Chapter 23: Secrets surface.

Chariot blinked as the blindfold was taken off her eyes, and she found herself in a big room, with walls and a floor of black and white marble respectively. The roof was high and there was an extremely large golden chandelier hanging from it, but it was turned off at the moment, so most of the light came from the big windows in front of her that showed a luscious green garden outside. However, the most prominent figure in that whole room was definitely the woman standing regally before her; cloaked in shadows, her shape outlined by the sharp light of the sun.

She could only see her in detail once her eyes adjusted to the light, but little by little she started seeing her crimson red dress, going all the way from her shoulders to the floor. It was shiny, and far too elegant for the situation, but it was obvious the woman took good care of her image, as her body seemed to be in shape, and the few wrinkles on her face had been carefully covered by make-up. Not to mention, her grey hair somehow managed to look elegant, and it was done up in a neat bun, only leaving two thin strands of hair to frame her face, accentuating her sharp features.

It was the eyes, however, what left Chariot frozen to the spot. Although she knew better than to look into a blood witch's eyes directly, she couldn't help but be drawn to the emerald orbs that looked so similar to another pair she had once held in high regard. Except these were hard and cold, like the gemstone they took their color from.

"Chariot du Nord." When the woman spoke, a malicious grin formed on her lips, yet her voice was commanding, although, soft, in tone. "I believe we weren't properly introduced the last time we met."

"Well… I wouldn't think such a situation was the best scenario for an introduction, Circe." Chariot answered, almost defiantly, but trying to rein herself in.

"Certainly." She chuckled. "But things have changed a lot since then, haven't they? I mean, you're no longer working for the Rouge Hunters, and I'm closer than ever to achieving my goal."

"Which is why I thought we could reach an agreement, and decided to contact your minions." She responded, letting a bit of anger slip into her words. "But so far I have been treated as nothing but a prisoner."

"My apologies. I needed to make sure this wasn't all a trick; you know how it is." Circe didn't seem concerned by her complaints in the slightest. "After all, it's not easy to believe that the one with the record for having killed the most blood witches in history is now interested on making a deal with us."

"I'm not a child anymore." She argued, choosing her words carefully. "I know there's no good and bad guys, but as the Chosen One I unfortunately have to pick a side." She paused, taking a deep breath and then sighing. "Serving the Rouge Hunters brought me nothing good, and as a teacher in Luna Nova I was miserable. I'm willing to join you if you give me what I want."

"And that is?" Circe raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow.

"Once the war is over, I want a place to live, secluded and secure, where no one will find me." Upon being met with an skeptical stare, she added. "I also want enough money to not have to worry about it for the rest of my life, and the guarantee that neither you nor other blood witches will bother me or my loved ones while I live."

There was a tense pause, in which the two women stared at each other for a moment before Circe looked away and went to sit at one of the many couches full of cushions that adorned the room. Even if Chariot remained standing, she still felt intimidated by her presence.

"Isn't that a cheap price for betraying the entirety of your kind?" She asked, almost mockingly.

"I'm not a greedy person." She answered. "I know I could ask for more, but I have no desire to do so."

"I see." The older woman smiled and looked pointedly at her. "You could ask for my daughter, you know? I understand you fancied her in the past."

Chariot felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine, and she started sweating cold, but she tried to show no reaction outwardly.

"Nothing but a teenage crush. I have no desire for her anymore."

"If you prefer younger girls now, that could also be arranged." It seemed like the blood witch was trying to asses her reaction, but it was clear she was also being serious about it, and Chariot felt sick inside, but once more, she was careful not to express it.

"I appreciate the offer, but I have already expressed everything I desire. If you can give it to me, then we have a deal."

"We will have a deal once, and only once, I know I can trust you." Circe replied coldly, like she was scolding an unruly child. "But you haven't been completely honest with me, have you?"

"What are you talking about?" At least she didn't have to fake her surprise. She truly thought that she had covered her tracks well enough.

Upon hearing her question, Circe raised her hand and clicked her fingers, which made a distant wooden double door open to reveal a woman standing on the other side, probably waiting to be allowed in. The woman then promptly entered and went to kneel before Circe.

"Countess." She greeted her.

"Rise, Ekaterina." She said. "And show the Chosen One your wounds."

In command, the woman raised her right hand, which was covered in a bloody bandage, and carefully started to uncover it. There was no need, really, even with the bandage it was obvious she was missing three fingers, which had been cut all the way to the knuckles. The bloody spectacle that came next, however, made it clear it had happened pretty recently.

