A Rouge with Powers

Chapter 24

"What about here?" Zane suggests, pointing on the map. I turn to look at what he's pointing at, the map being an overview of Variem, the country we live in. Squinting at the location between the northern region of Lasterm and Bera. 

"That area is where rouge activity is at its highest. Severum, it's covered in trees and rivers." The perfect hiding spot for my parents and their rouge army. I rest my head on my hand perched on Jax's desk. For the past two hours we have been going through possible locations for where the royals could be hiding. I glance over to Jax who seems to be nose deep in a book while Cade is sitting on the floor going through different journals and pages from decades ago for any hint of where the royals could be. Zane and I looking at maps, using my knowledge to point out all the rouge nest and hideouts the best I could.

"If only I could get my hands on that journal!" I breathe out, frustrated that we haven't gotten anywhere in the past two hours. Cade looks up at me, an idea coming to mind.

"Why not go and get it?" He suggests, I sit up straight, actually considering his idea. I look over to Jax who's looking back at me. I never really thought about going and stealing the journal.

"That's not a bad idea at all." I say waving my finger in Cade's direction, he smiles feeling good that someone is onboard with his idea.

"No." I look at Jax who goes back to his book.

"Why not? If we got that journal it would greatly help us figure out where to look." I try to reason with him. He doesn't budge, still calmly reading his book.

"Yea and then you'll be out in the open, an easy target for your parents and for Hopper. No way I'm letting that happen." He stands his ground, the book now on the desk beside him. He's got a point but this could be the only way to get any where closer to finding the royals.

"I can't just stay behind these walls. Eventually I would have to leave once we find the location of the royals, so why postpone the inevitable? We need a lead and that journal is the closest thing to helping us out." I explain, trying to get him to see the bigger picture. From the corner of my eye, I see both Cade and Zane nodding their head in agreement.

"What if something happens? What if for some reason they successfully capture you? We won't have any need to find the royals because then they would already have everything they need to take what they want?" He argues back, he has a valid point. The thought of being a slave for my parents or worse, Hopper scares the shit out of me. My parents having their way with the country, every wolf terrified because I gave them exactly what they wanted, power. I frantically look around the maps on the desk, not really having another valid point to throw at him. 

"Is there someone you can think of that could help us out? Someone your parents talked to or someone who they seem to hate or better fear more than Hopper? Someone you can think of that would be willing to help us bring them down?" Cade suggests, looking at me hopefully. Racking my head for anyone who might be a help, coming up empty handed I shake my head no.

"We can't just sit in here day after day reading old books and going over maps to find something." Zane says walking past the desk, stopping at the window. I drop my head on the desk, feeling so helpless. Everything I could think of to help popping up in my head, old friends, locations of hideouts my parents would taken me too. Any sacred location for rouges, the only thing that seems to pop in my head is an old research center.

"Why don't we go to where this all started?" I pop my head up looking right at Jax. I start to frantically look through the papers, the maps, the old books all around the room.

"What do you mean by that?" Jax questions watching my every move. I scan through every book, go through every memory trying to remember the location or at least the name of the research center.