Looking up from the dagger, I turned and handed it back to Logan. It was his after all, he should have it back. “Who are The Order?” I asked, as his fingers gripped the dagger.
He slipped it into the belt at his waist. “I honestly don’t know.” He looked at me, unsure, but he looked like he was telling the truth. “My grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease towards the end of his life and he used to ramble on about something called The Order. That they were a bunch of hunters and he was a member of it, or something along those lines.” He shrugged. “But he was crazy; I never put much weight into anything he said.”
“The Order,” Father Riley spoke, “were a group of priest’s who, after seeing the devastation caused by vampires, having seen all the death and destruction, became hunters. Originally there were 4, but over time more men joined their fight. They were essentially men of god, meant to serve the Lord and to fore fill his will. However after they became hunters, many people saw them more as warriors of some sort.” He turned to me, speaking with severity and his eyes were filled with desperation. Desperation to make his point known. “It is said that The Order still exists now and that they are commonly known as warriors of God.
I swallowed. I knew where Father Riley would go with this, and I wasn’t really in the mood to discuss it now. Not with my body still aching and especially not with Logan present. “Father, I,” as I spoke, my eyes drifted to Logan, standing beside me, and I broke off. “Hey, you’re bleeding.” I took a step towards him and reached out.
On his right shoulder he had a rip in his t-shirt. I could see that he had a gash and there was blood pouring out. Looking down, I noticed a few drops on the floor.
Logan brushed me off. “It’s fine, nothing serious.” He turned his attention back to Father Riley. “What more do you know about The Order? Tell me about them.”
Father Riley didn’t even appear to hear Logan’s questions; he was focused entirely on me. “Child, the prophecy. Surely you must see that....”
“No.” I cut him off. “Let’s not get into this now.” I looked at Logan. “Logan, you should really look at your shoulder.”

He was shaking his head, trying to brush me off again. I must say, it did annoy me. “No, not now. Prophecy? What prophecy? Tell me.”
Father Riley glanced at Logan for the first time since handing me the dagger. “I’m afraid I don’t know anymore,” he said.
I bit my lip, but didn’t say anything. I knew he was lying.
“Now if you don’t mind I’d like a word with Roxi. Alone.” Father Riley told Logan, dismissively.
Logan, who had opened his mouth again, snapped it shut. His eyes made it clear that he had more questions that he wanted to ask. It was his character after all, he’d said. Logan may not have much faith or a belief in God of any kind, but he was respectful. At least to people who weren’t vampires. However, Father Riley was a priest so I knew that even though his instincts were probably screaming at him to keep asking, I knew he wouldn’t. “Very well,” he told Father Riley, formally. Then he turned to me. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
His eyes held mine and I knew instantly any issues he had against pushing Father Riley for answers, he had none against me. I could tell that the moment I exited the church, he’d spring on me and not let me leave until he had all the answers he wanted. He’d want me to tell him everything.
I watched him walk away, wishing I could too, and escape the conversation I was about to have. Father Riley dragged me deeper into the church and we stood on the corner, near the confession box.
“Roxi,” he said harshly. “Did you see crest? It’s the same one.”
“Father Riley.” I looked at him. He was breathing hard and he was starting to get worked up. His eyes were tight and concentrated and he was starting to sweat. “I think you’re getting upset over nothing,” I said carefully. “That dagger, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Doesn’t mean anything?” His voice was filled with shock and disgust, and it rang out loudly throughout the church. “How can you say that, child? How? Do you remember the prophecy?”
Remember it? Hell would freeze over before he’d let me forget it. “Yes, but-” I started to speak, but he cut me off.
“Tell me. How does it go?”
I looked into his eyes. They were filled with worry and I saw that there was no way he’d let this go. Not this time. So sighing, I repeated the same prophecy he’d been telling me since the day we’d met. “Sent by God to save thy world, his Angel is slain at thy hands of his greatest Warrior.” I finished quoting and looked at him, trying to reassure him that there was nothing for him to worry about. “Father, I am not the Angel, how many times to I have to tell you that?”
“But you are child, I can feel it in my soul.” His eyes looked at me, pleading, desperate for me to believe.
But I didn’t. I never had. It was all too much for me to believe. My faith, it only went so far, and then I found myself looking at things realistically. “Besides,” I continued “Logan isn’t a member of The Order. You heard him say that, right?”
Father Riley looked back at me, taking a breath before speaking. “Maybe not to his knowledge. Weapons were passed from member to member in The Order. It was a way of keeping a connection and some of the history intact. Father’s would give their sword or dagger to their son’s, on the day they made their first vanquish. And they would then, in turn, pass it on to their son after that.” His eyes were thoughtful. “It’s possible that Logan’s father didn’t even know about The Order. It was many centuries ago and as time went by, less was known about them. He most likely had it given to him by Logan’s grandfather and just thought it was a nice sentiment, therefore giving it to Logan. Which makes Logan very much a member. He just doesn’t know it.”