"What does that have to do with me?" She asked, confused. Had this woman claimed that she had done it?

"Don't feign ignorance!" Ekaterina shouted angrily. "It was your daughter who did this to me! I saw her myself! She is just as powerful as you once were."

"I… what?" Again, there was no need for Chariot to dissimulate her surprise; she was quite shocked by what she was hearing.

"You didn't mention that you have a daughter." Circe accused her, narrowing her eyes. "And one powerful enough to wound Ekaterina, no less. Why is that?"

"I… I didn't think it was important! She didn't have any magic when I left, I swear!" She was panicking internally, and it was starting to show as well.

"Bullshit." Ekaterina snarled. "Everyone knows magic is hereditary. Coming from a lineage such as yours, any daughter would be a powerful sorceress."

"She was adopted! She's not really my daughter." At this point, her voice was starting to shake slightly, but she tried to reign herself in. It was difficult, however, when she knew she had never been as scared in her entire life.

"Why would you adopt a magicless child?" Circe asked, obviously skeptical.

"Because…" She took a deep breath. She needed to remain calm. She could do this. "Because I killed her mother." Upon meeting with a raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "I thought she was a blood witch that had stolen a baby, so… I did what I had to do. But I was mistaken, and so I took the child in out of a sense of duty."

"I see." Circe nodded, calculating. "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if we dispose of her, seeing as she has become a threat to our plans?"

"If you touch her, I swear I will destroy you and everything you care about." The threat was out of her lips before she could think better about it… and judging by Circe's wide smirk, she had just given her exactly what she wanted.

"So she is important to you." Well… she couldn't really deny that anymore, could she? She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down before answering.

"I love her more than anything in the world, which is why I wanted to leave her out of this mess." She explained. "But I still have no idea how she gained magic."

"I can explain that." The three women turned to search for the source of the voice, finding soon after the familiar form of none other than Croix herself, dressed in her usual attire with the red cape, and strolling into the room like she owned the place.

"Croix…" The whisper was out of Chariot's lips before she could stop it, and it sounded almost like a plea. She just hoped it was too soft for anyone to hear it.

"Mother." The newcomer stopped in front of Circe and acknowledged her with a nod of her head.

"Croix." The woman greeted her courtly. "You knew of Chariot's daughter?"

"I had my suspicions, but I wanted to make sure before worrying you with unnecessary information." She explained. "I have been observing the one known as Atsuko for the past couple of months, mainly because I used her for my experiments with magitech, not knowing of her association with the Chosen One."

"You know I disapprove of those methods." Circe answered with a grimace.

"Indeed." The other woman didn't seem fazed at all. "But like it or not, they've helped us recruit many new blood witches, including Atsuko."

"You turned her?" Circe frowned.

"I made her drink blood and also gave her magic with my cubes. She's one of us now." She confirmed.

"Impossible…" Chariot tried to act shocked, which thankfully wasn't that hard, because what she was hearing was rather hard to believe, despite having heard about it before.

"As you can see, now Chariot has no choice but to be on our side, unless she's willing to kill her own daughter." Croix shoot Chariot a pointed look, and she simply glared in response. She had been outsmarted, and she knew it damn well.

"But are you sure she had no magic before you gave it to her?" Circe still didn't seem to be completely on board with the plan.

"Positive." She nodded. "I checked for her primary and secondary magic channels, and only found the later."

"Very well. Then it seems like killing her preventively won't be necessary." Upon hearing her words, Chariot breathed in relief, letting herself relax for a moment.

"But what about Diana Cavendish?" Ekaterina interfered, obviously displeased by the results of the discussion. "She was my pray and Croix robbed me of her blood! I demand a punishment."

"I only did it because I'm almost certain that the Cavendish girl is essential for our plans." She explained calmly.

"And why is that?" Even Circe seemed skeptical about the assessment.

"Because I have reason to believe that Chariot hid the Claiomh Solais at the Cavendish mansion." Upon her words, three pairs of eyes turned to look at the redhead in question, but she did her best to remain with a neutral expression.

"Go on." Circe spoke, obviously intrigued.

"My data suggests that Akko is the key to obtaining the Claiomh Solais, and that it is being hidden in the place where the initiation ceremony will be carried. Hence, both girls need to live so I can get a chance to obtain the mystical rod for us."

"What makes you think you'll be able to enter the Cavendish mansion to steal it?" Ekaterina questioned with disdain. "Even I had trouble getting past their defenses."

