Alpha Nocurne's Contracted Mate

Bartholomew was mid discussion with Adam and the Enclave’s Commander of the guard when his office phone rang.
He stared at it in bemusement and exhaled a short laugh.
“I rarely get calls directed here...” He mused as he reached for the receiver.
The Enclave’s commander grunted in annoyance and threw himself down on the chair, resuming the animated discussion with
Adam regarding the reinforcements due to leave in less than an hour’s time. “Oh! Lord Brarthroroz!”
Title of the document
Bartholomew exclaimed as Adam’s head turned violently towards him and he focused his attention on the conversation.
“Yes, Yes I can do that. Let me call you back, I just need a few minutes to check the records. I’m sure I have it in here
somewhere.” Bartholomew’s face took on a thoughtful expression as he said goodbye, hung up and made his way over to the
bookcase.
Adam and the Commander exchanged a look, and as no explanation was forthcoming, Adam cleared his throat loudly and
looked towards Bartholomew expectantly.
But Bartholomew paid him no mind as he browsed the shelves with a deep frown until finally, his face lit up and he pulled a book
from the shelves, scurrying back to his desk with it and rifling through his drawers as he took his seat.
“Do you want to tell us what that was about?” Adam asked curiously as he leaned onto Bartholomew’s desk.
“What?” Bartholomew uttered distractedly as he pulled out what looked like a leather book and sat it on his desk before him.
He met Adam’s gaza with mild confusion, his h*ands resting on both books, before the realization suddenly dawned on him.
“Oh! My apologies. That was Lord Brarthroroz.” He said as the Commander snorted loudly.
“We kind of understood that from your: ‘Oh! Lord Brarthroroz!’ comment when you answered your phone.” The Commander
offered sarcastically.
Bartholomew peered at the commander with a mild-mannered smile on his face.

“Such a helpful contribution to the conversation, Commander. It makes me wonder why you haven’t advanced further in your
career,” Bartholomew said with the same mild mannered smile, but the irritation in the lines of his face was glaringly obvious to
Adam.
He allowed himself a small smile of his own as he side-eyed the commander who looked as though he had just been slapped,
and waited for Bartholomew to continue.
“As I was saying,” Bartholomew cleared his throat, “It seems Lord
Brarthroroz has a line of inquiry that he wishes to pursue. The most recent assumption was that Eromaug and his coven had
holed up inside the containment facility, having recruited the inmates to his side. However, Lord Brarthroroz seems to think that
his brother will have a second, well hidden but decidedly less guarded entrance in addition to the one that he is currently
presenting to us. Using it as a decoy if you will.”
Bartholomew paused as he leafed through the book, murmuring to himself as he did so before placing it down on the desk and
moving to untie the leather bindings on the folder, revealing an intricately folded large, piece of paper, that he carefully unfolded
and spread across his desk.
Adam glanced down at the pages of the book and only had time to read the title across the top of the page before Bartholomew
picked it up again and began scouring the map, and marking various places on the map.
“Remnants of the Daemon Wars?” Adam frowned, as he repeated the title out loud.
“Yes.” Bartholomew answered ponderously, peering down his nose as he marked off yet another location on the map, “Lord
Brarthroroz seems to be of the opinion that Eromaug will most likely return to one of the previous haunts that the darkness
occupied back in the Daemon Wars.”
“But why would he do that? Inhabit a ruin I mean. Surely defensively that wouldn’t be a feasible option.” The Commander asked,
suddenly intrigued as he approached the desk and watched Bartholomew work.
“That is where you are wrong, Commander. They may be ruins on the outside, but on the inside, underground in the caverns and
tunnels that they spent centuries constructing, the structures are perfectly sound. After the Daemons were repelled, explorations
of the structures they left behind were halted after multiple exploration parties failed to return. Instead, they were sealed and
hidden from sight by the most powerful Magick users that were in existence at the time.” Bartholomew explained patiently.
Adam could see the logic in Lord Brarthroroz’s line of thinking and focused intently on the map.

“So presuming that the containment facility is indeed a decoy, wouldn’t that mean that any of these ruins could be an entrance?”
“Not necessarily. They still need to be able to attack and resupply and reinforce that stronghold, whilst having the ability to
harass Greyson and his men, keeping the pressure on them.” Adam mused as he located the old factory that Greyson and his
men had repurposed as their stronghold.
He took a red marker from the desk and circled Greyson’s position on the map and sat back and waited for Bartholomew to finish
marking the sites.
“I think it’s safe to say that any of those that fall within a 30 mile radius of our team’s stronghold would be worth investigating.”
Adam pondered out loud and Bartholomew nodded in agreement.
“The fact remains though, that we still need to figure out the reinforcement teams.” The commander argued, “We can’t replace
exhausted men with tired men fresh from their guard duties!”
“No? Do you think we’ll have the luxury of being able to make that choice if we don’t put a stop to it while we can and they march
on the Capital, the Enclave itself?!” Adam snapped, tired of the Commanders constant objections.
“But... we’ll be sending them at a subpar standard, risking their lives and the countless years of training that goes into them...”
the commander blustered angrily,
“These guards are not easy to replace, they..”
“Enough.” Ann’s voice stated firmly as Bartholomew’s office door opened and Ann strolled in with Coral in tow.
Coral shrugged apologetically at Adam and he sighed internally. There really was no way of making her listen.
“Commander, in my absence, Adam speaks for me at all times, do you understand?” She said smoothly as she held his gaze
with confidence.
“Yes, my Queen,” The commander answered immediately as he bowed his head and bared his neck in submission.
“Now, let’s start getting things done a little more quickly, shall we? I hear Narcissa is still alive and kicking and that has to
change.” She grinned sinisterly.