Kellan slammed his coffee down, breaking the silence. Her jaw dropped at the news.

‘They can’t—’ she hissed through her words.

‘They can, he claimed he was not in the right mind during the shooting.’ She shrugged.

‘He tried to kill you, aren’t you worried?’ Agatha voiced.

Circe squeezed Agatha’s hand.

‘I’m not worried about myself but the vampires. He is back to already spouting his hatred for them. It’s only a matter of time before he tries to hurt one. Right before the elections as well, he is so vocal, it might change the sway towards Julius.’

‘I have never seen a vampire,’ Kell added.

‘They are not a circus attraction,’ Bethan quipped, nudging his arm.

He scoffed at her, gently pushing her back.

‘There are a lot of sanctions against them, ever since the Blood Plague,’ Circe told him.

‘But the Blood Plague happened centuries ago; the vampires involved are all dead anyway, so why punish them?’

‘That’s literally what I argue every day at work, if only the other minister was as smart as you.’ Circe reached over the table and patted him on his head. Bethan wished it was her ruffling his hair.

‘It’s nice to feel validated,’ Kellan said, making Agatha giggle.

‘Apparently, Kurai Rennigan blamed the witches for the Blood Plague, so maybe we are the ones that need to be punished for all those deaths.’

Kellan shot Bethan a sideways glance.

Let the real search begin, she thought.

***

Bethan and Kellan stood in front of Saskia typing away behind the marbled work desk. Bethan had rather abruptly demanded Saskia to gain access to the Antiphonus, which was likely locked away in the museum’s archives.

Saskia stared up at her with a raised brow.

‘Please,’ Kellan said with a polite smile.

Saskia pushed a dreadlock out of her face before searching. Bethan and Kellan leant forward in anticipation, unknowingly mirroring each other.

Saskia scanned the computer screen, her mouth agape.

‘I’m sorry, but it has been returned to the Rennigans.’

Saskia spoke with a certain softness in her voice. Bethan could only pin it down to disbelief.

‘Apparently, Kahn Rennigan, after he reviewed it, he petitioned it to be returned to the family.’

A feeling of defeat swept over Bethan, followed by a stream of unanswered questions that she wouldn’t share just yet. Kellan bristled beside her, the only indication of his feelings about having to go through the Rennigans.

Kellan didn’t speak until they got to her office. Well, it was more like their office, considering all the time he spent there. A cold draft wafted through the room from the open window. She shot Kellan a disappointed look, since he was the last to leave two days prior. He shrugged with a mischievous smirk.

‘We should be able to contact Julius to give it to us,’ Bethan told him.

He didn’t seem convinced.