Divination (Spells and Sins)

Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

"Not all that is hidden is lost; sometimes it waits to be found.”

Lunara

“ Y ou’re not serious.” All color drained from Elysia’s face as her eyes grew wider.

“Who is it?” I whispered while she continued to listen.

“There’s no way, Morgana. There’s just no way.” A single tear slipped down Elysia’s cheek before she rested her hand on the counter and squeezed her eyes shut. “We’ll be there soon.” When her eyes opened again, I found a world of pain etched into her features. Every worry line was a map laid out to showcase her grief and I wasn’t sure what was wrong or how to fix it.

“What’s she saying?” Part of me was scared to know the answer. Had they found out what happened to Thalia? I tugged her to the side, allowing the next customer to order.

While her shoulders fell, Elysia sighed, nearly dropping her phone from her trembling hands as she hung up.

“Elysia?” I snapped my fingers in front of her face desperate to know what she’d just learned. “What did she say?”

A hiccup escaped as she stared blankly out a nearby window. “She said—she said Nova’s dead.”

“Nova? Are you sure?” While there was no love lost for Nova’s cynical ideals, I couldn’t deny the way my stomach twisted in knots at the sight of Elysia’s single tear. I resisted the urge to wipe it away and whisper fake words of hope or how everything would be okay. She didn’t need that right now.

How much more pain was she locking deep inside?

Paying no mind to the patrons in the building, I wrapped my arm around Elysia and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry, Elysia.” My hands slid up and down her back, trying to ease her trembling body.

She eased from my grasp, looking up at me “I don’t know why I’m so upset. It’s not like we were close, but…” Another hiccup escaped her as more tears created tracks down her cheeks.

“Come on,” I urged, taking her hand in mine as I led her away from the counter toward the numerous shelves of books and trinkets.

I guided Elysia down a secluded aisle, trying to gain some privacy, but as a mother and son approached, I felt the urge to shield Elysia’s emotions and hurried her to someplace else that might be more private.

Somehow, though, every aisle seemed too exposed; the patrons were everywhere, milling about and exploring, imposing on our private moment.

A single beige curtain hung nearby, shielding its contents from the average customer. Needing to get Elysia somewhere a little less vulnerable, I tugged her hand, leading her toward that flimsy barrier.

“Where are you taking me?” Elysia dragged her feet with every step as if sorrow had filled her shoes with lead.

“Somewhere away from prying eyes.” I pushed the fabric aside, gesturing for Elysia to pass before I followed behind her, then closed us inside.

Wielding my hands, I cast a spell of protection that would hinder any passersby from eavesdropping on our conversation as I asked, “What did Morgana say?”

“Sh–she said that—” She choked on a sob. “T6hat Nova had gone out looking for Thalia. That she…she…she’d headed toward the forest in search of her.” Elysia’s breaths grew heavier as she struggled with every word.

“It’s okay.” I pulled her against my chest, feeling her soft curves molding against mine as she melted into my embrace. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Elysia eased her head back, looking up at me with red rimmed eyes while her tears continued to fall. “Morgana…Morgana said that…that Nova.” She stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Morgana said that they were all supposed to meet back at the house, but…but…but Nova—” Her voice cracked as her head fell against my shoulder. “They found Nova…Nova’s body…” her words were cut short by her shuttered breaths.

I ran my hands frantically up and down her back, trying to ease her pain, but knowing there was little I could do to console her as she recounted what Morgana told her.

Slowly, her head lifted from my shoulder, her face twisted in anguish, cheeks red and tear stained. “Morgana said it looked like she’d been dropped from a great height.”

My heart sank, remembering how contorted Jareth's body was after he jumped from the cliff, choosing to take his own life so he wouldn’t be strapped to me for all time. “I’m so sorry, Elysia. So truly sorry.”

The longer I held her, the more her own pain and grief seemed to seep into the depths of my soul, as if there were an invisible tether connecting us together.

“I don’t know what to do, Lunara. I just feel so useless right now.”

