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She watches me, eyes wide, the green in them flickering like the leaves outside in the early morning wind.
“It was our ancestors,” I continue, trying to keep the history simple and digestible. “Part of that is, centuries ago, they forged a bond to look after the chosen ones in our bloodline. To guide them, protect them.”
Her brow furrows, and she pulls the sheets closer, almost as a defence against my words. “Chosen for what?” she asks, her voice a mix of scepticism and curiosity.
“Power,” I say plainly. “Influence. The ability to shape things. We are meant to stand by you, be your shield if need be.” There’s more to it, layers and shadows, but those are tales for another time. Right now, I need her to understand the basics—the foundation of why we’re here, together, in this room that whispers of old secrets and promises. “KnightsGate. It’s not just a name or some fancy title. It’s legacy, Ever. It’s destiny.”
She blinks at me, her eyes glassy with confusion and a hint of fear. She shakes her head slowly, trying to dispel the fog of sleep, the harsh reality moulding with disbelief. “I found some stuff. It wasn’t there when I looked, and then it was. Did you have anything to do with that?” she whispers, gripping the sheets tighter.
I nod, leaning back against the ornate wooden headboard. The air feels heavy around us, each breath laced with the gravity of centuries past. “Yeah, we did. We can’t have that shit lying around for any old conspiracy theorist to find. But the old Librarian replaced them when we knew you would go looking. They have since been removed.”
“Old Librarian? There is no old Librarian.”
“Not the kind that works in the library, anyway.” I flash her a secretive smile that widens her eyes.
“Oh.”
“So you’ll know that this started way back in the mid-1300s at the founding of our university. Our ancestors—yours and mine, were part of the Knights Templar. But they split off. They created KnightsGate as a sect. They were visionaries, warriors of their time, Ever. And we’re the modern-day remnants of that power.”
Her jaw drops open slightly, and she just stares at me for a long moment, silent. I watch her struggle to wrap her mind around the enormity of it all—the idea that her lineage is entwined with this ancient, clandestine society.
“But what does that mean?”
“We are secret, powerful, and bound by blood.” The words taste old and potent as they roll off my tongue. “Our families have been shaping history from the shadows ever since.”
“Shaping history?”
I nod, unwilling to delve into the battles fought, the wars won, the politics and science. “The influence of the sect is all around us. We’re just a cog in the wheel. The Guardians of this University, the stronghold.”
Ever’s hands tremble as she pushes a loose strand of her hair back, her movements disjointed. Her gaze flickers away from me, then back, searching my face for any sign that this might be a joke, a game. But all she finds is the solemn truth.
“Global influence,” she mutters.
“Yes. But it all starts here, with the recruitment.”
“Recruitment.” She scrunches up her nose. “Is that what you did to me? Recruited me?”
“No. You were recruited at birth, as some of us are. But to keep new blood, we have to recruit. You have always been part of this, Ever, but last night, you were initiated through thesacrifice of your enemy and anointed as our True North. I am North Cardinal. Ben is South, Charlie, East and Damien, West. We watch over this campus, guard it and our secrets at the most basic level. Next year, when we leave, the mantle will be passed down to the now second-years, and so on. The spirals twist high and wide, and you don’t even want to dive into that. Yet. There’s time.”
“Dave.”
Frowning, I tilt my head. “Who?”
She shakes her head. “Chancellor Aldritch. How high up is he?”
Unable to help the smirk, I take her hand and circle her palm gently. “He’s the Chancellor here. Pretty fucking high. He is called an Elder.”
“My dad?” she whispers.
I shake my head. “No, he isn’t part of this. Your mother, on the other hand...”
She gulps. “What?”
“Your legacy comes from her, skewed by time and circumstance. Knight is your mother’s name, not your father’s. He is a mere pawn on this board.”
She frowns fiercely. “I don’t understand.”
“Those in the know have kept their secrets despite their fall from noble grace. The Knights are still a powerful family, Ever, just under the surface.”
