Chapter Thirty-Four - Forced Entry

Roxy sat alone in the Sanctum library, and the dimly ignited torch shone against her face meekly whilst she looked towards the stacks of books in front of her. Each one held some information about the Poppy Root, praying it would explain a way to force Tyler's memories to the surface. Turning the dusty page of a book titled 'Fauna & Flora of magic' Roxy let out a subtle sigh.

"These have all turned out useless! Nothing tells me how to force a memory in any of these books! But maybe I'm looking with the wrong theory! Maybe I can remake the Poppy Root!" Roxy stopped herself in her thoughts, "But then again, none of these books has told me how to make the Poppy Root so that I would be going in completely blind. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to find a Shaman."

From the corridor, Roxy could hear a commotion; a pair of Hunters gossiping about the Grand Master whilst they entered the library, barely noticing Roxy sat on her own. "Roxy! Congratulations on the pregnancy! We haven't seen you around here for ages!" They began. Roxy paused before replying, staring blankly at them, attempting to figure out who they were.

"Do I know you? Sorry, it's just been a while since I have been back, so remembering everyone is a bit of a difficult task." Roxy didn't want to hurt them, as they seemed to know her, but she couldn't place them for her life.

The Hunters laughed, "You've never met us before, so it's no surprise. However, we know about you and that incredible boyfriend of yours. My name is James Parker, and this is my boyfriend: Jackson Bales. It's lovely to finally meet you. You're something of a legend nowadays!" James was a more petite boy but still held a few inches over Roxy. His styled brown hair and green eyes complimented his handsome face. Jackson was a tall boy, towering over James like a skyscraper. His body was rather muscular, and his dyed green hair stood out against his dark blue eyes.

"Well, thank you. It's lovely to meet you both!" Roxy began. She closed the book and turned to the two, "I heard you talking about the Grand Master; has something happened to him?" Concern filled Roxy's mind, but she didn't know why.

"He's out of the office for a few days. The High Council still remain, but they are very vague about what he is out doing. I'm surprised that you haven't heard about it. Did Tyler not know either?"

"I guess not. That seems a bit strange. The last time the Grand Master left was when my parents died in the field, and that was twelve years ago. I haven't seen that man leave ever since. He reminds me of Dumbledore, sat in his office all day whilst he sent Harry to fight Voldemort." Both James and Jackson laughed, seeing the resemblance. "Tyler's out on a mission, so he definitely wouldn't have heard anything."

"You don't think that would have something to do with it? I don't want to scare you, but maybe something has happened on his mission? I don't know where he is or what he is doing, but if the last time was after your parents, I dare say it is a situation like that again. But on a better note, what are you reading?" Jackson asked.

"Hold up, you can't just change the subject after saying something like that!" Roxy exclaimed, moving the book that Jackson had reached for. "Tyler is fine. He's got the new recruits, so I doubt he is on any strenuous mission just yet."

"But he did with you, didn't he? With only the Poppy Root in his system? A gift like that is hard to come by; he must have something extraordinary about him for the Grand Master to use such a powerful magic kit on a nobody. I hear that he keeps a few vials of Poppy Root in his chambers and will only bring them out on special occasions." Roxy stood up with anger, her face turning red with rage.

"You know nothing about Tyler. Do not pretend like you know him purely because of his reputation within the Hunters." She grabbed her bag and slung it on her back. Storming out, James and Jackson watched as Roxy stormed out of the library. She hid behind a stone pillar and contemplated a terrible idea.

'So. The Grand Master may hold some Poppy Root within his chambers. If I can sneak in, maybe I could grab a vial or two to give to Tyler and maybe one for myself. I mean, it's not like I hadn't snuck into there before when A and I were younger.' Roxy had decided that she would sneak into the Grand Master's chambers in his absence. Sticking closely to the walls, she tried to remain in the shadows forgetting that her bump was now looking as if it could pop at any moment. She approached the strangely unguarded wooden doors that stood towering above Roxy, aged and weathered much more than the other doors or the rooms they were guarding, matching the age and battle scars of the Grand Master himself.

Roxy didn't overthink why his room was unguarded and proceeded to the lock, placing her lock pick inside, forcing the door open with ease.

The room was elegant; red silk sheets and a gigantic library lined with books Roxy had never heard of were the first things that jumped out at her. "Right, I've got to hunt down these Poppy Root vials. If I was hiding a powerful magical juice, where would I hide it?" Her eyes scoured the room, looking for any prominent place that stood out to her trained gaze.

She settled on an oil painting depicting an old man with grey robes and a mean stare.

'Has the Grand Master really got an oil painting of himself? Well, that's a good place to start, if any!' Roxy carefully lifted off the oil painting, struggling to hold it under the sheer weight of the frame. Behind the picture was a steel safe embedded deeply into the wall. Pressing her ear onto the door, she listened for the click of the locks whilst she twisted the combination knob before carefully opening the door, revealing seven vials of a deep red liquid capped with a cork. She took two vials from the safe and undid the cork on one of them. Her nostrils filled with the scent of strawberries and roses; a smell Roxy didn't expect. "Bottoms up." She told, before taking a deep gulp of the thick liquid, uncaring of the consequences she may have to face.

Pulling out her phone, she swiftly scrolled to Thomas and called his number, praying he would answer.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked unknowingly.

"I need to do a dead-drop. Where are you?"