"Akko trusts me a great deal, so I am certain she'll agree to meet me somewhere and give me the Claiomh Solais if I just ask. It's all been planned."

"And when will this ceremony take place?" Circe spoke this time, wearing a calculating expression.

"About ten days from now." She easily answered.

"Very well." She seemed pleased by the answer. "Hopefully then we'll know if your theories are correct."

"Of course, mother." She nodded, smiling politely. "Now, if you allow it, I will accompany Chariot to her cell." She gestured for the redhead to follow her, but just when she was about to do so, they were stopped by Circe's firm voice.

"No. I have a better idea."

When Akko woke up, her whole body hurt. Not that this was a surprise; the last thing she remembered was the great explosion caused by her magic sending her flying across a room, but… How was she alive? And… where was she?

She slowly opened her eyes and realized it didn't really make much of a difference. It was dark, obviously nighttime, and when her eyes got used to the almost absolute absence of light, she realized she was laying on a bed, back at the Cavendish mansion. That much was rather obvious thanks to canopy hanging from the sides. Seriously, who the heck had a canopy on this day and age? But… to her left, the canopy was actually not covering everything, and instead she had a clear view of…

"Diana?" Akko was really surprised to see the girl there, but also relieved that she didn't appear to be injured except for the bandages around her left shoulder and a few scratches here and there. Before she called her, she had been dozing off, but now… now her icy eyes were staring at Akko intently.

"Akko! Thank the Nine you're awake!" The girl, however, flinched at the volume, which seemed to pierce her ears.

"Keep it down, will you?" She glared at her, covering her ears with her hands.

"My apologies." She tried to compose herself. "I am simply pleased to see you've made a swift recovery." In other circumstances, Akko would have probably teased the usually cold girl, but for now she was more interested in obtaining answers.

"About that… can I ask what happened after I passed out?"

"Don't you remember anything?" The girl asked cautiously.

"Nope! All black." She answered honestly.

"Very well." Diana sighed. "I will tell you everything, but afterwards, I need you to answer all of my questions honestly, alright? No more secrets."

"Uhm… okay?" Akko was a bit confused, but it didn't seem she had a choice.

"After you fainted, Ekaterina was still alive, but before she could do anything, another woman came and saved us. I don't know if you know her… her name is Croix."

"Oh, so she did come!" Akko exclaimed happily. "Honestly, I didn't think she would. I called her."

"I see." Diana nodded, adopting a thoughtful expression. "Well, shortly after making sure we were okay, she left, and Amanda and Hannah arrived soon after."

"What?"

"They said my dogs had sought them out and led them to where we were. Thankfully they were at Weddinburg, so they found us relatively quickly."

"I see." Akko made a mental note to thank the dogs later, and give them the cookies she'd promised. She should also thank Amanda, of course. And… Hannah too. Unfortunately.

"After that they brought us here and… I'm sure you can imagine the rest."

"How long was I unconscious?" She couldn't help asking.

"A few hours." She simply answered before quickly moving on to the next subject. "Listen, Akko… what you did for me back there… I…" She sighed and looked away, bashful. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Wait… what?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing! Diana Cavendish was being grateful towards her?

"I... You really didn't have to. I know I've been awful to you since you arrived, and… well… on top of that, I put myself in that completely avoidable situation, so… yeah. You didn't have to risk your life to save mine." The usually composed girl seemed totally mortified by what had happened, so Akko decided to try and ease her conscious a bit.

"I mean… I wouldn't say you've been awful." She smiled at her. "Sure, you're not the most pleasant to be around either, but… you're better than your aunt at least."

"That's… a rather low standard." She sighed dejectedly. "You really are a better Cavendish than any of us."

"Don't say that!" Akko felt uncomfortable with that assessment. "You're amazing at magic and stuff. And no one can fault you for trying to avenge your mother."

"Akko. I know when I was at fault." She said with an air of finality. "But just as I now see my errors, I know how to make up for them, which is why… I want you to answer honestly to what I'm about to ask you."

"Uhm… okay?" That sounded rather cryptic, but she decided to go with it.

"The woman who saved us… Croix… is she a blood witch?"

"Uh…" Should she be honest? This sounded like a test; like Diana already knew the answer and was just waiting for confirmation. But she figured there wouldn't be any harm if she indeed told the truth, as Croix was probably far away by now. "Yeah…" At this, Diana simply nodded, like she had been anticipating that response.

"I suspected as much." She then did something unexpected; she placed her right arm facing up, revealing a bloody gauze that she then took off, showing Akko a small cut on her wrist, as well as bruising bite marks around it. It was pretty obvious what had happened there.

