
“Them having had nonhuman blood both does and does not make sense. Why would they want to kill us if they weren't human themselves? What grudge could these people have against every species of the shadow world?” Dietrich was just as confused about this as the others were.
We discussed a little more about what we had learned from these people. We needed to know if everyone had gotten all that they could from them. After the others told what they knew, I explained what it was that Claud told me. I seemed to be the only one that had learned how many of these people there were, where the bulk of them were, and the names of the leaders. It's possible that the others were too low ranked for this information, or it could be that my people needed lessons in interrogation. Whatever, it didn't really matter. What did matter was that I had learned enough from Claud and we would be able to take some of these people into custody. Those that we knew the location of that inn. Hmm. I think that we were going to need more prison cells. I would have to get on that as soon as possible.
After the information was all shared, it was time to figure out what to do next. Reece and the others agreed to going and getting the other eighteen suspects. The ten at the hotel and the eight at the university. We would make it look like Clovio and Warrick were going to be imprisoned as well, but we would move them to another location to protect them. They were working for us, so we needed to take care of them.
It was settled that thirty of the guards, Reece, Dietrich, Shawn, Shane, David, Noah, Carter, Trevor, Riley, Landon and Athair mòr would go to get those people while I went back to the dungeons to add more cells. I also needed to tell the guards that there will soon be even more of them joining us.
It had been a long night of interrogations and I wanted it to be over. That wasn't likely to happen though. It was two in the morning, and we were nowhere near done with all of this.
We had made a breakthrough though. We were going to be able to lessen their numbers when it came to taking out the masterminds behind all of this. And not only that, but no one died tonight. And there was little chance that anyone else would die at the hands of these people.
“Be careful, Reece.” I told him as I stood at the door to my office. The others had already left the room so it was just the two of us here right now.
“Don't worry, Little Bunny. We will all be careful. All of us will return home safe and sound.”
“You'd better.” I tried to smile at him, but it was more of a grimace. “Come here.” I pulled him down for a gentle and loving kiss. I needed him to know that I loved him. That I needed him to come home to me. And that I was desperate for this case to be over.
“I love you, Trinity.” He hugged me and called me by my name. That was something that he didn't do often unless there were other people around. When we were alone, he was usually playful and used my nickname.
“I love you too, Reece.” I squeezed him around his waist, needing to feel his warmth before we separated. “This will all be over soon.” I tried to calm us with those words, but it had the opposite effect. I was more nervous than ever.