I stood staring at him, open-mouthed and at that current moment, speechless. I remembered what Logan had told be just before in the alley. Yes, it fit, although I’d never admit it, or tell it to Father Riley. The last thing I wanted to do was add fuel to the fire.
He saw the expression on my face and started to smile slightly. He thought he was winning this conversation. What he didn’t realise, is that none of this mattered, because I didn’t believe the prophecy. “You must stay away from Logan at all costs.”
“Woah,” I said. “Logan? Father I’m working with him, I can’t stay away from him.”
“You must!”
“No, I have to have contact with him,” I said, shaking my head fast. “Our mission, vanquishing Micah, it’s too important to let anything come in the way. Nothing else matters.”
“Not even your life?” He cried.
“My life isn’t in danger. Father, Logan’s not going to kill me.” At least I hoped. I felt fairly certain he wouldn’t.
“My Angel, it is written. Your destiny, surely you don’t want it to come true. Not now a least”
“My destiny?” I looked at him through narrowed eyes. I felt myself getting angry. Not with Father Riley, but with the things he was saying. “Who says that it is my destiny? And what is it exactly? To die at the hands of some warrior of God.” I refused to let myself think of Logan like that in any way. He wasn’t a member of The Order. I don’t care what Father Riley thought. He didn’t even believe in God, how could he be his warrior? It was all just crazy.
“No, I don’t think so,” I continued. “If I have a destiny, it’s what I make it. Not something that was written hundreds of years ago, before I was even born, by a man who was most likely crazy.”

Father Riley looked insulted. “The prophet who wrote the prophecy was not crazy. He was a very well respected and highly thought of man. Much of what he wrote came true.” Yes, I thought. I already knew that, maybe that’s why my stomach was starting to feel heavy.
I clenched my teeth. “Well not this. If it is my destiny, and I’m not saying it is, I’ll change it. I won’t let the prophecy come true.” I unclenched my teeth, and looked at Father Riley through tired eyes. “Look, Father, I have to go. Logan’s waiting and he’s probably getting annoyed.”
“Child,” Father Riley spoke quietly and sadly. He reached out and pulled me into a goodbye hug, whispering in my ear. “You can’t fight your destiny.”
“Watch me,” I said as I turned and marched out of the church. I felt slightly uneasy, but I refused to let any of this get to me. I needed to be stronger than that. I could feel Father Riley’s gaze on my back as I left. I hated to think that I’d upset him in any way. And even more, to think how worried he obviously was. The last thing I wanted him to do was worry about me. Like my family, I wanted to protect him from things like this in my life.

Logan was waiting for me out the front of the church, near the blue Lancer he must have driven here. He had been sitting in the front seat, with the door open, but he rose as I approached. He gripped his shoulder, making a face, so I guessed it still hurt.
He looked slightly alarmed as I stopped in front of him. I can only imagine what I looked like. I felt very worked up from my conversation with Father Riley, and my body felt stiff and tense. I moved around and rested against the side of the car, tilting my neck from side to side, trying to get the kinks out.
“I’m guessing that whatever Father Riley wanted to speak with about didn’t go well,” he spoke slowly and thoughtfully.
“You don’t want to know,” I quipped.
“Actually I do.” His face was serious, and he wore that don’t mess with me look I’d noticed he had during battle. His eyes were tight, and I could tell from them that his curiosity had driven him crazy while he’d been waiting.
I wasn’t that long, I thought. As I watched him I recalled his injury. It was on his right shoulder, the one he had dislocated. There was no way he’d be able to look at it; I’d have to do that. “I’ll tell you,” I promised. “But first let me look at your shoulder. It must hurt, has the bleeding stopped?” I took a step towards him, but he held up his hand, making me pause.
“You can look at it after, if you want. Roxi, you have to give me some answers.” His eyes searched me, making me feel uneasy. I always worried what he saw when he looked at me. How he saw me, that is. “What was all that about?”
I sighed, and looking at him, realised that I couldn’t put it off. I had originally hoped to find a way to get him to let it go, just until we got back to the Manor, but seeing his current state and the dark expression on his face, I knew that would be impossible.
“You have to tell me. Everything,” he said. “Don’t leave anything out.”
I nodded slowly. This was going to be a long story. I hoped Claudia wasn’t waiting for us. “Okay. Where do you want me to begin?” I asked him.