Chapter 48 - The Oldest Living Bloodline
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
A man stepped out.
He was in his seventies.
Silver hair.
Black suit.
Walking cane.
I had never seen him before.
Yet Mara immediately stepped backward.
“No.”
The man smiled.
“You still do that.”
Mara's voice was barely audible.
“Elias.”
I looked at her.
“Who is Elias?”
The man answered.
“Your grandfather's brother.”
My stomach dropped.
“My great-uncle?”
“Yes.”
He looked at the screen.
“Which makes me the oldest living bloodline.”
The system flashed.
CANDIDATE IDENTIFIED.
Daniel stepped in front of me.
“No.”
Elias laughed.
“You always were your father's loyal dog.”
Daniel stiffened.
“Don't.”
Elias looked at him.
“You signed the erasure order, didn't you?”
Daniel didn't answer.
“I did.”
Elias smiled.
“And yet you still believe yourself honorable.”
Mara stepped forward.
“Where is Robert?”
“Close.”
“Arthur?”
“Closer.”
I felt something snap inside me.
“Where is my mother?”
Elias looked at me.
“You've inherited her courage.”
“And her enemies.”
“Yes.”
“Bring my mother here.”
He smiled.
“You're assuming I came to negotiate.”
“What do you want?”
“The Root.”
“I won't give it to you.”
“You don't have a choice.”
I pointed at the screen.
“My father built this so I could destroy it.”
“No.”
Elias's voice became cold.
“Your father built this because he knew exactly what I would do if he failed.”
“What would you do?”
“Finish what your grandfather started.”
“And that is?”
“Make Blackwell permanent.”
My son cried through the baby monitor.
I turned.
The sound came from the speaker.
Elias heard it.
His expression changed.
“The Fourth Heir.”
“Stay away from him.”
“I don't want to hurt him.”
“Everyone says that.”
“That is because it is true.”
He took a step.
“I want him recognized.”
“As what?”
“As the legal continuation of the bloodline.”
“And then?”
“Then he belongs to the system.”
I felt sick.
“Never.”
Elias looked at the screen.
“Then choose yourself.”
I stared at him.
“That was the trap.”
He smiled.
“Your father taught you well.”
Mara looked at me.
“Don't choose.”
Elias raised his hand.
The system began counting down again.
Five minutes.
Four.
Three.
I looked at the release protocol.
The button glowed.
ACTIVATE.
I could destroy Blackwell.
But I could also destroy the protection keeping my mother and son alive.
I looked at Daniel.
He stepped forward.
“Claire.”
I expected him to tell me what to do.
He didn't.
“Whatever you choose,” he said, “I will stay.”
My eyes filled.
Mara nodded.
“That's all your father wanted from him.”
Elias laughed.
“Sentiment.”
“No,” Daniel said.
“Choice.”
Elias looked at him.
“You don't have the authority to choose anything.”
Daniel pulled the root registry from his coat.
“I don't need authority.”
He tore out the page bearing his signature.
Elias's expression changed.
“What did you do?”
“Removed the authorization trail.”
Adrian rushed to the console.
“It worked.”
The system began glitching.
ERROR.
AUTHORIZATION SOURCE MISSING.
Elias shouted:
“Stop them!”
The doors slammed shut.
Bennett raised his weapon.
Mara moved toward the console.
My son started crying again.
Then my mother appeared on the monitor.
She was alone.
No Robert.
No guard.
Just Evelyn.
“Claire.”
“Mom?”
“Listen to me.”
“I can hear you.”
“Your father left something else.”
“What?”
She took a deep breath.
“Your baby blanket.”
I frowned.
“What about it?”
“He hid a chip in the hem.”
I remembered it.
The blanket had disappeared after my baby shower.
My mother had taken it.
I looked at her.
“You have it.”
She nodded.
“I've had it for months.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because your father made me swear I would not give it to you until Mara returned.”
Mara looked confused.
“Why?”
My mother shook her head.
“I don't know.”
A sound came from the monitor.
Three knocks.
My father had always knocked three times when he wanted my attention.
My mother's face changed.
She turned toward the door.
“I think someone's here.”
Then a voice came through.
Not Robert.
Not Elias.
My father.
“Evelyn.”
My mother dropped the camera.
I couldn't breathe.
“Dad?”
The screen went black.
A second later, a new image appeared.
An old nursery.
A crib.
The same blanket.
And on the wall was the five-line symbol.
Beneath it, one sentence.
THE CHILD WAS NEVER THE FOURTH HEIR.
My entire body went cold.
Mara whispered:
“What?”
Another line appeared.
HE IS THE KEY TO THE FIFTH.
I looked at Adrian.
“What is the Fifth?”
He didn't answer.
The system did.
FIFTH HEIR STATUS: ACTIVE.
The elevator doors behind us opened again.
Robert walked in.
And beside him was my mother.
I turned toward the monitor.
The woman on the screen was not my mother.
It was a recording.
A decoy.
Robert smiled.
“You've been talking to ghosts.”
May you like
He looked at me.
“Now let's talk about the living.”