I framed her face in my hands, running my thumbs across her tear-stained cheeks. “You’re not useless.” I tilted her head, forcing her to look me in the eye. “Do you realize how lost I’d be if I didn’t have you here with me?”

She pulled her head from my hands, looking toward that beige curtain, gently billowing as someone passed. “First Thalia. Now Nova. Who’s next?” Elysia’s words were so soft, I wasn’t sure she intended for me to hear them, but I instantly wanted to snap her out of that way of thinking.

“Hey. You can’t think like that.” I gently shook her shoulders, drawing her attention back my way. “We’re going to find the Starfire Orb and put an end to this madness.”

“I can’t lose anyone else, Lunara.” Her head hung between us as her shoulders quivered with irrepressible sadness.

“You’re not going to lose any—” As my feet shifted to a different plank on the floor, a warmth spread beneath my shoe, humming with energy. When I wiggled my foot to figure out what was going on, a mystical energy shot up my leg. “What the—” I stared at the floorboards, noticing a gap alongside a few of the planks. My eyes followed the space, noticing a distinct square created by the gaps.

When I knelt to the floor, Elysia asked, “Did you find something?”

“I’m not sure.” I ran my forefinger along the crack, feeling that buzz of energy as I dragged my thumb along the dusty boards. When I neared the middle of one side, I felt small grooves in one of the planks and stopped my perusal. “What’s this?” I asked, brushing away the dust to find intricate carvings that seemed to have deteriorated in the years since they were first inscribed.

When Elysia knelt beside me, she ran her fingers over the carvings and, much to both of our surprise, a soft, shimmering glow appeared from within the engravings.

“What in the world?” Elysia continued to run her fingers over the silvery light, illuminating a collection of runes. “What does it mean?”

Immediately, I recognized some of the markings. “This one…” I pointed to a rune at the center of the light. “...says Key to the forgotten gate. ”

“These are more than just runes. That one over there is a witchcraft symbol.” Elysia drug her hand along the surface, emblazoning a new section of runes and symbols. “I don’t know how to read them, but I’ve seen them in some of the books in Morgana’s library.”

As I followed behind her, I pointed to another rune. “This one says Bound by blood. Found by kin. ” My brow furrowed as I considered the last rune. “Found by kin?”

Unphased by my confusion, Elysia continued to move her hand within the square, revealing rune after rune until some sort of sigil was revealed, suddenly glowing beneath a silvery blue mist that seemed to emerge from within the floorboard.

“There must be something down here.” I returned to the rectangular gap, searching for an opening large enough to slip my finger beneath. Near the middle of one side of the square, a lip suddenly appeared, allowing me to lift a trapdoor from its resting place.

“It’s a door?” Elysia’s apparent surprise mirrored my own as I slowly lifted the square piece of wood from the floor, worried about what we might find within.

“Looks like it.” After I leaned the trapdoor against a nearby utility shelf, I peered inside the hole at a set of rickety looking stairs that appeared to descend into a black abyss of nothing.

“Should we go down?” Elysia peered into the hole, swallowed hard, and then met my gaze.

Quirking a brow, I asked, “Would you like to go first?” and gave a playful smile.

Elysia quickly shook her head, alerting me to her own apprehension.

Still, I needed to know what lay hidden beneath the floor; and why it appeared to be guarded by a magical sigil. Lying on my stomach, I lowered my head into the opening and looked around for some sign of magic or remnants of fae.

“What d’you see?”

“Not a lot.” As I spoke, a plume of dust kicked up, swirling around me, and sending me into a coughing fit. “Looks like…” Cough . Cough . “...no one’s…” Cough . Cough . “...been down here…” Cough . “…for ages.” I was just about to ease out of the hole when a glimmer of light drew my eye.

“Do you need help?” Elysia’s hand rested on my back while I continued to stare into the unknown.

“I think I see something.” Squinting my eyes, I stared at that glimmer, watching as it expanded along a far wall.