"Did… Did Croix do that?" Akko really found that idea rather ridiculous, considering Croix's use of technology, but… there must be a reason why Diana was showing her that wound, right?

"She made the cut." Diana answered, looking intently at her. "But she didn't suck my blood; you did."

Akko felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine, not only at the thought of drinking blood (gross), but also because now Diana knew her secret. Kinda. But would she believe her now if she told her she'd never drank blood before? Probably not, right?

"I… I can explain…" She said with a small voice.

"You are a blood witch." Diana said as a matter of fact, but strangely enough she didn't seem mad or even scared about it. "Croix made you drink my blood in order to save your life after you had used too much magic."

"Yeah… probably…" There was no use on denying it, was there? "B-but… that was the first time I ever drank blood! Well… unless you count my own blood? Not that I often drink it, it's just that when I fall down or something my nose often starts bleeding and sometimes my blood goes to my throat and…" Realizing she was rambling and speaking a little too quickly for Diana to understand, Akko cleared her throat and tried to organize her thoughts. Although she was so nervous her face was flushed bright red and her heart was pounding. "Uhm… what I'm trying to say is… Croix gave me magic by using some technology she invented. I would never intentionally drink someone else's blood."

She was expecting Diana to question her, or at least be skeptical about it, but to her surprise, she just nodded, like she'd merely confirmed her suspicions.

"I supposed that was the case." She said rather calmly. "After you drank some of my blood, Croix gave you magic using some cubic devices, and afterwards your condition seemed to stabilize considerably."

"I… see." Akko really didn't know what to say to that. She still felt uncomfortable knowing she'd drank Diana's blood, to be honest.

"You really didn't seem the type to kill someone to gain power, but your unusual magic clearly pointed to you being a blood witch." She added. "It all makes sense now, and I'm glad that mystery is resolved."

"Sorry about not telling you sooner." Akko said shyly. "I… I know it's difficult to believe, and I was afraid you might attack me or turn me in to the Hunters or something."

"I understand." She nodded. "I can hardly fault you for not sharing such sensitive information with me when I gave you no reason to trust me." She smiled sadly. "I just hope you know… that you can trust me now. I promise I won't tell your secret to anyone, and I will protect you in any way I can. I'm forever in debt with you for saving my life, and even if I wasn't… I'd hardly be worthy of calling myself a Cavendish if I didn't look out for my friends."

"… Friend?" Akko blinked. She'd heard correctly, right? To her surprise, Diana's cheeks filled with color as she looked away, nervously trying to talk.

"I-I… well, I just… uhm… only if that's okay with you? I understand if you don't want to be my friend; I'll keep your secret regardless… I just thought… I…"

"Diana." Akko placed her hand on to of hers and looked up, smiling kindly at the stuttering girl that was normally so composed. It was pretty cute, actually. "I'd love to be your friend."

"R-right." She pretty much squeaked and then cleared her throat, pulling her hand away from Akko's as she tried to regain some dignity. "I'm sorry about the awkwardness. I'm not good at… friends." She grimaced.

"It's alright." Akko chuckled. "I can help you! I'll introduce you to my friends and maybe you can join us for a movie or two and…"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She cut her off, obviously uncomfortable at the thought of spending time in Akko's friend group. "For now… maybe we can just get to know each other better?"

"Sure!" She exclaimed excitedly. "What's your favorite color? Mine is red. Not dark red like blood, but like… bright red, like my mom's hair. How about you?"

"I… I didn't mean we should get to know each other right now!" She exclaimed. "You need rest, and so do I. We should both sleep."

"But Diana…" Akko practically whined. If there was something that she loved more than sleeping it was… well, eating, but also making friends with new people, especially witches. Still, she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"I will accept no complaints." She answered with an air of finality as she got up swiftly. "However, if you feel any pain or fever, or any other preoccupying symptom, please don't hesitate to wake me up."

"Alright." She ended up agreeing with a yawn. She supposed there'd be plenty of time to get to know each other later.

"Goodnight, Akko."

"Goodnight."

Diana turned around and made her way to the revolving bookshelf that served as a door between their rooms, but then stopped before she could pass through it, looking back briefly at Akko.

"By the way… my favorite color is also red." And with those words, she took her leave, but not before seeing a tiny smile appear on Akko's lips.

A/N: Well, I hope you liked this little chapter. It certainly was a lot of fun to write for me XD. Thanks for reading! And I'll see you soon for the next one.

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.